04/25/16 Group Email

Another amazing week out here in the mission field!

So we've been working with our most solid investigator, Esperanza from Spain.  We taught her the first lesson on Friday and it was so good! We were outside, sitting in this quiet park, and the spirit was SO strong.  I've never cried in a lesson.... but I was VERY close to tears when I receited the Joseph Smith vision.  I've said it over a thousand times, but for some reason, I felt the spirit sooo strongly this specific time.  She was holding onto every word, looking right at me.  It was incredible and definitely something I'll never forget! She's been to church twice, so hopefully we'll get her on date this week!

Yesterday at church something that Hermano Gonzalez said really struck me.  He was talking about missionary work and he said (translated) "every single one of you in this room, are here thanks to missionary work." Holy! my mind was blown! It is so true! Every single one of the members are either converts, or their parents were converts. The spirit just hit me when he said that.  Missionary work is soooo important and changes people's lives forever.

So a little bit ago, we got a very vague referral of "a family that from Colombia over there in that area" haha, very, very vague, but we decided to go out and find them! We walk over to a very sketchy apartment building (golden for Spanish family) and started walking around.  We noticed this elderly woman sitting up on her porch, so we went over and asked if she knew anyone who spoke spanish.  Her nurse that was with her, said there wasn't anyone around her, but then the elder lady said "well actually, try this house over there on the corner.. they speak some language i don't understand, maybe it's spanish" Sure enough, we went and knocked, and it was the Colombians!! There house was in the middle of all these doors, so we never would've found them! Suuuch a miracle! It was very cool.

So the other day we were trying to figure out where to eat lunch... after trying two restaraunts, we decided on Wendy's haha.  We had been walking around forever and couldn't decide on anything, so as we were walking in I said "there better be someone in here who speaks spanish!" Sure enough, walk in and immedately spot a latino. he was from chile and who adorable twin boys.  

Miracles are EVERYWHERE.  They literally are everywhere, we just have to spot them.  I love being a missionary! The experiences we have up here... they are incredible and are all due to the grace of our Lord.  

Have a killer week!

Hermana Dean 

04/25/16 Pictures

 Deyalin Fernandez from Mexico. A less active we've been working with for the last couple months!

 Our district

 

 Nefi Angulo... we taught him all the lessons before his baptism

04/18/16 Group Email

Oh it was such a great week! 

We picked up two new investigators this week, wahoo! We had a lesson with our investigator Edgar, who happened to have an 18 year old girl named Juliana there.  She's from the DR and has only been here for 4 days.  Edgar was just wanting to bible bash and he wasn't too into it, but the moment I started saying the First Vision, evertyhing changed! The spirit was SO strong.. it was the coolest thing! There is such power with those words.  And Juliana's jaw DROPED.. she was loving it.  She was still kind of timid when we left, we invited her to church but she didn't come, but I know she felt something.  So hopefully tomorrow we'll have a lesson with her! It was seriously such a cool lesson.. the spirit is so real.  

A couple weeks back, the Elders met this girl in Wendy's from Spain.  She has her daughter who's 26 here and they're going through some pretty hard times with the government right now, but we were able to have a lesson with her! Esperanza is her name, and she came to church yesterday! It was so cool! The members gave her such good fellowship and she felt right at home.  So hopefully we'll have some good things happen here in the next little bit with her.  

We were walking around downtown (it is so beautiful with all the green trees and flowers! And so many people are out walking and there's musicians on every corner playing music.. downtown Calgary is so pretty) and we pass this restaurant that has a big Venezuela flag in the window, so naturally we walk on in.  It was around 3 so nobody was in there, and this sweet old woman from Venezuela was there! We played it like we were looking at the menu, but we struck up a good convo! And then her husband walked out and oh man his face was priceless.. He thought he would walk out and see some Latinos speaking.. haha nope! He was very shocked.. made for a good laugh.  They were sweet, hopefully we'll see them around! 

