Last Monday we were supposed to have a handoff lesson, but it fell through so we just stopped by a few people, nothing too exciting happened, we did play a game of risk with some of the other elders earlier in the day! So that was pretty fun!
We had lunch with an investigator named Toni! She is super nice, and we set up a time to go do service for her! So that was pretty cool! Then we went to get our new car, so that was pretty awesome! It’s the same kinda of car just new! Like it had 13 miles on it when we got it! So I’m feeling pretty blessed for that!
Later that night we had a person who had reached out to us because of a post on Facebook and he wanted a Book of Mormon so we went to go take it to him and it was a church. It was super awkward because he wasn’t there and everyone else was being pretty standoffish, but it was good!
Wednesday we had District Meeting and it was pretty good! One of the trainings was on the talk Finding Joy In The Journey by President Monson! Highly recommended talk! Here is one of my favorite parts!
Later, Jay the man we were supposed to give the Book of Mormon to messaged us and asked us to bring it to his house the next day. It was really cool!
Elder Beckstrand had a doctors appointment in Vancouver so that took up a lot of the day! But while we were there one of the members of our ward was having a dope family history lesson with a lady who reached out to us for help! And they had a blast! Cheryl the lady we helped get in contact with our member did family History all day Saturday too! So that was pretty cool!
Then we went to a baptism! We took some other elders to a baptism for a Chuukese guy that they worked with! So that was pretty cool!
Later that night we went and tried to find people in the park! It was really pretty outside! But there weren’t many people there so not a ton happened!
Sunday was interesting! We had church and all of that! And then we went and did service for a lady who reached out to us on Facebook! She was having trees taken down! So we were helping move the branches and stack the wood that needed to be moved! It was really fun! We also helped the guy take the top off of one of the trees! It was really cool! Fun service! Also, we are going back this week to finish!
Hey y’all!
This week has been pretty dope!
Monday
Last Monday we had a super good lesson with a new family that was
investigating in another ward and just moved into our ward! They are
pretty awesome! The Lozano family! They have been taught a lot of the
gospel and so we were trying to figure out what would be good to share
with them and so we asked them and they talked about families and
where we go after this life as the most important thing! So we talked
about that for a little and it led to a discussion on the temple! And
we found out they haven’t been to visit yet so we are taking them on
Wednesday night to go tour the temple visitor center! It’s gonna be
awesome!
Tuesday
We had zone conference and it was pretty good! They talked about
working with members and helping them do missionary work and set goals
for themselves. And also about the importance of baptism! So it was
pretty good I learned some different things and some things I want to
apply!
One cool spiritual thought was from Mormon 8:2 and it's cool because
Mormon is talking to his son and there is all this crud going on!
There is wickedness all around and people are dying and it’s just not
good! But Mormon has joy! And it’s because his son has the gospel and
is living it! They gospel can bring us and our family joy even in the
hardest of times! And I just loved that thought!
Wednesday
So Wednesday was pretty cool I went on an exchange with a new
missionary, his name is Elder Kitsawat, and he’s from Thailand! He’s
only been speaking English for about 12 weeks now and it was a bunch
of fun! We had a good day together! And he is a great missionary! It
was really cool because he shared his experiences in the MTC and
having a hard time because he was trying to learn English and all he
knew for the first few weeks was “I’m sorry I don’t speak English”!
But he shared how God helped him to get through that and has helped
him learn English more! It was a way cool experience and I had a fun
day with him!
Thursday
We did service for some members who are a little older and can’t do
quite as much and it was really good! We were helping brother Clark
build a fence and we are gonna help him finish it this Tuesday!
