Bear Down! Wildcat for Life. Nice curl in the hair.

Christmas stuff from home.

Christmas Stockings!

Merry Christmas from Vancouver

Dear Mom,

   It's great to hear from you. I enjoyed talking to everyone on Wednesday, sorry I cried the whole time! I just got so emotional talking to all of you! I hope you all know that I am doing well. The Lord is blessing me and I am learning a lot. I smile everyday and it's not forced, I truly am growing to love this work I am a part of. So thank you for your prayers and the advice given to me, it helps so much! As I trust in Heavenly Father and rely on Him, miracles happen. He is blessing us a lot and it's great to represent His son at this time.

   Our Christmas went well. We visited many members and ate delicious noodles in the chinese food court near where we contact. It was so busy! Only chinese people are out on Christmas, all the white people are at home, so contacting was a lot more successful for us than it is for the other missionaries. I am realizing more and more what a blessing it is to be a mandarin missionary in this province. I talk to people in Mandarin on the street everyday and I am able to share my testimony with them. We are so blessed! As I am learning this language Heavenly Father is helping me to learn and grow. I am becoming a better me and developing skills I never thought were part of my potential. It's incredible. 

   I finished my 12 weeks of training last week. Whoa. Fastest 12 weeks of my life and the hardest. I am excited for the future. I know whatever the Lord asks me to do, I will be able to do it. He is preparing me in many ways to do His work even better than now. 

   I just want to share my testimony that I know that God hand is in our lives. He is helping His children and guiding them to the truth. I see miracles everyday and meet people who are so prepared! Heavenly Father is real. He is so a part of everything that happens and He is because He knows us. We are all His children and He is guiding us to each other and allowing us to bless each others lives. Every time I meet someone who is so ready to accept the gospel, I think of Kay Rae. She was so ready and Heavenly Father helped us find one another. It took a little time but she accepted this gospel and now is a faithful saint. Amazing. Nothing in this life is a coincident. Every person we meet, every trial we face, every experience we endure is a part of a bigger plan. It gives me comfort to know that I am a part of something bigger and it's exciting to be a servant of the Lord at this time and see Him be an amazing Father to His children.

   I love you so much! I am doing well and learning tons! I know the trials aren't done here but neither is the growing. I am so grateful for you mom and for your example. You have been the best friend I could ask for and I am blessed to have a mother like you! I pray for you and know that you are doing all you can to endure to the end. It's a comfort to know our family can truly be together forever. 

I love you!!!

Love, Sister Emily Dahl

Kraft Dinner in Canada. Looks like Kraft Macaroni and Cheese to me.

I Love You!!!!!

Let it snow

Email of December 9, 2013

Dear Dad,

   

I am so glad that you're experiencing some cooler weather.  haha  It's actually snowing today! What?!  Crazy.  It's a little terrifying driving in snow but I am trying to stay safe.  This week was absolutely freezing.  I decided that as soon as I get home I am never leaving Arizona.  Ever.  This is weather is ridiculous.  I am glad the new elders are having a positive impact on the ward.  I'll pray that our ward jumps on the missionary train and gets excited about the hastening.  I think your efforts to bring others will definitely pay off.   The ward definitely follows the bishop.

I got your letter on Monday after I emailed you. It was wonderful. I really learned so much from your words and recieved a lot of counsel. I wrote you back but it shouldn't be there till next week sometime. Mail doesn't come here on Saturdays so it's throwing me off a bit. I will continue to pray for Scott Stump. I am so excited you get to go to the game with him. That's an amazing Christmas gift. I'll be rooting for my Cats!  And #1?  I knew serving a mission would bless the lives of many... hahaha Bear Down! Tell Abi I love her and miss her. I can't wait to talk to that crazy girl on Christmas. She sounds hilarious.

   

So this week was good. I am still learning a lot everyday and trying to improve. It's amazing how fast the weeks go but how much I am learning in the process. I can really feel myself becoming something I never imagined possible. I am seeing more and more humility everyday. I am learning to trust in God more than ever before and I know that the more faith I have in Him, the more I'll be able to accomplish. On Friday our bishop called and asked if I would speak in church on Sunday. So I gave my first talk in Mandarin Chinese. It was terrifying.  But the gift of tongues is so real.  I wasn't too nervous as I started and I was able to express my feelings pretty well.  It wasn't perfect but the spirit was with me.  I spoke on my mission experience along with my testimony of Jesus Christ.

   

I was so grateful to be able to share my testimony about this.  Since my mission I have really come to know Jesus Christ.  I never thought that I could come to know Him this closely and this quickly.  I loved the Christmas devotional last night.  Elder Russell M Nelson spoke on Christ being the Prince of Peace. The spirit was so strong!  He really is the Prince of Peace.  His peace has comforted me and brought me out of times of trial and despair.  He keeps me going everyday and as I get to know Him better, I am able to have a greater desire to share His love with everyone! I pray that you and our whole family are able to access this great abundance of peace and love that He offers us.

   

We didn't teach too many lessons this week but we are finding a lot more. It's similar to Shane. Not a ton of support from the ward/branch, a lot of evaluating the teaching pool and a lot of finding. The Lord is truly pouring His spirit upon the earth and preparing His children for the hastening. I went on my first exchange this week. I was pretty nervous because I had to speak english haha (go figure). I learned a lot though. I told Sister Wang that I was nervous about the future and about having to lead and be the one to stay in an area as a new companion comes in and a bunch of other things and she said something that really changed my perspective. She said everyone gets nervous for big changes in the mission. Everyone has their first transfer, everyone has their first time staying in an area, their first everything but once you go through that and look back you see it wasn't really that bad. You just endure well and trust in the Lord and everything will be just fine.

   

It's so true. I thought about this as I prepared my talk. I was nervous but I knew that if I just did it, relied on the Lord, and got through it, I'd realize it really wasn't that bad. I have seen that about my whole mission so far. These last 4 months have been the toughest 4 months of my whole life and you can obviously see that from the letters I've written home and all the tears I've shed. But looking back I am so much stronger than before. I have become so much more and I am becoming what the Lord needs. It is always harder in the middle of the trial but when you come out you can see the blessings and the growth. It really testifies to me of God's love for me. I know that what ever He requires of me in the future, I'll be able to do it and I am never alone.

  

I love you all. I am so grateful for everyone. I am sending a Christmas package today. It's nothing too fancy but I hope you all like it. Thanks for the prayers and the great abundance of love I feel from you. I hope you all continue to be steadfast and trust in the Lord. It's a time of rejoicing and remembrance of His birth and life. He lives!

