September 16, 2013

This week was really good though.

Monday we had P-day and spent the rest of our night getting soaked by walking around in the rain inviting people to the branch picnic that was happening on Saturday.

Tuesday we helped out at the Dryden Mission sorting some stuff downstairs in the basement, stopped by and invited some more people to the picnic, and had a lesson with G, and then we had another lesson with J and S and this was my first time being able to actually sit down and teach them. The spirit was very strong and we were able to help them start family prayers and helped out S receive some comfort since her grandma just died recently. Afterwards, Elder Florence said that that was the best lesson that he had ever had with them, which was great! After that we went over to the DNFC and helped them clean up there and had some people say that they were coming to the picnic! Afterwards we had dinner with President McDonald, and they had invited some friends over so that we could teach them, but unfortunately they didn't show up. But we were able to help out and serve the McDonalds by moving stuff around in their basement.

Wednesday we had a good district meeting and helped out at the food bank. We were able to teach the N's and also we had a lesson with J, who is still doing great and is so strong with keeping the Word of Wisdom.

Thursday we went to Aaron Park and helped out N and worked with him splitting logs. He, knowing we had a sports night every week, told us he is a certified Yoga Instructor and would love to give classes there if we wanted, which was such a miracle because we had been praying that we would have more success with getting people out to our sports night and out of nowhere, he completely solved our problem. We never even guessed that something like that would happen and he so willingly offered to do so.

Friday we weekly planned and were at the Mission helping J again, ripping up carpets, and then we got the transfer calls. We couldn't believe it but Elder Florence is leaving and I am staying here and will be training, which is going to be great for the new elder to be able to come to this great area, where so much is happening. It is going to be a great experience for him!

Saturday we helped the people at the Go-Getters (old folks home) set up for their big potluck meal and then we went to the church to set up for our picnic. Shortly after we got there, J showed up (over an hour early) before everyone else and just wanted to help, which is so great to see. She isn't even a member yet she always is helping and doing everything that she can, just a true disciple of Christ. It started raining and no one was coming which was really sad but then M and D showed up, who we hadn't seen all week, and they helped set up and prepare and they are just great people. And then I felt that we should text N and remind him to come and he had completely forgot about it but put down everything at work and came right out and had a great time. He mingled so well with the members and looked like he belonged. He is such a great guy! Too bad that Aaron Park closes soon and he will be leaving at the end of October. But overall there were over 25 people there and 7 of them were non-members, 4 of them being our investigators so it was great! After the picnic we went to the go-getters and helped set up everything else and had dinner and were able to talk with some really great people and let them know what it is we are doing here and just had an over all good conversation with some questions about the church. After that we were able to stop by the N's and shared a quick little spiritual thought with them.  They loved it and it is great to see their prayers being answered for the hard times that they are facing.

Sunday was great. M came to church by himself and we forgot to even invite him. He stayed for sacrament meeting and Sunday school and was very involved in the Sunday school lesson. We were able to stop by the N's again and shared another quick message and he just expressed his thanks to us and how he has such a strong desire to be baptized and get rid of his smoking. He is just such a great guy and the rest of his family too. I am so excited for things to settle down with them and for being able to teach them and help them out in all we can. We then went to J's and taught another lesson with her and she is still feeling more and more towards getting baptised and has been continuing to pray and read her scriptures! After that, we had a good lesson with J and S on faith, and they really enjoyed it.

This week is going to be really busy. We will only be here Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, so already our days are packed full with appointments and like 2 meal appointments everyday because all of a sudden everyone wants to see Elder Florence one last time before he goes home. It's great! Thursday we will drive to Winnipeg and drop off Elder Florence and pick up the new elder, drive back to Dryden, and then the next day we drive up to Fort Francis for zone conference and then Saturday and Sunday are district conference, so it's going to be a crazy busy time, but it is great!

-Love Elder Shane Dola

September 9, 2013

Things are great! How have you been doing?  It has been raining, and then hot, and then normal and raining, and whenever it rains though, it is always super humid. The other day I heard someone say that it was 90% humidity and sometimes when we walk outside, my glasses will fog up because it is so humid!  This week was really busy again but it has been great!

Monday we went to Sandbar Provincial Park with the Tambres and then watched Legacy with J and she loved it, the Spirit was so strong!

Tuesday we drove to Fort Francis and had a Zone Training Meeting and went to I-Falls for lunch and came back and had a dinner appointment with a great couple. They are just so nice and great people who said that they would come to Church on Sunday.