We also went and helped the Galiotos again and talked to them more
about the gospel! Then we went to mutual and it was a good day! They
did the amazing race at mutual and we were in charge of the human knot
game part. 😂 It was crazy one team untied themselves in 12 seconds! So
it was fun to watch all the youth do that 😂
Friday
We had a member take us out to lunch at Taco Bell and that was pretty
fun! The member is kinda a sarcastic and ornery personality so it was
pretty fun. 😂 Then after that, we had a good visit with a less active
we’ve been trying to work with and talked about faith and repentance
and the sacrament! We also shared a video called The Savior
Understands Me. I’ll try and send it in this email, or a link to it
at least cause it’s really good!
https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2016-03-0021-the-savior-understands-me?lang=eng
Then later that night we had a really
good chat with one of our investigators Toni Ferguson! She is the
nicest lady ever and she just loves everyone! So we talked to her for
a while she’s been taught on and off and she is Catholic and has been
her whole life, growing up in Australia her mom met with missionaries
though and she just loves to hear what we share! So we are working
more with her now and we might even go to a Catholic mass with her! So
that’ll be fun! Great lady though!
Saturday
We helped some people move as a district! And it was pretty good! The
only thing I felt bad about was that so many of the boxes didn’t have
lids so I feel like they are gonna be picking up a lot of stuff as they
unpack! Word of advice always have lids on boxes when you move!
Sunday
Sunday was really good! The talks in church where on General
Conference talks, Elder Bednar's about meekness and President Nelson’s
about personal revelation!
It was really good! I loved both of those talks so it was a really
engaging sacrament meeting for me! Here are few quotes from Elder
Bednar's talk that I love!
“Meekness is a defining attribute of the Redeemer and is distinguished
by righteous responsiveness, willing submissiveness, and strong
self-restraint.”
“The Christlike quality of meekness often is misunderstood in our
contemporary world. Meekness is strong, not weak; active, not passive;
courageous, not timid; restrained, not excessive; modest, not
self-aggrandizing; and gracious, not brash. A meek person is not
easily provoked, pretentious, or overbearing and readily acknowledges
the accomplishments of others.”
Both of those stuck out to me as I heard the people speaking yesterday
and I just loved it! Elder Bednar is always one of my favorite speakers!
So that’s about all the excitement I can think of for this week! I
hope Y’all ll have a good week! I love Y’all!
Elder Caleb Dewald
This week was pretty good!
Tuesday
We went and did service for an older member of the ward! we helped him start a fence and it was pretty fun! Basically, we got the posts into the ground and then after that, we weeded one of their gardens! It was pretty fun! Then that night we went and visited a member family who is kinda struggling and it was pretty cool. We connected with the 18 yr old son who isn’t super excited about the church, so that was super. He even invited us to his bday on Saturday!
Wednesday
Was a pretty good day! We had District Meeting and it was pretty good! We got a new senior couple in our district so we got to know them and it was really good!
Then that night we went to the temple visitor center with the Lozano's and it was a great visit! We talked a ton about eternal families and they loved it! It was a really spiritual time so that was pretty good!
Thursday
We went and did service for a recent convert! His name is Chris! We went and helped him set up his garage as a DJ station! It was pretty sweet! Then we went and had a lesson with some members who are returning the church and trying to go to the church! That was good! We read 1 Nephi 11:1-6 with them and talked about how the Lord blesses us when we have a righteous desire and we ask Him for it!
Then that night we went to mutual with one our investigators Bobby and watched the young men play Mario Cart and stuff! It was a pretty fun time!
Friday
We met a cool family who used to meet with the missionaries about a year ago and then stopped for a while, but they loved us and so they are gonna start meeting with us! It was funny Elder Klassen was talking to the mom and I just ended up playing a few games with the 9-year-old twins. We were playing basketball and catch. So that was fun! And now we are going to dinner with them tonight so that’s exciting!
Saturday
Was way good!! We went to a baptism for a guy I taught in Kelso and it was great! It was really cool to see a bunch of people that I was around for so long and it was really good to see Dalton get baptized! He was the pro fighter that I taught for a little bit! He is a way, cool dude! And it was a great baptism!
Then later we went to the birthday for the 18-year-old in our ward and hung out with him and his non-member friends for a little bit and just bro’d out with them! Now they think we’re cool! So that's pretty cool!
Sunday
We had church and It was really good! Toni this super sweet lady that we are teaching came and she had a good time! And we also got a new bishopric so that was pretty exciting! I know the new bishop pretty well so that’s good! He’s a great guy! Excited to work with him!
So that’s about it for my week! Hope Y’all had a great week! Love Y'all!