On Saturday Elder Christofferson from the 12, Elder Martino from the 70, and Elder Spackman from the 70 came and visited! IT WAS SO COOL.  Our entire mission went to one chapel, which neeeeeever happens. It was the most amazing sight! We got the most incredible trainings and the spirit was so strong.  Elder Christofferson is amazing and holy his testimony was the strongest thing ever! I learned a ton.  The main things he mentioned were:

-Read the Book of Mormon.. the desire you have to read that book, shows how truly converted you are to the gospel. If you have any doubts, your answers will be found there.

-A grateful heart is easier to feel the spirit - pray with gratitude!

-The best setting to receive revelation is during scripture study

-Everything in the gospel turns back to repentance

-There's a lot of negative, but choose to see the positive 

Tons more, but those were mainly what he focused most on! 

I love this work.  I love being a missionary - I am so happy here and will never regret this decision to give everything to Lord and serve Him.  He's given me everything, the least I can do is serve Him for 18 months.  Read the Book of Mormon! That book has such power!!

Que esten bien! 

Hermana Dean 

04/18/16 Pictures

lots of fotos...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Teaching Hermana Allphin how to cook! That's right, she asked ME how to cook.. I'm becoming pretty good with pancakes haha 

Temple! 

The first Utah license plate I've seen!!

 

 La familia Galvez de Costa Rica 

 Spanish Program! 

Typical BDubbs lunch

 

Las clases de ingles 

 

 

 

04/11/16 Group Email

Gooood weeek! 

We have been super busy this week with Zone training meetings and exchanges.. but the work has been good! 

On Saturday, we were serving at the Food Bank.  I hadn't been there for 6 months, so it was weird to go back! But it was good! The second I walked into the room, I spotted this Latino man sitting across the way.  I didn't have a chance to talk to him, but the Lord had a plan! The guy in charge set up all the volunteers in certain areas, and low and behold, he put me right next to the man from El Salvador!! It was sweet! We talked for the whole three hours and I told him about our church and we got to know each other.. it was so cool.  AND THEN.. the guy on the other side of me was named Sergio, so obviously from somewhere cool.. He was from Moldova and had been here for six months.  I started talking to him and slowly realize.... I've met him before! But where?? He told me about his little daughter and his wife, and then it hit me.. SIX MONTHS AGO I HAD GIVEN THEM FOOD AT THE FOOD BANK! I freaked out! It was such a cool moment! And to see him there, giving back by serving! Ah it was cool.  So back to Jorge from El Salvador, I invited him to church and gave him the address... and he came!!! It was so cool! He strolled into church and my jaw dropped - suuuch a miracle! Hopefully we'll get in and be able to teach him! 

We were on exchanges, and I was down in a different area with Sister Hatch.  We had a name that we were going to go stop by who was a member, but the sisters didn't know him.  So we drive clear out to this BEAUTIFUL part of the country... it was just on the other side of the city, but I had never been out there! There were mansions on mansions haha the houses were huuuge.  We turn down this gravel road, and are completely engulfed in trees! It was so pretty.  We drive past all this pretty houses, and finally find his house.  The door is wide open and it smells so yummy, so we knock and this cute little old man comes over and says "Sisters! come on in! have you eaten yet??" And there were four old people eating dinner and they fed us and it was salmon and it was sooooo yummy.  I love Latino food, but man it was good to have a normal meal! And their house was beautiful and huge and it was fun to hear all of their stories.  I felt so loved! We had never even met them, but they welcomed us right in to their home and they fed us and were so loving :) so if you ever see the missionaries around, always make them feel loved! It's the best! 

