Season 2 Episode 22: More

Thank you all for tuning into this long season of the Fame of Maine. Due to its phenomenal popularity it gets 8 more episodes!!! 

That's right your elder Elder Dahl gets to stay for 8 more weeks in the promised land of the home of the brave and land of the free. 

Only this time a new character approaches Elder Atkins! I dont know a lot about him but that he's from Alaska is great at basketball and is a really cool dude.

But on to this week! Sorry if they are brief haha

We have had a lot of communication with those we are teaching, but no sit down lessons with a few of them. Nonetheless that hasnt stopped dale from getting on date for baptism on the 24th of September, and having 2 amazing lessons with Robert and increasing the conversion of Dan. 

On Thursday we made more snow cones! The Elks lodge asked for our pro sno cone making skills  so we did that for almost the whole afternoon and evening. We also participated in the balloon festival that occurred to! 

Then Friday we had our planning and service day and taught dale and got him on date! And talked with Gordon and he told us about a crazy auto accident he got in and that was spooky. But hes on the earth still for a reason! We also talked with Robert and hes chosen the Jws but still wants to meet with us because he needs all the help he can get haha. We also talked with lisa and got her wanting to come to church again but....

Saturday was pretty sweet too we got in contact with dale again and got him to church the next day! 

Sunday came around and we stopped by Lisa's before heading to church and unfortunately she had a contractor that was supposed to come at the same time church was and she wouldn't let him work without her watching him. So she got to see how disappointed we were and told us that she will absolutely make it next Sunday.  Well see haha but dale came and he enjoyed it a lot! (Maybe because of the linger longer after haha) but the stake presidency also came and introduced themselves to him and Dale is on his way hes so so great I love him.

Then we also found out that I'm staying and elder hatch is leaving! I was shook i totally thought I was leaving. But I have unfinished work here.

We also taught Robert and got him so hyped for the plan of salvation on Tuesday (honestly hes so golden)

Then Monday we went to check on Dallas and stacy and they are doing good too! Dallas is enjoying school and stacy is recovering well! We also swung by Dan's and talked to him and his buddy and talked a out the Book of Mormon some more and their hobbies and book writing!

Then Tuesday  we taught robert the first part of the plan of salvation and we blew his mind. And found that he chose the JWs bc of family, but well see about that. And we are meeting him Friday as well!

I'm out of time sorry! But now that your prayers where answered throughout all this week and that might be the reason I'm staying haha.

But this is your host Elder Dahl 2.0 signing off for now until next week with the continuation of the Fame of Maine!

Elder Dahl 2.0
Presque Isle, Maine
United States of America

https://youtu.be/_7-alkoJI2U Kitten video

https://youtu.be/4_gTje0zjTM Hot Air balloon festival

Season 2 Episode 21: an adventure to take the story

So yeah there is less time but all is well we had an awesome district pday today! So we went hiking in one of the Canadian national park called: Lac-témiscouata so yeah that was pretty neat, but not as pretty as home haha let's just say it's a step down from Oregon ;)

But we have been super busy! But I'll start with exchanges! Since the district leader is in a French speaking area, we did exchanges in presque isle again! So planning a 3rd one wasn't to hard haha. So we all started with a family history booth setting it up and it's a testimony of Gods timing everything worked out so perfect. Because when we got there finding our spot was a little tricky and took a little while to find it, but when we did, the other elders showed up with the booth supplies!! (We gave them to the sisters and they came in clutch and got them to the elders who brought them here) and we set it up and then waited for people (for what ever reason we aren't allowed to go and bring people haha) so the way I planned it, one set of elders would stay at the booth and then after an hour trade off. So that's what we set out to do and elder hatch took elder croft and left to do something for an hour and then they would come back and elder Johnson and I would go out and then come back and take it down while the others went to go see dan. 

But unfortunately that's not quite what happend but it was early and elder hatch was getting a little restless so he and elder croft left to go find and would be back, they did, but they didnt go and visit those planned, so we just chilled at the booth the whole night. Which was a really cool blessing because I had never done a booth before so I learned exactly what the booth was pretty quick! (It was also elder Johnsons first booth too so we rocked it! (The way the booth worked was we had blank pedigrees that people could fill out and we would print them a colorful family tree for them)So by the end of the night 7 people came and filled one out! (And then we checked the basement and the family history center and booth box and found 16 more. So we have 23 people to stop by and give pedigrees to and talk about family history!

