That is a great idear Mom!

Dear Friends of Elder Dahlberg,
Sorry I'm a bit late this week, but here you go...  I sent Drew some pictures I copied from Tori's Facebook page and he answered, "thanks for the pictures. THAT IS A GREAT IDEAR MOM! copying pictures off of facebook and sending them to me. I like that. Tori looks like she is living the californian dream. The teenage girls here dont look that happy. haha most of them are wrapped up in huge coats trying to keep themselves from freezing."

Of course, I replied, "A great Idear??  haha"

"im trying to get my Mainer accent down. I know that if i keep doing that it will eventually be engrained into my head and i will forever talk like a Mainer. haha isnt that funny? Thats how they talk. If a word ends in an a. Examples: Garcia, pizza, sofa, They will be said like this: Garciar, pizzar, and sofer. haha its quite funny. I'm trying to pick it up. ill start sending pictures that i took this week."

I'm getting to be better buddies with elder dean. We have a lot in common and we both love to exercise so that's also good.

Elders Dean and Dahlberg  (nice ring to it, eh?)

Elder Dean as a mobster??

   

     Okay so this past week has been sorta dry with lessons taught... A lot of people we normally try to teach either haven't been home or just weren't available so we tried our best. A lot of our missionary efforts recently have been on finding Less-active people in our ward. We have been going down the ward list and trying to contact those people we don't know. Most of the time they don't answer the door or they moved and no longer live at that address. So pretty much we are like detectives trying to find out all this information about the person that we have never seen or met. We actually made contact with a couple of the less actives and 1 of them said he knows where the church is and he will contact them when he needs them and the other felt ashamed that she hadn't been coming to church. We invited her to come and she didn't but hey we at least made contact with her. Other than that we have been going over potential investigators and formers. So far i have yet to find a new solid investigator that has interest in learning more about the church. People aren't even interested in learning about God in general.. Its kinda sad but whatever its their choice. not mine. 

     Some highlights that happened this week was on Timmy's birthday I made a peach cobbler with the help of Elder Dean and Sister Youland. (She did most if not all of it, i just did the eating) And that morning elder dean and I bundled up and went running to the local donut shop for a donut. It was 0 degrees outside while we were running and i could definitely feel it. 

Let's go run in Zero degree weather!

Happy Birthday to Timmy!

     We volunteer at a food pantry on Fridays where we are told to do all the heavy lifting and stocking of the shelves. Stocking cans of vegetables/sauce/spaghetti/cereal/tuna/canned soups/etc. The 'boss' named P**** really appreciates that we come by and volunteer. at the end of our time there she usually sneaks us a snack or bread or something. This time she snuck us an invitation to her house to eat dinner on Thursday. She told us that she had had the elders over at her house when she was little and the reason they came over is because her father had offered them a home cooked meal once a week and that the door was open for the elders to come over. And knowing elders, i bet they didn't miss 1 week of those free meals. So she has had some experience with missionaries in the past and she is just extending a hand of friendship to us by offering us dinner. So we hope all goes well there. 

     I don't have any updates on Jay this week. But Alex didn't come to church this Sunday and he didn't come to Book of Mormon class that we hold on Wednesdays. We are kind of left in the dark with him. He is so solid in terms of Spirituality. Just he is technically homeless so he is bouncing from home to home and living off of others.. We will try and see whats up with him this week. We do have an update on P**** B*****, (guy with the dog) <---- that is funny because almost every single man here in New England has a dog by his side. talk about mans best friend :) Anyways P**** under went a heart bypass surgery because he had 5 blockages in his heart. In the surgery they almost lost him twice and during the operation he had entered into a coma for 70 minutes. In the end the surgery was successful and he had returned home after being in the hospital for 7 days. We called him last Friday at 10am  and he answered and said we could come over at 2pm. So we walked all the way over there and he wasn't home when he said he would be. We thought it was strange and returned to home/ wherever we went after. The next day we stop by to check up on him and his sister was home and she told us he had a stroke and returned to the hospital and is in critical condition. So as of right now we know P**** is in Cmmc in lewiston and we sent missionaries over there to give him a blessing or to just see how he is doing. We hope for the best. 

     Other news. this past Sunday, yesterday, i gave my first big man talk. It was a 15 min talk on the subject of 'Feelings' A one word subject, but i rocked it. i would tell you what i talked about but i don't have time to write it all. For short i talked about feeling the Holy ghost in your day to day life. 

