05/30/16 Group Email

This week was good because we picked up a new investigator!! Her name is Adriana and is from Colombia. She was a referral from a member, and is sooo sweet! We had such an amazing lesson with her and she's so pumped to learn about the gospel! (We'll just forget the fact she didn't come to church to Sunday, but little by little). So we are super excited about that!


A really cool experience that we had this week.. one that I will never forget. Our appointment cancelled, so we had a little bit of time. We were a specific area and we were low on kilometers, so we weren't suppose to drive. We were thinking of who we could visit, when all of a sudden a less active's family name popped into my head. We had only visited them once and I hardly knew them, but I felt like we should stop by. So we drive over there and start thinking about what we need to share. Ether 12:27 pops into my head and we head up to the door. Hermano answers it and doesn't look so good... the house is super super messy, which is not really like them. He kind of hestitates to let us inside, but eventaully let's us and leads us upstairs. We go up there and find Hermana in her bed... and man, she looked so bad. We cried the entire visit and told us she has been suffering from depression and has been in bed for 15 days. It was kind of an awkward situation, because we had no clue what to say, or how to help her! But the spirit completely led us. Hermana Allphin stood at her side, and I sat down by her on the bed, and we just held her hands. She was sobbing and it was one of the most tender moments I've ever experienced. I was nervous to share Ether 12:27... that's not the perfect scripture for the moment, but I decided to share it anyway. And oh my gosh, I was such a baby! I had never cried in a lesson before, but the spirit was SO strong, I just bawled! I couldn't even read the scripture! The spirit was incredible and as I held this sweet Hermana's hand, as she was looking at me with tears in her eyes, I felt so much love. I finished the scripture and bore testimony on why we have our weaknesses. Hermana Allphin said a really beautiful prayer. We left and were speechless.. we had NO idea what she was going through! The Lord 100% led us to her house and told us what to say. It was one of the most powerful, incredible experiences I have ever had. It is moments like those that make being a missionary so amazing. Moments like those that I had never experienced.. I couldn't even imagine expericing them! Being an answer to someone else's prayer.. it is something that you could describe. I'm so so so thankful to be a missionary! The Lord is guiding His missionaries everyday.


I love this gospel! It is such a blessing. Go out and share it with others!! Que esten bien!


Hermana Dean

05/30/16 Pictures

We met some other sisters at the parking lot at like 7 in the morning, and I just pulled up right next to them, we got out and got in their car. well when we got back, around 7 at night, everyone started laughing at me! I had parked in FOUR parking spots.. four!! The parking lot was pretty much full, excpet for the four spots I was taking up. Everyone was laughing and all three of them said "we were wondering if you were really going to park like that!" it was super embarrassing

Pretty lake that we taught Bryan at

As we were driving home from Lethbridge, we pulled over to look at this car thing. I get out, turn around, and see FIVE LAMAS! What the heck! We are in Canada!!! So I start running toward them, and all five of them start running toward me! It was such a good moment! I was so happy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Sister Training Leaders

Hermana Ticona from Peru.. we're teaching her daughter all the lessons to prepare her for her baptism

05/24/16 Group Email

Hello! 

So this past transfer we got a booklet with a bunch of talks on the Atonement.  President Miles gave it to all the missionaries and set up which days we were going to read which talks. Seriously was the coolest thing ever! My testimony grew SO MUCH.  The last day of the reading, we all went to the temple! It was the most incredible thing.  Walking into the Celestial room to see 60 missionaries.. and the room was DEAD silent.  I was praying and I thought I was alone, it was so quiet.  Then afterward, we had a testimony meeting about the Atonement.  A meeting I will never forget.  So always after those meetings, I feel so pumped! When you get a huge group of missionaries together, who all have such strong testimonies, you just pump each other up! So after the meeting, we headed downtown, but the appointment cancelled.  So we just started walking around, I was wanting to testify to EVERYONE. So I did, and it was awesome.  But... we got bible bashed... THREE TIMES.  All in the span of less than an hour. Haha people are crazy sometimes.  But I didn't even care! By the last bible bash, I was getting so tired of hearing the same babble I faked a phone call, said "sorry we gotta go!" grabbed my comp and turned and left.  But I came to realize, if you stick strong to your testimony, nobody can take it away from you! 