May 7
This week was pretty good! We did a lot of service!
Monday
So last Monday we left early from pday and went to have dinner with a family who was thinking about meeting with us again. They used to meet with missionaries but then there was a falling out! So we had dinner with them and it was great! We went to a place called nick that was super good! The guy's name is Lonnie and he works there! His wife Ginger is a member and they have two kids at home! Mary and Tyson! They are 9 and they are a bunch of fun. So they are an awesome family and we had a way good time getting to know them and starting to teach them again!
Tuesday
We did a bunch of service! We went to the Galiotos and helped them out with weeding and then that night we went and helped some members of our ward with some yard work! It was a day full of service!
Wednesday
We had a good district meeting! One of the scriptures that was shared is one of my favorites!
10 Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;
11 For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him.
And I love that! We are all important to the Lord! He values each individual and I love that knowledge!
Thursday
Was pretty cool! We went over to the Galiotos again and did some more service and also had a really good lesson with them. So that was really good! Then after we went to mutual and that was pretty fun!
Friday
We had a ward talent show and it was pretty great! Our Relief Society president's family did a skit that was pretty funny! It was a John Williams movie tribute song and it was pretty funny. One of them was dressed in a blow-up dinosaur suit!
Saturday
Was pretty good! We went to a baptism for someone Elder Klassen taught and that was pretty good! Then we went and did some service for Liam our Irish investigator and that was pretty fun! He was driving his tractor around and we were doing some electric work on his pool house! So that was pretty cool! Then that night we went to a Cinco de Mayo party and it was super fun! One of our investigators invited us and it was a lot of fun! We talked to a ton of new people and might be going back to help the neighbors build a barn! So I’m excited about that! Also, the investigator has a huge German Shepherd and I finally got to pet him! I’ve been waiting for forever to do that!
Sunday
Was really good! Ginger and the kids all went to church! Lonnie had to work so he didn’t make it but the kids were at church! Other than that we stopped by a bunch of people and had a really good visit with a family who is part member! Then we went to a big Spanish birthday party and that was pretty random but exciting. They were playing live mariachi music it was really cool! Then we went to another ward potluck! And it was good! And that was pretty much the week!
This is a picture of Toni (the lady who invited us to the Cinco de Mayo party) and her German Shepherd.
May 14
This week was a good week and a week of service!!
Monday,
Okay, I think I already talked about this last week, but it was an all
day P day! So we went to the beach and BBQ’ed as well as played
volleyball and then ended up sitting around a fire and just talking to
finish off the night! It was a fun P Day!
Tuesday,
Was a pretty cool day! We had district meeting and that was a pretty
fun! Then after that, we went and did service for some members who are
a little bit older. We helped them build a fence! Mostly just poured
cement in the post hole to get them set! And then that night we had
dinner and a lesson with the Lozano family who we took to the temple a
few weeks ago for a tour! It was really good! And they are super close
to being baptized so they can be sealed! Holly, the mom wants it so
freaking bad!! She was bearing her testimony to her husband and
helping teach him and it was cool! They are a great family and I’m
excited to see how things progress!!
Wednesday,
Nothing too crazy happened on Wednesday! We just stopped by some people
and had a pretty normal day! We also were way out by the edge of our
area so we went and took some pictures at the one way bridge that
goes over the Lakes that are the edge of our area!
Thursday,
We went to another members house in the morning and moved a bunch of
firewood from some stacks he had to his woodshed near his house! It
was good!
Then after that, we went and had a lesson with a recent convert named
Chris! Well, it was supposed to be a lesson but he got really
distracted and his neighbor came over and talked for like an hour! So
that was kinda crazy!! But we eventually got a little bit of focus
back and talked about and gave him something to study for next week.
And then after that, we went to mutual, and that was pretty fun! Just
played dodgeball and sports with them!
Friday,
We had a bunch of service! We went and helped at a
little league field in Yacolt and helped maintain it and stuff!! And
that was pretty fun!
And we even got our whole district out there helping out! And then
after that, we went to the Galiotos and helped them make some garden beds
and get them ready for tomatoes! So that was fun! Then we had a lesson
with them and it was really good! They opened up a lot and we were
able to just encourage them to do their best and keep trying to live
the gospel!
