December 23

Merry Christmas!!! 

We had a really fun week. On Saturday morning we had Christmas at the Metler's because they are in Utah for Christmas so Santa came to their house early. They asked us what our Christmas wishes were so I got a really nice CTR ring and Elder Byam got a projection clock (I am still selling those on everyone).  We also spent some time going around taking cards to members in the ward. That takes a while because they all want to talk. We are told all the time by members that we are loved because they see us working hard. Missionary work is really simple... Work hard and success will come!!! I found out today by talking with Elder Adams that Dayton has died!!! While I was there we were teaching about twenty lessons a week and they are now teaching about 5 a month. It is really sad to see old areas die because of missionaries that don't work.

We are seeing a lot of success right now. Jeff is still progressing toward baptism. We are also teaching the Mossbergers (a part member/less active family). We are also teaching Brandon  who is about to graduate from High School and wants to go to BYU. We are working with a few others but those are the who are the strongest.

I got a care package this week from the ward and there was the funniest card in it. I took a picture so that you can see it.

I will be calling around 2 pm Pacific time. 

Talk to you tomorrow!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Love Dustin

Holiday Pictures

Dustin and Santa

Dustin at a family Christmas Party with Santa (Brother Trost)!

Dustin and Elder Byam

Thanksgiving Dinner with the Schoonmakers!

December 17

Hey! Hope that everything is going well. 

I guess that you probably know this but the shooting that was in Oregon was pretty close to me about twenty to thirty minutes away. Last Christmas I went to that mall two or three times. It was weird to be able to have people describe the situation and be able to see exactly where it was and know that I had eaten in that very same food court only a year ago. People here are really shaken up about it. It is so sad how the decisions of one person really effect so many more people. I know that they shut down the mall until the investigation is complete so I don't know if they have opened it back up yet or not. 

On to happier things we had a great week. This week we had the opportunity to leave the mission and go into Vancouver to the Ensign Choir Performance. It was great! We took Jeff, The Mossbergers, the Pritchetts, the Metlers and the LaBars. It was great! We introduced them all to President Morby after. We also had the Chance to help Eldon Mossberger set up Christmas lights on their house so that he could surprise his wife. That was way fun and really helped to build up a relationship. 

We also had the chance to do a solo (duet) in sacrament yesterday... not so good. It was a tenor solo and really pushed the limits. It was called the Sussex carol. So hard to sing but we got it done and Sis Wahnschaffe says to tell you that it was fantastic. 

At the concert on Friday right after Jeff was introduced to President one of the first things that he said was "You need to keep these two in my area longer." I am glad that we have been able to really build a great relationship with him and with the others in the area. Plus after that President looked at Elder Byam and I and said "I think we can work that out." That would make me so happy!! Elder Byam and I figured it out so that we could be companions until March 25th. That would just be fantastic. We will see though. I am sure that whatever happens will happen for a reason.

On Christmas I will call you from the LaBar's in the afternoon. I don't know what time yet because they also have a phone call to make with their son but it will be after two. 

I hope that everyone is doing well and that I hear from you next week. Merry Christmas!!! 

Love Dustin

Picture - Christmas

Christmas from President and Sister Morby!

see Letter from December 10

December 10

Hello!!! 

This has been a bit of a rough week. On Tuesday night Elder Byam got really sick (He was a trooper though because he still went and taught our lesson) but he wasn't able to get out of bed on Wednesday and has been sick since. Talk about cabin fever I was going crazy on Wednesday. I watched all of the Church Christmas movies that we had and a few church movies from the 80's but I was going CRAZY. I also felt bad for Elder Byam because he was super miserable.

We did have a couple of great things happen this week though. Jeff has decided that he is going to live the Word of Wisdom. We also got a new investigator Brandon. He is 17 and is very open. He is hoping to go to BYU because he has seen great things that the church has done. I really hope and think that he will get baptized.

Friday we had our Zone Conference and our mission Christmas party. That was good. There were a few exciting things that happened

1) Elder Hansen who is the Area 70 over Oregon came for the devotional

2) We got a Christmas gift from President and Sister Morby (see attached photo) it is based off of Elder Nelsons talk in Genereal Conference.

3) This is the big one.... The April 1st transfer was moved to March 25th which shortened all missions by one week. They said that is all they know for now so I am not sure if there are more changes coming or not but we will have to see... 

Thanks for the packages. I love the t-shirt. It fits perfectly!

DO I have anyone for the family exchange??? 

I hope that you got the cards. Mom I put the list of people in with yours. If you don't have it yet you should soon.

Merry Christmas!!! Love you all!!

Dustin

Christmas pictures - more

Christmas pictures

December 2

This has been another great week! Elder Byam and I got our apartment all ready for Christmas. There was a tree in the closet and I had some decorations that Olivia sent me last year that I put on there. and then Sister Schoonmaker gave us some lights and a nativity. It looks really good. There are a lot of families in this ward that will be taking good care of us this year. The Metler's keep asking what our Christmas Wish is. 

This past week was a little bit hard. It was one of those times where everything seemed to just go wrong. People having family emergencies, families that are sick but it was also really good because we saw many small miracles happen this week. Jeff who told us that he wouldn't give up coffee is praying to see if it is something that he should do. The Mossbergers were planning on coming to church for the first time in many years (She is going to accept baptism this week I hope and pray). We were able to set up a lesson with a new investigator who has his application in to BYU. Just many great and small things happened. I just hope that I can keep seeing many great things happen. 

