Week 53 & 54 News from Sachse, Texas!

It was really sad saying goodbye to the Durrants. They are both so amazing! I can't believe how much they have sacrificed for us. I will miss them so much!!

Tj is basically the big brother I never had but always will have now. He's incredible! And I couldn't ask for anyone better than Kaycee to spend forever with him. 

I love these funny pictures! This is just their families. 

Nothing like a trunky, kissing picture at the temple!

Week 54-

Wow everyone, I can't believe it's already the last week of the transfer. This is the first time I'm not really anxious for transfer news. At this point, I really just want to be where Lord wants me to be. Where He thinks I can make a difference. Whether that be here or somewhere else, we'll find out.

It was a great week in Sachse! We taught more lessons this week than we ever have here, I'm pretty sure. It felt great. Of course, we still had time for a ton of tracting. By the way I have like 15 mosquito bites! And yes, I spray bug spray every day! My companion doesn't even have 1. I guess I need more trials in my life or something-haha. I feel like I've been in the refiner's fire for 6 months. It's been hard, but the results are great.

This week has been super 'filipino'. Every where we go we seem to run into Filipinos- it's been so great! Sister Reboquio is going to be able to touch so many lives! One of the members in our ward-Sister Anderson- is like my Sachse mom. She is literally just like my real mom, it's weird. She is good friends with her sons' former teacher who happens to be Filipina. We had dinner with them twice this week! I've been eating so much Asian food. It's all really good though and I know Sister Reboquio loves speaking her language and sharing in their culture.

Jacob is doing just amazing. I love him! He's like an uncle to me. I can't wait to go to the Holy lands with him someday. It's so nice having connections!

Alisha is also doing really well. She is so strong.

Esmirna is feeling a little pressured, so please pray for her.

Speaking of baptisms I sang at TWO on Saturday! One of God's tender mercies to me.. being able to sing nearly every week of my mission. I love it!

Don't have a ton of time today, sorry. But know I'm working hard and loving it! Even the weather hasn't been that bad yet. Just the bugs. Well I sure love yall a lot!

-Sister Dalling

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Week 53-

My wonderful Family and Friends,

I had a great week! Lots of hard work and roller coaster of emotions, but as always it's been amazing.

There's a lot to cover with not much time, so sorry if I don't get everything!

Monday- We found a new investigator who just let us in. He's quite the person. I haven't met anyone like him yet. He grew up Christian but then later on got so confused by all the religions he kind of just set it all aside. He is so much confused by it all now so much that he doesn't even know if he's a Christian. He says there's just so much out there and it's impossible to prove any of it as THE truth because we all claim to have the truth. It's going to be an interesting process teaching him. He doesn't like when we say 'I know these things are true or I know...etc'. But I do know it! So it's impossible not to say those words.

Wednesday- Singing at the Spanish Specialized was fun even though we didn't understand any of it. I still can't believe President Durrant asked me to tour the mission with him for these trainings. It was such a great experience sharing his testimony through the song I sang. We also taught Jacob again. He's doing so great. He says he knows this church is true! He is such a testimony to me..of prophecy being fulfilled, of intellect and faith, of the Book of Mormon, etc. He is studying that book backwards and forwards because he's thirsting for knowledge of the gospel. He's truly feasting upon the words of Christ. We love him!

Thursday- We literally tracted all day. Usually this is our planning day, but we both felt that since we were spending so much time in specialized trainings, we were just going to plan in any of our down time such as lunch/dinner/inthecar. I'm super lucky I have such a great companion who loves to work and have fun. Tracting would be pretty awful otherwise. We always meet really interesting people. I love Texans. I hate mosquitos.

Friday- This was a great day. We got to see everyone at the last Specialized. It was really sad saying goodbye to the Durrants. They are both so amazing! I can't believe how much they have sacrificed for us. I love how anyone can easily see their priorities: God then family. I'll miss them so much! Later that night we went to a 'movie night' our district put together for investigators and members. We watched the Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration video. Esmirna and her family came. It was a great experience EXCEPT Satan had to throw in his efforts. The fire alarm was going off the entire time and nobody could turn it off. Everyone still stayed and watched the whole thing though, so it turned out alright.