Saturday,
Was another day of service! We went to help out with a lady's yard in
one of the wards next to ours! Our whole district went and helped out
and it was pretty good!!
Then we went up and help out Toni and her husband at their place! Toni
is a super nice Australian Lady who loves the missionaries and who we
are teaching! She is great! And so we helped her get her yard cleaned
up and get some trees that they cut down moved! Branches to a burn
pile and the logs over by the house to be used for firewood! It was
a lot of fun! We also played with her huge German Shepherd Callahan!
He is super cool! We also found out transfer news and I’m staying
in Alpine Heights for another 6 weeks! Which I’m happy and excited!
(This is a picture from Toni's backyard.)
Sunday,
Was pretty good! We had church which was really good! Then we went and
dropped off a bunch of Mother’s Day gifts to people we are teaching
like the Galiotos, Stegalls, Lozanos and a few others! It was a lot of
fun! And then later that night we Skyped home to our families from
Toni’s house! It was a bunch of fun! Had a great time! Love Y’all!
Monday,
Today we went on an 11-mile hike! It was long! But pretty fun! I hung
out with my Thailand buddy Elder Kitsawat! He’s in the ward next to me
and he just got here this transfer! He’s a really cool dude! And so we
just hung out and sang and played the ukulele the whole hike and
talked to everyone! And I am tired! 😂 It was long! But fun too! Then
we went and got frozen yogurt and that was bomb! So over all a good
day! And at 6 we have dinner with our new neighbors who we helped move
in! It should be pretty fun! I’ll tell Y’all about it next week.
Overall a great week! Got a tan from being out in the sun all week!
Had a fun week! Helped some people learn the gospel! Just good things!
Hope Y’all have a great week!!
Love ya!!
Elder Caleb Dewald
May 22
Hey Y’all, this week has been pretty good!
(Another random picture I wasn't sure where to put.)
Tuesday
Was pretty good! I did a Facebook post asking around if people needed
service and it went crazy! We have already done like 2 service project
from it and we got a few more set up for this week!
Wednesday
Was super good! We had lessons with the Nolan’s and the Lozano's and
it was super great! Lonnie Nolan was talking about being baptized
during the lesson and it was just super good! He talked about the
difference he’s felt in his home as he’s met with missionaries and it
was cool to see how he can see the difference even though it’s just
been a little! So I’m excited to see how he keeps progressing!
We also had a dope lesson with the Lozano's so that was a ton of fun! We
taught them the word of wisdom and committed them to live it this
week! So hopefully that goes well!
Thursday
We had last minute interviews with President because the zone leaders
didn’t tell us til the morning of. 😂 So we were rushing in the morning
trying to get ready and it was kinda hectic but interviews went good
so it turned out alright! Then after we went to lunch with Toni one of
our investigators! And that was fun! Toni is such a nice lady!
Friday
Was buuuuusy! It was good just crazy! We had service in the morning
helping a member split and stack wood! So that was fun then we went
and helped out with the Yacolt little league field again! And ran back
from that to dinner! And it was just a busy day of running around! But
also pretty good!
Saturday
Was super cool! So we went and helped out a lady named Lisa who owns an
air BnB up in the middle of the woods! It was super cool! We did some
weed whacking and other yard work as well as killing a bunch of wasps
with wasp spray! And then we just hung out with them for lunch
around a fire and she invited us back for a game night! She makes board
games! And they had like a huge closet of games so we are probably
going to do that soon! They also had the cutest puppy ever! He’s a
Rottweiler and he’s like 4 months old! So that was a ton of fun! Then we
went over to Toni’s and did some service! And that was pretty fun
as well! I also got to play with Callahan who is such a great dog! So
I loved that!
Sunday
Sunday was pretty chill nothing too exciting happened! We taught the
Beehives how to do more meaningful personal study for their lesson so
that was pretty fun! We also had some really good talks about service
and why we serve and I really enjoyed them. So as part of the lesson with
the beehives, we had them take like 5 min and do a little
personal study and it was cool! So basically the format we had them
use to have a more meaningful study was these 5 steps:
1 pray
2 have a purpose, a question or a person in mind.
