February 24

Hey!!!

This has been a very interesting week. Coming into a new area is a little bit hard because you don't know anyone and you have no idea what is going on. It is interesting though because it seems that as soon as you make it to church you are able to start putting names with faces and to start connecting the dots. This ward is very excited about missionary work which is awesome. When President Morby was talking about this ward he said that the Bishop here "Gets it." That is so true!!! The ward is great! There are quite a few younger couples that are living in the ward and going to school. Many of them are ward missionaries (there are 16 ward missionaries which is awesome!!). 

Well I don't know if you know this or not but on Friday there were 58 new missions. It is way cool how fast the work is starting to move. They created an Oregon Salem Mission and a Washington Vancouver Mission which will be effecting my mission more than likely. I really hope that I don't have to change missions. If so I would be in a different mission for my last two transfers... I guess that I will just have to wait and see what happens.

There is a lot of teaching going on here. When I felt that a transfer was coming my way back in January the only thing that I asked Heavenly Father for was that I would come to an area that I would be able to do a lot of teaching. So even though I have had a hard time leaving Tualatin I am thankful that I get to come here and spend most of my time teaching. We don't really have any investigators that are progressing right now but they will come. I have no doubt in my mind that with a ward as ready to work as this one that great things will happen. 

I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to be here and to share the gospel. The happiness and peace that it brings is huge!! I find it so interesting as I talk with others about how God is our loving Father, a very simple basic doctrine to us, they just don't understand how that can be possible. For me i am just glad that I know that God loves me for me. 

Thanks for all that you do on my behalf!! I love you all very much!!!!!

Dustin 

February 17

Hey!!!

 

This has been a very bitter sweet week for me. I have known for about five weeks that I was going to be transferred and it really happened. Tualatin was the hardest area for me to leave. I loved it there. Our Saturday and Sunday were dedicated to visiting and saying good  bye to members that I was really close to. It was really hard. There were so many members that I didn't know how close to them I was until I was leaving. On Sunday we had Stake Conference and President and Sister Morby came and President came up to me before the meeting and told me that I needed to relax and that everything would be fine. After the meeting he came up to me and said that he sensed some anxiety. I will admit that I did want to know where I was going, who I would be with, would I have a car etc. but more than being anxious I was really just sad to be leaving. There were times during the meeting that I actually had tears in my eyes (I did manage to keep it to only one that fell and Elder Byam was very impressed:). But I guess that is how missions go... We come into an area and love the people we serve them and then when we are needed else where we leave. The work in Hedges Creek will continue. Elder Byam is a good missionary and he knows what needs to be done. He just got a new missionary in and that will be really good for that ward.

 

I am now out in the Forest Grove Zone in the Council Creek Ward. This is a very exciting because of all the wards in the mission this one, according to President Morby, has by far the best Ward Mission Process. The Mission Standard is 20 lessons a week but the Bishop here expects us to teach 30. I am all for it. I love to teach and to spend time really crying repentance to all the world. I am with Elder Whollaben (sp?). He is 26 and from Germany. He will be good for me because he is a very rigid person and I think that I might need a little bit more of that in my life. I don't want too much though because I like me the way that I am. The funny thing about being his companion is that when President hinted at me being transferred I figured that I would probably go to an area and send another missionary home and then train in March so I went to my mission year book to see who would be going home. I looked and I guessed that I would be here and with Elder Whollaben. So I would be that in five weeks (because this transfer is one week shorter because of the MTC time being shortened) I will probably train again.

 

That is SOOOO exciting to hear about Krystal. She will do really well. There is something that Sisters are able to do that we as Elders just are not able to do. There are hearts that the are able to touch that we can't. The only problem that we are going to have now is that Krystal is probably going to become a Tennessee fan so football season might get interesting. Friday was a very exciting day not only did Krystal get her call but there were also two 18 year olds in the Hedges Creek Ward (one of them was Brayden Schoonmaker) that got their calls. No matter how you look at it the Lord is hastening his work and!

 

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

 

Dustin

February 11

Hey!!! 

Elder Byam and I had another really great week. This week we spent time with a few members that we don't usually spend time with and it is interesting how if you gain the trust of a few members you have the trust of the entire ward. The longer that I am out the more I am convinced that being a missionary isn't rocket science you just have to work hard and when you are asked to do something just follow through with it. The success that we have seen in this ward over the last four months is awesome. When I first got here all this ward expected was that the missionaries would come to dinner and church nothing else. Now the ward expects us to see a bunch of people and to always be busy. I love where this ward is now and I am glad that if I get transferred next week that Elder Byam will be ready to hit the ground running and really get to work. 

Jeff is still doing really well. We are working hard to try and get him as many friends as possible. It is so important that as members we reach out to others because no matter how much the gospel blesses our lives if we don't have a support system it becomes so easy to fall away. Jeff is doing great though. He is always at church early and is great.

We were able to set a tentative date with another family this past week!! That was a great step! She said that she now knows that the Book of Mormon is true. We just need to make sure that we keep them going strong and make sure that we keep her reading and praying. 

Other than that we had a great week. We just keep seeing miracles happen in so many others lives. There is so much to be done here and so many that need that comfort and peace that the gospel brings. I love all that we have and the chance that we have to share it is a huge blessing!!! I am so excited to hear where Krystal is going... No matter where it is I know that it will be where she is most needed.

I love you all and hope that you all have a Happy Valentines Day!!

Love Dustin

February 3

Hey! 

I cannot believe how fast the time really flies. It seems like I was just transferred to Tualatin yesterday and now I am probably down to my last two weeks in this area... Where does the time go???