Ya'll are crazy!! I can't believe all that you did on Saturday. Some people would say that it isn't good for your health to go all the time like that but I think that for our family it is more the once you stop moving you are dead. We have always been goers. I love that about our family.I I see many different people and see the way they live their lives and I am so glad that our family is the way we are. We have purpose in life and a reason for the way we live. I am convinced that the Gospel blesses us in every aspect of our lives because it gives purpose to all that we do. It makes all the hard times seem easier and all the easy time seem greater because it helps us look forward to what the next life is going to be. It is fun to see how things work and how what the Savior teaches brings us happiness in this life and in the life to come. 

Thanks for all that you do for me!! I love you all very much!! 

Dustin

pictures

THE BATTLE OF THE FAN!

story in letter in November 26

November 26

Hey!!!

I am glad to hear that you had a good Thanksgiving. It was a fun day for me as well we got to play in the unofficial ward turkey bowl and that was really fun. Nothing like playing a little football in the mud and I also had the first touchdown of the game. After that we went back to our apartment and did some cleaning and wrote letters. President Morby doesn't have us go out and proselyte on holidays because he wants people to know that we celebrate them. About two we went over to the Schoonmakers and put up some Christmas lights outside (that's why we were in jeans and t-shirts) and had dinner about four. After dinner we played scum for a while . It was really fun, on days like that we get to build relationships in a much different way. After that we went over to the Murdock's for desert. Never can have too much of that right? It is crazy but holidays are so much different out here. I think it is because we just do things different. 

So this week we had the battle of the fan. In our apartments there are exhaust fans in the laundry "room" (closet off the kitchen) that are on a timer that runs them twelve hours a day. I hate it so I pulled our timer out. So our fan isn't a problem. But the lady downstairs from us moved out a couple of weeks ago. Well last Sunday night her fan came on at about 1AM (so really Monday morning) and there was something wrong with it. It was SO Loud!! It started to shake our floor and we really couldn't sleep through it. So we figured that it was probably just a fluke thing right. WRONG! Tuesday at 1AM all we hear is thunk, thunk, thunk. So we went to the office to tell them about it. Wednesday morning... Same thing. Thursday same thing. Friday Same thing. Saturday same thing. Ok at this point I am starting to get really upset (possibly mad). There is nothing worse than not being able to sleep and waking up with a headache. SO we went to the office but I told Elder Byam that I probably shouldn't be the one to talk because I might get a little too passionate. So we talk with them and the one lady said that we will get that fixed. Well we had heard this before so I had my doubts so we decided to write a note and put it on the dead bolt so we would know if they even tried to fix it. We get back on Saturday night and the note was still on the lock so we knew that it was going to be another really long night. So we pulled our beds into the office (actually the bedroom but it works better with the desks in there and the beds in the living room) and just plopped them on the floor and shut the door and played music. Still woke up many times in the night and with a headache but it was better. Sunday night we get home and there is a reply note saying that the fan had been fixed. AHH! Best night of my life!! So in the end we won the battle of the fan!!!:)

Other than that it has been a great week. Jeff is still progressing towards baptism and the Mossbergers are getting closer. We are going to challenge her to baptism on Sunday (lots of prayers).

I love being a missionary and all that comes with that. I love this Gospel and pray that we will continue to have great success!

I love and miss all of you!!!

Dustin

November 18

Hey!! 

Sorry it is late there was a problem with the computers at the Library.

Happy Thanksgiving!!! We are going to be having Thanksgiving at the Schoonmakers. It should be a really good and fun Thanksgiving. They are one of those families that really love the missionaries and they really like us because we are "normal." That is one good thing about following missionaries that are less than fantastic. i will be here at least until the first part of January. I hope to be here until February with Elder Byam.

We had another great week. We are really seeing that when we put our effort into the work and really focus on helping others it allows the Lord to work miracles. All that he asks us to do is to work hard and do what our leaders expect of us, nothing more. There is no other way to get this work accomplished other than to work hard and trust in him. The longer that I am out the more I see that this is His work so I need to do it His way. I love being with Elder Byam! We go out and really work hard. We need to get better about effective time use but we are seeing great things happen and we are hearing time and time again how grateful people are that we are here to serve. They love seeing us out working and riding our bikes. It is weird how something as small as riding a bike can make such a big difference but it really means a lot to people. Jeff is still progressing forward. He had an interview with the Bishop this past week and afterwards he said that he felt "SO much better about being baptized."  Brother LaBar is also helping Jeff. They talk almost everyday. I am also seeing how important it is to have the members very heavily involved with all that we are doing. There is NO way we could do what we do without them. I hope that you have the chance and are taking the chance to help the Elders in the ward. Really small things are super helpful like last Sunday the Trosts gave us 24 eggs. That was breakfast for like a week. We are really seeing such a difference in the attitude of members and it is really fun.

I was able to find some shirts, I should be good for the rest of my mission. I did have to get some at TJ Maxx and then others at Fred Myer. So you can just pull the money out of my savings to pay off those charges that would be great. Thanks for the help there!

I am so thankful to be a missionary, to live in this wonderful country, to have wonderful people that help me here in Tualatin, for President and Sister Morby, for the Gospel, For Temples, for family and for my Savior. I hope and pray that we will all be able to remember how much we have been blessed with and remember to show that gratitude through our service to others and through prayer.

I love you all very much!!!

Dustin