3 follow the spirit, go to where you feel like you should, Book of
Mormon, Bible, topical guide, Preach My Gospel.
4 share what you learned with someone,
5 pray to close and also to know how to apply it.
So that was the basic format to have a more meaningful personal study!
So I studied what the talks in Sacrament meeting had been on. And
it was cool I got some things I could apply this week! I think I’m
gonna do that every Sunday, just take a few minutes to review my notes
from Sacrament meeting and then do a study on how to apply them for
the week!
Monday
So in case I haven’t told anyone, my pday is switching to Tuesday! So
Monday we went over and helped the Nolan’s clean a ton of blackberry
bushes! And when I say a ton I mean a literal ton! It was so many
blackberry Bushes!! It was pretty fun though! We also went and helped
brother Hoffman, a member of the ward clean up a big pile of
junk and stuff because they are getting their house ready to sell! They
are actually moving to AZ! So that’s pretty cool! Other than that we
just stopped by a few people! It’s been a good week! Crazy! But good!
Love Y’all! Have a great week!
Elder Caleb Dewald
May 29
Hey Y’all this week was good!
Tuesday
Was pretty good we had a lesson with a new family! The Larsen’s! And
it was really good they are pretty interested and excited to take the
lessons! And that’s about it for that day!
Wednesday
We had a really good lesson with the Nolan’s! We talked about the Plan
of Salvation and Lonnie loved it! He was super interested in the
afterlife and where we go after we die and so it was really cool to
teach about that and answer his questions! And it’s just really
comforting to know about the Plan of Salvation and that we have
a way back to God!
Thursday
Was pretty good! We had a great opportunity to do service for a young
family! The mother reached out to us on Facebook because she has some
physical limitations and so she was getting behind on yard work and
stuff! So we went over and helped her and her 2yr old daughter Tegan
do yard work! It was a bunch of fun! And Tegan was super cute! And
after we had the chance to talk for a little bit about helping one of
her friends in Long Beach who is in need of help as well as some
spiritual thoughts and her beliefs! So that was cool! Other than that
not too much happened!
Friday
Was kinda crazy! We went out in the morning and helped a member with
their yard who needed some help! And that was good. Then we ran to
another service project at a place that’s kinda like a rehab for teens who
struggle with substance abuse! And it was really good!
Then we ran home got ready really quick, and ran to the Galioto’s for
a lesson! And it went really good. They really opened up and committed
to read scriptures, pray and come to church and it was super cool!
They are coming along great! So that was a great day! Busy but good!
Saturday
Was really busy too! First, we had a ward service project where we
helped out with burning a bunch of wood! As well as taking some stuff
apart and stacking wood! So it was really good! Then we had lunch with
Toni and that was fun! Then we went and helped a less active man with
getting a bunch of wood and junk moved to a burn pile! Then we ran got
dressed and went to dinner with the Brannigans who we then helped weed
their garden! So busy! Crazy! But good!
Sunday
We taught in Primary and then taught a Primary class! And that was a
bunch of fun!! I think my dream calling is Primary or Nursery! 😂 It
was just a lot of fun! But not a ton else happened Sunday!
Monday
Monday we went and helped a lady named Brenda do some work on her
property and that was pretty fun! And then we were able to teach her
about the Book of Mormon and the restoration. She was pretty
interested so are going back soon to share more and help her out some
more! Then after we went and helped the Nolan’s get the rest of their
blackberry bushes ripped out and then had a BBQ with them and
that was pretty fun!
So it’s been a good week! Love Y’all! Hope your week was good!
Elder Caleb Dewald
June 5
Hey Y'all! My week was pretty good!
Wednesday
We went and had zone conference up in Rainer! That was pretty fun!
Learned a lot! And got a lot out of it! One thing that stuck out a ton
was the importance of setting goals! Basically, this quote sums up the importance of goals,
“I am so thoroughly convinced
that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the
techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age
and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part
of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of
setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the
results he attains in this life.”
