Service and Sunburns

This week was an awesome week!!  It started with exchanges with our zone leaders, so I was with Elder Fonua, and we got to go chicken hunting! That was an adventure all on it's own- fences were jumped and funny looks were seen, but after about 45 minutes we got the chicken!!

Then, this week was Earth day, so we got to spend 2 hours picking up trash, then we got fed lunch, and then spent two more hours painting for a member!  We spent most of the day in service clothes, and in the 80 degree sun.  That means this week, as a total, around 14 hours of service, including weeding, painting, picking up trash, and washing windows.  Twas a lot of fun!!

Also, on Saturday, we had a lady knock on our trailer door, and we found out that she was trying to help people come to Christ through song!  So we talked for a little bit, after which she sang to us a Spanish song about having a heart of clay, and then we sang "I am a Child of God" to her, and then we gave her an apple and an orange* and a copy of "The Living Christ", took a picture with her (cause that was a pretty cool/unique/weird experience and sent her off on her way!  (So there's the picture)

Yesterday, we had 3 less-active families that we're working with come to one branch, the Laguna/Acoma branch, for sacrament meeting,  and we haven't been able to meet with two of them for at least 2 weeks- so that was a miracle in and of itself!!

The To'hajiilee building for church, also, just got the internet!  You may not think of that as anything cool, (I mean, doesn't the internet go everywhere??)  but this branch has been lacking- you don't realize how influential the internet is church until you don't have it!!  Now we can be more effective as we teach others about family history- we just need a computer out there or something so we can teach them how to do their own family history and such!

Anyways, that's all I got for this week- a lot of miracles are happening, and it's sweet to see!!  This work is a work of miracles, so you better start believing in them, because you need to see the ones that are already happening in your life!!

Te whanaunga mo ake tonu!!

Elder Eli James Dial

Hola, all!

Hola, all!  (Happy Easter yesterday!!)

This week has been awesome!  To start off, I'll mention what happened yesterday.  we had lunch with a family that has been returning to activity, and their son is also a recent convert, but there was only one catch- it was Easter dinner combined with a baby shower, so 40 people were there.  We had Navajo tacos (my first one from an actual Navajo) and it was glorious! 

We also had exchanges last week, so Elder Snow came out here to Laguna with me, and Elder Jackman went to Albuquerque with Elder Schraedel, and it was a lot of fun!  I got lost once or twice, but hey, I'm still alive and everything is going good!  We met with an investigator that Elder Jackman and I have struggled to meet with, but the guy was drinking beer while we were there, so we don't know how effective that was.  He feels condemned because of some things he's done in war as a sniper, but we shared with him the story of Alma the younger, after that he asked us where it was and he's going to read it!  We were able to share with him that peace can come to us through Jesus Christ, and how Alma felt that through his experiences.  The Book of Mormon has the power to bring the Spirit into people's lives and that is going to change them so they can feel/remember who they are and that there is always hope!

Elder Jackman and I gave talks in To'hajiilee yesterday, and it was pretty goodish!  We didn't really have much time to prepare as we had exchanges on Friday/Saturday, but we did alright!  It was a lot of fun, but that was my 3rd time giving a talk since I've been in this area- 2nd one in that branch, and I've discovered that I don't really like giving talks as much as I used to in Shelley!  I prefer being in a classroom setting, but I'll get over it. 

Everything is going good here in Laguna, Acoma and To'hajiilee!  Christ did die for us, and don't ever forget just because Easter's past!  He's never forgotten you, so don't ever forget Him!

Te whanaunga mo ake tonu!!

--

Elder Eli James Dial

It's been April for a week??

So, before I forget, Happy Birthday to these people in the month of March:

Brooke, Hannah, Kimbal, Grant, and Allie!

Now for the pictures: this dog is the first dog that gave me a hug.  His owner is the former governor of the Pueblo of Laguna, (the one who helped come up with the Constitution for the Pueblo) and the best part is....... The dog's name is Obama..... That's right, I can say that I got a hug from Obama. XD

Next picture, is about a detail that I kinda forgot the area I'm serving in.... I live next to Mater and I've been to Radiator Springs.  Woot!!  :)

I've decided that one of the more difficult parts of missionary work is not seeing the results of your work.  But... not this week!  At the To'hajiilee branch on Sunday, instead of the usual 10-15 people, we had 30 people there (and none were visitors from Albuquerque!)- one less active family that wants to go to the temple finally came, and a recent convert and his family also came after his mom is able to walk now after having knee surgery.  It was pretty sweet!