Wednesday we went to the foodbank and helped out and and then we went on exchanges with the Kenora Elders. Elder H and I went to the Dryden Mission and helped sort some stuff and afterwards we went over to visit the N’s and they were sick so we couldn't really meet with them and after that though we got a call from J telling us that the truck to take stuff for Africa was coming tomorrow and he needed to fill the rest of the truck and had two hours to do it. The original date was set for September 30th where he would have over 100 volunteers to help him and now there was no one! Later that day we went and had a great lesson with J and the Tambres came with us again and we taught her the Gospel of Jesus Christ and she had some questions that were all cleared up. She really understands the importance of baptism more now and once again the spirit was very strong with her and she just told us how much happier she has been and that she just enjoys herself more and that she just enjoys life more. Later that night we stopped by a few others and went tracting a bit and were able to set up a return appointment with a lady named C.

Thursday we went to the Dryden mission with the Kenora Elders around 7:30 and were there until around 11:30 and they went back to Kenora. We had to rearrange the whole semi-truck trailer when we got there because it was half full but it wasn’t pushed to the back of the trailer and was spread out so that took over an hour and then we started getting ready to load other things up. The Tambres came to help and Sister M and random people just started coming out of nowhere to come help out and we never told them or anything.  They just saw the truck and came out to help! Then 2 high school classes showed up and helped us out too and just had a line of people passing boxes and bags. It was so good. We accomplished more than we had originally planned and never would have gotten it done had not all of the people shown up! After that we went out to Aaron Park and helped N cut some more brush for a while. Then we came back and took this lady on a walk with her new motorized wheel chair because she just recently got it and wasn't comfortable going out on her own with it.  So we went with her and took her shopping, and carried her bags, and 35 lbs of vegetables she bought at the farmers market, and even brought her blasted dog with us too. We then ate for the first time that day and went out and cut L & L’s lawn because they were out of town in Thunder Bay because their newborn twins are in the Hospital.

Friday we weekly planned. Then we set up for a church tour but the guy was sick so he couldn't come. We then went to our other lesson for C but she wasn't home so we tracted around the area and ran into a family of 5.  It appeared to be single mom, and their lawn I don't think was ever cut, so we cut down the 3-foot grass, even though it clogged up our lawnmower numerous times. Then we drove out to President V's and had my first dinner appointment with them and spent the rest of the night helping him with things around his massive yard.

Saturday we went to teach the N's but they were still sick so we went to a youth center and helped out a bunch there. Then we went to President M’s Retirement party where he bore his testimony and gave all of his colleagues a copy of the Scriptures and we were able to meet with and talk with a ton of people there.

Sunday we had church and M&D came to Sacrament meeting. We later had a ward correlation meeting, made some invitations for the BBQ that we are having on Saturday, then we had a lesson with G who we hadn’t been able to see in almost 3 weeks, and then we went and invited all the people we could think of to the BBQ for the rest of the night. We went to M & D’s to invite them and see what they thought of Church, but when we got there they invited us in and had some other friends and family over and we got to meet with them and talk a bit. They just had a BBQ and fed us again and we hadn't even planned on eating that night but the Lord provided for us and they told us they loved church and we found out that M saw one of the videos I posted on Facebook from Mormon.org and went on there and spent almost 2 hours on there afterwards just watching videos and learning more about the church! After that we went to the N's and they were finally all feeling better and we set up an appointment later on in the week and they are so excited to meet with us!

Love Elder Shane Dola

September 2

September 2, 2013

It was really hot but then Saturday and Sunday it poured like I have never seen before and there was a huge thunderstorm. We got soaked, even our shoes, and it destroyed my umbrella. It was crazy!

Things in Dryden have been really good and we have been really busy, it is great! I am just writing now because yesterday we didn't have any time to e-mail. We were out of town in Ignace and went on a great hike around sandbar lake or sandbar park or something with some of the members of our branch and the senior missionaries and right when we got back we had a lesson/FHE with J, the lady we have our Baptismal date with. Today we left at 7 to drive to Fort Frances, which is a 2 and a half hour drive through wilderness with literally no civilization or human contact for 180km, for a zone training meeting, which was great by the way, and then we went across to Minnesota to International Falls and had lunch, bought some cheese, and drove back just in time for my first dinner appointment since I have been here. We had a great visit with them and really go to know them. They are such great people and we didn’t have time to teach them but they said that they are coming to church, which will be great!

