Pictures

Elder Matt and his trainer...Elder Fisher.

He's been out about a year...from Montana...

President and Sister Smart/Matt's Mission President...they've just arrived the first of July. Troy and I went to hear them speak before they left. They are great!

Being very studious...it's music for a vocal solo...Matt had the opportunity to sing for several different events at the MTC...including a new missionary meeting with 400 new missionaries.

Miracle meeting of RJ Johnson and Elder Matt in front of the MTC. RJ came to pick up his daughter Carly before having surgery and Matt and his companion were sitting outside the front door on a bench studying! RJ called us and we were able to say thru him how much we loved him and how proud we were of his great efforts! They had to leave as fast as he came to go teach an "investigator"...little miracles every day for these missionaries!

Very busy studying...He is totally asleep..I can tell by his mouth...he's probably snoring!

His GREAT MTC companion...Elder Robertson from Vancouver WA...they worked great together. They sent us another photo of themselves on Pday...Elder Robertson was wearing an In and Out Shirt...don't worry Troy sent a 5 Guys shirt the very next day!

July 18th

Hello Family,

So I'm not sure how you looked up my apartment on google earth. Did you talk to Sister Robinson or something? This week has been a little bit slow. Actually very slow. My Trainer is Elder Fisher from Montana. He's been out almost a year and he's a little different. He's all into dungeons and dragons and things like that, but i love him. We live in Indio, but we are opening a new area and live about an hour outside of it. Our area is in Salton City, Thermal, and Mecca and some of Coachella. It's rough. My companion doesn't really seem to like to work, for example: we only tracted 4 hrs this week. We haven't taught a lesson yet, let alone get in any doors. We don't have any investigators, but we do have one potential. His name is Rigoroberto, we met him while we were tracting and we gave him a BOM and challenged him to read 3 Nephi 11. My Spanish sucks. This is God's work but it's rough. Meanwhile, we're rooming with an Elder Chambers, and Elder Larson. Elder Larson came in my week and they've got like 10 hrs of tracting and eight lessons. It's a little frustrating but I know it'll pick up. Church was a little rough, because I can't speak it. Native speakers are a lot different than MTC gringos. You can't understand them! I'll be needing prayers from everyone.......even Tai. Anyway, that's good news about Shay and Barry. I totally called they were going to get married on the first day i met him. Well I know that what I'm doing is the Lord's work and that I'll be blessing people's lives sooner or later. Love you and pray for you every day.

Matt

June 30t

Hey Family,

This week has been eventful. The thing that has effected me most is two sundays ago, I left a chocolate milk in my backpack. I try to carry sugar or somehting around alot on sundays but apparently i forgot that i left that in there. On Monday, we got a lesson taught to us by the Columbian MTC director, therefore we had to be in suits. So we had to run back and change into our suits last minute. Well, as I opened my door I frantically kicked my backpack out of the way and rotten chocolate milk got EVERYWHERE. Our room smelled so bad I couldn't sleep in our room that night. It still smells horrible. But, it was funny. It was way cool to have the apostles here, and hear from all of them. David A. Bednar came and talked to us on Friday, and talked about being a PME (Predicar Mi Evangelio). He talked about teaching people not lessons. It was good. I appreciate the mail, and the packages, they are great! Keep em comin! I rolled my ankle in gym, it's all purple and swollen. But, I can walk on it just fine, and I plan on playing on it tomorrow in gym. Elder Schone is here bugging me about things. He says hello and is from St. George his Grandparents live on Walker Ln. Elder Robertson, my mother would appreciate more Chocolate chip cookies.

My Spanish has improved immensely we have two days this when we talk solamente en espanol. It's the worst, but it helps a ton!

Yo se que nosotros estamos aqui para un razon mas importante. Soy mucho emocionado salir a Riverside. Entonces me dijen a cerca de ustedes vidas. Les amo. And i miss you.

