Coming Home

From President Amato's mission facebook page (translated into English):

One more day to say, "See you later!" Powerful missionaries returning to their homes with honor and success! We love them and we will miss them. 🇵🇪❤️

Tomorrow morning we will welcome Dallin home and he will be released from his missionary service.  This has been the best experience for our family.  We are so grateful for Dallin's effort, his faith, his sacrifice, and his example.  His experiences in learning to work and study and love and pray and serve have laid a firm foundation for the rest of his life.  We are truly blessed.

Usurping Power

This week was awesome. We had a wonderful lesson, and one of our investigators started crying, and the spirit was there so strongly. It was incredible! I just absolutely love the mission. I'll never forget this time, and I'll always love the work.

I was reading in my scriptures recently, and I came across a really interesting verse, Alma 43:8:

For behold, his designs were to stir up the Lamanites to anger against the Nephites; this he did that he might usurp great power over them, and also that he might gain power over the Nephites by bringing them into bondage.

I think every time I read that verse, I thought it was to usurp great power over the Nephites, but he explicitly refers to the Nephites in the last part of the verse. Therefore, he stirs the Lamanites up to anger, so that he can usurp great power over the Lamanites! Anger then, is one of Satan's key tools to have power over us. If we can avoid anger, we can stay in control, and we can accomplish what we want. I know this is true, and I know that God and Christ live. I love you all!

Unofficial Systems Secretary

Hey!  Sorry for the absenteeism!  I've been in the office working on fixing the systems, again, so I'm the unofficial systems secretary.  It has been pretty crazy!  But today, for P-Day, we went biking on the beach!  It was awesome!  We went with president and his family.  I absolutely loved it!  We also had a really cool appointment with 2 investigators here in La Molina, and they were very sincere!  It was so fun!  I really am loving the mission, and working hard until the end.  I love you guys!  I'll see you in two.5 weeks! 

Baptism and God's Work

This week Flor and her daughter Jasmin got baptized!  It was so amazing!  They are so incredible, and really want to follow Christ.  It was absolutely wonderful!  We also had some people show up to sacrament meeting that ended up being golden investigators!  We are literally seeing miracles!  I know this is God's work, and he works in his way.  It is amazing to see his hand in everything!  I have been struck again this week with how real all of this is.  I know that God actually does work miracles in our lives, and that if we are willing to turn our lives over to him, we will see incredible things!  God is not just a Sunday God.  He is our God, and he is not dead, nor doth he sleep.  He is working and acting without rest to bring about the immortality and eternal life of man, that we might have joy.  I know it's true.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

--Dallin

Baptisms and Growing into the Principle of Revelation

We found another golden investigator this week!  He was a reference, and his friend is preparing to go on a mission!  He wants to be baptized, and then go on a mission! He is super amazing!  His name is Aron, and his mom is from a church that normally likes to fight against us, but she had been praying that young people would come to teach her son the word of God, and we were the answer to her prayers!  It's absolutely the best!  He's going to be baptized July 14th.  Also, we have 2 investigators that will be baptized July 7th, this Saturday!  It's going to be amazing!  These next couple of weeks are going to be difficult for them though, so if you guys could pray for Aron, Flor, and Jazmin, it would help them out a ton!  Thanks so much!  I have been reading a little from the April General Conference, and it is amazing.  I love the talk by President Nelson in the Sunday Morning Session.  It's all incredible, but these paragraphs really stood out to me:

In like manner, what will your seeking open for you? What wisdom do you lack? What do you feel an urgent need to know or understand? Follow the example of the Prophet Joseph. Find a quiet place where you can regularly go. Humble yourself before God. Pour out your heart to your Heavenly Father. Turn to Him for answers and for comfort.
Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take. As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will “grow into the principle of revelation.”

It's absolutely incredible to see the power God is willing to give us if only we are diligent in seeking.  I know that God will be able to help us in every facet of our lives.  Every single one.  God wants us to see miracles.  If we are willing to focus ourselves in every moment on our desires, we will see absolute miracles.  I love you guys, and I love the Lord.  I know he lives.  And the reason for which he lives is to operate in our lives, and help us to achieve exaltation.  It's absolutely incredible!

Baptisms, District Leader, Watch and Pray

This week we found 2 golden investigators!  They came to church all on their own, they loved it, and they are going to be baptized July 7th!  It's so awesome!  Also, our district leader got transferred on Thursday, and President told me I'm the new district leader.  Also, we are now in trio with Elder Mabalot from the Philippines, because there isn't anybody to replace our district leader.  We had 3 baptisms from Elder Mabalot this weekend, and I got to do their interviews.  It was really inspiring to hear their testimonies and see their desire to be baptized.  They have so much potential! 

We live on the first floor of our pensonista's house, so it's really easy to coordinate eating :) We have a sister that does our laundry now, which is a blessing, because coordinating one washer between 8 people was getting difficult!

While reading the Book of Mormon, I noticed something really interesting.  There is a strong focus on watching and praying continually.  We never become sufficiently strong spiritually to stop.  And if we think we are, we are ripe to fall.  We have to always, always be reading the scriptures, and watch ourselves, repenting daily of our mistakes, and constantly improving.  But we aren't alone.  Christ is always there to help us!  He always wants to bless us.

I love you all so much!  Have a wonderful week!

Huaycan

Hey!

I  got transferred!  I'm in Huaycan now!  It's so refreshing to be in a place where everyone is humble and loving!  It's a great environment.  My companion is Elder Perez.  It's so fun to be out proselyting more!  I had a really sweet experience this week with a really poor family.  We had their 10 year old son say the closing prayer, and the father had gotten sick.  He prayed that his father could get better, and that he could buy him something for his birthday, so that he could be happy during his birthday.  It was so interesting to see the trust this 10 year old boy had in his father in heaven.  It was so beautiful to see!

Also, today, after doing my exercise, I made a smoothie that Sister Amato showed me!  It's avocado, coconut milk, stevia, and protein powder.  I had to use regular milk, sugar, and peanut butter, but it was still super good, and super healthy!

Also,  I was studying the scriptures, and I love the connection between Isaiah 55:8 and Jacob 4:10.  We should always trust in the Lord, accept his counsel, and seek understanding from him.  We will never understand it by ourselves, but everything does make sense, and God will help us understand.  I know it's true, and I know God loves us!

Love you!
--Dallin