Them the next day of exchanges started with district council in presque isle with the zone and sister trainer leaders! and service at the micmac farm for elder hatch and Johnson and then elder Croft and I went and saw dale and tried to see caleb and doug. But dale has read the first chapter of the Book of Mormon! So we read the 2nd chapter with him and will come to church next week! Then we swung by Doug's and meet his roommate with neat dreadlocks (not as neat as Roberts) and told us doing wasn't home or interested haha. Then after that we swung by some old potentials and meet paul! (Diffferent paul) and the sisters contacted him and talked with him for about an hour and would love to learn more, bit he works 6 days a week and is with family the other day but he asked for another Book of Mormon (which we didnt have any at the time) so we would swing by the next day and give him one! Then to finish exchanges with a little digital finding! 

Then Saturday came around and we sorted through the family history stuff we got discovered more and had weekly planning. We stopped by lisa and learned that she had a great time camping and thought about us a lot there with her family. The spirit is working  on her but shes a slow learner and a little stubborn haha but she is so so great shes changed a lot since we first met. And we told her that I might be leaving and shes like no no you can't do that! Well I'll come to church then (but next week) 

Then Sunday! Dale got strep throat and could make it, but Grace came and Alex passed the sacrament again! And Colby (friend of alley) came to see Alley speak in church so that was neat! We joined him and Alex in Sunday school and they had a good time and didnt get distracted on thier phones! 

Then Monday we taught Grace for the last time (she's moving to go to college!) And then we went to see Dallas and stacy and they are doing great! Dallas starts school in 2 weeks and hes excited for it! Then we came back home and visited carl! Hes a guy that's meet with missionaries before but lost contact so it was really cool that we found him! Hes on the older side and they remind me of my own grandma and grandpa they are so sweet and gave us a whoopie pie some water and some peanut brittle on the way out! And they aren't impressed with their church meetings so they want something a little different which is so great!

But yeah that's this week is a snipit! Getting busier and it's still going and great! Transfers are next week and typically missionaries stay in an area for 6 weeks to 6 months and I've been here for 6 months...so season 3 might start. I find out on Saturday ;-; but I've got the thought in my head that if I stay I'll be happy, but if I'm needed elsewhere so be it! And I'll continue to work my butt off! 

Love you all and I thank you for your prayers. They are powerful so be sure to say them! 

Until next time!

Elder Dahl
Presque Isle, Maine
United States of America

https://youtu.be/KJAf6Rn1JGU pday fun

https://youtu.be/yNWytiBqps8 mud

https://youtu.be/B4vyg0ueMmc mud hole

https://youtu.be/BTFzdNYnTBY kittens

https://youtu.be/-AT7ATbSDzs more kittens

https://youtu.be/dWR4ezl2dpc and more kittens

https://youtu.be/f-EMGcr_oP4 Elder D with kittens 

Season 2 Episode 20: It Got Better

God is doing a Marvelous work and a wonder here in presque isle. We are teaching 17 people and actively teaching 14. (The 3 others would like to keep taking the lessons but work gets in the way ;-;). But as for the other 14, they are all doing so great. Especially Robert. 

So last time we were teaching 13 people... which means we found 4 more people this week.  That includes a young women named Grace, a women named Michaela, and Dan's wife, Vera and his sister, Danielle! We are so busy its stressful. Like planning this week and trying to figure out times to meet everyone that fits their own schedule is fun and stressful. But it's a good stress and God is helping us every single step of the way. It's kinda weird and different teaching more then finding. And it's got its pluses and minuses. I kinda miss meeting different personalities, but at the same time when teaching you learn so much about them and in each case you can see them as the lord sees them. (But with teaching it's a little easier haha) 

But something I have noticed is that I need to be more bold. I have found that I develope relatively quick friendships with those we are teaching which is super good, but I found that because I don't want to lose them or offend them, I don't necessarily say that "this is the true way and your wrong or its not relevant."  For example, we don't believe in rote prayers (saying the same prayer over and over again) so instead of saying that God doesn't like rote prayers, he wants to hear what is in your heart, I would beat around the bush until I finally say that that's not the way, or they infer what I'm trying to say. But no need to worry, I've learned quite a lot! It's just something I'm repenting on!