Hermana Sucuqui is a less active member in our ward from Mexico. She's super sweet and we've gotten to be pretty good friends.  The other day, we felt like we needed to visit her. So we set up and appointment, went over and chatted, and shared Ether 12:27.  We asked her if she knew anybody who needed that same message and she looked around and whipsered... "don't say this name out loud! But call him tonight and read him that scripture!" and writes down a name and a number.  We left and were very confused... well, fast forward a couple days - we get in contact with the man, have a lesson with him, and he starts bawling! (Which is always good!) and is SO READY for the gospel! like unbelievably ready! We had to pass him off because he lives across the river, so on the other side, but I know the Spanish Elders down there will take such good care of him! We then see Hermana Sucuqui at church, and we report on what had happened.. she told us that the day before we visited her, she was talking with Marlon (oh yeah, his name is Marlon, he is from Nicaragua) and he asked her for God.  He said "I want God in my life, but I don't know where to find him." Hermana told us that she didn't give him to us right then, because Marlon is best friends with her husband... who is very AGAINST the church.  So she didn't want to make him upset.  But then she said, right after, we called her to set up an appointment! She thought, "well that was werid.." but still tried to push away the sign.  We then share Eter 12:27, which is EXACTLY what Marlon needs in his life... she still tried to push it away, but finally, we got her with the classic "do you know anyone who needs this message?" She said by that question, her mind was blown and she knew that God was putting us there so that she could give Marlon to us. It was crazy! The Lord works in mysterious ways! 

Everything is going good in the best mission in the world! So happy here! It SNOWED on Sunday, so that was pretty nuts haha. But now it's sunny and warm! Loving life and loving being a missinoary! Que esten bien!

Hermana Dean 

05/24/16 Pictures

We went to the Calgary Zoo with Hermana Fernando (she is the dauther in law of Hermano Fernando)

 

 

 

 

 Holy the babe gorilla at the Zoo was SO cute!

 

 

 

 

Fiesta con Hermana Sucuqui

Our whole mission went to the temple (in different sessions; we had about sixty of us in ours) it was so cool!

 
We had dinner together after the temple session

05/16/16 Group Email

This week was good! Nothing too much to report on... We had two exchanges, which were fun! I stayed up in Spanish for one and then went downtown in the English program for the other.  My English comp and I were teaching our less active, Hermana Stanvick from Peru, the third lesson.  We found her a couple months back when we had lunch with our Relief Society counselor and she gave us a huge list of women to visit.  So we started visitng Hermana Stanvick every week! She is really sweet and has a heart of gold.  Well, while we were visiting with her last week, out of nowhere she said that she wants to start working toward getting her endowments! IT WAS SUCH A COOL MOMENT.  Sadly, I could only enjoy it with her and not my companion, because she didn't have a clue what was going on (since she doesn's speak Spanish), but it was such an amazing moment! We're so excited for her and hope everything goes well. It is just amazing to me how the Lord let's us know who He wants us to visit.  I had never even heard of Hna Stanvick's name, until we had lunch with our member and she felt like she needed us to visit her.  So cool how the Lord works

We were walking and contacting up in this neighborhood and out of nowhere this guy comes.. he was.. well, he was crazy.  He was super tall and had super super yellow teeth and was basically speaking jibberish.  Well he was very interested in my comp and not me (thank goodness) so I kinda just let her take the contact, and when she finished up she went to shake his hand and he went straight in for the hug! He completely over towered her because he was so large and my jaw just instantly dropped.. I mean, when you go in for the handshake, 99.99% of the people shake your hand back! So when he went in for the hug, I was so shocked. I was wondering what my companion was going to do, because if it were me, I think  I would've just closed my eyes and taken it... but I was very proud, Hermana Allphin jumped back and started x-ing her hands and saying "no no no sorry so sorry but we can't hug.. bye!" and he walked away kind of upset.  I have never laughed so hard.. I'm telling you, I had to stop in my tracks and bend over because I coldn't breath.  It's the little laughing miracles that get us through each day haha.  

