I'll do anything for PIZZA!

Hellooooooooo,

This week has been great. We had tons of service. We helped this one family move, and they bought like 12 pizzas and of course Elder Kava (Tongan) and I gorged ourselves. and yes, I out ate him. All Day. Then we did  yard work for like 3 hrs for some lady and it was kind of a waste of time. But that's ok. All this service takes away from study time and proselyting time.

In spite of all the wasted time, We found 5 new investigators! Three have a baptismal date! First one is, Rocio. She is a former investigator who was taught like 4 months ago and said she's done learning. We got a call from her asking us for a blessing. We gave her the blessing and in the blessing I was prompted to say, "You know what you have to do." So after the blessing, she was in tears and told us to come back and now she's on date for the 25 of November. She's got a couple doubts about the Book of Mormon but she accepted the date for baptism and decided God could give her the answer before that date. Whammy!

The next is Maria del Carmen Martinez. We were tracting and she let us in and said basically she's the only one in her family who's not a member. She accepted the date for the 25th as well. The only problem is 1. She lives with her boyfriend who doesn't speak a lick of Spanish and she is a truck driver and doesn't have a set schedule. So, we'll see what we can do for her.

My companion is Elder Allen. He's a super sick guy. From small town Ohio, and we're basically brodogs already. He works hard and we keep each other in line. That's why we go two by two.

This work is the best. I love it. Sorry so short of an email. Not too many things exciting happened. I'm excited for the Holidays and to see the work progress in this area.  Jesus is the Christ. He loves us beyond belief.

LOVE YOUUU!!

-Elder Matt Dial

p.s. Some suuuuper gay guy just sat down next to me. I'm gonna ask him about his religious beliefs and invite him to come unto Jesus Christ. THAT's WHAT I DO!!

New Green Companion and Pushups!

Dear Family,

BIG TIME EMAIL TIME!

This week was a little rough for numbers but number stink. My new companion is.....Elder Allen!! He's a great worker. I love missionaries who want to work. The mission field isn't a place for lazies. So don't be a lazy and follow God's rules and be HAPPY! sorry. Elder Allen hales from Delta, OH and graduated with a whoppin 93 people. He graduated 2011 and is excited to work. We're going to baptize the world and have a blast doing it. If you're not having fun, you're doing something wrong. FIX IT AND BE FREE!

So our areas are a little bit different. We are no longer on bike. We split the zone in half (what I'm used to working with) and we both have a car. It's great. We know like nobody in this area. Basically we were doubled in.....again. This is the third time in my mission that I have been doubled-in (whitewashed, meaning a new area with both new missionaries) into an area. I wouldn’t have it any other way. You can do things your way and just start ANEW. Starting anew is something that I LOVE doing. Change is great. We're basically going to drop all but two investigators and starting hitting former investigators part member families and knockin doors. I'm SO EXCITED.

Before the mish I didn't really have a drive or desire to work. Now that I understand the Gospel of Christ I've come to realize that HAPPINESS DOESN'T COME WITHOUT SWEAT, BLOOD, AND TEARS! It's great and I love to work now. Speaking of work, we did a fireside last night. Man, I got a workout. So what you do, is get everyone together, get a donut for everyone in the room, and you have someone designated to do pushups.........SUPRISE ELDER DIAL!! YOU GET TO DO PUSHUPS!! They let me know 30 mins before it started that I was going to be doing the pushups. schmucks. I ended up doing like 150 pushups in sets of 5. It may not sound a lot to you, but pushing up 230 lbs (yes I lost 10) 150 times is quite difficult. I'm so sore it's unreal. But like I said happiness doesn't come without sweat, blood, and tears. And there were definitely sweat and tears last night at the fireside. So you go around and say, "Julie, do you want a donut?"

"Of course!" "Elder Dial will you do pushups so Julie can have her donut?" "Sure!"

And it goes around.....at about 80 I was startin to shake and a sweat pool was slowly developing on the floor. "Sandra, do you want a donut?"