Matt

June 23rd

Dear Family,

Thank you so much for the package, everyone is loving the rolls and sweet rolls. I get to meet my mission president tomorrow, and I'm hopefully going to get to see President Pingree as well. Do you know when all the kids get here? if you could try and send my class ring in and get it resized to a 12, that would be great. Paul Sybrowsky came and spoke to us and talked to us about walking with christ. but the biggest thing was that he testified that we made promises to people in the pre-earth life that we would bring them unto christ. so that was cool to hear. this week the MTC got over 500 MISSIONARIES!!!!! Ridiculous, we show up to dinner like half an hour early on wednesdays. I will probably get my travel plans to california next week which is way excited and I'm excited to call you in the airport. Not much happened this week, except for I didn't get my HAT! I've been waiting all week and waiting for my hat and when i got this package and realized my hat, donald duck shit, and new shoes i was upset. But when I realized that the box was full of rolls and sweet rolls I was ecstatic. thank you. I heard about walker and byron. I saw mikes buddy who is going to orlando (i forgot his name), Jeff Christensen got in this week. and waiting for the Oly kids to roll in. Well I know this isnt much but its all i got this week. I love you and miss yall a ton

Sincerely,

Matt

June 16, 2011

Hello family,

How is everyone? I've had a swell week. I'm working on my sixth week, it seems to fly by faster and faster. But it's weird because it doesn't seem like I'm going to Riverside in three weeks it more seems like I'm going home after because this place is like jail in a lot of ways. The longer you're here the more you're respected. My district is more respected than our zone leaders.....But I'm cool with it. Elders Snow, Martinez and Brandon leave on Monday and I'm really sad. That's the district I told you about that we stay up all night with and talk about life. Elder Gavin Salisbury, Elder Colin Maxfield, and Elder Jordan Davis all from Olympus are here, they got here last Wednesday. I'm still waiting on the pictures from Kathy and more from y'all so if the process could be sped up that would be great. We got a new Elder in our district, his name is Elder Maradiaga. He's from Honduras and he's going to Orlando Spanish speaking. He was moved into our district because he was having some issues with the rules and we were asked to set him straight. He is having somewhat of a rough time, and I can't blame him. His mother was killed 5 months ago in an armed robbery, and his sister was diagnosed with cancer before he left on his mission and is supposed to die while he is out. I can't even imagine how hard that would be. He was put as Elder Applegate's companion (the one from Bountiful) and Elder Mc Ewen (Applegate's former companion) was moved into a trio with Painter and Wilde. Elder Applegate was named the new DL, and his mother (the one you called with his plaque scripture), sent the whole district paddleballs. Needless to say, we aren't bored as a district. The Primary President came and spoke to us and it was suprisingly good. Sister Wixom was very good. We had a District devotional review and our whole district was in tears. The spirit was very strong. I performed an arrangement of Come Thou Fount, and it went well for the 12 people I sang it for. The arragement we sang was very simple and mediocre....when we first got it. Me and Applegate completely tore that thing a part and we sang it for the SENIOR MISSIONARY ORIENTATION......but that's ok I sang well. Elder Prince, our former DL got a bottle of Martinelli's in the mail. He didn't drink it but we did all go in the showers and pop the cap like it was champagne. I love our district. and I love yall and miss you.
Love Elder Matt

June 9th, 2011

Hey Family,

So I'm here in the laundry room soaking up the soultry smeel of sweating elders and sisters and their laundry detergent. I love the MTC........this week was a good one. I hope you have got my package....I can't believe that both pairs went out on me. Oh well, and I'm serious about my Angels hat. If you didnt know I can receive emails as well as send them, just to be more convenient for you.

