Living in Frozen

Holy cow, I've been here for 18 weeks?? Time flys and I hate it.

Sooooo transfer calls. Yep. ahhhh so we got the call on Thursday night, and the first thing President says is, "So Sister Dall, do you like packing?" No President, who likes packing?! "because you're being transferred. The Lord would like you to serve in Wasilla, in the Colony ward with Sister Wright." Aaaaand there ya have it. So, I'm leaving the Fairbanks 5th ward, and my best friend Sister Johnstun. I knew one of us would leave, that 4 transfers together would be way too much to ask. But I was really really hoping to stay here for one more. It really and truly is the worst thing ever to leave an area, and this is only my second time doing it! And just when things were getting good! Denyse, Andrea, and the less-actives we were working with, not to mention the AMAZING members of this ward. I didn't think I could grow to love a ward as much as I loved the nugget falls ward, but it sure happened. It was the worst thing ever at church yesterday, saying goodbye to everyone that I've grown so close to. But here's a cool thing. It was fast and testimony meeting, so I got to bare my testimony one last time to the whole ward. haha and Sister Kurpakus got up and told the whole ward how much she loved me and would miss me, that was embarrassing. Oh, and Andrea finally came to church!!!! She stayed for 1st and 2nd hour but had to leave for 3rd. But she loved it all, and we set up another time to meet with her!!!!! I am beyond sad that I won't be able to teach her. She's going to be baptized, I just know it! 

So Wasilla is the second largest city in Alaska, after Anchorage. It has a Target and Arbys so woo  hoo! I'm actually going to the ward where Sister Johnstun was trained! So she's given me the scoop on everyone. And my new companion was Sister Johnstun's mtc companion!  I know that I'm going where the Lord wants me to go, but it's still hard to stay 100% positive. But I know it will all be ok. The Lord is going to teach me a lot these next 6 weeks. Sister Johnstun and I are devastated it be leaving each other. We sure had the time of our lives, living the dream! But I'll be a lot closer to her down in Wasilla, and should be able to see her on p-days so that's a miracle. 

Denyse had us over for lunch this week and it was the best. She has really bad health, so it took her 5 hours to make us potato salad and salmon salad sandwiches. The little sweetie. It was the worst saying goodbye to her. She cried, and it just made me so sad! But she promised she wouldn't forget me :) 

Ok and we did absolutely the funnest/coolest thing of our lives on Saturday. We did service out at North pole, harvesting ice!!!!! So remember at the beginning of Frozen how they're harvesting the ice? That's exactly what we did and it would incredible. We went out on a big 'ole frozen lake, where the ice was about 3 feet thick. There were men with chain saws cutting away, and it was our job to use big long poles with hooks at the end, to drag the ice through the water, to a fork lift that would stack in on the land. We also had to scweegy off the ice so that it wasn't slippery and no one would fall in.  How cool?!!! And it was snowing pretty good the whole time, and the only thing I could think was, "I'm in Alaska harvesting ice!!!!!!" It was a dream come true. 

And to top it off, we saw some amazing northern lights that night. It was Heavenly Father sending me off from Fairbanks in the best way possible. Miracle!!!!!

So, I hope you all have a fantastic week, and any extra prayers on my behalf would be accepted. I love you all and pray for you daily. Keep on keepin on, and remember the scripture in 1 peter 3:15. Always be looking for people to share the gospel with!!! Love you!

Love, Sister Dall :)

Walking on Sunshine

Holy Moly, what a GREAT week!!! 
And really weird... but we'll get to that in a minute. 

So first off, I think I had about 79  "I'm so grateful I'm a missionary" moments this week, which was stellar and absolutely the best. The biggest news was our lesson with Denyse. But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself! First, we had a super duper cool experience on Wednesday. Elder Ballard, and Elder Rasband were going to Asia for something, and decided to stop in Anchorage for a couple of hours, and wanted to meet with the missionaries!!!! So of course we were bummed that we're all the way up here, but they were able to broadcast the whole meeting to us up here, as well as all the other missionaries not in the bowl (anchorage, wasilla, chugach). So that was the coolest thing ever, having them speak to us for a couple of hours. They told us that what they shared with us was exactly for OUR mission, and what each of us specifically needed to hear. How awesome is that?! It was a spirit booming meeting and I don't think there was a single missionary that couldn't feel that these two men were 100% apostles of the Lord. Very very cool. 