"No." thinking that I wouldn't do pushups because she didn't eat one.

"Elder Dial, will you do pushups for a donut that Sandra doesn't want?" and so it went.

Eventually it finished and I was exhausted (however my arms looked SOO good! My sleeves were like skin tight) and we said some people decide to not accept the Atonement of Christ. You understand the analogy. It was good and everyone bawled. ACCEPT THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST. HE SUFFERED FOR YOU WHETHER YOU ACKNOWLEDGE IT OR NOT. DON'T LEAVE JESUS HANGIN AND ACCEPT IT. EAT THE DONUT!

 Love you

-Elder Matt Dial

Monday, October 15, 2012

Matt, Emily (Cousin) and Jason (Matt's new cousin-in-law) - Slightly breaking the rules. They surprised him.

 Trying to look cool with the watches

 Matt with newly married cousin Emily (on their honeymoon)

Hola mis weyes!!

MAN!!! God is moving things right along with this work that is so great! I don't EVER want to stop. I want to be part of it for the rest of my life (with a tag on). 10,000 MORE applications the week after conference also looking to open the China mission?! (No…Matt misunderstood…I told him that there were 10,000 more applications this week than an average weeks, and I said, “look out China, here we come!  There was NO announcement…)  Man SEND ME THERE!!!!!! I WANT TO HELP OPEN IT! FETCHIN BRIGHAM YOUNG STATUS! WAAHH! The mission is the GREATEST!   I love this black tag and never EVER want to take it off. Sorry mom, I won't let em release me I'll just fetchin vagabond it the for the rest of my life. +

+

Anyways we had the great opportunity to go to the temple this week. I love that HOLY HOUSE. I received a LOT of revelation this time, about the law of consecration. That's something I need to work on. It was one of the better/more revealing trips. Then we got to follow tradition and eat at Cafe Rio. I love the steak burrito more than the pork now. I've gotten it the past 3 temple trips....extra meat!!!

Transfers are today and some changes have been made. I'll be staying in Moreno Valley as a trainer and a District Leader. I hate leadership. I don't want extra responsibilities. All I want to do is have to worry about my investigators not other missionaries and their problems......feeeeeetchhhhh.

The Lord has other plans. Elder Christensen and I serve with two Sisters in one ward. They doubled out the Hermanas and put Elder Christensen in their old area training. We will split the ward in half and both have a car....we'll be takin some bike days. I'm gonna work this greeny to the bone, morning workout to nightly planning. I'm excited to see the area flourish.

Yes I also got a surprise visit from Emily and Jason. I figure we'll get along great. He says he can get Rockwell watches for 80%?!?!?! I'll need his email address. It was a little bit disobedient but, what's done is done.

Well, I love you all and follow the council of the Prophets and Apostles! Christ needs disciples and followers. Those who can say "Yea Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee!!!" BE WORTHY TO SAY IT! THIS WORK IS GOING TO GO ON WITH/WITHOUT US! WE NEED TO JUMP ON THE TRAIN OR GET FETCHIN LEFT BEHIND!

-Elder Matt Dial

Happy Day for the Gypsies!!!

Monday, October 08, 2012

Dear Family,

WOW!!! This week was AWESOME!! First off, we did WORK! We found 8 new investigators, 5 of which have a baptismal date. First is the Juarez family. We were contacting in the park and talked to this one guy, not really interested. Went on talking to people, He came back and stopped me and said, Ya know what? You should come over and teach me, my wife and my five kids........WAAAHHH!!!!!!!!! Absolutely we will! HAPPY DAY FOR THE GYPSIES! So we went over and taught them later that week, committed them (only two kids were present) to be baptized on the 27th. The Gospel of Christ is SOO true it's unreal!! They couldn't show up to Conference but they are elect and I want to kiss them on the mouth.

We found Jessica talking to people in the park as well. She's on date for the 27th as well but I think she'll be a passover to English.

