Finally... A REAL Missionary

"Well hello everyone- I survived my first week as an actual missionary. Its been a really long week but its been good... Pilarzinho is EXTREMELY hilly, (I have discovered) and I have done A LOT of walking this week. I think I've lost at least 5 pounds this week. I've been getting to know my area more so now I know my way around better..."

Dallin has been a "real missionary" for a week now and he is loving it. He has been keeping busy with meetings, working with the members, teaching investigators, and trying not to freeze.

"You know how they say Curitiba is chilly? They weren't exaggerating. It is FREEZING right now, and nobody heats their houses so we don't really have any place to escape the cold...I am really enjoying my big fleece missionary jacket right now."

Dallin says his area, Pilarzinho, is a little different than what he expected. There can be a very well-off neighborhood with a run-down neighborhood right next to it. He said that there are lots of bars in the area which means that people like to party and struggle with living the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity.

"My Português is improving. I am getting better at understanding what everyone is saying, but I'm still having a hard time forming my thoughts into Português..."

"Our ward here is AWESOME- they really support the missionary work, which makes life much easier. The sisters always feed us lunch, and we get a lot of diviçãos (splits) with the Elders Quorum."

"Right now, were focusing on a man named H who will be baptized on the 15th and then we are teaching a really cool family: S e W. We got them to come to church this week and they really enjoyed it. They're responding well to all the lessons we teach them so our hopes are high. Also, we've been working hard at trying to support the ward members. There's this family, A e M, whose son has drug problems so were trying to give them support. We are trying to get this less-active family, R e L, to come to church. Satan has really turned out all the stops trying to ruin their lives and were trying to help give them support with all their problems and get them to come back to church..."

Dallin says that he had no idea he would have so many meetings to go to as a missionary (district meeting, meeting with the Ward Council and Ward Missionary Coordinator, weekly planning, church, etc.) He says that there are way more meetings than he expected but he is enjoying them all.

"Know I'm doing well and I'm working hard- we're not having too much success right now but we will keep at it."