Our investigator status.. we have a couple! Our most golden one had to go work in Edmonton for two weeks, which she didn't tell us! But we finally found out, so we're just waiting on her to get back.  The others are good, not progressing too well, but poco a poco! Last week I sent a picture with Cindy.. the black lady from Colombia.  She is golden. The Elders are teaching her.  Well...... her and her husband have lost their papers and are going back to Colombia, next week.  But their kids have papers here, so they are choosing to leave them with their grandma.  They don't know if when they'll see them again :( they came to church for the first time yesterday and sat in front of us, and as I watched these two amazing parents with the cutest little kids EVER, I couldn't help but cry! Ah I'm such a baby, but they were just holding their kids, looking down at them.  And I was behind them watching, and it was so sad.  I thank Heavenly Father more and more every day for having me be born in America, so I don't ever have to have the trial of moving countries and being separated from my family.  

Everything is going good! It's getting warm and the everything is starting to turn green :):) I love being a missionary! It makes me so happy.  I love the people here, they have touched my life in so many ways.  Our mission has a book about the Atonement, filled with all these talks that President Miles loves! It's been really cool to study it and to learn more about how to use the Atonement my life.  Jesus lives and he loves us! 

Que pasen una linda semana

Hermana Dean 

4/11/16 Pictures

We both got dressed in a polka dot dress.. hahah.  Normally I would not match someone that much, but we went on exchanges that day so we weren't seen in public! 

 

We moved chapels.. so we switched our beautiful view of the city, for an ugly indian temple.  Haha 

Emily! :) 

 Beneflora y Florectia 

The entire Missionary Leadership Council

04/04/16 Group Email

Yay for conference! Always is so good.  Learned a lot! One of my favorite parts hands down, was the Saturday morning session, when the choir sang "Come thou fount" and it zoomed up on one of the men and he was bawling... holy it made the tears come! It was so powerful! All the talks were amazing.  

So this week.. we picked up THREE NEW INVESTIGATORS and it was awesome.  Yaritza... A recent convert brought her last week, we taught her on Thursday, and she was pumped.  She's pretty golden! She has been here for like 2 weeks, so she has a crazy Cuban accents.  And oh man, Cuban accents are crazy! Haha they slur their words together.. I like it though! She's definitely entertaining to listen to.  

Reglita.. also from Cuba.  She's not quite as golden, but we picked her up and hopefully we'll get into her heart soon! 

Edgar... he was in the area book, we called him, set up an appointment, taught him, and picked him up! We were SO PUMPED.  Three investigators in four days.... that is crazy! The work has been picking up like crazy.  Good times in the Canada Calgary mission! 

Everything is going along great.  So happy here.  One thing I've definitely learned, you choose to be happy.  You choose to love where you are, what you're doing, who you're with. Because what you're going through, isn't always your choice.. but you can choose to be happy! 

One of the things I wanted to learn during conference, was for the witness that I'm in the right place.  Which, I've known I'm in the right place for a very long time, but it's always good to get reassurance.  The witness didn't come during conference, but it came after.  We were all sitting in Hermano Fernando's living room, just hanging out and having our missionary meeting, when we started talking with one Elder who is going home in two weeks... and oh my gosh it just hit me! I never want to leave! I LOVE it here... I have never been so happy! We were talking to him about all the down sides of going home (haha that sounds harsh,, but it's true!) and dang it made me realize that I am so happy here.  I absolutely love the ward I'm serving in.. all the members are like my family and I'm so lucky to have been serving here for so long, and I still have time here! Love is just going good and I love being a missionary.  

We went to the bathroom after conference, walk into the women's bathroom, and see Hermano Fernando standing there washing his hands.  At first he just said hi, but then he froze and he looked at us with the most embarrassing face... and the he sprinted out the door.  I have never laughed so hard in my entire life - it's the little things that get us through each day hahah

love you all! choose to be happy!! 

Hermana Dean 

04/04/16 Pictures

Solid clue that they are from Mexico haha 

 TEMPLE

 

 '

road tripppp down to Lethbridge 

 

another clue they speak spanish... hahah they were from Chile

Cindy.. she's from Colombia and has been taking the lessons! we taught her family a few lessons, but had to pass them off to the elders.  She came to conference and loved it!