Last week so much happened but I don't have enough time to write it all! We had so many service opportunities and were the guest of honor at the community gardens potluck dinner. They thanked us for all the work we have done there and they gave us a huge basket full of vegetables and fruits from their gardens. The people here in Dryden are so nice and friendly! We also have made a great friendship with one of the people we serve here. His name is J and he had a baptismal date two years ago but for various reasons wasn't baptized and hadn't actually met and talked with the missionaries for over a year. But ever since I have been here, he has had a great softening of his heart and really opened up to us. He took us for dinner and then we talked for a very long time and taught him his favorite lesson, the plan of Salvation. I have developed a great love for him. He is such a great guy and everything he does and works for is for other people, just a great disciple of Christ, and very humble. I have learnt so much from him.  There is an organization he has created and has devoted almost his whole life to. It is like the Salvation Army stores but soo much more. 

We were also able to have 4 lessons with J since the last time I wrote you and we taught her the word of wisdom. We were worried that she would have a problem with it but she was very good. She said, "I love my coffee and my tea, but I think about the sacrifice He made for me. I think I can make this small sacrifice."  She also just has so much faith and said, "I know I don't always understand things but if He gives us commandments we should just do it." and she even had a pot of tea that she made before we came there, and was planning on having it after, but instead of drinking it and starting keeping the Word of Wisdom after, she just put it down the drain. The next day she forgot and made coffee, and half way through drinking it, she remembered that she wasn't supposed to drink it, so instead of drinking the rest, she stopped and dumped it down the drain again! She had a friend over Saturday night and made her tea or coffee but she didn't have any herself! It has just been so humbling to see how the Lord has prepared people and how he truly does answer all of our prayers. Everything we have had success with was from answered prayers and miracles! But it has been great! So much has happened!

I love you very much!

-Love Elder Shane Dola

August 26

It has been very hot here! Thursday and Friday it was hot and Saturday it rained in the morning a ton and then the rest of the day it was so humid. 35 without the humidex but with the humidity it was said that it felt like 45 and then yesterday, it was even worse. The humidity was said to be at 73% but it could have been worse! We were at the Dryden fair Thursday, Friday, and Saturday so we had a booth inside a metal building with no air conditioning so it was quite warm and sticky to say the least!

I kind of had to laugh when I read about those guys going to Boise Idaho and Salt Lake because those are the two missions that people always laugh at, and then I am here in the Winnipeg Mission, but yeah I think you know what I mean.

So, here is my week:

Monday was p-day so we shopped, washed the car, prepared for the week etc., had dinner, and then went to FHE with the T's. J came and we watched a movie about a guy who found a Book of Mormon and took almost his whole life to be able to get in contact with someone who had the priesthood and get baptized. It was really good though and was true story. J loved it and afterwards we had pie and ice cream.

Tuesday we went and worked at community gardens, filling in some more garden plots with soil. We had one of the wheelbarrow tires get completely flattened by a tack that was on the ground, which slowed us down a bit. We went and helped hang up some shelves at the Dryden Native Friendship Center and after lunch we helped J at the Dryden Mission for a few hours and then he took us to A&W. Later that night we did some stop bys and got in contact with some of our investigators and did some street contacting.

Wednesday we had a great district meeting over Skype again and had some good practices. Later we went to the food bank and helped out there. We had a good conversation with the guy who manages it there. He is a pastor at another church. We then met G in the park again and taught another great lesson with him. He lights up every time we explain things to him and when he learns more. We can tell, and he can tell, that the spirit is really working through him. It’s fantastic! So excited for him!

Thursday we woke up and helped J at the Mission again take a bunch of garbage out from the Dryden Mission and he prayed for/with us. We have been praying that his heart will soften and it continually has been every day. We then had a great service opportunity with N at Aarons Park. We had previously not been able to work with him or talk to him too much, but we prayed that we would be able to talk more with him this time, so we went out there, and the whole time we were there we were working with him, cutting brush and trees and we had a great conversation and really broke down some barriers between us. We are now a lot better acquainted and he is way more open with us now. Then we had lunch and were able to meet with the N family for a while, which was great. They invited us to one of the kid’s birthdays on Friday, so we went there. We then went to the fair for the rest of the day at the booth and it was great. J came. Even though she originally signed up for 2 hours, she was probably at the booth helping out for around 10 hours total. She recently read overt the Plan of Salvation pamphlet and really loved it and told us of the great spiritual experience it was for her and how she really believes it and how it all makes more sense now! Her testimony is growing so fast. She was even testifying to people of different faiths who came by the booth and would tell them that this was the church where she had found the most truth! It was so great. We also ran into others at the fair who are investigators or people we knew who we hadn't seen in while and we had a great time talking with them. Then that night, the district president in our branch gave us two referrals. One was to go and help out a new couple prepare their yard for their wedding, and then he said he was having another person over at his house and that we were going to come over and teach them the plan of salvation. He also invited us to his retirement party where he is going to bear his testimony at the end and give all of his colleagues copies of the standard works with their names embossed on them. It will be great to be there and a great opportunity to find.