–Elder M. Russell Ballard
So yeah I learned a lot and got a lot from it! Also, it was weird because a
bunch of people I know are going home this transfer so they gave their
departing testimonies and it was just kinda strange to think they are
going home!
Thursday
We did some service in the morning with some other Elders to help them
out. Then we had two lessons that night at the same time so we had to
split! But it went really, really good! I went with a priest and
taught the Larsen’s and Elder Klassen went and taught the Lozanos!
Both lessons went well and then we had a good time at mutual with
Bobby Lozano! We played ping pong and it was a blast!
Friday
We went and did service at the baseball fields in Yacolt and that was
pretty fun! We also ended up going over to our most recent bishop (he
just got released) and helping out with yard work. We were gonna have
a lesson with the Galioto’s but it got postponed because they had a
death in the family. So keep them in your prayers if you can!
Saturday
Was pretty cool! We went and helped a guy clean up his property!
His name is Willard and he is 85 and he trucks around like he’s still
young! It is crazy to see!! He bundles up wood and sells it to the
local stores! So he taught us how to do that! and we are going back
this week to help out again!
We also had a pretty cool game night with a family we are hoping to
teach! We went over and had a great time with some of the members of
our ward Lisa and her husband and their family that was there! We
played snake oil and talked and got to know them and it was a bunch of
fun! They are great people! Hopefully we can start teaching them soon!
Sunday!
Not a ton happened! We did go out and visit a bunch of members to ask
if they could help fellowship our investigators and so that was pretty
fun! They were all pretty great!
Monday
We went and had lunch at Nick, the place that Lonnie works! It was
pretty good and we got to talk to him for a little because it was
pretty slow and he came out! Then we went and helped out Brenda, the
older Lady we went over and help with service this last week and
taught about the Book of Mormon! We went over there and cleared more
brush and burned some of it! So that was fun! We also got to teach her
a little more! She is super nice and very open! Other than that not to
much crazy happened!
Tuesday,
Today we went to a park as a zone and played water games and had a
water balloon fight and that was pretty fun! Then we went over to a
members house and I jumped on the trampoline with some of the kids
and then had waffles! And I just now finished getting my hair cut!
So overall a good week!
Hope Y’all had a good week too love ya!
Elder Caleb Dewald
June 12
Tuesday
Last Tuesday we went after p day and had a great lesson with the
Larsen’s! We taught them about the Plan of Salvation and they loved
it! They had a bunch of questions and they really seemed to love the
whole thing! They also came to church this Sunday was pretty awesome!
So they are progressing well and I’m excited to keep working with
them!
Wednesday
We had a district meeting and it was pretty good! Learned some good
stuff! Other than that and volunteering at the food bank, not a ton
else happened!
Thursday
Was pretty good! We went and helped a member finish building a fence
that he kinda went waaay over the top on. 😂😂 He used 4x6’s and a
bunch of other unnecessarily big things to patch this fence and it was
crazy 😂 but it was still fun!
Other than that we went and helped out at mutual with the activity
which was talking about cars! Fun stuff!
Friday
Friday I went on an exchange with Elder Packer my district leader! And
that was fun! He’s a good guy! We went to district service and it was
super fun! We went and cleaned out these super dirty vans that hadn’t
been washed in years! 😂 They were gross 😂 but we had a bunch of fun
cleaning them out! And they looked super good after so it was fun!
We also got to teach one of the families they are teaching and that
was pretty fun! A lot of high energy boys! 😂 It was a good lesson
though!
Saturday
We went over to Brenda’s house to help her more with her property and
get a few fallen trees cut up! We had a member come and help us and he
got lost on the way and couldn’t call us cause we don’t have phone
service in our area cause it’s in the middle of the wood 😂 but
then he found us by following the Spirit which was super cool! Then Elder
Klassen got sick which wasn’t good but it’s okay because he felt
better by dinner so that was good!
Sunday
Was pretty great!! We went to church and the Larsen’s came! So that
was pretty awesome! Also, church was pretty good! Gospel Principles was
about repentance so that was super good!
