September 11

Yesterday there was a member that rented a 15 passenger van and took our district, the ZL's and the AP's on a big tour of the mission. We went up to Mt. Hood first. That was cool. It is the tallest mountain in Oregon (I think). There is an old ski lodge up there. Tell you what though I was struggling to breathe. From 200ft up past the tree line is a huge change in oxygen content. That was really fun to see though. After that we went to the Columbia River Gorge. That was really pretty. It reminded me of Alaska. Lots of water and green trees. We then went to a fish hatchery. They have a pond that has white sturgeon in it. The biggest is Herman and he is over 10 ft and 450 lbs. Crazy big fish!! We also got to see Multnomah falls. Super pretty!! It was a really fun trip but a lot of time in a van.

 

I am starting to get to know some of the members as well. People in Tualitan are super nice. Missionaries refer to this area as the Idaho/Utah of Oregon. Elder Grimes has only been yelled at once in this area which is crazy. In Portland it is a several times a day occurrence. I really do think that I am going to like it here though. It reminds me a lot of home. People that are more well off but that are super loving and giving and would do anything for others. It will be interesting seeing how different the work here is. I feel like I finally figure out how to become successful as a missionary and then I get moved to an area with complete different challenges. I feel like part of that is so that I don't become dependant on my own knowledge but that I really have to rely on the spirit.

 

Thanks for all that you do for me. I really love all of you very much and am grateful for the chance that I have to serve the Lord and to help others come unto Christ. The Gospel is true and I know that there is nothing that can bring us more joy than living by Gospel Principles.

 

I love you all very much!!

September 3

Hello Family!

 

Another transfer has come and gone. I seems crazy how fast the time flies. I got transfered to Hedges Creek in Tualatin. Super fancy place. I really like it so far. i have not met anyone really yet because all we did yesterday was transfers and dinner at Carl's Jr because we didn't have a dinner. Crazy thing though... This is Elder Mecham's second area and my new companion served with Elder Mecham in Oregon City four months ago. Also super crazy Elder Grimes lives out Sunnyside and graduated from Hillcrest a year before Krystal. I think that this is going to be a bit of a testing ground for me. I think that I am really going to have to draw my line in the sand and not move from it. He goes home in October and is really ready to be done.

 

Funny story (also shows how much of a cluts I am)... Saturday we decided to take 30 minute lunches so that we could go out for ice cream as a district at 8:30 that night. So we all met in Dayton and went to the new ice cream place by the park. So after I get my ice cream i go over to the park and start to play on the merry go round with some other missionaries.  So i get it going really fast and then go to grab it and jump on... didn't work so well. I ended up doing something to my hip and now I have a limp and have to ice my hip and Sister Morby called the doctor and gave me some PT things to do. The worst part of the whole thing is now I am in a bike area.

 

Sunday I was also given a bike by Brother Walker. It is super old but I didn't have to buy one. I think that I might have to end up buying Elder Grimes bike when he goes home but we will see how this one works for now.

 

Love you all and know that the gospel is true.

 

Dustin

P-day pictures

Playing games for P-day!

Elder Adams with a box hat!

Elder Vander Werff trying to drink!

Elder Vander Werff eating a donut!

Aug. 27

Hey Family!!

 

This has been another great week. Thanks for the package. I have all ready used all of the pop corn. Also this Monday is transfers so don't mail anything to Dayton, I will more than likely be tranfered. We have a very active zone leader who likes to influence transfers and has been successful at it in the past and he said that he called the AP's and asked for me to train and for our area to be white washed (two new missionaries in). I don't know if that will happen or not but there are 14 new English Elders coming in this transfer so it could happen. Elder Harris (ZL)  said that in his opinion Elder Martinson (my MTC comp) and I are the only two Elders in the Zone who are ready to train. Also crazy is that Elder Mecham goes home in Tuesday!!! He is in Oregon City right now in Kacie and Jason's ward. He said he is going to come by and say hi and borrow my seasons of House. 