   

Love, Sister Emily Dahl

November 12th Email

Dear Dad,

So this week was a roller coaster to say the least. We had 7 appointments cancel this week and 4 people dropped us. We had a lot of finding time and it caused me to realize that my speaking skills are not where they need to be. I am understanding so much more but it's not enough, I can't share the gospel unless I can communicate to the what the gospel is. It was super tough. But the weekend was great.

Elder Paul V. Johnson of the 70 was here. He presided over our stake conference and I learned so much from him. We had a baptism Sunday, Agnes Teng. She is awesome. Her desire to be better and her faith are incredible. Then yesterday, we had a mission conference. I learned so much on how I can be a better servant of the Lord and what I need to do to hasten this work. We had a transfer call. Sister Ding (the taller one) is being transferred to Richmond and Sister Lin and I will stay here in Burnaby. I did not see this coming. The thought of me being a senior companion is absolutely terrifying. I fear that next transfer Sister Lin will leave too and I'll be left to tell the new sister about the ward and the people.

I received a letter from Kaylie Sanchez yesterday and she is doing so well! Her testimony is so strong and she is sharing it with everyone. She has so much faith.

This transfer is going to push me and make me a better person and missionary, and I thank God for allowing me to have this opportunity to grow. He knows me and He knew that I needed a push, I needed to run a little faster and get a little further out of my comfort zone. "There's no growing in a comfort zone and there's no comfort in a growing zone" I read President Monson's talk this morning from General Conference. It brought so much comfort (and tears). With Christ, I can do this. He will heal my aching heart. He would never give me more than I could handle, even though I can't see that now. We can do anything with Christ.

This morning after companion study, I went in the bathroom and got on me knees. I plead with the Lord, in a verbal prayer to help me. I am feeling His love more and more and I am learning to rely on Him. I am learning to trust in the calling He has given me. I ask you and mom to continue to pray for me, I really need it right now. I don't know when it's going to get better but I have faith that it will. I know that as I endure my trials patiently, I will be so much stronger. I will be able to relate to more people and I will become more of the person God wants me to be. I'm going to be quite the catch after these 18 motnhs ;)

Anyway, I'll tell you more about the mission like you had asked. So we don't eat with members, we aren't allowed to unless they have an investigator friend, less active, or it's a part member family. From 5-7pm is consecrated finding time. We aren't allowed to have any other planned activities at that time, except lessons, but we need to be tracting or street contacting. This is a finding mission! Then 7-9pm is supposed to be consecrated member time. Since we aren't allowed to eat with members, we visit them at this time. For our ward it's a little tricky because the Chinese wards have no boundaries. It's people from all over the lower mainland, so it's tough to find members to attend lessons and visit them unless we plan well. It's better now that we have a car but it's tough. Our ward is struggling a bit. There are the few super active members, but they aren't super fired up about missionary work. Stake conference was all about the ward and missionaries becoming one and I hope that they get more excited. I am working on getting to know the members better. I am pushing myself to get out of my comfort zone and talk to people (weird, huh?). I usually can't shut up, but in Chinese I am the quietest one in the room, I'm working on it.

Tell Mom I love all her notes and cards, they help more than she knows. I got the package and I loved it all! My comps were excited too. Tell Kaylie I loved her letter and sorry that I didn't get it until now!

I am glad my cats are doing well. I miss seeing that red and blue run across that green! Keep me updated on their coming weeks. I can't believe Shane comes home in 2 months. Crazy. He's a crazy kid. I can't wait to see little Lucy grow up, make sure she knows who Aunty Em is haha How's Abi?

Well I love you. Thank you for the emails and the prayers. I will be okay. I am just becoming more of who God wants and needs. I hope you have a good week and tell Raini happy birthday for me (it's on thursday). I can't believe she leaves next week! She'll do great.

Keep me in your prayers, you are definitely in mine.

Love, Sister Emily Dahl

Autumn Leaves.

Nice smile?

Sister Dahl with her Chevy Cruze

Note from November 4, 2013

Dear Dad,

It's great to hear about everything going on at home. Tell Sam thank you for understanding what I am going through. It is really tough but it is getting a lot better already. (Comment from John: I shared a story Sam told me from his mission in Uruguay. He said that he learned Joseph Smith's Testimony in Spanish and shared it with a couple during a lesson. When Sam finished he said the couple told his companion that they did not speak English.  Sam said he had spoken Spanish the entire time. Sam said it was devistating).  

Thank you for the prayers in my behalf. So cool to hear about Coy! Tell him to give em the "hot stinky cheddar!"  I hope all goes well. Ron is such a blessing for being so willing to help out with Coy's future. I will pray for Poppy. That's so tough to see him struggle with his health. I hope he pulls through soon. Also Scott. Tears trickled down my face as I read that paragraph...It breaks my heart to see him have to go through such a tough trial. Tell him to "Bear down" and that I can't wait to see him in 15 months. I know He can fight this.  (John Note: My good friend Scott Stump is fighting cancer).

I am glad work is going well. How is the ward? I do know Sister Demordant. (John note: she is the first cousin of Sister Thompson, a full-time missionary serving right now in our ward) She picked me up from the airport when I arrived. Such a small world! Tell mom to hang in there with the work drama. She is strong and I know she will be a blessing to those there. Good to hear my Cats are doing well. They can do this! Is the ASU game home or away? #beardown 

That's so neat that Kaylie got her patriarchal blessing. I guess she brought a friend to church and he has been progressing a lot. I havent heard from her since September...I'm sure she's doing well and busy changing lives. 

SO this week is a lot better! I am finally starting to see more joy in the mission. It's not perfect yet but I am finally starting to see the light at the end of this dark tunnel. I've been here almost a month. Crazy. It amazes me that I have grown this much in such a short amount of time. Everyday is a new amazing lesson. I love personal study time. It helps me really strengthen my testimony and remind myself of the truthfulness of the message we share and that my pain and suffering are not wasted. As I struggle to learn this language in order to help others see this truth, I know God will bless me. Like it says in Doctrine and Covenants 46, the gift of tongues is a spiritual gift. In order to obtain a spiritual gift we must 1. Love God 2. Keep His commandments and 3. Seek out the gift. As I have come to learn more about what my part is as I seek out this spiritual gift, the more faith I have that it will be granted unto me.