But anyway this week was nuts! At the end of p day (from 6-9).we had 3 lessons! One with Lisa, Gordon, and dan and his family! And it is so satisfying to have 3 quality lessons in 3 hours esp. When they are relatively far from one another! Then Wednesday came around and we really wanted to have dan and a few others come to the church tour (we have decided to publish a event and have a church tour every 2nd and 4th Wednesday every month at 6:30 (because then if no one comes we can digital find for a half hour and then help with mutual)) so to make sure dan would come we swung by his place to see but he couldn't his lizard was sick. And we were like, come on man! God will take care of your lizard for an hour plus your family can watch over it. Nonetheless we were disappointed and he could see that. So we went to the church to see if anyone else would come, but no one came and it was a bummer. then we remembered that trek was this week for the stake so there wasn't any mutual double bummer, so since we were close to limestone we decided to see if Nestor was around. And in short his pride is getting in the way of everything. Hes to prideful to see that God is working on him and his life and when He gives answers hes just lost. So until Nestor humbles himself, yeah. :( 

But that morning we had district council in edmundston! It was pretty sweet! 

The next day we get a text from dan at like 8 am asking where the church is and he found it and told us that he could feel the spirit and power of the church. And we were like yes! How long will you be in caribou we can give you a short tour! But he was on his way home by the time we asked. Turns out that he brought his lizard to the vet in caribou and decided to check out the church! So that was an awesome way to start the day! And we ended up finding one other guy who is interested, but he was sick and we didnt get his name. Nonetheless we will check up on him later! We also saw Rebekah and Brandon  and they are doing great. Rebekah has had some solid questions that really dont matter, but they are fun to answer. Apparently there,s a Facebook page that has a bunch of "mormon ladys" that pretty much gossip and complain about their husbands and share warped perspectives on some scriptures that has no backup. So yeah..

Then Friday came around and man was that a busy day! The sisters in edmundston wanted the booth supplies so we where going to meet them halfway and deliver it to them, but the got in an accident and since we where only a few minutes away from Stacy's, we gave them to her to hold for them. And they are both ok! We then went to do some service for the micmac farm and they had us pick blueberries!!!!! Definitely snacked on quite a few, but not as much as elder hatch. And dont worry we got permission.  We then had a dinner appointment with Jacob and got to learn about his mission experience so that was fun! We then had a lesson with Gordon and brought brother Smith with us and in the discussion learned that they might be related.  So that was a cool miracle. After that lesson we skirted over to Dan's and picked up is wife vera and sister danielle! We showed them the temple tour of the rome temple and man that was so so good they absolutely loved it. Then at the end of the lesson we asked if they both wanted a Book of Mormon and they said yes! 

Then on Saturday we stopped by a referral we got named Michaela (like mckayla) and delivered a bible told her that we helped people grow closer to God and set up a time to meet with her next week! We also planned exchanges for this week and that was stressful, but it's going to be so great! But no spoilers y'all will have to wait till next week.

Then Sunday was great! Brandon came to church and we picked up a new person named Grace! She came a few times before, but we asked If she would like to take the discussions and she accepted! The lesson we had with her was kinda fun but I'll get there. And then after church we had an awesome like straight awesome lesson with robert. This was the 2nd time we meet with him and man hes got so many questions and we have all the answers. So we bounced from like 10 different topics and the spirit was there so it wasn't crazy. We started with a video that relates to his background and from there went to confession, prayer, baptism, restoration, prophets, and a few others but I cant remember and he absorbed all of it. But back up a few minutes and we knocked on his door. And then again. And then again. (We called the day before to confirm) then we called him. While dialing elder hatch said a quick prayer and he walked up and opened the door. The spirit taught and as we were leaving he tells us to wait a second and "I've got to be honest with you. When you knocked the first time I heard you but something didnt want me to open it and then you knocked again and had that same feeling, but then I felt a urge to open it. And man the devils trying to stop me from meeting you."

