I am over in Hayden Idaho now! I've been there for like 3 weeks and it's so different from the rest of the mission. The members absolutely LOVE us! We get fed every single day and sometimes more. The youth are incredible and it's super super beautiful up here.
Buttttt, door to door, talking to people outside, and pretty much all the standard missionary work does not work here at all. The only people that have been baptized here since the wards were created were found through the members, ever! It's crazy, we can sorta find people to teach talking outside but none of them go anywhere because it's a very rich area. Everyone's super comfortable.
So we focus hardcore on the members because they are super respected out here by the rest of the community. We go to youth night, jump rope with the kids, play pickleball, visit the priests at work, anything to build trust with the members. If they trust us and think we're cool then they are way more comfortable following through with our invitations to invite their friends to events!
Laker is 12. She is the best missionary I have ever met. We are teaching 4 of her friends and yesterday she just asked her friend if she wanted to be baptized and she said yes! She is so cool.
Reflection moment:
I'm realizing more and more that the mission is way more important than I've realized in the past. It's changing me to become the best person I can be. It's changing the lives of those I talk to literally forever which is absolutely crazy. The purpose of the mission is to learn to constantly rely on Jesus Christ always for the rest of your life. And as you do that, others will come to know Jesus as well!
Sorry I've been awful at writing!
Love you all!
~ Elder Dahl