Another thing about spiritual gifts is that we have to thank God. He is more than willing to bless us with these gifts but we have to remain humble and acknowledge Him. In a lesson the other day we were teaching the Plan of Salvation and I was teaching the creation and then the spirit world. I got the creation well enough and then prepared myself for the spirit world part. I began thinking, "I got this. I've done this like 10 times"....bad idea. I tried to speak mandarin when my turn came and BOOM. I couldn't speak. My words were jumbled. I couldn't remember anything. I relied on myself instead of the Lord and He wasn't about to let that happen. It really taught me a lot about humility and always giving the glory to God.

As my mandarin improves, I see that the only way I have been able to progress this much in 3 months is because of God. Without Him there's no way I could be where I am or get to the place I am going. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to speak this language and that I get to serve the Lord. I try everyday to enjoy everyday and every moment. My time is short and I need to do all I can to serve Him. 

I am learning so much about patience. Another part of Doctrine and Covenants Section 46 says that we will receive these gifts by God's will. I took that as His conditions and in His timing. I need to constantly seek the gift I desire but it will not be granted unto me until He desires to give it. Also as I put more faith in Him and trust His will, I in return am more patient with Him. I know that as I learn Mandarin God is blessing me with so many other ways and is helping me develop so many more spiritual gifts that are helping me become all He desires.

We did get a car. It was a little stressful at first and I hate that my companions try to tell me where to go in chinese because there's no way I am going to understand what you're telling me. I'm driving haha It's getting better though. It's cool that I get to learn the city so well. I drive a ford cruze. It's pretty sweet.

Some business...Next week Elder Paul V Johnson is coming and my P-day will be switched to Tuesday. Don't worry too much when I don't email on Monday. 

I love you! I pray for you everyday! I hope everything is good at home. Send pictures in the mail, I'd love to show   Look up President Uchtdorf's talk "Our Privilege, our potential" Something like that. It's all about the priesthood but it can apply to anyone. It really has changed my point of view of my mission experience. 

Love, Sister Emily Dahl

Too many bus tickets!

A view from the street our church building is on.

Alicia's baptism!

Letter from Monday, October 28

Dear Family,

We had a zone conference this week.  President Tilleman is a fire ball!  haha He has an excitement and energy about missionary work that is contagious. He is pushing all of us and it's working! The missions numbers have doubled and tripled and we just keep going.  It's exciting to be in the midst of the hastening of God's work.  At zone conference I realized that I need to have more faith.  I often feel like I lack the faith and trust in God that I will learn this language, that I will find prepared children, that I will really grow to love the mission. It's slowly coming but I know that I need to put more trust in Him.  I have realized this week that I am in the middle of the refinery furnace and God is working on me so I can become the servant He needs.

I read a talk this week that really had a huge impact on me. It's called "More Than Conquerors through Him That Loved Us" by Paul V. Johnson. Please look it up and share it with those you feel impressed. It talks all about how trials in this life are there to help us really grow and gain experience that helps us become like Jesus Christ. We are constantly being pushed and pulled and sometimes we wonder why bad things are happening to us but it's a part of life. We gotta go through the hard things so that God can polish us. We're good people but "being good is not enough. We want to become like the Savior" I know that it's hard right now but I know God loves me and that if I endure this pain and hardship with faith and with patience then I will become something much greater than before.
 

The Lord is changing me. I can feel it. I hardly feel like myself and I think God is molding me into the woman He needs me to be long after my 18 months is over. It hurts. A lot. But I know that my pain and suffering is not wasted. As He shapes me I will be changed. And as I change I will be helping others to Christ and showing them how He can change them too. We're all here on earth to become stronger. We're here to prepare our selves to return to God's presence and in order to do that we have to be pushed, we have to overcome and fall down. But it's the times we fall down and get back up again and finally push over the peak of a mountain, that we can see the view God had intended us to see all along.  A lot of growing is happening and I know that I will be better because of it.

Alicia Wu got baptized yesterday! Her 1st lesson was my second day in Canada. She is awesome. She has so much desire to follow Christ and doesn't have a super strong testimony but was willing to do all she needed to in order to enter the waters of baptism. It was exciting to see her take that step.

We get a car this week!  I am the designated driver so we'll see how rusty I am for not having driven in like 3 months. haha  I think it'll be a good stress reliever and I'll feel like I'm contributing to the work.  Our area is huge so it'll be useful.  There are Chinese people everywhere.  There are different shops and such that are all Chinese. I have not been to China Town yet but they do have one.
 

I hope everyone is well at home. I pray for all of you everyday. I am praying for the Stumps.  I really do love him and his family.  He's one of the best wildcats around.  Make sure he's knows that.

Love, Sister Emily Dahl

My First Fall

My companions

Sister Lin and Sister Ping

A week in Canada Ehh?

Dear Dad,

So tell Coy and Poppy happy birthday!  That's fun mom is going to Missouri. 

I could not email yesterday because it was Canadian Thanksgiving. Who would have thought?  You can send all mail to the mission home.  They deliver it twice a week.  I am about 40 minutes from the mission home and from the temple...(I don't know).  But we get to go about every 4 months, so that's exciting.  There are about 275 missionaries in the mission and 19 are Mandarin...9 are sisters, so I gotta get comfortable. haha Only 3 of us are American. So that's fun.
   
I arrived to Canada safely but was in immigration for 2 and half hours waiting for my visa. It was horrible but I stayed positive!  I love President Tilleman.  He loved to hear that I knew Dave Campbell so well.  He speaks very highly of Him.  Let President Campbell know I am proud to be associated with him ha ha. 

My area is called Burnaby. It covers Burnaby, Vancouver, Coquitlm, and New Westminster...It's huge.  I have 2 companions again.  They are both from Mainland China and they really like to speak Mandarin.  Sister Lin is a convert of 2 years.  She is from Southern China, I think and has lived in Toronto with her family for the last few years.  She's been out 6 months and speaks pretty good English. Oh and she's a total stickler for the rules, which is awesome but I get told what to do a lot ha ha Sister Ding is great. Also from Mainland, not sure which part.  She speaks very little English, but we meet in the middle. She has been out a year.  She's much more laid back than Sister Lin but it's fun to have a balance. They both are helping me a lot.

   
So we have no car because neither of them can drive in Canada.  So it's me as the DD.  President wants me to get used to BC first so we have no car but with about 10 progressing investigators it's hard to get where we need to on public transportation.  I ride the bus and sky train everyday. Lots of contacting time.  I have been struggling to talk to people (weird, right?) but I am learning quickly. I just gotta open my mouth! SO weird how thats hard for me haha but everyday gets better.

