Transferring to Indio!

This week was a little bit slow, but it was good. First things, I got transferred!! I'm going back to the Thermal Ward in Indio CA. I was there about 18 months ago (fetch im old), being trained. I'm pretty sure this will be my last area. I will be with Elder Johnson from Michigan. I lived with Elder Johnson in Jurupa for 2 transfers, and we got along great. He's super jacked soo we'll work out hard, and we'll baptize. Oh, and we'll also be the Zone Leaders of the Palm Desert Zone. I'm super excited for the area and companion however, I'm not so excited for being ZL. That means I just have to worry and take care of more people. Oh well, I gotta step up to the plate.

 Well this week, we had some really cool experiences. I'll start with the Preciado family. They are a family of four, who we had on date for the 30th of December. They're super prepared, ready, elect, however you want to say it. A couple things happened, they went out of town for like 2-3 weeks and didn't come to church, couldn't get a hold of them, so we were super worried. On the edge of dropping them. We finally had a strong feeling to go visit them Thursday night, found Alma (mom), and Javier (hijo), at home eating. Alma answered the door and said, "Hey! Man we just barely got home, and we're super tired, eating, do you want to come back tomorrow night at 7?"  "Absolutely!" we said.

"I've got something to tell you guys tomorrow." she said with a smile. The thing was, is we didn't know if that was a good smile or a bad one or like a shameful one, but we were trippin hardcore on what she was going to tell us.

So the next day she texts us and cancels and we're like, "Can we just know what you were going to tell us?!" No reply till next day saying,

"Hi Allen & Dial!!! Sorry my ph died! 4got my ph charger @ hm had purchase a new 1! Jst got ur txt! Well what i want say is NOT GOOD? Over d holidays i relapsed! I was doing sooo gd, but I'm Human i mk mistakes! I apoligize! Hope u will understand! Don't thnk I can do this BIG CHANGE??? I hv 2 tk it 1 day @ a time!!! W/NO PRESSURE!!!"   (got a headache yet? Ya I got one too.)

Well,  we ended up calling her and she didn't even really relapse. She was a drunk and smoker before, and at the family festivities she said she did two toasts, and two puffs of a cigarette. When she smoked the cigarette she said she felt sick. Her family said she's different, she used to be the life of the party, and all that garbage, now she was sitting on the couch READING THE BOOK OF MORMON!!!!! She put a magazine on the outside hiding the Book of Mormon so her family wouldn't see. She is suuuuuper solid and I'm super excited to return for her baptism. She broke down into tears and said she was living a double life and hated turning her back on her family and all that garbage, and I said basically if your family doesn't support you in what your doing, then fear God more than men. Told her to go pray and it was super cool.

Then, on Sunday I contacted these two girls on the street, and gave them the whole rundown about the gospel and one said, "We're not interested because you think being gay is wrong."

I said,  "Actually God says being gay is wrong. We follow God not man."

She then proceeded to cuss me out in Spanish to her girlfriend, not knowing I spoke spanish as well. So I said, "Que les vaya bien, y que Dios les bendiga y abra sus ojos!"  translated…”Go in peace and may God open your eyes.”)

 I crossed the street and contacted another family without saying anything else to her. She was in complete shock and walked away :)

I love being a missionary. I'm soo sick of trying to sugar coat things for people.

The Gospel is true. Accept it, and live it. 

I love you!

Elder Matt Dial

Oops...email didn't go...12/31/2012

Apparently, he sent this, but it didn't go...so he sent it to us again, today...sounds like a great week!

Happy New Year!! So these past two weeks we haven't emailed. Lots happened. Elder Allen and I had two baptisms on the 29th. They are the Mosqueda's. They are an old couple who's son has been a member for a while. The missionaries have been visiting them for a while, then Elder Allen and I came in and we started teaching them. They were baptized and are super solid and can't wait for their year mark so they can go to the temple. The baptism was a very spiritual experience. Their son, has been less active for a long time, and gained his testimony back and has been faithful for the past 6 months or so. When we started teaching his parents, we told him he should baptize them. We talked to the bishop, he had an interview, and he was set. I guess there was some lack of communication, because Raul showed up without a change of clothes and thought we were going to do it. I said, "Neither Elder Allen or I am going to do the baptism. Go home and get clothes." He happily ran home and got a change, came back and baptized his parents. Although the baptism started half an hour later than it was supposed to, it was super spiritual.

Rewind, I got a call on Sunday the 23rd from the missionaries in Jurupa saying, "Elder Dial, remember Guadalupe?"

"Ya."

"She's getting baptized today and wants you to come back for it and talk on baptism."

"Ok"

So I went back and talked on baptism and saw my favorite ward members in de anza ward. It was great.