Saturday- I probably had the best few hours of my entire mission on Saturday. Tj and Kaycee Michalow were sealed June 21 at 1pm. It was such a spiritual experience. It made me really excited to get married someday to be honest! It's such a beautiful thing to know that marriage is eternal. They looked so happy. There were many tears. So many people I didn't even know thanked me for my hand in it. Kaycee thanked me for following the spirit and serving because eternal families is our entire goal as missionaries. Even though I feel I was just lucky to be there at the right time and place, it was so amazing seeing the highest rewards of missionary efforts. It makes every second worth it. Every rejection, every meal skipped, every sleepless night, every tear shed, every sweat drop, every prayer of plea worth it.

Sunday- We had a great lesson with a less active sister, Sister Gonzales. She has a lot of health issues which is mostly why she doesn't come to church. She has a strong testimony. We all ended up crying when she said no matter what she does she knows God loves her because every time she needs someone, we show up at her door within 24 hours. I can't tell you enough about how important it is to follow the spirit. And she committed to come to church next week no matter what.

We also stayed in the zone leader's ward to hear Elder Munday's last testimony before he left for medical testing. I feel so extremely lucky to have spent the last 6 months in this zone with this incredible elder. Anyone else would have gone home long ago. He's an amazing example of serving God to the end. This is a pretty scary trial to go through but he's facing it with faith and confidence that God's plan will prevail. Keep him in your prayers please.

Well that was my week! Quite the roller coaster right? Wow, I love my mission!!

Trying not to think about all the crazy decisions I have to make for after my mission, but there's no avoiding it.

Love all y'all and each y'all!

Sissy Dalling

Write ME!

Sister Kristina Dalling

6360 Murphy Rd.
#123
Sachse, TX 75048

or email:

kristina.dalling@myldsmail.net

Week of the Infestation of Blessings and Trials (Week 45 Update from Sachse, Texas)

The Gladys Knight Concert was so AMAZING!

It's been kind of a crazy week, so I'll try to cover most of it!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! We've had a lot of Mexican food this week because everyone found out Sister Reboquio hadn't had it before. So we're prepared to have a very Tex-Mex holiday today. 

I don't even know where to begin! I've been pretty overwhelmed with so many ups and downs. Sachse is definitely turning out to be a growth period in my life. 

Monday- My birthday was just so great! Of course you already heard about most of it and all that my family did. Then Joakim's family gave me a true birthday party! It was the best! There was chocolate cake, a huge teddy bear, and an awesome card everybody signed. And Joakim sang happy birthday in Norwegian. I feel so loved! We also had a family home evening (FHE) with the Sanchez family. I stole my parents Tree of Life idea and we did it with them. The kids loved it! We made a 'rod of iron' out of string and it led to the 'fruit of the tree of life' or candy. We blind folded them and we pretended to be the adversary to get them to let go. Brother Sanchez went first since Lehi went first to lead his family down the path. It was so powerful.  The kids loved it! Thanks mom and dad for being such great parents! Keep those FHE's going. 

Tuesday- we have this new investigator who is progressing pretty well. She hasn't come to church yet and we haven't taught her family yet, but you can tell there is sincere desire to know. She is a tender mercy! We've been praying so hard for someone like her. We also met with a "less active" couple, but you wouldn't know it because their testimonies are still strong. Anyways, we had a great conversation about blessings and miracles in our lives' and the mother shared an experience about doing her father's temple work since she is a convert. Then my companion started tearing up and told us about how her father's work hasn't been done either. She's the only one in her family who can do it since she is the most active. She didn't know she could do it on her mission, but I told her it would happen no matter what. So we called President Durrant and got permission. We asked Joakim to perform the baptism for her father. This week or the next we are going to have the baptism of Brother Reboquio who died 18 years ago. It was such an incredible, spiritual experience. And we have both felt his presence. We know he is ready and excited. I'm so grateful for the temple! 