   
I had a really hard time adjusting. I cried a lot yesterday. (I wrote you and mom a letter about it, just know I am doing much better. It was quite therapeutic) I have come to realize that it is going to take some time learning this language. It is so hard. At church I felt so alone. I did not understand and I just wanted to get out. In lessons it's a little better but I feel like the investigators don't care that i am there because I do not understand. I really beat myself. I felt like I was failing as a missionary. That everyone says it'll get better but I didn't believe them before yesterday. I just broke down. I hit rock bottom. But I realized that Christ is with me. He was just waiting for me to take His hand and do this together. I love my Savior so much. I have  come so much closer to Him the last 2 days than my whole life. He has already made so many burdens light and it is such a comfort to know He is with me. It confirms to me that the message I am sharing is true and it gives me a drive to keep pushing. 

   
I am adjusting quickly and am taking it day by day. I can't believe I have been here a week already. I am growing and stretching and I know I'll be able to help someone soon. Keep me in your prayers. I love you!

Love, Sister Dahlabill

Sister Dahl is now in Vancouver - October 9th

Week 9. Leaving the MTC

Hey Dad!

   So this week was good then really really bad then amazing! I'll explain of course but wow. The Lord really pushes you when you have His name over your heart! I love this work but sometimes I feel like I'm not good enough. Sometimes these feelings are good, humility is so important but even though we are protected as His servants Satan is trying so hard to bring me down. It's so discouraging. I am pushing on though.

   As I said this week started off great, besides the fact that I didn't get a single letter or dear elder till Thursday (Jack, you're the Man!) I was learning a ton. We really were teaching well and applying everything we learned. I made a goal to finish the rest of the Book of Mormon before I leave the MTC (I was in Alma 55) and I was reading a ton and loving it. I could see the power of the Book of Mormon enter my life more than ever. But then I saw how a little bit of contention can turn into a poison. As a companionship, Sister Astle decided that we need to be more blunt with each other in focusing and being on task. We did that which wasn't the poison but I, for some reason, decided to begin the neck chop (thank you, Brentyn). Let's just say, not the best decision Sister Dahl has made since being on a mission. Anyways, this led to much contention. That began my downward spiral. I got super down. I was upset with companions. We were mean to eachother and it was just bad. It continued on until Thursday. I was upset and I just felt horrible. The spirit was not with me.

   I prayed so hard to try and get this feeling to leave me and it did but not completely. Then I kept having the prompting to get a blessing. It's tough to humble yourself and ask especially when I don't even know who to go to in the mtc. This experience made me think of when I struggled a bunch at the beginning of the semester and I had to ask someone besides you to give me a blessing and that led to an amazing relationship with Brother Somerville. I have grown to love my branch president and his wife so I mustered up the faith to ask him for a blessing. He willing offered one of the most amazing blessings I have ever received. It was just like Brother Somerville's blessings. He did all he could to help and really focused on the spirit even though at the time he did not know me very well. In the blessing, he promised me courage as I get out of my comfort zone. He told me that God is proud of my service and my willingness to be a leader over the sisters. He told me that I will have companions that are less able then me and that I will have the opportunity to build them up. It was so amazing to feel the spirit so strongly again. I could feel God's love so strongly and I know with out a doubt that this mission is where I need to go and what I need to do. God knows me and I am His daughter. I now have stronger faith to embark on this next part of my mission.

   This allowed me to go into conference with peace. I learned so much and I realized so many important truths. God loves all of us. We as men and women have specific roles in this life but we all have the opportunity to have God's power and authority in our lives. It's okay to be sad and discouraged but know that Christ can help. CHRIST LIVES. I know this more than ever. He is with all of us and will help us in all that we do. I love all the prophets and apostles. They are amazing. It was also neat to hear S. Gifford Nielsen again, he came to our stake when I was junior I think. Awesome.

   Well I am learning everyday. I know this is where I need to be. I am nervous but excited to get to Vancouver. Tell mom I would love for her to fly with me but a phone call will have to do. I can't wait to meet President and sister Tilleman. I'll tell them President Campbell says hello. Thank you for all the love, support and prayers. 

wo ai nimen!

love, Dai Jiemei!

After 8 weeks in the Missionary Training Center

Emily in the choir at the Relief Society General Meeting at the Salt Lake Conference Center - September 28, 2013

Week 8 in MTC

Dear fam,

   Sooo I guess that there really is more to a mission than the square mile I have lived in for the last 2 months. I received my travel plans on Friday, whoa. Things just got real! I leave on Wednesday, October 9th, at 7:30 am. My flight is at 11:00 and I'll arrive in Vancouver at about 12:30 Vancouver time. I'm super excited but there's one little thing...I'm traveling alone. There are no other missionaries going to the CVM on the same day as me. I am super nervous about being alone. You get so accustomed to having a companion (in my case 2) and now I have to be a solo sister for a whole day at the MTC then all day wednesday. I know I'll be fine but airports just make me a little nervous haha. and having to go through customs alone...ahhh pray for me! I need to have more faith! ha I will get to hang out with President and Sister Tilleman alone so that'll be cool. and we both know Pres. Campbell so that's an instant in haha cant wait to meet them!

   I have learned so much this week. Our companionship was able to get coached by our teachers and wow, that was needed! We really began to understand that we have to still be who we are even though we are speaking chinese. We were sent somewhere for a reason and those people need us and that includes our personality. Ruan Laoshi explained it like this, mandarin missionaries (all foreign language missionaries, so this goes for Raini too) feel like they have an english box where they are themselves and totally normal then they have a chinese box where they have the tendency to change who they are because it's a different language. We have to somehow bring these two boxes together. It helped me realize that if Sister Dahl, in english, wants to talk to everyone about everything and is super personable, why should that change in chinese?? It shouldnt! So I have really been trying to talk to our investigators like they are real people and then relate the gospel to them. Christ taught in parables so I need to follow His example and also do that.

   This week I was also able to really look at Christ's example and what that looks like and how I can develop that. The hymn, "More Holiness Give Me", that we sang in the RS broadcast really helped me to see that this song is what I want. I want more holiness, more strivings within, more faith in my Savior, more sense of His care, I want SO much more. But I also realized that I can't just want these things I need to have a desire that allows me to act and continually pursue these attributes. My favorite line in that song was, "More used would I be". I really pondered this. I am His servant. We all are His servants but I am His full time representative and I want to make the most of that. I want to be used as much as I can be so that I can bless as many lives as Heavenly Father needs me to. I want to have no regrets by the end of my mission and I want God to be able to say to me, "Emily, well done thy good and faithful servant". I am growing everyday and I get closer to becoming the instrument He want and needs me to be. 