So Doug Burgoyne came down as you know and brought me my insulin along with other goods. It was good to see someone from the outside world. They called me down from my classroom to the health clinic in the middle of class, and everyone in my district was confused and worried. So my companion and I decided to play a little joke, we decided to lie and tell everyone that they called me down to tell me the insulin I have been taking has been bad and I have to go home for surgery on monday for two weeks. Hilarious. They are still completely believing it, and I plan on keeping it that way until I show up to class on Monday. It's going to be funny. Anyways, on to the next subject. Me, and Elders, Cox, Brandon, Martinez and Robertson stayed up till like midnight and shared stories of our past, IN FULL DETAIL. It was way good and everyone was in tears. Elder brandon and Martinez are here and their families don't even want them here. I can't even try to imagine what that is like. This month has flown by. Like I said we are the oldest in our Zone now and we are the "examples" histerical. But, I'm having a good time so far. I have unlimited access to the cafeteria and my mini fridge is never even close to being empty. My whole floor loves that. The devotional given by Elder Kikuchi was the best devotional yet. He called on one of the Elders who got here last wednesday (this is on tuesday two days ago) to bear his testimony in front of the whole MTC congregation and he had the first vision memorized and he was in tears two words in. You have to understand that I never would have pegged this guy as a super spiritual guy, but he hit the nail on the head. Well, keep writing and tell friends and families to write through dearelder.com, it's super easy. Because mail is the best! Thank you for all your support, love, and more support. I love you all.

Sincerely,

Matt Dial

June 2, 2011

June 2, 2011

Hello family,

I'm sorry the letter was so short, i forgot my password so I ran out of email time. So I need like addresses of families and friends and stuff if you could in your next letter. Thank you for the shoes, I'm going to wear them tonight, they look awesome.

Elder Hinckley came and spoke to us in one of the firesides and it was weird because he has so many mannerisms like his dad. He spoke about doing things on your mission and being able to look back and say, "I'm glad I did....." instead of, "I wish i would have......" It was great. I'm taking my Adderall when I remember, which is most of the time.

We finally got our permanent teacher last week. Her name before she was married was Hermana Hunt, and now it's Hermana Hunter after she got married. She's great but it's weird because she reminds me exactly of Calee Naylor, her voice her little sayings.....it's way weird. My Spanish has improved a ton and me and Elder Robertson made a goal to teach the first lesson 13 times in Spanish in a week. That has helped alot.

So I sent the birthday letters to Meg and Jojo on the 25th. I didn’t realize it took the post office to get the mail from Provo to Salt Lake in 4 days. I miss you all. The O'henry bars are delicious as usual. In the next package if you could throw my Donald Duck shirt in there and more pictures of my opening my call that would be great. Don't feel like you’re in any hurry.

There's an Elder Brandon on my floor and we tell everyone we are cousins because it's fun. He's a way funny guy, and he's a fat strong guy like me. None of his family is Mormon, he's from Bountiful and he's on his mission because his girlfriend sat him down once a day and they read the bom for twenty minutes. way cool story. I usually spend the night in there every night for like an hour and we just talk about random stuff. Elder Anderson from our District left to go to the Peru MTC and we had like a goodbye little devotional deal for him and it was sad, which was weird because I only knew the guy for 3 weeks. We also had a big sleepover in one of the rooms. The layout of the room allowed six mattresses to lay out on the floor, it was funny.

I miss you guys a TON. Sending pictures of Tabby made me angry though......because I wasn't there. But, I'm glad I'm here. I tried out a Come Thou Fount arrangement and they said a definite yes. Maybe because the guy who went before me was horribly but that’s ok. I'm hoping I get a devotional but I'll work my way up to it if not. Congrats to Mike for graduating, I'll send you a real card sooner or later. Keep me updated on everyone’s MTC entry dates and calls and stuff. Also an update on the NBA finals would be nice :). We are just starting to learn the second lesson in Spanish, it's rough. Well, I'm sorry I haven't written much email, but I can receive email from cousins and uncles and grandparents. So tell them to feel free. I love you all, thanks for the support.

Sincerely,

Elder Matt Dial