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

Emily's First Email!!! :) We miss her...

NI HAO!!!!!
Ahhh! Where do I even start?? These last 5 days have been cray cray to say the least. I made it to Sunday so thats good!
So first, The MTC is amazing. The spirit is so incredible. Everyone is so happy and is so quick to help eachother. It was very comforting being a newbe with the orange dot.
 
Second, My companions! Yes, I said companionS. I'm in a trio! I was supposed to be eith a sister Toronto going to New York Madarin but she is on the fast track. She grew up in Beijing so she got the whole Zhonggwen (chinese) down. So there is Sister Palmer, she is from Redmond, Oregon. Shes a little shorter than me, super sweet, but pretty soft spoken. She's not shy but lets just say she's introverted, which is good because then we have Sister Astle. She is from Sandy, Utah and she is much louder than she appears, dont let her height decieve you. But wo ai ta (I love her) She is great! Her testimony is such an example to me, I look up to her so much...well not literally haha #giant I love them both and we all work well together so there havent been any immediate issues. I think it is a blessing we are in a trio because it is more input and spirit and we also are getting good at not leaving a companion behind, which is good! (Btw both of my tongban (campanions) are going to New York, New York North. I only found one other person going Vancouver Mandarin and shes a smarty pants like sister toronto!
 
Third, District! Oh man.. Love those guys haha There are 6 elders and then san jiemei (3 sisters)  We are all going to either New Yorl, Washignfton DC, Calgary or Vancouver. We are the outcasts in our Zone because pretty much everyone else is going to Taiwan. We all get along but sometimes like to talk far too much! We are working on it though. I love my teacher. He is 22, served in Taiwan and is seriously the kindest, most patient, and loving man...even though he speaks all chinese haha It's good he smiles so much because I cant really get frustrated for not understanding because He just smiles into your soul and you forgive him instantly. So thats going well.
 
Alright...wo bu zidao shuo zhonggwen (I dont know how to speak chinese) BUT we will get there! This language is crazy..like holy crap. It is going well though. It's tough because all I ever do is think in spanish. Ugh. Yo quiero hablar espanol pero dios quiere que yo hablar chino. (Raini..You are blessed.  Even though we wont be able to speka in chinese together but you can help my spanish come back) So All three of us are kind of at the same level which is good but I understand the most. #contextclues. We had to teach our first lesson in chinese on friday. WHOA. Crazy, right? But it was amazing. 1. We were terrified, we seriously had nothing to go off of but this little orange book we got that has everything you need to know about talking about Jesus in chinese. So we really had to rely on the spirit and that was a blessing. We couldnt speak well but it was cool to rely on the spirit and really testify witht he words we knew. Then we come to Satrurdays lesson..........yeah. We got a little confident and it flopped. We ended up teaching the atonement, correction TRYING to teach the atonement. in chinese. the spirit just wasnt there and we were just chickens with our heads cut off trying to speak chinese. Doesnt really work..haha but today we have the opportunity to teach him again, I'll let you know.
 
Yesterday was the best sunday ever! I loved it. Relief society was all the sisters so like 1000 people haha ALOT. The primary general presidnet spoke and she was great. She talked all about Jesus Christ and really coming to know Him. He needs to be our best friend and we need to think and act and feel as He would, His name is on our name tag and women shi ta de diaobiao ( we are his representatives) Last night we watched a talk by Elder Bednar. Wo ai ta. (I love him) Look it up, its called "Character of Christ" It was amazing. It talks all about how we need to become fully converted unto the Lord. A testimony is not enough. And to do that is by turning out. We need to look beyond ourselves and constantly be concerned for others. I love this. I know that I need to turn outward. I need to be more selfless. At times I get frustrated because I cant understand and I cant speak and all that does is drive the spirit away. I need to be patient and love others so that the spirit will remain with me. I was struggling the other night and I jsut plead with the Lord for help. I cried. I know, it's happening. But then it came to me. This is supposed to be hard. It's supposed to be stressful and hard and emotionally draining because once we feel we cant do it anymore we then realize, I can do this, juts not alone. We need Christ in our lives. He will help us as long as we take the time to reach out to Him and ask for it. I love that concept it has helped alot.
Quick story about me crying more. Prayed...Cried. Relief society...cried. On our temple walk...cried. So we are walking to the temple yesterday and we ran into some sisters who are going to Ogden, Utah. I proceeded to tell them how I think theyre amazing and I'm so jealous they get to go to Utah and then I just started crying to these girls I dont even know about how they are speacial and that they are truly choice daughters of God to get called to such a place. It was weird. I'm pretty sure they all avoid me now because I'm THAT girl. haha It's okay though, I'm trying to accept the inevitable.
Well Thats about all the time I have! I love you! PLease send dear elders, letters, packages etc. I need the support, letters really help you keep going. Tamen shi fei zhen hao (You all are awesome!) Wo ai nimen (I love you all) Wo zhidao zhege jiao hui zhenshi de (I know this church is true) Stay wonderful.
Love, Sister Dahl (Dai Jiemai)
p.s. I see Leif every now and then, hes good. I see a girl from the institute all the time, Tory Wake. I've seen spancer katoa, Dani Ellis, and the girl that B knew in one of his areas plus a lot of others! It's super fun!
pps i'll send photos later!