   I love being sister training leader. I would have been released this past sunday but since there is a new district coming in they asked me to keep going for one more week. I love it. I have really been able to grow closer to my Savior and see the love that He has for others. I know that with this assignment I have been able to help others. I have received so much revelation for the sisters in our zone and it has taught me so much about spiritual promptings. I will be counseling a sister a the end of the day and I just pray for them as they talk to me and pray that I will be able to say just one thing that will help me. It has been such a blessing to serve in this assignment. 

   So on another note...UTAH IS SO COLD! I think God is prepping me for Canada because oh boy it has been so frigid! haha I am going to die. But one of my teachers told me that I can't let them weather effect me. I need to be my own sunshine and the sunshine for everyone else. I prayed for strength in this and I could definitely see God's help. It was sooo cold on friday and my comps were both complaining and I just stayed happy. It didnt bother me too much. It'll take time to adjust but I know it'll be good!

   I got your dear elder about coach matthews... wow. (Steve Matthews was one of Emily's High School basketball coaches. he died after a long battle with lung cancer). That hit me pretty hard. Do you have the address of the school? I would love to write her a hand written note. It really breaks my heart, He was my favorite. It comforts me to know He has the knowledge of the truth and I pray that hit brings His family closer to God. I have been praying for them.

   Yesterday I bore my testimony in Chinese. I am super nervous for the field but its just helping me learn a lot of chen bei (humility) I know mom is happy about that. haha I love the work. Every day is a new day to learn and grow and it's such a blessing to be a part of Helaman's Army. We are stronger than ever before and I am looking forward to helping the chinese people of Canada. 

  Anyways, How is everyone? I didnt get a letter from you dad. Maybe I can check later. I didnt get any mail this week :( no worries, I'm okay! 

I love you all! Wo ai nimen! zhege jiaohui shi zhenshide! (the church is true)

ai,

Sister Emily Dahl

My New Thor Action Figure

In MTC for 7 weeks

Hey

 fam,

So I have been in the MTC for 7 weeks, what?!  I can hardly believe it. It was a great week!  I got a letter from Kay Rae (finally!), Sister Nymeyer, B, and a package from Raini and you guys! Thank you! I LOVED the Thor doll. He is next to my Family photo and Jesus on my desk. thanks!

I get more and more excited to go to Canada the more I think about it.  I am not so scared anymore, because I know that I will be okay.  I came to a realization this week, I'm serving a mission and I am speaking Mandarin Chinese..Chinese is not the hardest part of my mission.  You would think that it is the hardest par,t but it's not.  Don't get me wrong, learning Chinese is one of the hardest, trying things I've ever done, but it's not the hardest.  Being a missionary is SO hard.  I always forget that this work is not easy.  We are called to find God's lost children, get to know them, find out their needs, follow the Spirit and teach according to their needs and do all we can to help them come unto Christ.  What a big job.  As we were teaching this week during a role play it hit me.  This is so hard, but that's okay.  If it wasn't easy for Christ to atone for sins I can't imagine teaching about it would be easy.  I feel blessed to be able to  represent my Savior and find God's children.  Knowing that comforts me in going to Canada.  There about 20 Mandarin missionaries in my mission...maybe and I know it is no chance that I am going there.  Someone needs me. (BTW we got our Chinese tags...I almost threw up).

So as sister training leader I have been able to help all the new sisters that came in this week. They are so great!  They think I am so much older than them. haha  They are all 20, I'm just older in MTC terms. haha  They have such a strong desire to be obedient and learn and I feel so privileged to be the one to help as they struggle through and experience exactly how I felt.  I have to correct some behavior, but as I do that I am able to treat them with love as the Savior would.  I know that Heavenly Father allowed me to have this calling to help me grow and become who he needs to be as a leader.  I am learning so much and I am so grateful for the opportunity.

   
SO Something super awesome and legit that happened this week.  I am singing in the General Relief Society meeting on Saturday at the conference center!  Wooo!  I'll be wearing a blue-ish shirt.  Look for me :)  You should totally sneak in dad.  If they know what's good for em they'll show my face, haha but I could always use a humility lesson and don't worry mom, I get them daily.

Alright a funny, humiliating story from this week.  Sister Astle had really bad heart pains so we took her to the front office since the clinic was closed.  We ended up meeting our teachers old mission comp and he told us something in Taiwanese to tell him which was, "en dao li he" which pretty much means "Hey handsome".  Me being the person I am volunteered to tell our teacher.  Bad idea.... Our teacher is like an angel.  He is kind and spiritual and like the best person I've ever met in my life (besides Kaylie haha).  So I said to him "En dao li he" and he just looked at me funny then I repeated it.  Then explained how we met his old comp then how learned a lot about him.  Like that he is exactly the same in class as he is in a normal social setting.  He still looked confused still.  An elder tried to clear this up and said "yeah, like we heard Bro Tate is a lady killer".  He did not seem to like that comment so then I tried to make it better and said, "Hey, I'm sure you're a lady killer too!" yep...didn't help... so his entire countenance oozed awkwardness... bu hao!  So then I tried to fix that mouth vomit and I said, "what?! I just said you were handsome?!"  Yep...no recovering from that one!  I just wanted to cry and run, but with 2 companions you can't really get anywhere fast! wahhhh!  I just hid behind my books and sulked in my consequence. Thank goodness we have repentance! and I have a teacher who forgives.

Well other than that this week has been great! I love it here! I know it's hard but it's worth it! Keep writing!  How is everyone? Coy's baseball? Laci? Matt? Lexi and crew? 

Love, Sister Emily Dahl

p.s Dad the sister who is from that news clip with the 2 bros and mom who got mission call on the same day is in the other branch! She's going to San Diego Mormon Battalion Visitor Center! cool! 

Cousin Lief left for Paris, France today

Working hard or hardly working?

September 16th

Hey! 

So great to hear all is well! Bear Down! I'll pray for them! (As the begin their PAC 12 schedule).

How is Devante Neal liking the good ol' UA? I hope he loves it like I do! 

I am so happy Scott (Stump) and fam came and visited! I love them, it's so amazing that you two are still best buds. 

I am so excited for Raini to go to the temple, I wrote her an email today and a letter last week prepping her a bit. She'll love it.

