July 28

This week we were really busy volunteering at the North American Indigenous Games! It was super fun and met a lot of really good people, and lots of less active members there. We spent a lot of our time at the First Nations University of Canada and a few other places doing access control and helping moving things around and also we got to be the ones manning the penalty box at one of the lacrosse games, which was really neat. I had never seen a lacrosse game before in my life. All people do is run around and hit each-other with a lacrosse stick and get really mad when they got penalties, but a very interesting game nonetheless. Other than that, we had a really good lesson with H and X this week when I was on exchanges and met a few other people. We had some good experiences with a new man who we are teaching  has committed to be baptized. He is super great. Over all it was a really good week and we were able to have a really good discussion with E as well! Also had a really good ward picnic and had over 20 non-members there. The missionaries in my Zone have been doing really well! 

But I love you all you take care mom! 

-Love Elder Shane Dola

Volunteering at the North American Indigenous Games!

First Nations University of Canada

Triple King Challenge

Burger before

Burger after

Fatburger Triple King Challenge Winners

July 21

This week was pretty hectic and we did tons of service! We also drove over 1000K's this week. We didn't get too much missionary work done, which was too bad, but we were able to do a lot of service and we had a lot of fun!

Monday we had our P-day and taught a lesson to B with President Burgess of the Temple presidency who used to be of the same faith that B is. That was a super great lesson and President Burgess was great fellowship he basically just taught the whole thing! Was super spiritual lesson and experience as we were also able to give a church tour! Later that night we went over to Brother Crebas' and he bought us Pizza and then we took him out with us to some teaching appointments which fell through, so he took us and bought us icecream at Milky Way which was super good.

Tuesday we had district meeting and had to plan for the new transfer and made a transfer calendar and sorted out a lot of Former investigators to visit, had dinner and then we stopped by a ton of them and tracted for a while.

Wednesday we were on exchanges and Elder Wallace and I were able to help out Brother S take a new stove back to his home in Sedley then he gave us money to go to A&W, which was great. We did our online proselyting which sucks... then we visited C and had a good discussion with him and he is doing great! Then had a really good dinner with Ali'i Lafontaine and a ton of his family. Following that we had to go to the orientation for the North American Indigenous Games which was bore-some and took up the rest of our night

Thursday we went on exchanges again and started our day doing more service for Ranch Ehrlo Society and we were able to go and help do some yard work for some less fortunate low income homes. Then we did online and then we stopped by a referral for a former Saskatchewan Rough Rider  but he doesn't live there anymore so we will have to find him elsewhere. We then visited E, who has been less active for over 20 years. But we had a really good experience with him. I was able to get through to him and help him see the importance of Church and the spirit was so strong. He really appreciated that. It was really good. Following that we had dinner with the K’s, which was really good, and then we stopped by the hospital and experienced something I never want to again. Then we visited a few other people, came home, did some 12 week training, then we exchanged back.

Friday we went over and destroyed Brother Salahubs shed and then we spent the rest of the day driving to Swift Current picking up furniture from an apartment that was closed and loaded it in our truck very well. We drove back, unloaded it,  and that took all of our day. 

Saturday was super great. We got the privilege to go to Carry the Kettle First Nation and helped the members and Senior Couple there put on a breakfast for the community since it was the POW WOW. Last year they had about 60 people and this year we had over 165 people. It was a great success. We got to meet tons of great people and had a good time. Then we went and Elder Bruns gave us a tour of the reserve and showed us where we might be living if we get to open up the area. Then we went to the Pow Wow, which was super neat. It was a really fun time, and we got to meet tons of members and non members and had some really great conversations with tons of people out there and got to enjoy some good Bannock burgers and other food. Then we came back into town. I had a huge headache.

Sunday we had church and B told us the church wasn't for him but we still had a good sacrament meeting and received a new investigator who came to all three hours and is super solid. We are going to meet with him today hopefully. Then we had lunch and visited tons of people the rest of the day. We received a new investigator named M from Croatia, which was super good. He investigated the church previously and really wants to come to church. Then we took indicators and that was it.

This week is also going to be super busy as we have the North American Indigenous Games all week and also, we might be volunteering at the Rough Riders Game this Friday, so it's going to be another long week!

But it sounds like you had a pretty good week! I love you, take care!

-Love Elder Shane Dola

Now that's pretty close to home!