     That is all the info i have for this week. If you are wondering how i am doing with Elder Dean, we are having fun playing ice soccer. While walking we can kick ice chunks around and if you make it between the other Elders legs than its a goal. We are tied I think. Haha we also throw snowballs at each other and i now know that i have a use for my 12 years of baseball. Snowballs make perfect baseballs. I aim at signs and i hit them almost every time i try. Thanks to the support and some other info is we will be moving out of our crappy apartment to 54 office drive on February 14. Its still unofficial but this Wednesday we will find out if its official or not because the apartment manager for the missionaries is coming up to check it out. So hopefully he does because this apartment is nice! I hope we get it! 

Oh and if you are wondering if i want anything for my birthday? Probably a picture book or a collage of our families adventures through the years. Elder Dean has one and it is wicked cool. They did it through some website or something. Idk what site but that's what i want. :) Love you mom and keep on steppin! 

Mom's note:  His birthday is February 17th if anyone cares to send him a card...

Keep those emails coming!  He loves to read them!

Good bye Elder Lund, Hello Elder Dean

Elder Lund gets transferred.

Elder Lund and his trained missionary

Elder Lund went to Laconia New Hampshire.  He will be a Zone Leader.




Most of the missionaries who are being transferred go to Manchester and then get told where to go from there. So its pretty crazy after the meeting cause people are trying to get their luggage and go with a new companion to a new area. Pretty crazy.

Elder Dahlberg's "homie" from the MTC, Elder Jensen

     Okay so this week I got a whole new companion. his name is Elder Dean. He is from Georgia and he is going to be an orthodontist after his mission. Elder Lund got sent to Laconia, New Hampshire.  I have no idea where that is but he will do an awesome job there I'm sure of it. On Thursday we had a zone meeting where we got to meet our zone and talk about the strengths and weaknesses of our areas. We had a weakness of new investigators which was the same weakness for all 7 other areas haha. So we are trying to get people interested, they just need to choose to listen. Agency...... 

                                                                                                                                        

Elders Dahlberg and Dean 

Popham State Beach

 After zone meeting Elder Dean and I went with the Youland's to Fort Popham State Beach and I finally got to see the Atlantic ocean go off into the horizon. It was a cool sight. I tried to get a picture but the camera can't capture the awesomeness of that moment. I ran my fingers through the sand and it took my back to running on the beach headed for the surf.

    

     On Saturday there was a ward activity at roller world and even though we weren't allowed to go roller blading, we still went and we brought the entire Borges family and then they invited their friends and it was awesome because they all came and were bonding with the ward. 

     On Sunday.. we were informed that Alex didn't need to be picked up because he had an appointment with the doctor and that he would come to church after. Turns out we didn't see that Louisiana man all day on Sunday. He stood us up and now he is no longer able to be baptized on the 2nd of February. We aren't forcing him to be baptized and he knows that. We are just trying to help him the best we can and be the best help possible. 

     On Sunday we were also informed that the Jones family is leaving. They are the ward mission leader and they were awesome. They are moving to Draper, Utah and left that same day... 

     Pete B**** went in for his 5 vein blockages in his heart. He had a 5 heart bypass surgery on Thursday and we don't know how that went.. We hope all is well but you never know with open heart surgeries. 

     The  Sisters had a baptism on Sunday.  He was the father of a part member family.

    Yesterday it snowed a lot and it was a wet snow so it stuck to everything. 

The snow stuck in my hair!

Look at the stop sign!

      I am still adjusting to a new companion and the downs of being a missionary. I am still confident i just am having a hard time with day to day operations. I love hearing the answer to a question i was asked by a missionary during my first month on the mission. I got asked 

"What is the happiest moment of your life" 

At the time i had no idea how to answer it and i still have a hard time answering it. But I would love to hear what your answer is to this question. This question is for all who read my blog....

Mormon or not. Boy or girl. Black or white. Human or alien. haha 

Wish me a good week this week. :)

Hmmm, emails would probably be welcome!! (Says Mom...)

Baptisms!!!! Yay!!

This is the elders in our district. 

This past Saturday we attended their baptisms. 

They had 2!