Monday
We had a good day! District meeting switched to Monday’s now so we
went to district meeting and had a good time there! Then later that day we went over to an ex-navy seal's house to help
him with some service! It was pretty cool! He had some neat stories
and we had a good time with him!
Over all, it was a great week! Hope Y’all had a great week! Love Y’all!
Elder Caleb Dewald
June 19
Hey Y’all! This week was really good!
Wednesday
We had a physical Therapy appointment for Elder Klassen! He broke his
back in high school so he was just kinda following up on that cause
it’s been bothering him a little lately! Not a ton else happened!
Thursday
Was pretty awesome! We had a service project that was super great! We
went and helped this Lady Janette and she is super nice and way
interested in the church! She was super excited to learn more so we
are excited to go back and start teaching her!
Friday
Was pretty good! I went on an exchange with one of the zone leaders
and that was pretty good! The zone leader I was with came out the same
time as me.
Saturday
Was pretty good! We were running all day long!! We went from a service project
with the Elder's quorum helping split wood to a service project
picking up branches for a potential investigator, to another service
project picking weeds for another potential investigator to helping the
Elder's quorum move a new member into the ward!! So if you couldn't tell
Saturday was service Saturday! 😂 It was a lot of fun though! I had fun
all day!
Sunday
Was super good!! So we have this family that we have been working with
for a few months now, who have actually been investigating in a
different ward in Vancouver for about 2 years now! But they just moved
up here a few months ago and so we started to teach them! But they
haven’t been to church the entire time they’ve been investigating! In
two years they hadn’t gone! And then this Sunday they came and had a
great time!! It was super awesome! We were so excited that they came!
Monday
Was pretty good! We had a district meeting and that was pretty good! We
had a training on the importance of helping our investigators get
their own revelation and it was really good! While we were having it I
was thinking about how important it is for each of us to be doing that
every day! We literally can talk to God and ask him things we should
be doing, or what He wants us to do that day and He’ll answer us! How
amazing is that! And I was just thinking to myself "Do I really take
advantage of that as much as I can??" So that’s something I’m wanting
to focus on this week and I’d encourage Y’all to think about that too
and see if you can do better in that
Tuesday
Today we are going to LARP. So if you don’t know what that is it’s a
live action role play! Our district leader who’s going home loves that
kinda stuff so in honor of him we are gonna go around and hit each
other with fake swords and stuff! 😂😂 It should be interesting! Not
something I would normally do but hey what the heck! Tell Y’all how it
goes next week! Love Y'all have a great week!!
Elder Caleb Dewald
June 26
Weekly email
Wednesday
Was really cool! We met an awesome new lady named Theresa! We went over and helped her put in a garden bed and she asked us about the Book of Mormon and what it was and about a few other things. So we were able to testify simply while helping her and then later she texted us and told us she wants to learn more about the church! So we are going over again this week to teach her and do more service! She is an awesome lady and I’m excited to work with her!
Thursday
We had a good lesson with the Larsen family who we are teaching! We taught them the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they are praying to know if they should be baptized so if Y’all could pray for them to get an answer that’d be great! They also made us this bomb enchilada soup! I’m gonna have to get the recipe from them cause it was bomb!
Friday
Was a service day! We went and helped the sisters in our district to do service for a new investigator they have! We found a decent sized garden snake in the process! Wish I had a picture holding that guy he was cool! Oh well, next time! Then later we went and weeded for the same place we washed the vans for! Then after that, we were working in the ward next to ours because Elder Packer the district leader is going home and we had his companion and they had a lesson we took him to! So that was good! Good day overall! Lots of service!
Saturday
We went on exchanges! I was with Elder Kitsawat! My main Thailand Elder! It was a good day! We went and taught a lesson to a lady moving into the ward soon! She is investigating the church in Vancouver and is moving to Battleground and wanted to meet the missionaries and a few members before she moved up here so she would feel comfortable here! She was pretty awesome! Has a great testimony already and is doing all the little things like praying and reading the scriptures! It was cool to talk to her and see the difference the gospel has made in her life as she’s been investigating! The gospel really does change people and make them happier!
The rest of the day with Elder Kitsawat was pretty chill! We did studies at the library and there was some kinda medieval history event going on there! With all kinds of cool stuff! They even had a live owl!