So we were just on a spiritual high for the rest of the day from that. So we had an appointment with Denyse. So if you recall, Denyse is our investigator that's been investigating for awhile, and has a problem with the Book of Mormon, but is a very very spiritual person who absolutely loves meeting with us. So we headed over there, and the first thing she told us was how she LOVED the heart-attack we left on her door on Valentines day! She went on and on about it which made us super happy. So then, we started the lesson. Earlier in the week, we had decided that we needed to try focusing on Joseph Smith with her, because she wasn't getting anywhere with the book of mormon. So, Denyse tells us she watched the Testiments, and that had made the book of mormon make a little bit more sense, but it still didn't make sense in  her mind, like the bible did. So, we whip out the scripture, D&C 8:2-3 about how the holy ghost can tell you in your heart, AND mind. Oh man. Denyse instantly sat up straight, and said 'I just got the goose bumps" and then started to cry. Then she said how she knew she was feeling the Spirit and she knew that what we were saying was true. Holy cow, I've never witnessed anything like that! So Sister Johnstun and I just start testifying about how we know that the Holy Ghost can help her feel of the B of M's truthfulness, and Denyse is still crying and agreeing with everything we're saying!! It was unreal. But then..... We knew we still wanted to talk about Joseph Smith, so we asked her if she's ever prayed to know if J.S. was a prophet of God. Same thing happened, she sat up, got the goose bumps and started crying again!!!! And then she told us how she never had, but how obviously that's what she needed to do, and how she now knew the new direction to take her search for the truth! By this point, we're all crying, bearing testimony, and sharing different insights. The Spirit was so thick, I thought I could touch it. I thought experiences like that were just stories! But no, they're REAL! It doesn't sound quite as cool now that I'm retelling it, but man was it insane. Easily the most incredible experience on my mission thus far, and probably my life. Huge testimony builder for me, and just exactly what I've been waiting to happen on my mission. So Denyse always talks about how she loves rainbows, because they're God's promise to us. So to add to all of this, when we stood up to leave, there was a rainbow on the floor, under S. Johnstuns foot, shining in through the window. We all freaked out. WOW!!! Denyse told us she's going to re-read the book of mormon with a different mind set, and that she can't wait to see what she finds! She was so excited to start reading it agian, it was awesome! So once we got out to the car, we are both just freaking out majorly. Like x100. MIRACLES HAPPEN. I really wish you all could have witnessed this experience because it was truly incredible. I've never seen God's hand so evident in our missionary work. And to be a part in it was just something out of this world :) 

Alright, so other news..... WE SAW THE NORTHERN LIGHTS AGAIN!!! and like 10x better than before! Here's the deal. We got in at 9 for the night, and I looked up and saw them, about how we had seen them last time. But, we realized it was only 9, so we totally drove out of town to see them better!! We grabbed our cameras and the 2nd sisters and drove about 7 miles outside the town and pulled over where there were no lights at all. Yep, I'm not even going to try and explain how incredible it was. They were SO bright, and right there! And dancing all over the whole sky! My camera didn't even come close to capturing them, so you'll just have to use your imagination on this one. Ahhhh but it was so cool. How can people see something like that and not believe in a God?! While we were standing there, it just hit me. I'm in ALASKA!!! woo hoo!! So, I'm convinced that since we had stayed in the night before, when we wanted to go out to see them, Heavenly Father let us see them this time, even better! Exact obedience brings miracles! 

Other big news. Saturday night, it rained a bunch, and then got cold. So Sunday morning we wake up to find just pure ice EVERYWHERE. Absolutely covering the roads, sidewalks and driveways. It was like a huge ice-skating rink! Like seriously a couple inches of hard slick ice. So, we got a couple texts that church was cancelled. That's right, cancelled. 

NOOOOOOO.

So we had to call Andrea and tell her :( I was sooo bummed. They won't cancel it for -40 degrees, but they'll cancel it for icy roads. Guess that tells you how bad it was. We also got the orders to stay inside all day. ugg how boring! I thought I was going to die. But, we found out that the YSA branch was still passing the sacrament, so what did we do? We walked! It was about a 45 minute walk one way and it was so fun! Luckily it was only about 30 degrees, but super slippery. haha I think the brave cars that were out on the road had a great time watching us walk along the road slipping all over the place. So yep, that happened. And they almost had us stay in today, but the roads aren't as bad anymore, so here we find ourselves. #onlyinalaska

Alright, sorry this is so incredibly long, but I wanted to leave you all with a short thought. There's a scripture in 2 Nephi 9:39 and at the end is says 'and to be spiritually minded is life eternal.' Pretty profound. But wait. Take the first letter of the last five words, and put them together. - S.M.I.L.E. whoa!!!!! Cool! So think about that, to be spiritually minded, you're closer to gaining eternal life, and in turn you'll be smiling!! God doesn't want us to be unhappy as we endure to the end, he was us to be enjoying to the end! So as we're mindful of the things that we're doing, remember to be staying spiritually minded because you'll be happier, and you'll be closer to God and your eternal life :) 

I hope your week goes great and that you see some hand of God moments, because those are what keep nourishing our testimonies! I love you all soooo much and always pray for you! 

All my love, Sister Dall :) 

The Best Life

Shalom!

This was a pretty stellar week my friends! First off, we met with Andrea! And she is by far the most incredible investigator I've ever met!!!! She's easily the definition of a 'golden' investigator. It was incredible! She's 100% ready to learn, and excited to learn, and has the desire completely to learn for herself and it's just so perfect I can't even handle it!!!! And she wanted to come to church on Sunday, so we were super pumped.... but then her car broke down so she couldn't come :( next week though! So we are gonna meet with her again and really start teaching her and I could't be more excited!!!!! 