I get another call on the 30th, "Elder Dial, remember Kaylee and Michelle, Guadalupe's daughters?"

"Ya."

"They're both getting baptized today and want you to come back to see it and talk on the Holy Ghost."

"Ok."

So I got to go back AGAIN and see another two baptisms in that area. I've gone back to see 5 baptisms in that area. I love De Anza ward. I love my mission. I got to see a white Christmas and I was sooooo happy (baptismal gown).

My family is the best. I got so many things that I needed(apart from the candy and other junk food.....)!!! I love my mission. I don't want it to come to an end. I think I'm gonna get transferred so send all mail to the mission office please. I've been here for six months and LOOOOVE Moreno Valley. It's soooo ghetto and I smell tons of weed everyday. Everytime we pull into the appartment complex, we're welcomed with a loud bass beat and a brick wall aroma of weed.

This is the greatest time of my life!

Love,

Elder Matt Dial

Elder Dial spotted at a baptism!

Received this last evening...not sure if this means we won't get an email again this week too...so decided to post this quick message and a couple of photos she included...so, he is still alive!  : )

"Saw your son at a baptism tonight.  He's a character....He bore a very nice testimony.  We are sad to see him transfer this week. " 

Cherie and Russ Hardy

I can't wait for a white Christmas!

A recent baptism.  He looks happy!

Hello all,

This week was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! We did some serious work. We found some super solid investigators, la familia Vega. They are a referral from a recent convert in one of the white wards, and are super solid. They are on date for the 6 of Jan.

 We found another family of 5 who are of baptismal age. They are currently not on date, but they are looking pretty solid. We found a total of 10 new investigators this week. I'm soooo excited for some baptisms this month. We currently have 6 on date for the last weekend of the month. 9 in total. 

We are sooooo busy all day every day. We take about 20 minute lunches every day then out to work. We have packed lunches for like the past 4 days and switched driving when the other was hungry.

Right now I am probably the best missionary I've been yet. The Lord has humbled and formed me. I encourage all of you to allow the Lord to form you. Allow his Atonement to change your life daily. It is only by the name of Christ that we can enter into his rest. 

I love this work. I don't want to come home. I'm grateful for the fact that I have a knowledge, not a perfect one, but a small knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. It is perfect. 

Sorry for the shorty email. We have tons of stuff to do today. All is well in Moreno Valley. We'll be enjoying tamales, champurrado, pupusas, and all kinds of other delicious foods for the holiday season. 

I love my mission. I can't wait for a white Christmas. (you know…baptisms!)

Love you all,

Elder Matt Dial

The mission is the Greatest!

(Matt went to the Dr. on Monday and the temple on Tuesday, so their P-days got mixed up…)

Hello everyone,

This week was great. We are still finding, teaching, and just waiting on the baptism part. We have 6 SOLID investigators to get baptized on the 29th and the 30th of this month. We found a family doing the Harvesting Blessing this week named La Familia Preciado. They consist of Grandma, Mom, and 2 sons. We knocked on their door, they let us in, and we started writing down all the names. As we about finished, Alma (mom) said with tears rolling down her face, "Can you add two things to mine? I just got laid off, and the way I deal with it is drinking and smoking. I don't want to do it anymore." We obliged. We said the blessing and got up, sat on the couch, paused (this is key), acknowledged their feelings and the Holy Ghost, and said, "Will you both, follow these feelings, and the example that Jesus Christ has set before us and be baptized by someone holding the Priesthood authority of God?" They both obliged. They and the two sons will be baptized on the 30th of this month.

The Lord is preparing people. It's awesome. We are straight up doing this in the most ghetto of places too. We knocked on a door, and as we looked closer, we saw blood splattered all over the door. Someone straight up got murdered there. It's sweet. I love this area. It is probably the most ugly area I've been in, but, it is the area with the most work in it. We're straight up raking in investigators.

 On Sunday, I had the opportunity to do something very special. In our ward we have a young man named Beto. He is about 14 years old, and has the priesthood. He passes the sacrament regularly, and I never really thought anything of it until I was asked by his mother to follow him and watch him while he passed. As I reverently followed this priesthood holder around the chapel, I could feel the Spirit immensely, maybe one of the most spiritual moments of my mission. As he passed, I watched with tears in my eyes and could feel the love and diligence radiating from this young man. I want to grow up to be like Beto someday and love EVERYONE I see, and express it.

We had a chance to go to the temple, which I love doing. The temple is the house of God. We should all make the goal to visit it regularly. If we haven't been married, or gone through for ourselves, take the steps that we need to take in order to participate in these sacred ordinances.

 I love this work. I love this Gospel. The mission is the greatest. I have never been so happy/tired/stressed/spiritual/consecrated/tried in my entire life!! It really is the best fetchin two years.

 I love you.

-Elder Matt Dial