Elders Dahlberg, Lund, Dally, and Swalberg

     This week in the mission, I reached my 3 month mark on my mission. I feel like that number is significant because it now means i am no longer considered a "New Missionary" but it also means that i have over 10% of my mission done already. Its crazy to think about time and how fast and slow it moves. But mostly fast. Its only slow when your walking over a bridge at -5 degrees outside with 25 mph winds blowing -30 degree wind at you and you have to walk backwards so your face doesn't freeze off. 

     Anyways this week in the mission On Tuesday we were asked by a member of the ward to come over and talk about the sacrifices we are making on the mission so that he could influence the kid that we were normal people. The member, Brother C*** H****, is a legal guardian of a 13 year old boy named C*** (nonmember). So we were over there and we talked about the mission, our purpose, what we do everyday, and our budget, where we live, etc. We started talking about service and little C*** really enjoyed that aspect of missionary work. He liked that we are out here to do good and expect nothing in return. So this next Tuesday we are going back to talk to him about the restoration of the Gospel and the service that Joseph Smith did for the church. 

     Alex, our Louisiannian, didn't come to church on Sunday... On Wednesday we met with him and reaffirmed our baptismal date with him for Feb 2nd and he was very committed to it. He told us whenever he goes to "Da Shelter" he has a smile on his face and people mob him because he looks so happy. He told us that he gets selfish of us because we are his missionaries and we are to help him. we told him to share the gospel because that's what Jesus Christ would do so we will see if he actually does it or not. But atm Alex cannot get baptized on Feb 2 because he needs to come to church 3 weeks in a row and it could still happen but we aren't going to force the baptism on him. 

    We met with P*** B*** ( the man with the dog) this week and we talked to him about the restoration of the gospel and Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. P*** cannot read or write and he isn't super smart so we are taking baby steps with him. He came to church this Sunday which was awesome because he hadn't been to church in over 20 years. Cool fact: P*** was baptized in the Topsham chapel (This is the building they meet in...) by Bro. Rona, a member who still attends the Topsham ward.  On Sunday they met up and talked so that was very good for P*** to see him. 

     On Saturday we walked down to the ship yard where Jay (the soup kitchen guy) volunteers to help build a wooden ship called the Virginia. We talked with him and than the conversations shifted towards Jay talking about "how he is hoping he is doing God's work by helping volunteer and stuff." I than shared Mosiah 2:17 with him. (MOM THOSE SCRIPTURE MASTERY CARDS WORKED) As i talked with him about that scripture he wanted to know where it came from so elder lund pulled out his book of Mormon and showed him. Jay than asked for a copy. So this morning, Monday morning we walked down to the soup kitchen and gave him a hard covered Book of Mormon with Elder Lund's testimony in it. It was awesome giving it to him because he was speechless and he had a tear starting to build up in his eye. That also was the Last time elder lund was ever going to see him because both of us are going down to Manchester NH tomorrow for transfer meeting. 

Jay with the ship "Virginia".  "The most humble man I know."

     Elder Lund and I's last final day together is today. By tomorrow around 11 am i will have a completely new companion because Elder Lund is now a zone leader and we are guessing he is going somewhere in Vermont or New Hampshire. I hope my new companion and I get along. That is what i hope for. So we will see. 

     Elder Swalberg and his companion had 2 baptisms on Saturday. I was one of the witnesses for both of them. That was cool being that.  One was one of the ladies elder Swalberg and i taught while I was on an exchange and i take some pride in knowing i helped get her baptized  and change her life to follow Our Savior Jesus Christ.  Her name is K***. We taught her the restoration and about Joseph smith and the first vision. (AKA-The first lesson) And the baptism at the rec was a man named N***. He is 83 years old and he is a big feller. 300+pounds and he cant walk without either a wheel chair by his side or a walker. Norm had been investigating the church for about 6 years. Consistently. Not on and off. So this was a big baptism. (literally and figuratively)

      I joke around a lot here on the mission and i like to keep everyone on their toes, but i know that this work is serious and that we need to be examples of Christ. I love being able to put on this black name tag  that says ELDER DAHLBERG and then right under it, it says JESUS CHRIST. I love being a representative of Him and His gospel. I am 3 months in and i am ready to bring the best that I've got for these next 21 months. Here I go!

One of the baptisms was at a rec center and we couldn't wear shoes on the pool deck so that explains the no shoes. and then elder lund had to hold me back because I was going to jump in. 