Ahhhh being a missionary is the greatest thing of my life. On Valentines day, we went around hear-attacking people in the ward. It was super fun! #stealthy we also heart-attacked our investigator Denyse. She called today telling us how incredibly happy it made her, and how we will never know what we did for her. It was a super simple thing we did, but it made a big impact. So that was really nice to hear :) I love being a missionary, coolest thing of my life. 

Last night we saw some super good northern lights!!! It was incredible, I can't even describe it! It would have been like 100x better if we weren't in the city, but it was 10:00 so we couldn't leave. but it was still super super cool. And my camera didn't capture it very well, and I wish you all could have seen them. Too cool. 

So yesterday for p-day we went out to Chena Hot springs, a super famous resort place, with natural hot springs. I think it was on Samantha Brown.... but we went into their ice museum!!! Dude..... no words. I can't even begin to describe how amazing it was!!!!!! look it up online or something because it was so cool! Imagine frozen, but in real life. It was the coolest thing of my life. 

Also, it's been sweltering up here. Today it is a whole 30 degrees!!!!!!! I can't believe the temperature can change so vastly so quickly.... mind blowing. But hey, I'm not complaining! woo hoo, over the winter hump! 

I think that's about all the excitement for this week. Oh, and we have transfer calls in 9 days!!!!! Let the stress begin. 

I love you all, you wonderful people. Thank you thank you for all the prayers, we can't get enough. Keep being awesome and expect those miracles! 

Love, Sister Dall :)

#onlyinalaska

Good good week this week my friends!

So first off, we had MLC, which is always a personal favorite. I just love getting together (even if it's over skype) with all the leaders of our mission and discussing what we can do better to help out the missionaries in our areas. It's the best and there's always a super booming spirit.

These meetings just leave me with this huge pump up that gets me stoked about life and I LOVE IT! 

We didn't have a great week, as far as seeing investigators goes. It comes and goes in waves, and this week happened to be the week where no one could meet with us. But that's ok, because we had a HUGE miracle to make up for it! We got a call from an active member, about a friend she has, that approached her and started asking questions about our religion. She said she's been doing some research and ordered herself a BOM and a D&C and has been reading them, and comparing them with the Bible. She said she's at a point in her life where she wants some answers and she thinks our church might be able to do that. WOW!!!! So we got her number and called her. She is super super awesome and really excited to meet with us, this Friday! So we're praying that it goes well, and that we'll have a new investigator! And she's from Barbados, so that'll be cool telling her that my brother served his mission there! Woo hoo!

Other news... yes it's cold up here. It's been around -30 all week and the coldest it got was around -45. So we're hoping that doesn't last much longer. It's just so funny to see cars plugged in all over the place, or people will just leave their cars running. Oh, and we had cold weather cut-off in our ward in Fairbanks. If it's -30, they only have 2 hours of church. So we didn't have sunday school, kinda weird. 

#onlyinalaska 

Also, when it gets this cold, anything metal burns!!! I learned that the hard way. Don't pick up quarters that have been sitting in your freezing cold car, with your bare hands. So that's fun. 

We also went to Nenana yesterday for church, which was fun. It's just really cool to see such strong members in a little tiny town in the middle of Alaska, getting together and having church in -30 degree weather. So cool!

Welp, I think that' all for this week. Remember that I love all of you wonderful people, and you're all the greatest! I hope you have a wonderful week full of miracles and tender mercies! I love you!!

Love, Sister Dall :) 

Courage, Zone Conference & Moose

Hello hello!

Well, this week was pretty normal. Pretty great, but pretty normal. The highlight for me, was ZONE CONFERENCE!!! I seriously live for stuff like that. Zone conference, zone meeting, mlc, transfer meeting, I love it all! So I was pretty pumped. 

President and Sister Robinson came up, along with the ap's which is always a fun time. The theme was courage. How perfect, that's just what I need! The Zone Leaders gave an amazing training on confidence, and having the courage to change. It was just what I needed, and the Spirit was super strong and I learned a ton. Then the Ap's gave a training, and each district got old white shirts, ripped them and made our own title's of liberty! It was really fun. I just love all the people here so much, and we always just have a party when we're all together, it's the best! Then President and Sister Robinson gave a training on courage. They talked about Abinadi and how he only converted one person, yet was an incredible missionary. But look what came from the one person he converted?! Ya never know. It was really cool. So it was a success, and I think everyone learned a lot. Then we finished with a testimony meeting which is always my favorite part. ahhh I just loved it all so much!!!!

One really cool miracle we had, was there's a returning less-active family here, who's husband got mixed up in some bad stuff, with false accusations and stuff. So he was scheduled to go to trial on Thursday, and he was facing a potential of 2-16 years in prison. So the night before, we went over to their house and offered to fast with them. They were so grateful and said yes! So we were wondering all day what had happened, and at the end of the day we got a text that said 'It all went well, no confinement!!" MIRACLE! So fasting and prayer totally works, it was just so awesome!!!!! 