Yesterday we had a really fun p-day. We all came to our apartment and played QUELF. Such a funny game. So the pictures are of Elder Adams with the box hat and Elder Vander Werff when he wasn't able to use his arms and had to eat/drink whatever we gave him. Super funny! 

 

The coolest thing happened this week. A less-active  sister, and has been for some time. I think about six years which is when she moved to Oregon. She is super nice to the missionaries. I guess that about a year ago the missionaries invited her to take the lessons and she was surprised because she has been to the temple and knows the gospel. Well over the last seven months we have been going over and helping her around the house because she has MS.  At the end of the last transfer I asked her to take the lessons. She accepted and was actually excited about it.  She and I have developed a really good relationship (I think that is because of my connective personality LOL). Well because of health problems and other things we have only been able to teach her twice over this past transfer. Last Friday we went over and had a lesson then did some service and then had dinner. Before we ate she came over to the table and offered the prayer. Her prayer was the cool part. In  her prayer she prayed for us, for our investigators, for those who would become invesigators, for the less actives that we were working with, "including myself." WHAT!?!?!?! Super exciting. She is starting to want to make changes. I am going to tell her on Friday that it is probably going to be my last week in Dayton and that I want to see her in church this week. I hope and pray that she comes because as soon as that first time is overcome it just becomes that much easier for her to keep coming.

 

I hope that you all have a really great week. I love all of you very much and pray for you.

 

Love Dustin

Aug 20.

Hello!

 

It is a little late in the week to be e-mailing but such is life. 

 

So our apartment is on top of a warehouse with a office in it. If you saw the outside I need to send some pictures of the inside. IT looks really bad on the outside but it is completely different inside.

 

This week was a terrible week for missionary work. I don't understand how we can have everyone that we work with go camping all on the same week??? How does that happen. Oh well live and let live I guess. We are just going to have to make this week count for double!!

 

That being said it was an awesome week for strenghtening of testimonies. On Saturday we had the entire mission in Lake Oswego and the meeting started with President and Sister Morby and then Elder Bussey of the Area Seventy spoke on "Christ Believes in You." He was followed by Elder Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy who spoke on what is meens to be a special witness of Christ. Then Elder Nelson got up and said I feel that there are one or two people here that are fasting and seeking answers so lets hear them. So for the next hour he just answered quesions that he was asked. It was a great meeting. He then gave all of us a Priesthood blessing (as a group) where he blessed us all with the desire to go out and to labor and to feast from the scriptures. He also blessed all of you through me that you would be watched over and protected and that yorur testimonies would grow as a result of my service. It was awesome!

 

Then on Sunday we had a special Stake Conference with Elder Clayton and President and Sister Morby. That was also really good. Sister Morby talked about one of her favorite word (I think that it might be her favorite) but it is happify, happification and happifyer. I think that shows what kind of person she is. Then President spoke on being a missionary.  Elder Clayton then spoke about getting our roots deep in the Gospel and teaching within the family. It was a great conference.

 

Then Yesterday we went to Oregon City (to Kacie's ward building) and were taught by Elder Corbridge of the Seventy. He spoke in the October 2008 conference and his talk is called The Way. You should watch that because it will give you a little bit of what my day was like yesterday. It was all focused on the Doctrine of Christ- Our missionay Purpose. He really shared about how as missionaries we don't take the time to teach the most important thing- the Atonement of Christ. It was so good. I left so ready to just go out and work. He also taught us how to become better teachers as we follow the teaching patter that Christ used. It was incredible and you could really feel the Spirit.

 

Also yesterday as a District we all pitched in five bucks and got President Morby a pair of Steve Madens because we all have them. So he now has the Official Mac District Shoe. He was really funny and was about ready to cry when we gave them to him.

 

Thanks for all that you do for me. I am so lucky to have a great family that really supports me and that loves the Gospel. The Church is so true and Christ is really at the head of it. I know that and as we follow our leaders out of the desire to come closer to our Heavenly Father and our Savior that we will really feel the Strength that comes from the other side. I love all of you very much and miss you. Have a great week.