Thursday- We had a great lesson with Joakim about the priesthood. So exciting! I also had to get a ton more allergy medicine because Texas is crazy and it kills me. It affects my whole body and there is no medication that is strong enough. But life goes on! I just won't be able to properly breathe for a couple of months. 

Friday- I don't remember what day this happened, but we helped the Arrevalo's paint the entire inside of their garage. That was fun and a good experience. We also ended up talking with two Jehovah's Witness' for about an hour. Technically they are new investigators, but we are mostly just trying to understand the others' beliefs. It will be interesting! Who knows, they could feel the Spirit testify to them this message is true! We've been working so hard though, tracting at least 4 hours almost every day. We've talked to over 200 people and haven't had very much luck, so that kind of got me down for a couple of days. But I've been learning and realizing a lot about what true success is. Again. God is so patient with me. I keep having to learn this lesson. He knows it's a hard one for me, but He also knows, better than I do, that I can get through it. 

Saturday- It was a truly beautiful day, but for whatever reason this is when the stress just piled up. It was a hard day, but we are getting through it! My companion is so incredible, strong, and patient. I love her example. So our fridge stopped working (it's still not fixed today even though apt management was supposed to fix it 2 days ago), all of our food spoiled, we have an ant infestation now in our kitchen, a lot of people who were going to attend Gladys Knight's fireside cancelled, I have 7 mosquito bites, etc. The list could go on and on I assure you, BUT I'm growing a lot. It's ok. I've been doing a lot of study and prayer. God is making me very strong for my life and family ahead. I know I need all of these experiences, but He has a lot more faith in me than I do. I'm sure that's true with everyone. When I do a deep study about something like that, I get very deep and dramatic- haha. I'm sure someone will be able to benefit from my answers I've received though. In my journal some of my thoughts were pretty profound looking back so I thought I should share them: God needs me. I came to Earth to become who I need to be. That is my responsibility, I will respond. I can't give up. I want to live so He can trust me, I want my heart to be like His. I believe in Christ, so come what may. John 16:33- "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I [Christ] have overcome the world." "Hold on, child of God. Keep believing. Don't quit. Don't give up. Let God do His work in you. The greatest tragedy is to miss what God wants to teach us through our troubles"-march ensign "The future is as bright as your faith.""Our Heavenly Father, who gives us so much to delight in, also knows that we learn and grow to become stronger as we face and survive the trials through which we must pass.. Such difficulties allow us to change for the better, to rebuild our lives in the way our Heavenly Father teaches us, and to become something different from what we were- better than we were, more understanding than we were, with stronger testimonies than we had before." President Thomas S. Monson

I can testify of the truthfulness of all of that. Even though my trials are so small right now, I'm grateful I was able to have some insight on the subject. God has revealed so many amazing things to me. 

Sunday- Church was great as always! Joakim is going to bless the sacrament next week! And it was the anniversary of my baptism 12 years ago! That was a pretty special realization. And we went to Gladys Knight with Joakim, Meggie, Laura, and their friend Joshua. I also got to see Sister Stephenson! It was such an amazing fireside. Sister Knight's husband bore his testimony as well, and wow. His testimony and witness was so powerful. Music is the most incredible thing. It truly breaks all boundaries of culture or color. I know everyone there felt the Spirit. I hope I can share my testimony that strongly through music. She is truly a powerful tool in God's hands. 

So I hope my week can give you a spiritual boost as well. I've definitely felt the Spirit so strongly each day. I am so blessed! Even after spraying, killing, and scrubbing our disgusting fridge for an hour, even after all of our food went to waste, even after all of my itchy bites, stuffy nose, and watery eyes, I am SO blessed. Literally, God spoils me. Thank y'all for reading! May you feel God's hand in your life each day. 

Love,

Sister Kristina Dalling

p.s. I am a Christian. :)

p.p.s. there will be pictures next week! We took lots of blue bonnets and of my birthday, I just forgot my camera!

#7moremonthsnextweek