One other thing, I'm not sure I've really talked about her, but we have an investigator that's been meeting with missionaries for like 2 years. She knows everything is true and really wants to be baptized. But, she and her 'husband' aren't married. They've been living together for a long time, and just haven't gotten around to it. And he's a member so it's weird. We're not sure what's holding them back but we're really prayer for them right now. So extra prayers for Paula and Eric to pick a date to get married, would be fantastic!! 

I think that's all the excitement for this week.  oh, and I finally saw my first Alaskan moose!!!!!! 2 in 2 days!! IT was really cool and I was really excited. Apparently they're super common in Anchorage and Wasilla, but I haven't served there yet so haven't seen any. till now! 

Well, have a fantastic week, and know that I'm praying for you all everyday. Keep the faith and expect miracles. I love you all SO MUCH!!!

Love, Sister Dall :)

it's COLD

Hello there!

So this week was pretty normal, nothing too exciting. 

oh wait.... 

KAYLEA'S BAPTISM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. First of all, we had 23 set lessons last week, which was the biggest miracle ever! And only like 3 of them cancelled. It was craziness, that never happens up  here. So we were pretty stoked. Also, our dear friend the sun has decided it's time to start making a reappearance here, and we couldn't be happier. It got above the trees yesterday!!!!!!!! And it'll only get higher from here! BUT, it's for sure not getting any warmer. 

Today we have reached an all-time low for the coldest this winter. -40. Yes, that's right we have hit -40 degrees. The only word I can use to describe this would be... painful. I wan to cry it is so cold. But this is the real Alaska now! We hope it doesn't stay too long, and frankly we've been incredibly blessed it's taken this long to get that cold. But winter is almost over woo hoo! There's also this terrible stuff we call ice fog. All the exhaust, breath, and anything like that just goes in the air and freezes. It doesn't really evaporate or anything, it just kinda hangs in the air. So it's really hard to see on the roads, when the car in front of you lets out a huge cloud of exhaust and it just chills there in front of you (literally). So that's been fun. 

I took this at -31...and then it dropped to -40 -_-

Alright, and now on to the main event!!! So the morning of Kaylea's baptism, I was SO stressed!! I couldn't eat, I couldn't focus on anything because all I was thinking about was all the different things that could go wrong. Typical. But it was actually practically perfect. We showed up about an hour early, and our ward mission leader was there filling up the font. We were a little worried he would forget, but he didn't! So we printed the programs, and then as soon as Kaylea got there, we got her changed and then took pictures. ahhh so fun!! The program went great. Little Kaylea looked so happy coming out of that water! I honestly don't think I've ever been so happy in all my life. There is really and truly no better feeling, than  helping others come closer to our Savior Jesus Christ. There was a very tangible spirit there that I hope everyone felt, especially the non-member dad. I think he did. So, it was all a success! And yesterday was the confirmation! Their other home teacher, brother Nixon, did the confirmation. It was a beautiful blessing, with some pretty amazing promises. The dad (joe) also came to that, and it was only the second time he's ever been to church. So that was a miracle for sure. But oh man, Kaylea was just glowing after her confirmation. It was incredible!!!! Greatest thing of my life. And her whole family just all looked so excited and so happy, it was the best! Their family is amazing and making such a huge change woo hoo! 

Also, we picked up a new investigator this week! Her name is Payton and she is the definition of a golden investigator. She's in the 1st ward boundaries, but since she's a 16 year old girl, the elders passed her to  us. She said she's been searching for a church because she wants religion in her life, and she was interested in learning more about our church. She said she just didn't know where to start. With the missionaries!!! So we taught her the first lesson and it went great. She's excited to read the B of M and can't wait to go to mutual on wednesdays, she's really excited about that. So we're praying that continues to go well! 

I don't think there's anything else to report, but be sure to ask any questions you have. I love answering questions! Thank you thank you for being so awesome, and for all the emails each week. I am truly blessed with amazing people in my life. 

Love you all, and expect miracles!

Love, Sister Dall :)

Lately from the North Pole

First of all.... HOLY MIRACLE WEEK!!!! 

I can't even handle the amount of miracles we saw, it's mind blowing. But I'll do my best to tell you about them all. 

First off, we had trainer/trainee meeting over skype, where all the trainers and trainees meet with the ap's and president to just have a little training. Sister Johnstun and I went and gave a training on staying positive! It was great. Another random thing, the other night we both couldn't fall asleep. It was 11:30 and we realized we were both famished. So, naturally we got up and made a sandwich. That hit the spot. I'm so glad I have a companion that loves food as much as I do. 

Anywho...We went on exchanges last week, and I got to go to the North Pole! IT was so fun!! The little North pole is so cute, I just loved it. All the Christmas decorations everywhere, the Christmas named streets and the candy cane light posts lining every street, it was magical. And we went to THE north pole! Don't worry, I got a picture with it. And of course, I licked it!! 