We've also been gaining a lot of member trust, so much so that they are trying to get a youth activity put together to bring some younger families back (our stake president said [and it's true] that if we don't get more young people out here, then we won't have a branch, because all the active members will be dead).  That, and, we very well might become seminary teachers!!  That'll be a lot of fun!

Everything else is going awesome!! We visited a mother and daughter who are less active because they got offended, and everytime we've gone over, they were not interested and just nonchalant about us being there.  This last time we visited them, they were watching golf, but we just asked about golf.  Then we shared a message with them and they opened up and were more of themselves- we actually felt like we were their friends! 

The work must go on, and it's going to move forward with or without us, so just keep loving people and being their friend! 

Te whanaunga mo ake tonu!!

Elder Eli James Dial

Transfer Week.....again?

This first picture is the equivalent (in size) to the beast from The Sandlot.  His name is Lunch Bucket, he's the nicest dog you ever did meet, but he's intimidating as....  whatever is intimidating...  ;)

The next picture is of the miracle that happened in my area when I was on exchanges, so I only got to see the remnant of it, hence this picture.

Next order of business, shout out to those who did the challenge that I left last week, but I am still sending this email to everyone, because I didn't want to email only four people this week, but that just means that those four people get a picture or two that the rest of the people won't.  As long as you have something SPECIFIC in mind as to what you are going to do to apply something you learned from conference, (and, if you actually do it)  than you're still doing awesome!

As for this week, I went on exchanges twice, once with Elder Schraedel, who just finished his training, so I helped him be a little more confident in his abilities, and then with Elder Nelson, one of our zone leaders, who is from Ririe, so we were both cheering when the Pocatello temple was announced. 

Which brings me to General Conference. 

Twas awesome, I made a list of things that I am going to be doing to apply what I learned, so it'll be a lot of fun! My favorite talk was either by President Uchtdorf or Elder Holland (yeah, typical) but those were what I needed to hear. 

Another thing that is awesome from this last week is found on the front page of www.mormon.org  and you all better know what it is and watch all two minutes of it.  Then, share it to social media, because there are people that are waiting for you to share that video, because you never know who is going through a hard time, and which video they're going to watch.  So share it, because it's just that awesome to be that part in someone's life.  :)

As far as transfers go, I'm staying here with Elder Jackman, it'll be a lot of fun as we work our hardest to see miracles- they're everywhere, and the best miracle you can see is the one that happens in your own life- so keep doing what is right because those are the things that will make that miracle happen!

Te whanaunga mo ake tonu!

Elder Eli James Dial

It's General Conference Week!!!

As far as this week goes, it's been pretty awesome!  Elder Jackman and I have been teaching more in unity and teaching to the person's needs better, so it's been more fun!

This week, there was also a wedding that we got to go to, Vanesia and Julian, Vanesia is a less-active member that started coming to church with her Catholic fiance for the last month, and it was pretty cool to be there!  We were introduced to a bunch of people who don't believe the same things we believe, but they weren't very interested.  But at least a lot of people now know who we are and that we are nice!

We had a meeting as a zone/stake yesterday with Elder Torres, an Area General Authority.  The reason being is that this stake has been chosen by Elder Torres to be a pilot stake- we're trying something new in this stake to help some less-active priesthood holders to become more active.  If it works, it'll go to the rest of the stakes in the area- and it'll be awesome!  I'll keep you posted as to what happens and how it goes!

Nothing much else has happened this week, but there is General Conference this week!  Also, the Easter Initiative from the Church starts on Friday!  It's a great video, and you all better share it to your social media profiles!!  And you best be watching General conference!  Next week, you all better let me know where you shared the video (instagram, Twitter, Facebook, email, text, snapchat, carrier pigeon [however you do that], whatever it is!) , and what you are going to change in your life to follow the words of the prophets more in your life! (because, you know, that is the reason that they wouldn't have the sacrament for a two-week period, to become better from what you learned)  I'll follow up next week! (and I'll keep names of the people who don't let me know, and you'll be excluded from the weekly email.  ;)

Keep being you, no matter what anybody else says, and keep practicing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in your life, because that's what was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith and what is still revealed through the prophets today!!

Te whanaunga mo ake tonu!

--

Elder Eli James Dial

Big Feast!!!!!