I am loving my assignment as Sister Training Leader. I attend branch council meetings and I look out for the sisters. I interview senior companions and report back in council meeting. This week my job gets super fun!  We have 5 new sisters coming into our zone, I am soooo excited. There are 2 international sisters who come on Tuesday and I have to help them out all afternoon and during Devotional.  Then on Wednesday the other 3 come and I will introduce them to the MTC, give them a tour, and pretty much be their big sister. I am so stoked!  I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to serve them, it'll be way fun.  I also get to participate in leadership trainings which help me a ton in becoming more Christ-like, it's great.

So I can't believe it's been 6 weeks on Wednesday...where has the time gone?! It's crazyness. I am so amazed at how much I've grown and how close I've come to my Savior and oh yeah, I can speak Chinese! Tomorrow we're doing our first English fast...ohhhh boyyyy!  That'll be exciting and probably terrifying.  Last night we watched "The Testaments" in Mandarin, talk about a slap in the face saying, "Hey! What have you been doing??  You didn't understand anything!" haha  It was an eye opener, but I know that I will be able to speak well and learn in the field. I am terrified to leave.  I'm comfortable..I know my way around, I know if I say something wrong my teachers already have accepted the Gospel and are enduring to the end and I'm not jeopardizing their salvation, but in the field... #nopressure. I'll be fine, I know but it's still scary. And no one from my district is going to my mission, no one from my zone is going to my mission, NO ONE is going to my mission. That'l be a fun plane ride!

Our Tuesday Devotional was great.  It was James B. Martino of the 70.  He talked all about member missionary work and how critical members are in the work!  I know that this is so true!  I feel so blessed that I was able to help Kaylie come to the Gospel and be a member missionary before I came on my mission.  It's so important that members find people to bring to the Gospel.  I encourage everyone in our family to prayerfully find someone they can bring to the Gospel, think of a way it'll bless their lives.  Tell Coy and Laci it can be the catcher from Coy's summer ball team. haha Tell the sisters in our ward they are doing great, I got a letter from them this week. I loved it.

Sunday we heard from Ron Tanner, the co-producer of "17 Miracles", "Ephraim's Rescue", "Only a Stonecutter" and the John Tanner story film and wow, I love pioneers.  I feel so privileged to call my self a descendant of those faithful servants who risked their lives and lost their lives for the Gospel.  I hope to emulate the faith they had.  I can not wait to meet all of them one day and just thank them because who knows where I would be now if it wasn't for them (Even though your great great great great Grandpa died and mom's didnt...haha).  I love them all.  If you haven't seen "Ephraim's Rescue" then you should.  It comes on DVD on Sept 24th!  We watched a few clips.. What an amazing man. 

   
Well I love you all! 

btw I may be singing in the General RS Broadcast if I get chosen.  I had to fill out a survey so hopefully all those years of dealing with mr.   Ross will pay off now haha.  You all are wonderful!  I am learning a ton! 

Thank you for the prayers!

LOVE, SISTER EMILY DAHL

She loves this shirt.

September 9th

Hey Dad! 

   It's so great to hear from you!  It's so awesome you went on trek!  I always wanted to go but it never worked out unfortunately.  Nice to hear Shane Hatch gets the privilege of spending a plethora of time with you.  He is being blessed. (You can tell him I said that)  It's been raining here quite a bit.  I would say I hate it but I need to learn to love it.  A sister in BC emailed me and told me that about 50% of the people she sees are Chinese.  And that I need to get water proof shoes and a good raincoat...it rains.  A LOT. yayyy! haha  I will learn to love it, I know.  She also said to study hard and look at some Cantonese too, WOW.

   I am so glad to hear that mis amigas (Young Women from Via Verde Branch) are doing so well! Wo ai tamen! They are so great. Please let them know that I love them so much and that camp was such a wonderful experience! They have blessed me so much and would LOVE to hear from all of them! 

   BEAR DOWN! Its good to hear they are having a pretty solid pre-season. Please keep the updates coming, they really are greatly appreciated!  It's crazy how 90% of my district doesn't even know what a touchdown is haha.  Well that's probably the extent of their knowledge.  If you care to know my Pokemon they gave me is Nidoqueen...I am blue, look like a rhino, I'm tough, a leader and awesome.  My powers consist of strength, toxic, earthquake, and horn drill..It's pretty epic haha.  I'm learning to embrace it since there's not much else I can do! haha Also you will be proud to know I told the John Button Salmon story...except I got 1926 and 1927 mixed up again....dang it!

   I LOVE LUKE NEAL! He is seriously an angel sent from heaven that is super fit!  I love it.  I am so grateful he is so willing to help Coy with his goals and endeavors and also help you with yours.  Keep going Dad!  You can do this!  I know you can!  I pray for you every night. Could you send a pic of coy??  I want to see how ripped he's getting haha in a missionary appropriate/ sister kind of way. (Note from John: Luke Neal is a fitness trainer that moved into our ward a few months ago and helping Coy, Brad and I)

   Tell the sisters to keep going! They will be so so blessed for their service and willingness to accommodate to the needs of the mission! Tell them I love them and that I will pray for them!

   So this week... Some pretty big things happened.  I am realizing the type of person I am. Strength: I can see. I can see my faults like no other!  I can see that the Lord is breaking me down and that He's starting to mold me.  I can see that I need to shut up sometimes.  I can see that silence is a good thing.  I can see that I'm in trio because God loves me and knows me.  I can see a lot. but Weakness: 1. I don't often see these things for a while.  I try so hard to be better, but I often don't even realize me speaking Chinese in a lesson is a bad thing or that me correcting others is "what I do" (as sister Astle puts it...that one hurt).  I don't realize these things and it's tough for me because I want to be better and grow, but if I cant even see the problem then it cant be fixed.  2. I finally see what's wrong and I want to try and tackle every single thing at the same time! not possible. I can't eat a whole elephant at the same time.. It's coming piece by piece, but its tough being patient when you're trying to see improvement in yourself.  Overall moral of the story, I am growing.  I really am.  You may not be able to see it, but I can feel it. Each day I can get better.

   Yesterday we had a district meeting all about the Atonement. I had been thinking about it all week because it was our topic for our church talk.  I contemplated my faith in Christ and His sacrifice.  Yesterday it hit me though.  I do have faith is Christ.  I know His atonement is real.  We went around the room and bore our testimony of what Christ meant to me.  I said Christ gives me HOPE.  Hope that who I am today doesn't have to be who I am tomorrow, or next week, or next year.  I know I can be a better person and through Christ I can become the daughter of God He sees me as.  It's incredible.  I felt my Saviors love so much as I spoke those words and I totally cried. It was awesome. 