And... my tongue definitely got stuck to it....  and it hurts really bad from ripping it off. But hey, I had to do it right? Now I can say I've licked the north pole. 

So Miracle #1! We were driving on our way to visit some less actives, and I had the thought to go and try and investigator that had been meeting with the missionaries for about 3 years, that we haven't been able to see the whole time we've been up here yet. So we followed the prompting, and totally met her!!! And we set up a lesson for tonight!!!! So exciting. 

Miracle #2. So we were having a freak out moment, and decided to try texting the Daltons, to tell them that church was not at 9. She texted back and said they would try to make it to church!!! They didn't end up coming, but hey we made contact!! 

Miracle #3 There's a family called the Adairs, who are in 6th ward but requested sisters, who we also haven't been able to set anything up with for the past 11 weeks. (terrible, I know) but she texted US and asked if we could meet with her tomorrow!! So we have 2 lessons set up with investigators that we've never met before! 

Miracle #4 A less active we've been trying and trying to get in contact with finally texted us back and set up a lesson for Thursday!! We couldn't believe it! So we have a bunch of lessons scheduled for this week, all with people we've really been trying to see. So many miracles I can't even handle it. And then... we had about 5 less active families show up to church yesterday, that have NEVER come to church while we've been in FBX. It's basically  just the best. 

So now I really can't get transferred!! And we get the call in 3 days... Pray I stay here! I  hope S. Johnstun and I both stay, but she's feeling like she's leaving. But I guess we'll see! This work is amazing and I feel so so privileged to be a part of it here in Alaska. I just love being a missionary!!!! Keep up the great work back in the lower 48, and EXPECT MIRACLES! Because they come :)

Love always, Sister Dall 

Twas right before Christmas...

Sorry, this is gonna be super short. 

This week went by SO FAST. If just flew. But we saw so many miracles! And everytime we see one, Sister Johnstun and I both say 'it's a Christmas miracle!'. ahah it's fun.

So President flew up here this week, for interviews. I love that man, he's so cool. Our interview was great, and he just made me feel so good! And it's always good to see sister Robinson. 

We met a lady at the post office this week, and got talking to her. She said she writes christian books, and told us to stop by her house to get a free one. So, we did! We were excited to see if maybe we could get a new investigator out of her. But... quite the opposite. She ended up just arguing with us the whole time. She told US what WE believe, because she's researched our religion. She was saying the craziest things ever. But we just sat there and let her say what she wanted, so it didn't turn into a bible bash. But I wanted to fight so badly!! It was one of those lessons though, where you just feel the spirit leave the room. But, after the lesson, I just had the best feeling of how I was so glad I have the knowledge I have, and how we don't have to worry or wonder, because we know! It was great, even though it wasn't the best lesson.

NORTHERN LIGHT ACTION. Yes, I totally saw the real deal, finally!!!!! I don't have time to include pics, but I saw them. It was breathtaking!!! 

Ok, I'm outta time, but I will see you (via Skype) on thursday!!!! I love you all an insane amount and can't wait to see you on Christmas! Take the time to really remember the reason for the season, and to be grateful for what we have. Sorry it's so short!

John 3:16

Love youuuuu!

Love, Sister Dall

Anchorage Adventure

Wow, what a week! 
It FLEW by. haha literally, because I got to fly to Anchorage. 

Ok, that was a lame joke. 

But anyway, this week was awesome!!! 

So on Tuesday we flew down to Anchorage, and got to just hang out for a bit before Transfer meeting. So naturally, we went to Red Robin! There was a group of about 20 missionaries there, and obviously I ordered the mountain high mud pie and ate it in about 5 minutes. then we went to transfer meeting, which was awesome as always. But super sad/weird seeing everyone that's going home. I remember at the beginning of the mission how I didn't know any of the departing missionaries, but now that I know them it's a wee bit more sad. 

transfers with all my sweeties 

So after that, we got to go to the temple!! Amazing, as always. Then we had Sisters Training meeting, which was good. But, I had to talk about being physically fit. Wrong person to talk about that, but ya know, it's fine. Then we got to go to the mission home, where we stayed the night. The next day, we got up and I made French toast for everyone. And I didn't even burn it!!! Mum, be proud. 

temple run

Friday was crazy. We went to go help set up the gym for our ward Christmas party, which was Polar Express themed. Then we had zone meeting for a couple hours, that we trained at. Then we had a couple meetings, and then our ward Christmas party! It was soooo much fun. It's amazing how much we have gotten to know the ward, and how much they've accepted us. Just so cool, I love them! 

But the craziness is not over. Saturday afternoon, we made the drive out to Nenana. We have 5 lessons, which is a miracle. We met with a couple investigators and less-actives out there, and they were all really good lessons. Then we had dinner with the Verhagen family, which is basically the whole branch out here. They have 9 kids, 7 of which live in Nenana, 4 of them have their own families, and 1 is on a mission. So their whole family makes up most of the town, and almost the whole branch. But they are incredible. The most amazing member missionaries I've ever met. 