Friday we did our weekly planning and were at the booth the rest of the day. We got to know some of the members better and ran into G and he introduced us to his brother. Then we came home and finished our planning.

Saturday we went to the Birthday party for a bit and got to meet the rest of her family. We then went to the fair and J came again. We had lots of opportunities to talk to people and share the gospel with some and we just got ourselves more recognition out in the community.

Sunday J came to church again. This will have been the 4th week in a row and she stayed all three hours for the first time. Later, we were at her house teaching her and we asked how she liked church and she loved it and said she can see herself coming every week! Earlier in the day we were able to come across two families we have been trying to get in contact with ever since I have been here and they were both home (because everyone was home Sunday except us because it was extremely hot outside with humidity at 73%) and we were able to set a service opportunity with one and the other set up a dinner appointment with us for later in the week! We also ran into J, who just decided to randomly drive down the random street we were on. We had a great conversation with him again and he told us he really would like to take us to dinner some time this week and then have a serious talk about the gospel with us afterwards, which is great and was exactly what we were hoping for and he just asked us!

But overall it was another fantastic week here. I love it still! The Lord continues to bless us with miracles and service opportunities continually!

-Love Elder Shane Dola

Life in Dryden

This is my week:

Monday we cleaned the house really well and then went shopping, cleaned the car, did some laundry, and hung up some invitations around town for church tours and other posters with information on some of the activities that we do weekly at the church. Then we started looking up information on all of the pastors in town that we could contact and let them know that we are here to help. Then we street contacted a bit and went home at the end of the night.

Tuesday was such a great day, just packed full of miracles and great experiences. We had been praying to know how to contact the pastors and when we were walking down the street, we saw a man working in his garage and offered to help. We got to know him a bit and turns out that he is "Father A," the pastor at the Catholic Church. He was super nice and referred us to a lady named  H, who was the head of the "Ministerial Association" in Dryden, which covers all 12 or so churches in Dryden. We knew of her, we just never knew how we could get a hold of her. He told us where we could go and said to tell her that he sent us. It was a miracle; we had planned on searching out all of the other pastors but the Lord provided us with a better way to do things. As we continued down the street, we ran into some random lady I had never met, and Elder F had only met briefly, but she knew who we were and told us that she wanted us to come help her husband put in a heater and said that after we would have dinner as a payment. This was another miracle because we had been praying to find more service activities and she just gave us one. As we continued on our walk (we were heading towards a teaching appointment) we ran into B, a really old investigator and he told us to come down to his house to set an appointment with him and his family, who we had been trying to contact for quite some time. Once we finally got to our appointment, they weren't there but we had those other great opportunities. After that we made our way to the Dryden Mission and were able to help out J for a few hours. He really opened up to us and told us that sometime soon he wanted to meet and talk with us again and it had been a very long time since he has wanted to discuss religion with us, and he kind of gave us a referral to one of his volunteers, and he asked us to pray with him and he prayed for us! Then we went home, had dinner, and went out street contacting again and ran into a guy on the street named G. We started talking to him and he looked like he was almost ready to walk away, but we continued to talk to him and we then went down to the park and taught him the restoration. He was really interested and told us that he has been wanting to leave Dryden for a long time but had always felt that there was something he needed to do here first and when he was walking that night he hadn't planned on walking down the street that we were on but felt prompted so he did, and said he felt like he knew a little bit more of what he needed to do now. It was such a great day!

Wednesday we volunteered at the food bank and got to have a few good conversations with the people there and later that day, we went to a Community living center where they house people with birth defects and handicaps, and we were able to volunteer there and paint some sheds and do other yard work. I got to be a leader and work with some other handicapped individuals capable of doing physical labor. We also invited the senior couple to come, and that was where they found one of the less-active members that they had been trying to find for over a year, so another miracle! Later that night we had a really good lesson with one of our less-actives and we gave him a “Preach my Gospel” book and he was so happy to receive it. The spirit was so strong that night too! Then we had a lesson with J and with the T's and she is progressing so well!

