December 08, 2015

November in Danville, Back to The Big City in December














November 2nd, 2015


 hey hey hey.

Receiving emails from the white family is my favorite thing. 

"We grow closer everyday to our time to be sealed in the Temple. I can't wait."..................that is what makes every single hard day worth it.  That right there is why I am here. 

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY.

13 months, gross, how did that even happen?

Megan should be getting baptized this weekend, we really are relying on heavenly father to help direct us what to do in her specific situation. 

Did I ever tell you our investigator Chiquita, is like our mom here.  She likes to teach us to cook.  I love her. We will see her tonight. 

Rachel got surgery, so she was not able to make it to church yesterday.  So we are going to talk to them tonight about moving their date back just a few weeks because it would be really special to have them all get baptized on the same day. (In sacrament meeting this OLD man got up and bore his testimony about missionary work and said to thank the missionaries who taught you.  It was the cutest thing ever.  Afterward, we went up to Alyssa and she said really loud... THANK YOU.  It was really cute.

Did I ever tell you all about Melanie? I WANT TO TEACH HER SO BAD. We wrote a poem for her and took it and dropped it off on her porch on the birthday of her son, who passed, with some other things.  She is a foster mom and has fostered 29 kids in the last 10 years!  SHE IS AMAZING.  We went over to wish her a happy Halloween, and she told us thank you.  She looked right into our eyes and she cried.   I love her so much. 

Amy and Anna are trying to get to the temple to do baptisms for the dead for their mom that passed away when she was being taught the lessons.  Brother Fulton came with us this week and answered some questions for them.

We had ZLT this week too. That was fun. 

We are teaching about 19 people.  We picked up 2 new investigators this week.  Kenyon is 10 years old!

Halloween night................................ We spent time with the Hauffas.  We laughed and laughed and laughed.

That night.......................3:30 a.m.  I wake up to beeping sounds.  I get up and check our fire alarm, our carbon monoxide alarm, and then I sit and think heavenly father what do I do???? PRAY.  So, I pray and before I finish my prayer Sister Henrie says, “We need to call 911.”  That is just how I felt.  We call 911 and the firefighters arrive.  Our neighbors had a small fire upstairs and their fire alarms were going off…. AND THE GUY SLEPT THROUGH IT!!! WE WERE THE ONLY ONES THAT WOKE UP!!!  The firefighters were super nice.  We were sitting in the hall and they said,  “OH THE MORMON GIRLS.”  It was not a big fire, just a funny experience I wanted to share with you.  It was crazy.

I love you all. Happy late Halloween. 
HAVE A HAPPY WEEK.
I send my love from Danville. 



November 9th, 2015
HELLO!

MEGAN WAS BAPTIZED YESTERDAY AFTER CHURCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We started filling the font after ward council meeting.  After 3 hours, the font was not full, so we had to fill buckets with water and pour it in the font.  True fact.  Please just picture it, quite the sight.  There never is a dull moment here in little Chicago.  The baptism was lovely and I love being able to watch someone follow the example of our savior Jesus Christ and be baptized by proper priesthood authority.  She will be confirmed on Sunday!

Christy was going through a lot this week, so we decided to go and leave something on her porch while she was at work.  When we pulled up, we had just come from doing service, so we decided to rake her leaves. SHE PULLED UP WHILE WE WERE DOING IT. She rolled down her car windows with a smile on her face saying...... “BROOKE LYNN you are bad.”.................. she likes to call me that and I try to remind her that I am sister Dahlberg. hahaha  She never lets us do anything nice for her.  When she pulled up she was listening to some church cd's we gave her.  I seriously love her.  Every time she walks into the church with her little ones, it makes me so happy.

We really got serious about helping the Sullivan girls.  They are ready and they are going to be great examples to their parents.  We taught them three times this week and hearing their testimonies brought tears to my eyes.

Holding up the book of Mormon- "How could someone make up this book?" -Rachel Sullivan (age 12)

A little girl that I sit next to on the bus asked me, “Are God and Jesus real?”  I told her yes and gave her an extra book from my backpack. -Aylssa Powell (age 12)

"When Jesus comes again, I want to run up to him and give him a hug." -Paige Sullivan (age 11)

As I reflect back about my mission, Heavenly Father has granted me so many blessings and opportunities to teach children.  I am forever grateful for that.  I truly love, adore, and care so much about each person I have been able to teach.

The sweet family from Marceline, Maddie, Kaylann, and Delaney will have been baptized a YEAR on November 14th!! 