The next day we went to church at the branch. It's in a little log building with like 3 rooms. It was pretty fun! So that was a crazy adventure, but super fun. Man, missions are the coolest! 

Life is pretty good. Christmas time is the best time to be a missionary. It's super easy to go up and talk to anyone, and to bring Christ into it. Not gonna lie, it's gonna be a little bit depressing once Christmas is over, and it's back to "normal" life. But hey, love it while you got it.

Good luck with everything everyone has going on, and keep expecting those miracles!!!! 

Love Always, 

Sister Dall :)

Fairbanks and All Our Investigators

Hey hey there! 

Man I can't believe there's only one more week of the Transfer! That's right, we get transfer calls on thursday!!! And I'm not stressed! I'm 99.9% sure that Sister Johnstun and I are staying at least another transfer, so that's good. She and I get along better and better everyday! 

Ok, so I realized I don't think I've really filled you all in on our investigators here so I'm gonna take a minute to do that.

First, we have Kaley Curry. She's 9 and her family is less active, and her dad is not a member. We teach her every monday night because her mom wants her to get baptized and wants the family to get more active. Kaley is super smart and has a ton of great questions. She really thinks about what we teach and really wants to know everything. The lessons have been going awesome, and the whole family is making HUGE progress. Even the dad who's not really interested, sits through all the lessons and participates! So we'll probably be baptizing her soon :D 

Then we have Dyllon Dalton. We've only met with them a couple times, but they took us out to dinner last week! They like us! He is golden and really wants to know all about the church and they want to get their family active again. (it's just him, his wife Ashley and the 1 year old Maycee) But we love them so so much and can't wait to see his progress!

Next is Rachel, who was the member referral. We've still only met with her once, but she's super busy. She really liked what we shared with her, and wants us to come back. So we're still trying to get in with her, but I think she's gonna be a great investigator. 

The Hiland boys are next, Tyler who's 10 and Hunter who is 8. Their Mom April is less active and has been since she was baptized at about 18. They are super smart and love everything we teach. It was awesome, last week we were teaching about prophets and they asked if maybe there was a prophet on the earth today. Why yes, yes there is! They got so excited! Then we were teaching them how Christ set up his church when he was on the earth and they asked if it might still be on the earth today. Hmmmm YES!!!! Oh man it was so cool! So we invited them to church, but alas they didn't come. :( But we'll keep working with them! 

The last one is Denise. She's been meeting with Missionaries for awhile. She has a lot of health problems so we can't see her regularly. But she believes everything we teach and loves it all. The only thing is she isn't sure the Book of Mormon is true. However, she says she's praying about it, and has been for a couple months, and she's not giving up. So that's awesome, we just gotta help her along a little! 

It finally snowed this week. A lot. So we are in a beautiful winter wonderland! The snow here is awesome, I love it! It's like Styrofoam or something. Super dry and light. In the morning instead of scraping the snow and ice off the windshield, we just blow. So fun! 

Thanksgiving was pretty fun. We had 3 dinners. THREE. I've never eaten so much food. One was with an active family the Kurpakus's who are like our parents here and take such good care of us, the second was with the Curry family! And the third was with the Birkholz! I love them so so much, it was great! So it was a success, minus the fact that I weigh like a million more pounds.... 

Ok so for District meeting this week, sister Johnstun and I were asked to train on Gratitude. So we had everyone write down something they were grateful for, and put it in a bag. And we played reverse Charades!!! I hope you have all played that, or find time to soon, because I can honestly say I have never had so much fun, or laughed so hard. The whole group acts things out, and one person guesses. It was hysterical!! The best part was, sister Johnstun wrote down that she was grateful for me, (little sweetie) and i happened to be the one guessing. So just imagine all the elders pretending to be sister Dall. They were all flipping their hair, and trying to be ballerinas, and standing in first position, and doing my little things like that and I died laughing. I wish I had it on film, best thing ever!!! Anyways, yep that happened. 

Highlight of the week: I found a member who makes CAFE RIO!!!! And not just any home-made cafe rio, this was the real deal!!!! I seriously thought I was eating the real thing. It was fantastic!!!!!!! I was so so happy :) 

Have you all heard about He is the gift?? It's the coolest thing! Just like Because of Him, that the church did for Easters. So the missionaries all have a bunch of pass-along cards we can use for it, and we're keeping track of how many referrals and stuff like that that we get from it. So I hope you're all spreading the word and telling everyone and their dog about it! SO cool! 

Alright, sorry this was a bit long. But I am happy and things are going well. I can't believe it's almost Christmas, where did the time go??? Oh and we reached an all-time low this week, -15. NEGATIVE FIFTEEN!!! 

Let us all press on.

Hey, I love you all and am ever so grateful for you. Remember to live in Thanksgiving Daily, and to expect miracles!!

Love, Sister Dall 

Coal for daysssss

Well this week was pretty normal, but great! 