 

Love Dustin

Aug. 13

Hey!!

 

Sister Smith has a ring tone on her phone that goes off almost everytime that we are at their house and I dont know the song other that it says something about CRAZY (I think that might be the name of the song), that is all that I have to say about your week!

 

That is also all that I have to say about my upcoming week. On Saturday Elder Russel M. Nelson is holding a meeting with all the missionaries in the OPM. Sunday Elder Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy is holding a special Stake Conference in the McMinnville Stake and President Morby will be bringing him out here. Plus President said that he thinks that Elder Clayton wants to have a meeting with all the companionships in the Stake which will be sweet if that happens. President wasn't sure if it would or not. Then on Tuesday we have a mission tour with Elder Corbrage of the Seventy (So I will e-mail on Wednesday!!!). So we will be having a very uplifting four days!

 

So this week was fun and interesting. I think that the funniest thing that happened is that Wednesday night we got home about 8:30 and then walked over to the Smith's (we are now next door neighbors practically). We talked with her for a few minutes and then our phone rings and I pull it out... President Morby is calling. Generally President doesn't just call to say hi so I think to myself I wonder what this is about. So I answer and he says that he is with Elder Lawrence (one of the AP's) and they are in DAyton and want to how to get to our apartment so they can see the new place. So I tell them how to get to it and we walk home because Dayton isn't very big and so it wont take long for them to get there. So we go up stairs and open the door and who is inside but Amy our landlord. So it is us and Amy in our apartment at 9pm and President Morby is on his way there. So I leave the door open and put some things on the counter and tell AMy that She needs to call it quits for the night (she was putting in our new washer and dryer) and then we go outside. Just as we go out President pulls up and gets out of the car. Soon after we come out so does Amy and President gets a very confused (maybe even worried) look on his face. So we all go down the stairs and talk with him and Elder Lawrence served in Dayton and Amy was one of his investigators. So we all had a good conversation and then we went upstairs and Amy left. When we get up there President said I have to tell you I was a little concerned when I saw a sister coming out of your apartment. It was funny and it really looked bad but was innocent. Thankfully President saw that it was. He also said that we now have the nicest apartment in the mission.

 

Out of time 

August 6

Hey!

 

So the biggest thing that happened this week is that we moved! That is so nice to have over with but also super nice to have. It feels that we are much more effective in our ability to plan our days so that we spend less time on the road and more time with people. I think that is my favorite part of missionary work is getting to be with people and help them come closer to Christ. It was kinda funny the lady that was in the apartment before us was 7 months behind on rent and was supposed to be moved out on the 28th but didn't actually move out until the night of the 30th. Amy our landlord that I have a good relationship with was super funny about it. She is a very sarcastic person and has a way of making everything super funny. So we get all in and the first thing that I do is throw my sheets into the washer and..... The water all leaks out the bottom. So we call her and she comes over and I quote "Its funny how someone who owes you seven months rent neglects to tell you that the washer doesn't work." You would just have to hear her say it. The new place is nice though. It feels much more like a home than an apartment. It has pergo floors and the walls have color on them and there is an island in the kitchen. It just feels homelike rather than like every apartment in America.

 

It was a little sad this week because our new investigator dropped us but it was a very soft drop. His dad committed suicide when he was 11 and the news made it a very public thing. So because of that he suffers mentally so he is going through counseling and on new medicine so he wants to get baptized but wants to have his life in order first. It is sad because I know that the Gospel is the answer that can bring him peace but he can't see that right now.

 

 You learn so much as a missionary and even about things that are not related to the gospel at all.

I don't know what my new address is yet. We don't quite have the mail figured out yet (much to the dismay of Elder Osgoods mom who sends him something every week). I will get that and sent it to you next week. Thanks for allowing me to be an independant person. 

 

I only know of one family that is coming over to BYU-I but they have family that live in Ammon. But if I hear of anyone else I will let them know.

 

I love you all very much and am greatful for all that you do for me!!!