We had a lesson with Jasmine and she is HILARIOUS.  I love her.  She had us over for yummy nachos.  We were talking and her little 5 year old daughter Mackenzie was playing school with us and we saw a MOUSE.   All of us girls stood up and ran out of the room so fast.  Jasmine's personality is the BEST. SHE MAKES ME LAUGH. I want you all to meet her someday. She is having us over for fried chicken tonight. 

Sister Henrie hit her one -month mark, so that is super exciting.  She was born to be a missionary. 

The gospel is true and we are all apart of it.  We are so lucky. THE SAVIOR LIVES.  We have watchmen on a tower looking out for us before the enemy can get to us.  I am changed for the better and I cannot wait to live the rest of my life CONVERTED to this gospel.  I love my mission and I would not trade it for anything.


RANDOM FACTS FOR THE WEEK:

1. I like cooking lately. SURPRISED? Me too.
2. I tried to paint my nails this morning. I tried like 3 times and failed. #missionarylife
3. We almost got attacked by a cat this week.  No joke, we have a video. It is HILARIOUS


Okay bye, I love you all.
XOXOXOXO SISTER DAHLBERG!!





November 16th, 2015


hello,

Being a missionary is something else I tell you.
It is something that I will never be able to describe in words, no matter how hard I try.
I wish you could feel how I feel sometimes.  My mission will continue to change me.  I know that my Savior is my best friend.  I love learning of him.

I have had some of the hardest days and some of the best and most tiring days.
I still am far from perfect.  I have weaknesses. I have faults.  But all the father asks of us is to try.  And that is what I am doing, that is what we are all trying to do.

We are on week 5 of this transfer, meaning one more week to go and then only 3 more transfers for me. 
I will be 100 percent honest, I have very mixed emotions about it all.
Heavenly Father is giving me a mountain to climb. 

Simple truths of the gospel have been entering in my heart, during studies, as I ponder, read, and pray. I adore this gospel and sometimes I think I take for granted that I am a representative of HIM.  I will never be as close to perfect, but I am just trying to become more like him.

Anyhoooo, enough rambling.  Sometimes rambling makes me feel better.
Here is what is happening here.

Megan was confirmed a member of the church yesterday! 

CHIQUITA AND STAN AND THEIR FAMILY CAME TO CHURCH FOR THE FIRST TIME YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!! (We have been teaching them for about 6 months and they FINALLY came) MIRACLE!!!!!!!! They sent us a text, "outside" Sister Henrie and I jumped up so fast and ran out to meet them. THEY WILL BE THE BEST MEMBERS SOMEDAY!
They really liked church. We went over last night with Brother Fulton to talk about it.
They said, “We just really want to find a church for our family to go to.”
AS I TESTIFIED THAT THE CHURCH THEY WALKED INTO EARLIER THAT DAY WAS THE CHURCH THAT GOD AND JESUS CHRIST ARE LEADING AND GUIDING, the spirit warmed my soul. 

Jasmine had us over for fried chicken on Monday night.  It was yummy.  I think sister Henrie and I still smell like it. LOL

We went to visit a less active member, she opened the door bawling and said, “GOD IS REAL.” Yes, yes, you are right sister booth. 

We saw Christy this week and we read the book of Mormon with her.

Exchanges were this week, sister Reed from Colorado came here and we had an amazing lesson with Sister White about the atonement. 

President interviews are always my favorite and they were this week.  President and I had a really good talk about the work that is going on here, family at home, spiritual progression, etc. I really love him and his wife and know that I am in this mission so I could meet them.

We had a light lesson with Megan, but wanted to practice it on the Barnetts, recent converts that just moved from Arizona.  It was a disaster. lol   Second time was a charm though.  It went a lot better with Megan. Thank goodness the Barnetts are patient, loving, and SO FUNNY.

The days seem to run together and go so quick.
Sister Henrie and I looked at each other Sunday night and said, ‘How is tomorrow Monday already?”
We have a very busy week ahead of us. 

This week I am really going to focus on enjoying the time I have left.
There is no need to be anxious.
God has a plan for sister Dahlberg and I completely trust him.

Alma the younger was talking to his son Shiblon in Alma 38, it is the perfect teaching/ missionary formula. 
Something I look forward to focusing on this week.

I have zero pictures this week. I am so sorry. 
XOXO
Sister Dahlberg




November 23, 2015

helllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllooooooooooooooooooooo

Well it is official, it snowed.
Midwest winters..... brutal, but I got this.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!! 
Third cold for me in the last month and a half..... I got this…Achooo.

All the girls, Becka, Rachel, Paige, and Alyssa P. will be baptized this Saturday!! I have a lesson with them tonight and their interviews will be Wednesday!  Please keep them in your prayers!