We went to Nenana on Wednesday for the first time so that was pretty sweet. It's about an hours drive south of Fairbanks. The drive was so pretty, and it was like 34 degrees there! SO WARM! We met with a couple people the last sisters were working with, just kinda got to know the area. But it is super cool and I'm excited to work more with them all. 

On Saturday we did a service project, shoveling coal for a member. We had to move 7.5 tons of it from the front, to a shed in the back. Boy am I sore!! We all got covered head to toe in coal dust, and I think I have the black lung from breathing in so much. Plus, my hair totally froze and I could break off little tiny pieces!! The Elders thought it was the coolest thing ever haha. 

#weareamess

I also got the best package from the young women!! I almost cried it made me so happy. Letters from the laurals and leaders plus a super cute scarf. So tell them thank you thank you!! 

Miracles for the week, we met with the Daltons again, and he totally accepted to take the lessons!!!!! NEW INVESTIGATOR!!!!! It's a Christmas miracle. We are so so excited because they are just the coolest and it's going to be the best. Oh drama for the week too. 

We actually still haven't had anymore snow, since the first snow in September. But I'm fine with that. It sure is getting colder and darker here. It gets light around 9 am and gets dark around 4 pm, and it's quickly declining. The other day it was -6 and stayed in the negatives all day. I'm told by thanksgiving it'll be about -20. Speaking of Thanksgiving, woo hoo best holiday!!! I hope you are all taking the time to remember what you're thankful for, and why. We are all so incredibly blessed, and I love this time we get to take each year to be grateful! So keep on keeping on, and don't forget to expect miracles!!! 

I love you all and am ever so grateful for you!

Love, Sister Dall :)

A Week of Miracles

hello hello hello!

This week was nothing short of miracle week!! We seriously saw so many miracles, and I wish I had time to tell you all of them. 

First off, we had zone conference on Friday, so President and Sister Robinson flew in, along with the good old AP's. Sister Johnstun and I gave a training on being a diligent missionary, which is one of my most favorite things ever so I was happy. The zone leaders gave an amazing training on miracles!!!! My favorite thing ever!! So it was awesome. So basically the spirit was super strong and everyone there are now going to work super hard to be a consecrated missionary. SO GOOD! 

Oh, and we did our first exchange this week. So, my first one as an STL. I went with Sister Torgeson, who lives with us. She's so awesome, it was super fun! I learned a ton from her. She came out with my trainer, sister Morrison. 

Ok, one miracle we saw, we were contacting less-actives from our ward list and we knocked on the Dalton's door. A cute young girl answered the door and let us right in. She is about 23 and has a one-year-old girl. She said she and her husband had been living there for about 3 years and had never had any contact with the church. She has been wanting to get back, but didn't know where or when church was or anything. Miracle! But wait, her husband isn't a member but she told us he's interesting in taking the lessons!!! AND they all came to church yesterday!! Holy cow, coolest thing ever! And there's the cutest couple in the ward, the Fredricksons (the Perkins daughter) that were the perfect fellow-shippers for them, and just made them feel so welcomed. So it was just the best, and we're excited to see where it goes! 

Also, the other sisters before us didn't really have any investigators they were teaching, so S. Johnstun and I set a goal to find some new ones. Well, this week we picked up 2 new investigators and found 2 less-active families that want to return!!!!!! NO WAY!!!! Yep, true story. And the new investigators are both from member referrals, so that truly is the way to do missionary work. 

So basically we're pumped because the work is really starting to take off here. Not really much else to report for this week, But I'm happy and healthy and excited to be a more consecrated missionary and to help in the harvesting of the Lord's work!!! 

Random side note, to answer all the questions about the cold:

If it's -30 we're only allowed to go to scheduled appointments and if it's -50 we can't go out at all. I've been told that it's really warm here for this time of year, so we're lucky. It hasn't really hit the negatives. If it's -30 the ward only does sacrament meeting, and all youth weekly activities are cancelled, and if it's -50 they only give the sacrament. BUT let's hope we don't hit that anytime soon :) 

Ok, I love and miss you all dearly, truly I do. But keep the prayers coming, and expect miracles everyday!!! Remember to be member missionaries!

Love, Sister Dall 

Life in Fairbanks

Soooo this week was pretty good! Starting to figure things out more and more everyday. 

A couple things I forgot to mention last week, Sister Johnstun and I also cover a small branch in a town about 45 minutes outside of Fairbanks called Nenanna. We go there about once every-other week for the day. There is also a huge military base here in Fairbanks called Ft Wainwright that like a third of our ward is on. So our ward has tons of young families with lots of little kids, it's the best! 

We don't really have any solid investigators... yet. But we had a super cool miracle yesterday! A member came up to us and starting talking about this friend that she had that is totally golden and that would love to take the lessons. She told us that she talked to this friend named Rachel who is expecting the sisters to come to her house to share a spiritual thought, and the family is inviting her over for dinner on Saturday when she's feeding us!! SO COOL!!! Member missionary work is the absolute BEST! So I'll let you know how that all goes. 