Esperanza is.. good! We had a lesson with her last week. She still doesn't feel ready for baptism.. so we are still praying and teaching her. She didn't come to church yesterday, which was a bummer, but hopefully God will give us a miracle this week and she'll pick a date! 

Another tender mercy that happened this morning while we were shopping at walmart... a couple weeks ago we met this guy named Gustavo, and if you have the name Gustavo, you speak Spanish. Super super nice guy, works back in the photo area, is from Venezuela, super interested in what we do.  Well we met him maybe two weeks ago, and then this morning, we ran into him again! (Good thing I like taking and printing photos, or else we never would run into him) and he asked us for a book of mormon!! Yay! So hopefully something will pick up there.. but definitely a cool way to find a new investigator! Printing pictures at walmart! You never know who's ready, talk to everyone! 

Well I love you all! I love being a missionary. I'm so happy to be here. Calgary is beatufiul and the people are incredible.  Que esten bien! 

Amor, 

Hermana Dean 

05/16/16 Pictures

*Visiting Hermana Hernandez (El Salvador)

notice that bright green dish in the left corner... yeah.. we ate that 

*cooking with Hermana Valdiri (colombia) SO FUN

 
Saying goodbye to Hermano Fernando :( 
He moved back to Mexico

 

  Exchanges with Sister Connors 

05/09/16 Group Email

Another good week in the best mission in the world! Seriously I love my mission so much. I'm so happy here and Hermana Allphin and I are just loving life!

So not too much to report on.. but easily the miracle of the week was when we were up in a little town called Airdrie. We had a meeting with the missionaries and afterward, we had heard there was a Costa Vida in the town. And man we were craving Costa Vida.  But, we didn't know where it was. SO, we drove around, trying to find it, but couldn't :( we pull up to a stop light, our windows are down, we look over and see this lady who also has her window down, so we yell "Hey! do you know where Costa vida is?" and she replies "Yeah! follow me!" and she guided us all the way there! It seriously made mine and hermana allphin's day!! I just love nice people.  Everyone, go be super nice to somebody today! Because it is the best thing ever when someone is nice to you.  

So we have this investigator named Edgar. He just kinda meets with us when he wants.  He also has this teenage girl who lives there, so she comes to the lessons.  Well, at the very last minute, our member cancelled.  I was super nervous! The last time we had taught him, he kind of bible bashed us and wanted to fight a little.  So I was pretty nervous to go in to the lesson without a member.  But we really felt like he needed a message. So we were in the car and I just started praying for comfort, and literally when I finished praying, I looked down on my lap and saw my opened up book of mormon, so I started reading what I had underlined and oh my gosh it was EXACTLY what I needed to hear! it was craaazy! It was all the scriptures that explican "open your mouth and the Lord will give you what you need to say" and "don't be afraid to preach the gospel" it was nuts.  And it built my testimony SO much on the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. It truly is the word of God! And then we went into the lesson, and it turned out SO good and we both bore our testimonies like it crazy.. it was cool.  

Esperanza is good! She came to church and the party and loved it! She told us she's scheduled church in every single sunday for the rest of her life haha now all she needs is to get baptized! But we're working hard with her and we'll get her soon! 

Not too much to report on, but love you! it was so good to see you and hear your voices! Have an amazing week!

Amor,

Hermana Dean 

05/09/16 Pictures

we helped do service for the family Gonzalez (she's from Peru)

 

 

 

check out these downtown statutes! THEY"RE SO TALL 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Our ward had a huge party for Mother's Day, it was so much fun! 
Hermana Solano y Hinojsa (both from Peru)

Hermana Menijar y our investigator Esperanza (El Savlador y Spain) 

 

 Hermana Little (Ecuador)

 Little girl Lucy

Zone training meeting with the Calgary Zone-this is the high council room in the stake center  where  N. Eldon Tanner was the Stake President-- in the back ground you can see downtown Calgary