July 14

Not too much happened this week:

Monday we had p-day and I found a $300 side bag so I bought it is really nice and part of it is made out of genuine leather, so yeah it was great because I found it at Marshalls and it was only 59.99 so I saved a lot of money on that! After that we had dinner with the C's and helped a family in our ward move and then played basketball with the YSA had a few non-members come out which was good.

Tuesday we had district meeting. After that we helped that same family take another load of stuff to their new house. Then I don’t remember what happened but I know we were busy.

Wednesday we had another district meeting, saw a few other people, and went out to Sedley and helped brother S take a few loads of garbage out to the local dump. Then we came back into town and transfer people started coming in so we sent them all off to their billets and then we realized that Elder Petersen left the phone way out in Sedley and that was when we needed it the most, but we managed to get everything sorted out.

Thursday we got up bright and early, at 4:40, to make sure we were at the church before everyone arrived at 5:30 only to get there and everyone was already there and had arrived at like 4:40. They thought they were supposed to be there at 5:00 but no one could get a hold of us because we didn’t have our phone! So some people were a little upset but I thought it was kind of funny and they got over it! :) After that we spent the day in a tripanionship with Elder Long and just went about our day and helped brother K take some trees to the dump and were busy the rest of the day.

Friday we got up and had more missionaries come in from the second wave of transfers and then even more around 1:30 so we sent them off and had to go up to Saskatoon to take luggage up there, so that was inconvenient but we had to do it!

Saturday we helped doctor C weed his jungle and were busy sorting our other things for the upcoming transfer and had a few good appointments. H took down his inappropriate Anime pictures after he prayed and X has been doing really well too! His whole countenance has changed and he is just over all happier! Met some new people later on.

Sunday I decided I should probably write my talk. Then we had breakfast and a coordination meeting with our ward mission leader at his house and then went to church, gave our talks, and visited C, who is doing great! We had a dinner appointment with some great members from Edmonton, stopped by a few others, took indicators and that was our week.

This week after transfers is hopefully going to be a lot better. We have some great service opportunities and 9 baptisms scheduled

in my Zone this month so that is great!

Love you very much, you take care and have a great week!

-Love Elder Shane Dola

July 7

This week was not too eventful:

Monday we had P-day and had to plan for our Zone Training Meeting.

Tuesday was Canada Day. We went to the Stake activity and played softball and then spent the rest of the day stopping by prospective Elders and some of our other investigators and then went down to the Wascana Park where the big Canada Day celebration was and walked around and talked with a few people!

Wednesday we gave our Zone Training Meeting, which was good, went for lunch as a Zone and taught a few lessons. We visited C and taught him about temples, then we exchanged with Sunrise Elders.

Thursday we had almost everything planned fall through but still managed to stay pretty busy.

Friday we got stabbed and gave blood at the donor clinic then weekly planned and did our online proselyting and stopped by a bunch of referrals and others.

Saturday we had our missionary correlation meeting with our ward mission leader and had lunch at his house and then we talked with a few people and then went to a lesson with J at the Church and he didn't show up.  C, a less active who I had met in Brandon and who Elder Petersen had met in Winnipeg on a bus, was hitch hiking his way back to Vancouver and needed some assistance so we were able to share a message with him and through lots of trial and phone calls we were able to get him a bus ticket to Vancouver. After that we went and had dinner and taught H. X was sleeping but H had another of his Chinese friends over who had no religious background there and we were able to teach him about God and Prayer.

Sunday no one came to church that we had invited which is always sad, and even more upsetting was that we got a text from one of our new investigators who had never been at church before. He said that he was 15 minutes late to church and that the doors to the chapel were closed and as he went to open them some guy in the foyer told him he was late and that he couldn't go in so he left...so that was no good. We later found out why J didn't come to the church was because his mom's sister had a heart attack in the Hospital, so we had the opportunity after church to go and give F's sister a priesthood blessing and her brother in law a blessing as well and neither of them were members. We also were able to teach J his last lesson and he is now ready to be baptized next weekend. We then were able to pray with all of F and J's family and the other family that were waiting in the waiting room who we didn't know! IT was a great blessing to be able to serve and help those who were in need. Also were able to contact 40 referrals that were given to us by a man who served in Regina in 1998. We called all of the numbers and only 2 out of forty were actually the right number and one was not interested and the other was dead. But, after that, we had a great Filipino dinner at the Cardonas and then we took indicators.

Love you! Hope that you have a great week! :)

-Love Elder Shane Dola

Some guys who wanted to take a selfie with us on Canada Day!