2 weeks notice

     It's crazy to think that just 4 months ago I was nervously awaiting the arrival of a large white envelope from Salt Lake City, Utah that would reveal to me some of the greatest news I have ever received. August 7th seemed so far away and wow, it's only 14 days till I'm getting dropped off at the MTC, saying my last goodbyes to my parents and entering a new life.
    It's an interesting feeling. It has been such a roller coaster since March 18th when I received my call. I've doubted, jumped for joy, freaked out, felt blessed, been scared, but overall I've grown. It was important for me to have this time to prepare. Not only spiritually but emotionally. I've gone through every emotion in the book and now the time is here. For me to dig my heels in, rely on the Lord, and share His gospel with the world.
    I'm not saying it'll be easy because it won't. It is going to be SO hard but a good friend of mine said something to me that changed my perspective. He said, "Your mission is going to be hard, but it's the best kind of hard you will ever do" How true is that? It will be hard but it's a good hard. The hard that's worth it, the hard that gets you up every morning, the hard that allows you to contact a few more people, it's the hard that rewards more than any other thing you've done in your life. I know it will be hard but I wouldn't want it any other way.
    The best part about it is I don't have to do it alone. Christ will be with me, my father in heaven will be with me and the Holy Ghost will lead and guide me in all that I should do. This call to serve will forever change my life and forever effect the person I become and I couldn't be happier to serve at this time. Let's do this!

7 weeks left!!!

House of the Lord, Holiness to the Lord

   So it has been about a month and a half since I went through the temple for the first time. It was an experience that caused me to be filled with much anxiety. I know the temple is a wonderful place and I have been preparing my whole life to enter its walls and make covenants with my Heavenly Father but I was still nervous. I did not know what to expect and at times felt unworthy. Was I ready? Did I overlook something in my life? It was a difficult process.
   After much prayer, pondering, and a father's blessing, I realized that I was worthy. I was ready to enter the house of the Lord and receive those blessings. And that is exactly what it is, a blessing. Since going through the first time I have been back on four different occasions. The second time I attended was an amazing experience. I felt comfortable and felt like I could focus more on the spirit there and the individual I was representing because I had a better idea of what I was doing. It was a great reminder of the covenants I myself had recently made and gave me the desire to continually strive to keep those covenants.
   This past week I had the opportunity to attend the San Diego Temple and wow. What a magnificent place. The outside is incredible but the inside blew me away. I went to do a session while my friends did baptisms and I looked forward to the session. I was excited to sit in the celestial room on my own. I felt the spirit more that day in the temple than I had any other time and was surrounded by God's love for me. It felt amazing to know that I have a Heavenly Father that cares for me, His daughter, and the He is constantly looking out for me. The beauty within those walls was more compelling than anything I had seen, both physically and spiritually.
   It has been a blessing being able to return to the temple so many times before I report to my mission. I love doing the work of the Lord and spiritually growing every time I go. To serve Him and His children in this way allows me prepare to serve Him and His children full time for 18 months. This is the best way I can prepare and it has brought so much joy to my life. I encourage people everywhere to visit the temple and become worthy or remain worthy to enter its walls and feel the spirit inside. It will change your life and strengthen you in ways you never thought possible.

You're Speaking Chinese?!

So since I received the shocking, yet exciting, news that I would be speaking Mandarin Chinese on my mission I have gone through a series of emotions. First, it was complete and utter bewilderment. Did God really think I could speak Chinese, what was He thinking? There was no way. I was scared of the future and was uncomfortable thinking about the difficulty that would come with my language assignment. Much anxiety and fear filled my mind and I struggled for a long time with this, but I soon realized that my call is so inspired. Chinese really is the perfect language for me.
    Since that anxiety-filled time, I have learned quite a bit of Mandarin. I started with a free app on my phone that taught me numbers 1-20 then I was blessed with a neat opportunity. Two friends of mine, a married couple in my home ward, are taking a Mandarin Chinese class over the summer at ASU. They know the teacher, a return missionary who served in Australia speaking Mandarin, and they asked him if I could come and sit in on the class and he was fine with it. I was a little hesitant with this offer since ASU is forbidden territory (BEAR DOWN!!!) but I did my best to see past that and I am currently in the class. I am able to take the class free of charge but still do all the work and have been learning so much!
    It crazy to think that the gift of tongues is a real thing until you actually see it happening. The first day of class I was really overwhelmed. I sat there hearing all these sounds and repeating them back to the teacher and my mind wanted to explode. You can imagine how I felt the second day when we added tones to all these words! It was so foreign. I couldn't believe that in a few short months I would be in Vancouver teaching people in this odd language. But as the days went by I started to feel more comfortable with what was happening and what was being said. I did surprisingly well on the first two quizzes and even when I didn't think I got the right answer or said the right thing, I did! It's crazy how much I am able to retain already and how much I have in class as I learn.
    I know it seems crazy to take a Chinese class from 4:30-6:30pm Monday through Friday voluntarily but it is helping. I know that I'll learn all of that in the MTC in no time but it's comforting to be exposed to the language and learn so much about the people and the culture before I go. It's been such a blessing in my life being able to take this class and I can't wait to take it all through June. Now that I am speaking and reading and writing this language it doesn't seem so scary anymore. I am getting more and more excited to serve a mission. Only 67 more days till I report! Can't wait!