   Another thing from yesterday is, I am now Sister Training Leader.  Yep. the calling I said I did not want is now mine.  I'm sure you called it Dad haha.  Well my job is to help the sisters, be the eyes and ears of the presidency of what the sisters are doing and how they are feeling.  I am really grateful for this opportunity.  I have been praying ever since I got here for opportunities to love and serve others and I know God gave me this responsibility so that I could love others and serve them.  And I know I will be able to be an example. We get a few new sisters in our zone next week and I'll be in charge of helping them get adjusted and knowing the ropes.  I am so excited and feel so privileged to have this opportunity.  Also, my companions are the music coordinators..I love it.

   Well I love this work. The Chinese is coming.  It really is a day by day thing.  I am learning a lot.  In a lesson this week I said "When we meet you with last week we can teach this" hahah.  I totally meant "When we meet with you next time we can teach you this" haha.  Those things just keep me going.  Gotta laugh to stay sane haha.  Well I love the work.  Thank you for everything!  Could you send me the "I found my friend" story I shared at my farewell??

   Thanks for the Canada stuff! I love the t-shirt!  In Chinese Vancouver is pronounced "one-ge-hua" hahah its great!  Thank Tina and Rick for me. They dropped off a package this week and I love everything they sent! I love you all! Stay strong! 

   - Sister Emily Dahl

Oh Canada!

With Spencer Katoa

Caught in the Rain

With Kayla Fuge

Happy September

It's so so crazy to me to think that I have been here almost 4 weeks..Where has the time gone??  I have learned so much and I am starting to get a glimpse of what the Lord wants of me and who I need to become to be a better instrument in his hand.  Everyday is something new and every night is a different prayer.  I love this work though.  It is incredible the army God has prepared and I feel honored to be a part of it.

 

Sooo BEAR DOWN!  I'm repping my UA sweatshirt today! It's starting to get chilly here..at least for this AZ girl. I'm happy to hear that UA started out the season well, even though it was just NAU. Please let me know how they continue to do, it keeps me sane. I'll explain later. That makes me so happy that Jack is in ZonaZoo (U of A student section)! It's the best! Tell him to write me about how much he's loving UA, his roommates, the ward, and institute! I want to know everything!

 

Now, what I was saying about how I love to hear about sports. My entire district is like completely uninterested in sports! It's killing me. The only Elder who knows anything is Elder Caldwell (The one going to calgary) and he's like a normal guy in liking sports. All the others talk about pokemon, dungeons and dragons, music, and other stuff I kind of have heard of but still have no idea. It kills me. Yesterday, an elder was talking to sister Palmer about which generation of pokemon they liked and which one they would use to in battle and then it turned into "Whats the difference between a sorcerer and wizard?" I was done. I just went and talked to Elder Caldwell about the NFL haha which I dont know a ton about but enough to keep us both sane. I was pretty disappointed when neither of my comps knew who Luis Gonzalez was when I had a dream he was my dad haha we're doing okay though.

 

So this week for Tuesday Devotional we had the opportunity to hear from Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve. SO amazing. It's incredible that I've been here a month and already heard from 2 apostles of the Lord. Their spirit is incredible. He spoke on "First Love, Then Sacrifice". It was awesome. It's amazing to look at love and see where we are. Where we are in relation to loving our father in Heaven and also in loving our fellow men and then looking at sacrifice. We sacrifice so much to serve a mission. I'm leaving behind school, all of you, friends, pants, dancing and netflix but those things won't even seem like nothing in comparison to all the blessings I will receive and all the things I will learn as a servant of the Lord. I feel so blessed to be here and can not wait to get to Canada and bless the lives of those individuals there.

 

I met a girl who said her cousin went to the Vancouver mish speaking Mandarin and loved it! He served a ton on college campuses which I think would be such a blast! I also heard that they just recently started sending sisters there speaking mandarin so I maybe some of the first. I have only met one other sister going there manadarin spekaing and she's already there.

 

So I've learned a lot about how the Lord works this week. He knows me so well. I am in a trio for a very purposeful reason. I struggled a lot this week with not talking haha. In lessons I talk the most (in Chinese) sounds like a blessing right? Yes. Such an amazing blessing that I am able to communicate in this language that I have been learning for all of 4 weeks now but bu hao (not good) because I am depriving my companions of growth. If I dont let them struggle and work through this then they won't grow as much and when we all work as one in a lesson and speak equally then the Spirit won't be there as well and we won't help our investigator as much as we could. I know the Lord wants me to learn this now so that I can be an even better missionary when I have just one companion. The Lord knows me and it's so comforting that He is here to help me.

 

I loved the packages! Thank you! :) Happy Canada!! If you come across a big flag then send it on over..I would love that. Elder Caldwell is grateful as well. We wore all our canada stuff on Thursday, it was awesome!  You can tell Gary Matthews that I LOVE Candada already and can't wait to get to BC. Tell him to write me all about BC, I would love to get more excited.

 

Tell Brad and LEX Happy 3rd anniversary! How's Lucy doin (Lexi is due in January and the baby will be Lucy)??

Well I'm doing well! I'm so blessed and I love you all! I love you mom. I miss you everyday! Tell everyone they are great! and that "dear elder" is their best friend! (you can go towww.earelder.com to write Emily a note that will be delivered to her mailbox the same day.  Just put "OCT 09 CAN-VAN" in the mailbox field.) 

 

Love, Sister Emily Dahl

Chinese Name Tag

August 26th

Hey! 

   Wow. It is so great to hear from you! I am so glad everyone is doing so well. Happy Birthday to Laci and Abi! I sent Laci a card on Saturday so it should be there today or tomorrow. Tell Kilee Happy Birthday too, I forgot last Monday. 

   So cool that Coy is starting Ball. I brag about him all the time. I hope all goes well for him! How's school for everyone? I cant believe that a year ago this time I was starting my freshman year at UA. And its so cool Jack (Kauffman) is starting. He emailed me. He went and saw Brother Somerville. Jack is going to love it..he's so legit he'll probably get called Mandarin speaking! I can feel it. haha anyways, I'm gonna miss UA sports, you'll have to keep me up to speed. Bear down! 

