Best Day Ever!

Oh, my goodness! We are oh so blessed! It is me and I am so happy!

Wow, ok, so last Pday (I am sorry I didn’t email anyone back, we went bowling for our zone leader’s bday) we also played volleyball and basketball. Then we took cookies to our eternal investigator Caroline to wish her happy birthday. She wasn’t there but texted us back later and said thanks. We love her. Then we worked and contacted and talked to a whole bunch of people.

Tuesday, we had district meeting. I was in charge of the discussion, it was on diligence. It is always fun, I love to learn from the elders and sisters around me. Then we went out and worked. We have a competition going with our zone - we count up how many people give us water bottles and how many houses we knock on with red cars in the driveway (last week we counted people who honked at us and gave us facebook likes).  So we tracted, which we hardly ever do. It was super fun and we got to talk to a whole bunch of really cool people. We talked to a lady and gave her a plan of salvation pamphlet. She was so sweet and interested in us because of our focus on family.

Wednesday, I studied the hymn We Ever Pray for Thee,  the verse it leads us to is D&C 107:22 and talks about how the prophet is upheld by the confidence and faith of the church. Tender mercy (Grandma Vickie) that I have been going through the hymns and happen to be on the ones about the prophet just as we sustain a new prophet. So that is a good reminder because we just had conference and it was a good reminder of what we are supposed to do for our prophet. We are supposed to pray for him and sustain him. We had to take our car to the Toyota dealership because they had to do a software upgrade thing. While it was there we walked around a lot and we realized it was spring break in Utah and a lot of Utah was in California. We were honked at and waved at a bunch. It was all from people in minivans with Utah license plates and the would come up and talk to us in restaurants and stuff so we felt like celebrities. We went out and worked and spoke a lot of broken Spanish - I wish I paid more attention to Spanish in school. We passed out a lot of Books of Mormon.

Thursday we went to our second trainer follow up meeting so I got to see some of my MTC family. We talked a lot small and simple things and did some role plays, awkward. Then we did a lot more contacting and we were about to leave the area but saw a red car in a driveway so we knocked one more door. We asked the guy who answered if he was religious and he said “yes I am a preacher.” We did not want to bash with him, that is no fun so I immediately jumped into love and similarities in our love for God. Instead of contention and driving away the spirit our conversation was full of love and mutual respect. He was Polynesian and noticed my necklace which he thought was super cool. I thanked him for our uplifting conversation. He made me happy and I gave him a pass along card and a Happi pin because he is a child of God and I am a child of God, we are siblings, it’s cool.

Friday, after our morning routine. The sun, I love the beautiful sun. We sat outside for weekly planning so I have the best missionary tan line and my cheeks our pink so it makes me happy. Then we went and worked. We met so many amazing people. There are little mini libraries along the side of the road (take a book and leave a book type of thing) so we started leaving the Book of Mormon in the little mini libraries. We will go back in a week and check to see if anyone has taken them. That night I went on exchanges with Sister Willhemson our awesome new STL in her area.

Saturday morning after our run I studied Joseph Smith’s First Prayer, at the top I wrote “Truth.” That is what we teach, it is just so beautiful. Anytime we hear or read about the first vision and Joseph Smith’s experience with Heavenly Father you can just feel the spirit so strongly. We taught a member lesson with a girl named Amanda who is in the Torrey Pines YSA and then went out and worked. We walked on the sidewalk by moonlight beach and talked to a bunch of people and chatted with some members. Then we went and helped the hermanas clean their church. I just really can’t speak Spanish but I tried. Hermana Willhemson just laughed at me. Guess what I got to do … We didn’t have a dinner appointment so she texted my Aunt Patty and said, “Sister Birchall, we don’t have a dinner appointment tonight, sorry it is last minute but can we come over?” I got to go eat dinner with my Aunt Patty, Uncle Nate and my cousins Josh, Myka, Luke and Adria!!! I got to eat dinner with my family!!! (perfectly allowed I promise) It was awesome, I loved it. It was so much fun catching up them and with Josh since it has been two years since I have seen him. It was so fun to sit down and talk to them, we gave them and message and talked about the gospel. I learned from them so much, they are amazing!It really was special. They are so great! It really made me very happy. I love ‘em. They sent us on our way with gift bags and ice cream bars and chocolates. How cool is that??? Best Day EVER!!!

Fast Sunday, oh, what a beautiful day. I love fasting. I feel much more the importance of fasting now. By fasting we show God we are willing to act. I love the blessings we receive from it. I loved to study the scripture John 10:27 my Uncle Nate shared with me along with their ward mission plan. “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.” I love that and I love how much my Uncle Nate loves it. It obviously means a lot to him. I love that there are people who when they hear the gospel they know it is true. Then we were able to go to fast and testimony meeting. I love hearing the testimonies of our members. I draw so much strength from them. As I told you before, we take the first 10 minutes of relief society and help them become better member missionaries. We gave each of them a copy of the Book of Mormon to pass out and role played with them and challenged them to share their Book of Mormon with someone else. Many of them took another one and some of the Elders came to find us and take a Book of Mormon to them. After church we walked around a little and marched up to a door and knocked and found out they were members, they invited us in and gave us a water bottle and we gave them a message. It was awesome to get invited into a home even though they were members, we don’t get invited in too much.

That was my week. I love this! I love this gospel it just makes me so happy! I love you all and I know how much Heavenly Father loves each and every one of you. Have a great week!

Love you all,

Sister Dalley

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