We went to the festival of trees on Monday with the Fulton family. Soooooo fun. Here in Danville, they take it very seriously. 

We picked up an investigator named Jerome, a non-member of a less active wife who is really sick.  The elders have tried to teach him, but no luck.  We felt very inspired to go over to see he and his wife.  They really opened up to us and he said, "I really ought to give your church a try." Oh man, I really hope to see him progress. The gospel will and can change him.

We started teaching Melanie, the foster mom who is amazing.  So excited about that.

We have really been working on getting members out with us.  Even to visit less actives, bringing visiting teachers along.  It has been great.

CHIQUITA AND STAN are progressing so well. I love them.  We talked about bringing my family back to my mission someday.   Chiquita told me the days she is going to be out of town, so we don't miss them.  I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.  They are like family.  She wants me to move back here and go to college here. LOL
THEY ARE THE ELECT THAT WE ARE SEARCHING FOR,
that golden family.

We went over to help Christy fold laundry.  She is so funny. She sat next to us at church on Sunday.   She is still getting used to the church music at our church and it is HILARIOUS.  I just love her so much.  She is AMAZING.

We really wanted our referral number to increase, we prayed for three and guess how many the lord blessed us with?  Three in one day.  The lord and his miracles causes me to say
I STAND ALL AMAZED every single day.

We went to go back to have a lesson with a referral named QUITA..................... oh my gosh…most awkward lesson of my mission.  Seriously… that is a story. 

We had a testimony meeting with sweet Megan, who was just baptized.  It touched my heart. She wrote the sweetest note in my book of Mormon, oh so sweet.

We were going about our missionary work and we had a missed phone call.  We listened to the voicemail and it was the sister missionaries from Webster Groves, asking for me.
Right then and there.......... I knew it had to be about Lulu.
My heart dropped.

We called them back and they told us she was struggling and they felt very strongly that I needed to call her.
I call president.  He answered and HE KNEW EXACTLY WHY I WAS CALLING… WITHOUT ME SAYING ANYTHING.
He told me to call Lulu and then to call him back after I got off the phone.

I called Lulu, she answered. I said, “Hi is Lulu there?”
“This is her”, she said.
I JUST SCREAMED, “LULU IT IS ME.”
She started bawling.
I started bawling.

We talked and talked and talked about all that she is going through. We cried, we laughed.
Here are a few things that have stayed with me.

"I am glad I have a best friend like you to keep me straight and in line."
"This was an answer to my prayers. You do not know how much I needed this."
"I can feel the spirit all the way through the phone."

We talked for a long time and I challenged her to go to church every week and to take notes. SHE AGREED.
President had me check up on her last night.  She went to church and sent me the notes from what she learned. SO PROUD OF HER.

There is a lot that is going on right now with her. Please keep her in your prayers. President gave me permission to call her weekly for support because he knows what a special bond we have. I am so grateful for president Morgan.  I seriously love him so much.

HEARING LULU's VOICE.
She is so special to me and will always be.
I look forward to talking to her weekly to give her support and encouragement.

Transfer calls on Saturday. Will I stay or will I go?

Also.
Don't worry. We will be taken care of on thanksgiving. Here is who we will see and eat with................. busy, busy. 
bealer family (bishop)
christy (recent convert)
chiquita and stan and family (investigators)
barnetts (recent converts who just moved from Arizona)
tillmans (ward mission leader, members)
booths(members)
te.te and family (investigators)

Heavenly Father really does take care of us.

I LOVE YOU.

My mission means the absolute world to me.
14 months, how did that happen?

Choose happy and have a happy THANKSGIVING. 
I am so thankful for each one of you!

xoxo
Sister Dahlberg!!





November 30, 2015


HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Old man at the post office today who almost walked into me......
"SORRY,” he says
"YOU ARE FINE,” I say.
NOT AS FINE AS YOUUUU!” he says.

OH I AM GOING TO MISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS DANVILLE SO MUCH. 
How have I been here 6 months?
One of my favorite areas, FOR SURE.
I love the people here.

President called during the baptism Saturday, we did not answer.  He texted us asking us to call him when we had a break at the baptism.  We did and he asked me to become a sister training leader.  He said many kind words about the work that has been done here in Danville and he thanked me. It was really sweet.  I will be serving in Fenton. CLOSE TO THE CITY.
And guess what is one of the areas that we cover and will be going to on exchanges?
WEBSTER GROVES.
And guess who is in that area?
LULU.
And guess what the assistants called me and said?
I CAN GO TO LUNCH WITH LULU, AND SEE HER, straight from President Morgan.

I TOLD YOU HE WOULD KEEP HIS PROMISE!!!!!!!!