   So my week..Wow. It's so true when they say, "The days go by like weeks and the weeks go by like days" It's crazy I've already been here almost 3 weeks but at the same time Wednesdays and Fridays feel like 3 years haha those are the days we have 3 hours of class and then dinner then 3 more hours of class (ALL IN CHINESE) so we get pretty exhausted! I love the work though. Teaching is my favorite. I get so nervous before but then I am able to communicate to our investigator that our message is true and the spirit is so strong. I speak the best Chinese when i have the spirit with me and that's definitely the strongest in lessons. I'm staying positive about the language but it gets tough. It's like a roller coaster of emotion everyday. You are doing okay then two seconds later you're so down and overwhelmed because you just feel like there's no way you can speak this language and use every grammar principle right or say the right tones but then you get a little slap in the face from Mr. humility and I realize, I can't do this alone. I need my Heavenly Father's help and His son Jesus Christ. During Sacrament meeting yesterday I was really touched as the 3 districts that leave tomorrow sang "A child's prayer" I was so overwhelmed by the spirit and the love the God has for me, and in that moment I knew. Wo gen ta hui zuo zhege (I can do this, with him). It's a crazy thing to experience everyday but its making me stronger and the missionary God wants me to be.

   Funny story. In our lesson last week my comp was trying to explain how to pray. She began by saying, "We address our heavenly father" But she used the wrong tone on "Chang" and she said, "We prostitute our heavenly father" Our investigator was really confused haha the funny times like those are what are helping us get through this. We laugh at ourselves all the time and it makes things easier. 

   So guess who I saw the other day... well I heard his voice. Yep, Mr. Jacksonville, Florida in the flesh. You can probably guess but I didn't make it known that I saw him haha He's crazy, Canada is great. It's funny I have never been to Canada but I already love it so much. I can't wait to go there and serve the people God has prepared for me to help. It's going to be amazing. Also I saw Jessica Lamb yesterday, we took a picture. She seems well, we talked quite a bit. I still don't see Leif often.. and when I do he says he wants to leave the MTC and get to the field. He's still got 3 weeks but I've got 6 so woo! haha

   Well I am learning a lot, I love the work. Thank you for your prayers. They mean so much and are much needed. I feel your love so much. You all are amazing. Please write me. I LOVE letters :) You're the best!! Wo ai nimen!

LOVE, Dai JieMei

Emily's Second Email

HAPPY PANTS DAY!!!

I am so happy that today is the day I get to wear pants! haha I love the whole skirt thing but dang...I love my jeans haha.

So It's good to hear everyone is doing so well, I'll pray for the boys with school. They can do it with a lot of prayer and fasting! It's so cool that those people got baptized, that is seriously so cool. It's great to see the gospel come into the lives of others. Speaking of baptism... On Friday it was the 6 month-adversary that Kaylie got baptized.   Crazy, huh? I can't believe that she is doing so well and has come so far.  I share our experience a lot and she has taught me so much as she has become fully converted to the Lord.  I sent her a baptism card haha.  I hope she gets it..tell her I sent it to the Institute and Sister Nymeyer will probably have it!

So I've been here a week and a half, WHOA.  Its so true that once you hit Sunday it flies by.  This week went well butWednesday was hard.  We had to teach again and I just was feeling down and discouraged and that I couldnt communicate what I wanted to.   I was especially emabarrassed when He kept asking us if we had eaten or not and me knowing this culturally that when someone asks you if you've eaten they are asking you if you are doing well.  This happened twice in a lesson and it wasn't until Thursday that I realized what he was saying.  It was even more of a shock when our investigator walked in as our new teacher..haha.  I couldnt handle that!  He's actually not my teacher, because he's moving to China so we have a different one.

Other than that the language is coming, I am able to communicate pretty well which is nice.  An Elder in my class lived in China for a year and he told me the other day, "Hey, you speak better than people I knew that lived in China for 2 years".  That was really a confidence boost.  I am trying really hard, but I know I need to put forth even more so that I can fully qualify for the gift of tongues.  I have been praying for an increased desire to learn the language since I often think, "Man..Spanish would be so much easier", but I know that this is what I need. I have been able to see the Lord bless me with the desire, because the other day I was studying grammar and I was giddy because it was exciting haha.  Such a blessing.  I see confirmations everyday that this is my language and my call.  We had to do an activity that made us simplify.  Our teacher said, "Simplify to what is most important" And I was like "Oh jeez!  You're talking to me!" haha  It's a blessing though to know this is perfect.

So last Tuesday we had the privilege of hearing Elder Richard G. Scott speak at the Marriott Center.  SO COOOL!!!  He is such an amazing man.  I sang in the choir and it was awesome.  The meeting was a MTC worldwide broadcast so Ethan Packard may have seen me singing.  HE spoke on prayer and how important it is to communicate with our Heavenly Father.  It really touched me because I can't talk to you or to Mom anymore it is comforting to know I can tell my Heavenly Father anything.  I've really been able to strengthen that relationship since being here.  Elder Scott also gave us an apostolic blessing.  He said, "For those of you learning a language, I bless you that you WILL learn the language and be entitled to the gift of tongues".  Wow. What a neat experience that he promised us that.  If I didn't think I could learn Chinese, I know I can now.

On Sunday we heard from Vai Sikahema.  Dad I know you know who he is.  BYU football, famous punt return in the Miracle Bowl, played for the Cardinals, Packers and Eagles and now he's in television, but hey! Who knew he was a Mormon! haha  He was so cool.  I love Polynesians.  They are hilarious.  He talked all about his love for his mission, the South Dakota, Rapid City Mission.  It was so neat.  His friend was there who actually was a man he baptized in his mission.  How neat.  I can't wait to find a friend like that.

So I see a lot of people, Dani Ellis.  Kayla Fuge lives on my floor.  Melissa Layland has the same schedule as me which is fun.  I see Spencer Katoa a lot too, But I don't see Leif often..I'll try to make the map pic happen but no promises. Oh and make sure Sister Nymeyer knows that Sarah (Wuthrich) Struthers' little brother is in my district.  He's going to New York, Mandarin speaking. Small world!

Well all is well and I received a Dear Elder from Madison this week and a letter from Raini, and B (He finally got my letter...it took a month haha).  Keep the love comin!  My companions both have received 7+ packages...CRAZY.  I keep telling them that when I get one it'll be because my parents love me, not because I forgot something! haha  Well I love you all! I can feel your prayers and I am getting stronger everyday!  Wo ai nimen!

LOVE, Sister Emily Dahl

Photos

1.Me and Lacey Nymeyer Mormon.org poster (She represents in the mail room!  I'm cool here because I know her.. and helped with her baby shower...but it was just a baby shower. Tell Sister Nymeyer (Tucson Institute Secretary) that that can be her screen saver with her daughter haha.

2. How happy I am when I get letters