 Frank got baptized after Conference!! He's such a good guy. He came to all 5 sessions of conference, cried in a couple, and was baptized Sunday night. Finally we get to see the fruits of our labors in this hideous place called Moreno Valley. I love it. In the baptism he was bawling his fetchin eyes out. That guy is a big scary lookin guy. But he's a fetchin teddy bear. The Hermana missionaries sang Mas Cerca Dios de Ti (can't think of it in English-Nearer My God to Thee) and the Hoover dam busted open again and he was in tears. I had the privilege to perform the ordinance. It was great until I forget an extra pair of g's......I had a towel and everything but my suit was wet the rest of the night.....rookie mistake.

The work here is goin and I love this place. My favorite talk from Conference has to be from my boy Jeff.  (ahm…that would be Elder Holland)  THAT GUY can throw it down. I love those talks. Straight up yelling at the pulpit. I always get brought to tears in Conference. Last one was when Mo-Tab sang, "Come Thou Fount, " this year was the talk by Jeffy. I want to bear hug that guy. He's a fetchin apostle of the Lord and nobody can deny it. I loved Uchtdorf's talk in Priesthood as well. Conference is the BEST!

YOU'RE THE BEST!

LOVE YOU!

-Elder Matt Dial

Let the rain fall down!

Monday Oct. 1, 2012

My fellow humans,

Como estais? I LOVE THE MISSION! This work is the best. You wanna know why? Because it's God's fetchin work. And I get to be a part of it. It's hard, difficult, tiring, STRESSFUL, and sometimes brings violent thoughts to one's mind, but I love it. This week was a little bit trying. It went a little like this.

Everything good until Thursday.....somebody put a sign in the middle of a sidewalk and decided they want to attempt murder on God's servants. It was 9:04 and my companion and I were haulin home after a long day's work. I was behind Elder Christensen and I've got my head down trudgin home. I look up and he's about 60 yds ahead of me......GAME TIME. So I pick up the pace a little, throw my head down and go. As I look up again.....I hear metal on metal and I see Elder Christensen wrap around a NO PARKING sign. We were goin mind you and he ATE IT. So I roll up and say, "You alright?"  trying so very hard not to laugh.

He says, "Ya but I can't feel my arm!" He's laying in the gutter in a fetal position, cards strewn about, his backpack in the middle of the street, at this point I start to direct traffic so nobody hits my comp or his backpack.

A cop drives by and flips on his lights. "Wow, nice one you got the cops comin!" I said, "Shutup" he said. "Everything alright?" Officer Lopez asked.

We told him the story and he insisted on calling an ambulance. HAHAHA Elder Christensen could move his arm by this point and it was feeling better but Officer Lopez insisted so we went along with it. Then we heard the sirens. "Wow Elder you got the firefighters comin too!" "Shutup" he replied. I'm laughing histerically at this point and Elder Christensen was fairly bashful. They checked him out and everything is fine. He has a sprained wrist and we have a car for a week or so. WHAMMY!

 Friday regular. Saturday, we got in bashes, I had to rebuke members for smoking pot, not coming to church because she got offended, and thinking it was ok to drink a glass of wine every once in a while (all different people). Then we found out some other Spanish missionaries were poaching an investigator from us from ANOTHER ZONE! They asked if they could make their investigator feel comfortable because she couldn't make it out to church an hr and a half away. I know other missionaries get this email.....DON'T POACH!!!! The wrath of God will be upon you!!

 Then Sunday came. Frank showed up, he’ll get baptized and we had another come to church. Alejandrina didn't come, or Luz. We’ll be moving their date. Church was stressful as ever and I was super frustrated.

Then we were contacting and my companion and I got in an argument and we went to go contact people in the park. More bashes, then another guy comes back and says,  “Actually can you come by tues?”  “ Abolutely!”  Then the next guy says, “Can you come back tomorrow?” “ABsolutely!”  I was about ready to give up and die right there. As we push ourselves to the limit, then a tiny bit more, GOD RAINS BLESSINGS UPON US! Let the rain fall down, and duh duh duh. I don't remember how it goes. I love you and hope you have a great week.

-Elder Matt Dial