Oct 22 2k14

Friends and Family,

What a crazy time I’ve had here. Even just being out of the CCM for 2 days. I have some cool stories to share that happened while in the CCM so I’ll share those first.

So since I was a zone leader in the CCM I was in charge of organizing sacrament meeting. I took advantage of that for my last Sunday in the CCM and I asked the elders in my district if they wanted to bless and pass the sacrament. They all wanted to. I blessed the bread. It was so cool to have that experience. I can’t believe I’m in Peru blessing the sacrament in Spanish haha. I love it. So yeah blessing the sacrament was really cool. An experience que no voy a olvidar.

We watched a video and I think it was by Elder Holland in one of his conference talks a few years ago. He said, when we are going through something that’s really hard, and we want to know if there’s an easier way, we just need to remember that someone much greater than us asked that same exact question a long time ago. He’s talking about Christ when he was on the cross and asked if there was another way. If Christ could endure the pains of the world, we can endure the trial that we’re going through.

We watched Meet the Mormons!! I think it’s in theaters right now. But we had it broadcasted to the CCM in English. So that was cool to watch that haha. It’s so funny and it really shows who we are. I encourage all of you to watch it. 

so a few nights before we left the CCM, we were eating dinner and I sat down with my food with my district and they were all being super noisy because they’re excited to get out into the field. So I sit down and I’ve made a habit of saying prayers on my food whenever we eat. And as I’m praying I can hear the noise start to get quieter and quieter around me. Until all at once it’s just completely quiet around me and I can’t hear any of the elders in my district talking anymore. I finish my prayer and I look up and every single one of the elders in my district were praying blessing their food. It showed me that no matter where we are, even when we don’t know if anyone is watching, we need to be examples.

My district was so hard to say goodbye to! They’re like my family. I know that they’ll all do so good on their missions. I’ll include a picture if I have time. 

So I had the opportunity to do an anointing! One of the hermanas in my district was having a hard time. So the night before we left, I anointed and my companion gave her a blessing. It’s amazing to feel the peace when the spirit is present. I’m so grateful for the power of the priesthood and I know that through it we can see miracles. I’m glad I was able to exercise my priesthood power.

So I think there’s like rioting going on right now in Lima. Don’t worry mom it’s not too bad :) 

But the other day my companion and I were walking down the street and a bus pulls up. One of the guys gets off the bus and picks up a rock and starts running towards me and my companion. We step aside and when he had run like 5 feet past us, he throws the rock as hard as he can towards a cop. the cop had a riot shield and blocked the rock but after that happened me and my companion just walked away to a different place. It’s just crazy because if someone did something like that in the United States they would get shot by the cop haha. Which reminds me! Some of the police here carry around huge machine guns!! Haha it’s kinda scary. But yeah the story with the guy throwing a rock, I know I was being watched over. If he had thrown the rock even a second before it probably could have hit me or my companion.

My English continues to go down the drain and I find myself forgetting how to say more and more words. The gift of tongues is real :) I can’t wait to call home at Christmas and speak in Spanish to you guys!

People told me that Peru would be different but I think it impossible to know or even imagine until you’re here. Everything is different. The food, people, cars, showers. So on the shower in our apartamiento, there is this little electric thing right at the end of the shower head. And right before the water touches you, it touches the electrical thing and it heats the water. So this morning we turn on the water and I think the electric shower head messed up the power because the lights all turned off. I’ll probably have to get used to taking cold showers but that’s alright. I’ll live. 

Mom and Dad. So can I select multiple photos at a time and add them to drop box? I’m not sure how that works haha so I just sent a few. Can you print the one of me standing in front of the temple and put it on my missionary plaque? That would be chevere. Cool. 

Alright well I’m out of time! My new P day is Monday so that’s when I’ll be on again. Thanks for all the prayers! Please continue to pray for me. If there’s one time where I need it, it’s now. 

I love you guys all so much! Never forget how lucky we all are. Some of the things I see here make me realize how blessed I’ve been in my life. I will talk to you soon! Todo bien en Lima Peru.

 Elder Dahlin

Ps. mi zona es magdelena