First off, feast your eyes on this sunset as we were driving to Albuquerque the other day!

(there has already been one movie quote, Merinda and Holly, you're not allowed to say where it's from, but you can bravely say it in the accent that it is originally in. XD  ;)

This week has been awesome!  We had Zone Conference last Thursday and it was a great spiritual feast, as always.  They only had two zones there, so it was a solid 30 missionaries, but that just meant that that there was more opportunity for participation. After the conference, Elder Jackman and I just went to town (if, you know, there were any towns here ;) with the work- we showed our personality with people more, (pretty sure it shocked some of the people) but we still were focused on our purpose- so we strengthened our fellow brothers and sisters with the gospel of Jesus Christ and a feast of the Spirit!  Twas fun!!

Now, I'm pretty sure you've noticed by now that something happened this week that was pretty feastly.  As missionaries, we call it a feast day.  A little background first: in this area we cover To'hajiilee (part of Navajo nation) Laguna, and Acoma, all part of the reservation, but different, of course.  To'hajiilee is super spread out so we named the different areas/cluster of houses, which are: East Housing, Lower West, Upper West, The Shire, Middle Earth and Timbuktu (Judge us all you want, I didn't even help name them- except for Middle Earth ;). In Laguna and Acoma, they are split up by villages, so Laguna has: Paraje, Paguate, Old Laguna, New Laguna, Casa Blanca, Encinal, Mesita, and San Fidel.  Acoma has: Acomita, Sky City, New York (that's original ;) and a lot of others that I don't know, but we're technically not allowed to go on Acoma because of some bum missionaries like six years ago.  Each of these villages has religious activities (for the Native religion) that they either close down the village for it, or open the village to tourists.  Multiple times have some villages been closed, so we couldn't go in.

Except for yesterday.

What happens at these feast days, I can describe to you Idahoans really easily-  it's Spud Day, with Native dances but no spud tug or parade. Well, how do you get free food?  That's why we call it feast day.  Because everybody prepares a HUGE amount of food (around as much as Thanksgiving) and they have their dinner table ready, but they leave their doors open.  What makes it a feast?  Here's a few simple steps:

1)  Walk up to a random house

2)  Let yourself in through the open door

3)  Sit down at dinner table 

4)  Start eating whatever is on the table

5)  When you're done, you may leave the house

6)  REPEAT 

(If you walk into a house, but don't eat [or eat very much], they get offended)

You can walk right in to anybody's house, and they'll have food for you, waiting to be feasted upon.  It's missionary heaven for this area, not because the members don't feed us very much, but because we're not allowed to knock doors in Laguna or Acoma.  It's pretty similar to dinner and a movie, but for us it's diabeetus and new investigators (hopefully).  Yesterday's feast was in the villages of New and Old Laguna.  So we got to walk around and talk to people who started talking to us first.  You may think that we're bums, but it's not gonna help people like you if you're preaching one religion at another religion's activity, sooo... we were just trying to be seen, spark some interest, and eat so much that we skipped dinner... but it was a lot of fun!!

Anyways, remember about General Conference coming up soon... Next week!  Check out the new First Vision video if you haven't yet at history.lds.org, and the new Easter video comes out the day before conference starts!

God loves you, so don't ever forget that you are His child!

Te whanaunga mo ake tonu!

--

Elder Eli James Dial

It's a Monday

It's been an awesome week here in Laguna, Acoma and To'hajiilee!  Elder Jackman and I have been following the Spirit better here, and it's been a lot of fun!  There's always stuff to do here, but it's difficult only because we have a limit to how many miles we can use.  That's the sad part.

I don't really have that much to say, but that we went on exchanges last week with the zone leaders, so I was with Elder Fonua in Albuquerque, in the YSA branch for the stake, and it was a crap ton fun!  There's a lot of work happening up here, (I say up here, because it's north of El Paso) but yeah, tis awesome!!

As for something that I learned this week:  we all have something that we "envision" ourselves to be: whether we want to be the best in this one thing so that people will see that we're just sooooooo awesome (be it sports, school, or even church).  Have I got a newsflash for you!  The only one holding you back from reaching your potential, is you!!  You can do it, and remember to help others to do the same, because by doing that, you are in actuality helping to achieve yours!!  Don't ever forget the power that a smile has for someone- even for yourself!!!!!

Te whanaunga mo ake tonu!

--

Elder Eli James Dial