Sounds like things there are going great. Busy as ever... I really think that is what keeps our family going and keeps us young and healthy. The more people that I meet the more I am convinced that as soon as you stop you die... so everyone needs to just stay really busy. 

Things here have been going really well. We have been loosing our teaching pool which is really sad to see it simmer out but there will be more that come. As a result we have been spending a lot of time trying to work with the members in the area and get them excited to be missionaries. It is fun because we get to build a lot of great relationships. I think that is one thing that would be really hard about serving in ID is that you work with so many members that you really don't get a chance to spend very much time with any of them.

Jeff is still doing well. He is getting friends at church and is learning the culture of the church. I am amazed at how much someone changes as they come into the church. I have no doubt that he will be a strong member for a very long time. 

We are still working with the part member family. It is going well but not as fast as I would like. I am still not the most patient person in the world. They were sick all week so we were not able to meet with them but we were able to go to WINCO today with the Dad. That was great because food in Tualatin is almost double what it is everywhere else.

Things here are still going great. I love to see people and to be able to build relationships with them. I love the gospel and all that it brings to me. I have really been focused on how the gospel brings me happiness and peace I love it!!

Thanks for all that you do for me!!!

Love Dustin

January 27

Hey!!!

That's cool that you are getting snow:) It has started to rain here again. We had a few weeks of dry (as dry as Oregon gets) and cold but it is now mid 40's. 

We have had a very interesting week... Nothing seemed to go according to plan (which is the norm). On Tuesday I was not feeling to well in the morning but I got up and we walked up to our meeting at the church. We were there until about 1:30 and then we were walking back down and then I got really light headed and had to focus on breathing. So I told Elder Byam that we needed to go home so that I could lay down before I fell down. Luckily after sleeping for a while I felt better... who know what was wrong but its all good now:) Then on Wednesday we had a temple trip:) Those are awesome (I love the temple here but I think that Idaho Falls has a better one but I am probably bias) We had an appointment at two that we were going to be late for but it was going to be ok... until our ride didn't come until after four. The last part of the week went pretty well though. It ended up being one of those weeks were everything that you had planned fell through but everything that you haven't been able to get to work just fell into place. 

Thursday we were able to meet with a girl that we tracted into in October or November. She was baptized last May in Caldwell and then moved here and hasn't been to church since. and then She came to church Sunday and we are meeting with her again this week!! 

We were also able to set up a lesson with Mai at the Silliman's house tonight. That will be great because we have not been able to meet with her since the first. It is hard for me to not get frustrated and remember that just because I have my life dedicated to missionary service doesn't mean that everyone else has their life dedicated to listen to what I have to share (even though what I have to share is the greatest thing). 

I think that the miracle of the week though is once again the part member family. We met with them twice this week... once at their house and once at the temple visitors center. It was great and we just let her take the lead at what we looked at and how long we spent at each place. It went really well. Then they came to church yesterday (their daughter was wearing the dress that we got her)!!! There is no doubt in my mind that she will get baptized. While we were at the temple that was all that I could think of was them coming and getting sealed as a family. I hope that I will get to be a part of that.

Jeff is also still doing really well. He called us on Thursday because he hadn't hear from us and he was worried that something might be wrong (that is what happens on a crazy week). So we went and visited him. He is excited to go do baptisms at the temple. He will be a great life long member. 

I love the story of the Savior teaching his apostles after he was resurrected. Each mission president has a theme for the mission so in this mission under President Dykes it was DO THE HARD THING and then President Morby came and now it is LEAVE YOUR NETS. The theme comes from when Christ told Peter to leave his nets and "Feed My Sheep." So we are to leave our "Nets" (iPhones, iPads, cars, friends, family, etc.) and feed His sheep. I love it! 

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

Dustin

January 

Mt Hood

Visit to Mt. Hood.  Dustin says the snow is very different!

The wood walkway behind Dustin's apartment with snow on it!  :)

January 20

Hey!!

 

This week has gone by really fast. It always seems that there is something going on and something that we need to do. I have to honest though as I look back over this past week there really isn't too much for me to report on. We have really spent a lot of time working on the "Rescue" and trying to find people to teach that have gotten lost. That is a major focus right now in our mission and especially within our ward.

 

But there were a few really cool things that happened this week though. Jeff got the Priesthood on Sunday which was really cool. It is really interesting to me how much it means to him. Growing up in the church boys just get the priesthood and that is all there is to it. But that isn't something that Jeff has grown up with so he is so honored to have that opportunity to be part of that brotherhood of God. It really makes me think how much being a holder of the priesthood should mean to me.

 

We have also been working with another family to try and get her to accept a baptismal date but they haven't been keeping any of their commitments to read... So we committed them to read the Book of Mormon everyday as a couple. We set up that we would send them a text every night and remind them to read and give them a "scripture of the day." Well on Sunday they didn't make it to church so we were really disappointed about that but then during Sunday school we got a text from them saying that their 2 year old had a really bad cold and that is why they didn't make it to church. Also in that text they said that they decided to give us the daily scripture reminder and gave us a scripture to read. That was so cool!!

 

Today was really fun. We were talking with Sister Metler last Monday and talking about how we were missing the snow. So today the Metlers took us up to Mt. Hood so that we could see/play in the snow. That was really fun but really different than the snow in Idaho. It was really wet and mostly ice. It was still a lot of fun.

 

Thanks for all that you do for me. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to serve the Lord. I love you all so much!!

 

Dustin