Oh, and there's this family in our ward, the Warners, and they are the coolest! I think they're probably the only black family in Fairbanks, but they are hilarious!!! I just love them so much. They have like a million kids and so there's always 75 people over at their house, it's a nice time. So we're going to become best friends. 

We also had MLC this week (missionary leadership council) which we attended over PVC (skype). So it was all the zone leaders for the whole mission, plus sister Johnstun and I and the STL's in Anchorage and of course, President and Sister Robinson. It lasted for about 7 hours which was a little crazy. But I learned a ton and it was super fun to be able to see everyone, like the little sweetie elders in Juneau! 

We tried Eskimo ice cream this week. Look it up. It was disgusting. 

OH MY. and big embarrassing story for the week:

So we were returning some keys to a member, and we walk up to the door, they weren't home so we headed back to the car. 

I checked my pockets and said "sister Johnstun, please tell me you have the keys.' 

she says "why would I have the keys, you're driving'. 

Oh dear. 

I locked the keys in the car!! So we are standing out in the cold, about 8 degrees, and call our zone leaders. They were like 'no way, are you serious??" and they didn't know what to do. They told us to call the police department because they don't have a spare key for us. 

I said heck no. 

Right then, the members whose house we were at drove up. So they let us in their house to warm up a little, and then brother Payton grabbed a butter knife and a hanger and says 'don't worry, I got this'. So we ran back outside and proceeded to break into our little Subaru. It took about 30 minutes, but he did it!! The alarm started to go off, so we frantically looked for the keys inside the car to turn it off. After about 5 minutes we realized... the keys are not in the car. So neighbors are coming out complaining about the car honking, and we're all running around frantically looking for the keys.... and then i find them. In my coat pocket!!!!! 

*face palm* 

I have a hole in my pocket and they keys had fallen down the hole into the lining of my coat. Good one Sister Dall!! So all that was for nothing! It made for some good pictures though. Luckily the paytons are awesome and they got a kick out of it all. So yep, I'm a winner. 

 

Well, not much else to report this week. The time has gone by so fast, I can't believe it's already week 3 of the transfer! It's a little frustrating some times because I just want to know everyone already so we can help them progress more. Because every visit we have, we're still just trying to get to know people and their concerns. But I know it will come, I just have to be patient. The work is good though, we never have a slow day which I am extremely grateful for. It's a miracle! 

Thanks for all the prayers and support, you guys are the BEST! I love you all so so much, expect  miracles!!!

Love, Sister Dall 

Faaaiiiirbanks

woooo here we go friends!!! 

So I'm in Fairbanks! Man, monday was so fun though. We went to nugget falls again because we were so blessed with a sunny day. So we played Frisbee on the beach with a waterfall and glacier behind us while we watched the sun set for about 3 hours. It was a BLAST! 

Great way to finish out in little Juneau. But I was ever so sad to leave. I had to say goodbye to everyone....

Sarah and her family

Bishop and his family

I told sister Lind she would have to drag me onto the plane, and she did. The flight was cool, it's awesome to fly over all the snow-capped mountains and it was just as the sun was rising. 

We arrived in Anchorage and went to the mission home. We got to go downstairs and meet all the new little missionaries and try and comfort the poor little things. They looked terrified. Oh the days... but it was super fun, and we got to watch them meet their trainers and it was the best! #perksofbeinganstl 

ran into most of her MTC group at transfers

Then I found my new comp sister Johnstun! She is so cute, but still a little shy. She hasn't quite opened up all the way, I can tell she's a little nervous being away from her mom, sister Dill. But she's great! Then we got to go to the temple!!! OH my word I almost cried the moment I walked in. It felt oh so good to be back. The session was great and I spent a good 30 minutes just chilling in the celestial room. 

The next day we were off to the airport and to Fairbanks! The flight was ok, but we were in this tiny little plane that I thought for sure wouldn't make it. 

But, we did, never fear. 

When we got there it was about 2 degrees. YIKES!!! But it actually wasn't too bad, your nose hairs just freeze when you breath which is the weirdest sensation. So it's typically around 10 degrees, but the other day it got up to 25 and we were all celebrating for how warm it was! 

We live in a basement apartment of some members, and we live with the other 2 sisters serving here, sister Moore (who came out with me) and sister Torgeson, who are both super awesome. So all four of us just have a party all the time and it's the best! 

So our first couple of days have been interesting, not knowing anything or anyone. We're all trying to figure stuff out and it's a bit of a mess. But the elders let us borrow their GPS which is a miracle because without it we would never get around. There was a Halloween party on Friday which was super fun, and good to get to know the ward a little bit. 

Yes this week has been crazy and this coming week will be as well. Thank you so much for the prayers, I really did feel them, keep em' coming!! 

I miss Juneau so much, but I know I'm here for a reason so it will all be ok. It's just a little hard going from somewhere that I knew EVERYONE and everything about them, to somewhere that neither me or my companion know anything about. The Lord is with us though and I'm certainly learning a lot! I love you all so so much!!
Love, Sister Dall