Transfer number 10, is a wrap.
14 months, gross.

THANKSGIVING, Chiquita and Stan tried to get me to eat pig insides.  I was all talk and agreed to eat them.................until I saw what they looked like.  We were supposed to see 7 families, but were short on.   Time.   We were only able to visit 3.  It was a good day! I still can remember thanksgiving away from home last year.  Where did this year go?

Thursday night around 12:30, I woke up to a strange sound.  When I realized what it was, I jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom.  Sister Henrie had fainted.
I dialed 911.
Called the mission nurse, who also told me to call sister Morgan. 
I kept a close eye on her until about 3:00 a.m.  She slept through the night.  The following day we stayed in the apartment.
She is an amazing missionary and this mission needs her.

SATURDAY SHE WAS NOT FEELING GOOD AND SHE LOOKED AT ME AND TOLD ME. 
"I am not going to the baptism looking like this.  If you have to straighten my hair and put on my makeup you will have to do it."
SHE IS A TROOPER.

Paige, Becka, Rachel, and Allyssa were baptized on SATURDAY!!!!!!!!
OH WHAT A HAPPY EVENING. 

The baptism started 30 minutes late..... but hey..............it happened.
That is pretty good, because the man baptizing them thought it was the next weekend.
He got there pretty fast.
They remind me a lot of the White girls that we taught in Marceline.
So young, so sweet, so funny.

They asked me to give the talk on baptism and I just wanted them to know how much they are loved by our perfect father above.
Those sweet girls are going to be a good example to their families who need their light and example so much.
I hope that opens a lot of doors for missionaries to come.

CHRISTY, MEGAN, REBECCA, RACHEL, PAIGE, and ALLYSSA 
So happy heavenly father let me fulfill the pre-mortal promise that I made to them to come and teach them here in Danville. 
They have forever changed me.

I HATE GOODBYES.  This is going to be a realllllyyyyyy hard area for me to leave.
But the lord now needs me in another place.

FENTON, HERE I COME.
I LOVE THE LORD.
I LOVE THAT I AM SERVING.

xoxo
sister dahlberg




 December 6th, 2015

hello.

It is funny because my email box is getting less full. 
That means.....
sister Ovard and sister Sholly are home or about home.
sister Dahlberg and sister Ulrich are the last ones coming around the corner. 
lol

I AM IN FENTON, SAFE AND SOUND.
My new companion is sister Rapp.  Get this, she served in Marceline after me and I served in Jacksonville after she did.  Our very first areas, we just switched.  Needless to say, we have PLENTY to talk about!
She is so cute and so sweet.
This is her second to the last transfer.
I most likely will "kill" her off and then I will die here in Fenton 6 weeks later. 
She is from Utah!!

The drive to transfer meeting was long.............. but the sister who came with me was a sister getting transferred to MARCELINE!!!  So we had plenty to talk about.  I really was so sad to leave Danville.  Saying good-bye to Christy was especially hard.

We had MLC Friday.  I learned so much from president and sister Morgan and the APS. We had a powerful testimony meeting at the end. WOW!

I called Lulu on Saturday and she is SO EXCITED ABOUT HOW CLOSE WE ARE!  I will be going to Webster Groves, week 3 for one exchange.  I will be trying to surprising her.  Speaking of that, exchanges with the sisters in the zone….that should be fun!

We are giving a training lesson in zone conference tomorrow about TRUE CONVERSION TO THE GOSPEL.  True conversion to the gospel is not an event, but a process.  We need to be having conversion moments continually. 

My first Sunday at the Fenton ward was good!  It seems to me that the last names of the members here are CRAZY.  It will be fun memorizing them!  Also, we had dinner with a really amazing family last night.  After the Christmas devotional, we were LAUGHING and telling stories.  That is the place where we will skype/facetime from on Christmas. 

I can't wait to see why heavenly father sent me here and the work he needs me to do here in Fenton.

Yesterday, we were in this neighborhood giving out HE IS BORN CARDS and we approached a lady out in her yard.  She was really nice at first and then we told her what church we were from and asked if we could share a card with her.   She told us she would throw it away. She thought we believed in more than one god and she said she really did not want to hear what we had to say.

Oh, the ups and the downs of a missionary. Also, I am pretty sure that the people in Illinois are nicer.  I also learned this week that the tap water here in the Midwest makes me sick.

My mission is no longer a sacrifice, it is sacred to me.
Everything I have experienced, I will hold dear FOREVER.
John 15:15
JESUS CHRIST IS OUR FRIEND. 
And that is something that I have truly come to know.

i love you all.
XOXO
sister dahlberg!















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