 So in connection with elder hatch's prayer. Prayers go a long ways and could be the tipping point for someone

A lot more happened, but I promised to talk about Grace's lesson. So here we go

So she is on her way to college in a few weeks, and her parents are strong practicers of another faith so we were a little spooked, but turns out they were gone but her sister and friend where there so that was cool. The first words her sister said were "so are you going to try to convert me?" And I just said no, but the holy Ghost will. I kinda wished I just winked instead, but hey. The first few minutes was ice breaking and showing her friend and sister that we aren't robots and actually have experiences and that people do get converted. Especially when it includes helping people who have struggled with suicide. That opened her eyes. But we taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it was pretty good.

Anyways love yall and your prayers are answered just be sure to have them! 

Elder Dahl
Presque Isle, Maine
United States of America

Pretty!

And who's that? 0.0

Season 2 Episode 19: Lucky 13

Honestly I don't know how it could get better then this. But next week will probably disagree. 

So this week we had interviews and zone conference! And it was about being one in Christ and going forward with Faith. That is the new theme for the area! And it goes into some awesome concepts! But I'll let you find them!

Plus we got to stay in a hotel. It was so nice, got to swim... no just kidding. 

Many of the trainings that where given where focused on finding. The others cleaning and member work. I kinda wish we had a training on teaching instead, because as of now, we are actively teaching 13 people. But I guess we got to keep up finding! And president Low gets revelation for our zones, and that is what we need! So we'll end up with like 20+ people to teach! 

But here are the people we are teaching!

Amanda 

Joshua

Brandon

Caleb

Dale

Dan

David

Doug

Gordon 

Lisa

Paul

Susan

Robert 

Not organized in any way really but there we are. Most are making steady progress and 1 or 2 want to learn more, but our schedules dont agree haha. 

At this time I'd like to share my testimony of God blessing our efforts. So much diligent hard work has been put forth to plant seeds and being obedient not only by elder Hatch and I, but every previous missionary here. So missionaries reading this, no effort is wasted unless you deliberately waste time. And even then you can be forgiven by working that much harder. Additionally, you may not see immediate blessings. Sometimes you may not even see them on your mission. But I like to think that God saves some blessings for us for the future. Therefore, o ye embark in the service of your God see that ye serve him with all your heart might mind and strength that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.  And if you or someone after you brings someone into the fold, it's the same work, and Gods glory, not yours. Opportunities arise from every effort and movement. As missionaries are tools and instruments! God prepares those who are ready, and we need His help to find and bring them in. But know that we aren't all the same tool or instrument! Some people enjoy the sound of a piano and not the sound of a trumpet. And sometimes God needs a hammer not a wrench. So many prayers are for that very cause. It's not our work, its Gods. 

Anyway, this week was so great! Along with a lot of teaching, we got to contact a referral and started teaching Robert! And he is one of the coolest people I have ever taught. Hes gotta be around 6'7" just the tallest guy I have ever meet. And that includes bishop marker. Hes been looking for the truth since he was a kid and he has done a few things and wants complete forgiveness. And he feels hes got to go to the right church. So he prayed and came up with 2 churches. Jehovah's witnesses and ours. And he is going to be in for a treat. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he told us that he would love to come to church and we are meeting with him on Sunday as well! But well try to see him sooner haha. 

We also showed david the temple tour video. Hes a hard core catholic and asked prior to the video if we were trying to convert him. We said no and watch the video. (Background hes super lonely and lost his wife a few years ago) and when the apostles shared the concept of marriage in eternity he looked up at me and I just smiled and nodded. I think we fractured his testimony hehehe.

Also Amanda brought her mother in law to church! Joshua was working haha

And we got to give dale a ride to church to (hes the ex motorcyclist covered in tattoos) he got some looks but the ward is so good and welcomed him in! At the end he thought it was different but didn't say he hated it! So that was way fun! 

Also Joshua is being a little tricky. Its probably because we hasnt been to church or meet with us in a long time one on one, and let's just say that his faith is weakened and believes in an alternate way if creation. I think he was pulling our legs but idk. Amanda loves coming to church though it kinda flip flopped I guess. But he still loves meeting with us and that's still way good. 

Lots more, but no time 

I love you all and hope you enjoyed reading! 

Thanks for your prayers and support!!!

Elder Dahl 2.0
Presque Isle, Maine
United States of America

https://youtu.be/lZF9WFR35yM Storm videos

https://youtu.be/BiwxuITjUbo

https://youtu.be/YNXSqTD7Rvo

https://youtu.be/hwALQojw8uc

https://youtu.be/HCNvAsQPAvo