Then that night we got transfer news! And I’m staying in Alpine Heights for another 6 weeks! Which is pretty cool! I’m also getting Elder Oswald who was in my MTC district as a companion! So I’m pretty excited about that! We are gonna have a bunch of fun together!
And Elder Klassen is going to my first area St. John’s Portland! I’m excited for him to meet all the great people I met there!
Sunday
Was pretty good, the Larsen’s came to church! So that was pretty cool! Then we stayed for the next ward's Sacrament meeting cause Elder Kitsawat and Elder Packer were speaking and Toni came! They gave really great talks!! It’s really cool to listen to Elder Kitsawat speak because even though his English is broken, he shares powerful experiences and testimonies and I always feel the spirit! The gift of Tongues is real!
One thing I thought that was really cool that he said was “ the mission is hard, it makes me tired, it makes me cry, but it makes me happy!" And that really hit me! And I know that’s been true for me as well sharing the gospel with people and watching them change has been a huge blessing in my life and it’s brought me a lot of joy! And really I was thinking, if we have the gospel and we do our best to live it, we’ll all look back at life after we’re gone and say a similar thing! It was hard, it made me tired, it made me cry, but as I relied on my Savior through it, I was happy. I'm blessed to have the gospel so I can look back on my life and say that!
Monday
We had a final District Meeting with Elder Packer and the district! It was really good! Sad cause he’s leaving and so are a few other district members! And this district has been some of the best friends I’ve made on the mission! But good! Elder Packer shared a testimony about all the most impactful things he’s learned from each area he served in and it was really great! One thing he said that I thought was awesome was a quote he shared from
Neal A. Maxwell.
“God doesn't start by asking about your ability, only your availability, then if you can prove your dependability, he will increase your capability.”
And I love that because it’s so true! God doesn’t need perfect people! He needs people who are willing to give him time and do the things he asks and if they are willing to do that then he can make them as strong and capable as he needs them to be! And as we make ourselves available for the Lord and show him he can count on us, he will bless us to become more than we ever thought we could be, and to achieve more than we ever thought we could achieve!
Other than that we had a lesson with the Lozano’s and it was super good! We taught them the Plan of Salvation and it was really cool to help them see the connection with Gods plan and eternal happiness that it can bring their family!
Today
Today we are gonna play soccer or hopefully touch rugby instead! I love that much better but we’ll see! Hope Y'all have a great week! Love Ya!!
Elder Caleb Dewald
July 4
(Last random picture.)
Hey Y'all
This week has been good! Busy! Crazy! But good!
Highlights of this last week transfers happened! I’m with Elder Oswald now! So that’s been pretty fun! He and I were in the MTC together and so it’s been fun to be back together!
We did a lot of service this week! One lady we went and
helped named Martha, had a crazy story! She told us about her life and her marriage and it was pretty crazy! She told us she got married and the day she got married she knew it was a mistake, and it’s been a rough marriage for her! But she’s stayed with her husband for 50 years because she believes it’s a sin to get divorced! But her husband just started drinking again, so she’s been thinking about it! So we were able to talk to her about God’s love for her and how he would help her and guide her in knowing what to do! It was cool! And she was a super sweet lady!
Other than that I can’t think of anything too exciting that happened!
Hope Y'all had a great week! Love Y'all!
Elder Caleb Dewald
So that was good! 
Today 
Was a pretty good day! We had District Meeting and it was pretty good! We got a new senior couple in our district so we got to know them and it was really good! 
Was pretty good! We went to a baptism for someone Elder Klassen taught and that was pretty good! Then we went and did some service for Liam our Irish investigator and that was pretty fun! He was driving his tractor around and we were doing some electric work on his pool house! So that was pretty cool! Then that night we went to a Cinco de Mayo party and it was super fun! One of our investigators invited us and it was a lot of fun! We talked to a ton of new people and might be going back to help the neighbors build a barn! So I’m excited about that! Also, the investigator has a huge German Shepherd and I finally got to pet him! I’ve been waiting for forever to do that!
day P day! So we went to the beach and BBQ’ed as well as played