Thursday we went down to Aarons Park and offered our service and helped split and store wood for over 2 hours. Then we had a 5-minute lunch and were able to teach G again and gave him a book of Mormon. And he had prayed like we committed him to do the other day and he received an answer and told us how he knows now more of what he needed to do with his life here in Dryden! We committed him to baptism and he accepted! After that we helped out by putting away tables and chairs at a seniors center. Then we had a sports night at church but unfortunately no one came, but we were able to contact some people over Facebook!

Friday we were invited to play softball with the people at the Dryden Native Friendship Center and we had a really good time and broke down a few barriers. We had a few good conversations, and went to the community gardens and were able to finish placing the last few paving stones after R (a neighbor across the street from the gardens) helped us cut them to shape with one of his stone cutting saws. Then we had dinner and did our weekly planning.

Saturday we went and had a tour of another old folks home, where they are in palliative care. We hope to be able to volunteer two hours there every week, which was great. Then I worked on my talk and we were able to meet with D and his dad, which also was good. We had a lesson with them and then we met with J and were planning on inviting her to be baptized that night but before we could even get to it she asked how she could be a member of our church, so we asked her to be baptized and she accepted. It was great!

Sunday I finished my talk. We had a good sacrament meeting and good Sunday school meeting. J was at church and this will have made it the 3rd week in a row that she has come, and the first time she came to Sunday school, but she loved it still and participated really well. In priesthood we met with A. He is the only young man here and we helped him with his talk a bit with scriptures. Later we taught G again and read with him from the Book of Mormon and he has been progressing still!. Later that night we went out to President Vahovick’s estate and home taught him and his wife with President Hessler and had a really great visit with him, and I go to know them quite a bit better!

But that was my week and it was great! Miracles everyday!!!

Love Elder Shane Dola

Ontario is very beautiful.

Our little church building.

Our well furnished apartment.

Different from the way they package milk at home.

August 12

My week was great. I am now in Dryden and I love it here. My new companion is so great and it is the best place in the mission. It feels like a completely different mission! It was closed for a year and it was just opened two transfers ago so everything is new and the place has so much potential and we are going to have so much work to do. I love it already! This week we are going to contact all the other ministers here (there are like 12 churches here in Dryden, town of 7000 people) and the mayor and see what all we can do to help! The people I have met so far are really great and I am so excited to work will all of them! And all of Ontario is surrounded by water but this part of Ontario is so beautiful! Just trees and rocks and lakes everywhere, everything about this place is great!  It is just a branch and on Sunday there were 11 people there and a new couple (the male was recently baptized almost 2 years ago) came from like an hour away from some surrounding area to our tiny little branch! It was great to see! There is just Elder F and I here and there is also a Senior Missionary Couple who have been here for over a year now. But it’s great. I am hoping, and will probably stay here for at least 6 months!

As for the heat, it was only really hot for like two weeks all summer and it has already started to cool down quite a lot. I have a feeling that it is going to be an early and a very long winter!

But I love you and hope that you continue enjoying the rest of your summer, at least what is left of it.

- Love Elder Shane Dola

Dryden, Ontario

The weather here hasn't been too hot lately and the mosquitoes have been dying down quite a bit. It has been raining quite a bit lately and since it hasn't been that hot lately it probably means that we are going to have a longer, and colder winter this year than they even had last year!

I did get transferred which will be nice. I could probably use a change, so I will be heading up to Winnipeg on Thursday morning to transfer meetings and then will be headed off to Dryden Ontario, which I have heard is even smaller than Brandon! But I think I will like it there. It should be really good!

For birthday and Christmas gifts, I have no idea! Some pizza bread and canned peaches, maybe other kinds of foods too. I always need new ties, lots of paisley ties and other nice ones too. That Lord of the Rings Music on a flash drive maybe. A sewing kit would actually be useful because when I go to Dryden. I don't think there are any sisters there so I won't have anyone to do my sewing like they do it now. Maybe some tie clips and other good stuff. Maybe some stuff back from my home country of Canada! Also some toothbrush heads would be great since I am down to my last one! Thanks!

But I love you very much too!  Hope you have a good what's left of your summer!

-Love Elder Shane Dola