Looks like fun!

Now we're talkin'!

Ok, then how about YOU go in!

No Elder!  You can't go in!

                                         

More interesting Maine stuff...
these are pictures of the edges of the rivers here in Maine. its all cracked ice from the extreme tides. Some days the tides are crazy high and then it goes super low which results in ice chunks laying all over the place.

Elder Fudd?

 Sis youland also took us to a store called big ALs. it was a huge store of junk/cool items as you can see in the picture.

See you next week!

Elder Dahlberg finds new "tubes".

This is Elder Dahlberg at his finest. And yes my tongue did get stuck. 

This is Elder Dahlberg trying to find a tube in Maine!

Dear Friends and Family,
Sorry it took me a while to get this up... trying to get back to normal after the holidays isn't always easy...  Anyway, here you go.  Here are some pictures of that crazy missionary!

     "Okay so this week has been one of the slowest ones of my mission. I am not sure why it moves so slowly but it may have to do with the weather reaching to -20 degrees and Elder Lund and I having to stay inside our apartment for hours on end. On Thursday our mission president issued a mission wide vehicle grounding where we couldn't drive anywhere because of the blizzard that hit. I thought that blizzards were ferocious and crazy but this one was semi calm and snow was just consistently falling all day. 

     Well to change things up a little bit. I ended up spending new years in Bath with a zone leader named Elder Parsons. i couldn't go to Winthrop because i didn't have driving privileges and neither did the other elder so we had to make due. I spent new years in the apartment and didn't stay up till mid night...... It was strange but the time to party is for after my mission, not during. 

     So for the New year our mission is implementing a scripture memorization program where we are to memorize a different scripture everyday so that by the end of the year we will have a photographic memory. At first i was not so into it but after memorizing a couple of scriptures and realizing it can be a competition between missionaries i started to get into it.  

     Our transfer ends on January 12th. I am pretty sure i will get to stay in my area but you never know. i think Elder Lund will be sent somewhere else and that will be sad because we get along so well together and than i will have to learn to cope with a different companion. Well change is usually for the better so i will keep my hopes up. This week in -20 weather Elder Lund and I walked all the way to Sis Youland's house where she was mad at us for walking there and ends up her husband wasn't home just yet so we stayed outside in the cold because we aren't allowed to be inside without another male 18 years or older. Sis Youland gave us hot chocolate and banana bread so it wasn't all that bad. 

That is what Elder Lund and I were wearing during the -20 degree day that we walked to the Youlands. haha so cold my snot froze inside my nose.

     A funny experience happened this Tuesday when we were volunteering at a local soup kitchen and we were in the back washing dishes. We were just wiping away and trying to get as much done before another pile got loaded up, when a guy walks in and yells "Hows your prophet doing?" I turned and told him "I haven't ever met him but i think he is doing pretty good." He then looks at me like i should know him and than walks away. Then returns and told us his name is T***** and that he wants a triple combination from us. We did have one on us but this Tuesday we told him to come back to that exact spot at that exact same time and we will be there with a triple combination for him. He agreed.

 

     Also the man we met with the dog named Pete B**** never came to church and after church we headed to his house to see why, but he wasn't there. Elder Lund and I looked at each other like, Okay a guy who cant read or write, who has eye cataracts, and 5 clogging vessels in his heart. Where is this guy at. We are still in wonder as to where he is. We feel he may have just gone out on an errand or something. We will keep trying to stop by because this guy really wants to come back to church and we can help him with that. I found that on fast Sundays it is easier to fast for someone other than yourself. I feel that is a much better way to fast and i got a lot more out of it than if i were to be fasting for myself. 

This is frost on a window (in case you couldn't tell!)

This is what Maine looks like 99% of the time.

A pretty sunset

Words of Elder Dahlberg to the MM2 Ward

"Thank you for being such a supportive ward in helping me become a missionary.  I want to especially say thank you to The Oldners for magnifying their callings to the fullest and going out of their way to help me learn about the Gospel and about Life. I also want to thank the Harrells, the Dean's, The Sensenbaughs, The Noltes, The Alders, The Reinfleschs, and Everyone else in the ward! I know it took 18 years but hey, in the end i at least learned how to put a black nametag on my white shirt pocket. So that's progress isn't it? Love you all"