Dallin & Angie week of 3/19-3/25/2012

From Ang:

Hi Dal,

I hope I'm not too late on Pday for you do read this...how long does it take for mail to get there?? The easter bunny might be sending you a surprise, it's gonna be put you into a sugar-induced coma, but it's all love from the heart baby. Are you so excited for Gen Conference? I am. Little Nacho for ya, I LOVE it. So when do you get to check your email on Pday? How long do you get? You have to go to a public library?

Your letters are great...they make me so happy and it's like a bit o' sunshine if I'm having a cloudy day. Hearing about how hard you're working makes me energized in my calling, which I LOOOVE despite the emo roller coasters that come with teenage girls. I have had multiple people tell mer how much they love your letters and that it's nice to have someone be "real" and themselves when they write home, so keep it up. You knever know whose heart you're going to touch. Anyway, I swear if I hear " Lucky" by Colbie and Jason one more time I'm gonna die. It ruins my make up everytime and I've had it:)

I'm sitting here with Cade while he jibber jabs and eats his "awful". (waffle)...when I told him I was writing to you he you sang your name over and over to the sorta tune of 'twinkle twinkle'. I'm gonna wrap this letter so you get it in time...

LOVE YOU.

Ang

From Dal:

Hey hey

Haha! 'awful'..Miss him so much! The mail takes three or four days I would say. I am so excited for conference! We have an investigator coming! Deedle. I get to check my email around 10, or 8am for you I think. I do it in the library among all the bums that use the free computers. Ha I wont remeber how to play that song when I get home anyway so don't worry about it. I get an hour to email, but I hacked da system! computer time unlimited! ........

ya that last message randomly sent. Anyway, let me know if you got the first half of this email. Hey help the missionaries in your wards! GIVE THEM REFERRALS! My ward needs a spanking for their missionary work.

We are trying to fire them up though. My goal this transfer is five baptisms!

Love you, Elder Tall

Letter #6- 3/19-3/25/2012

From Mom:

Hi Dallin,

How are you doing? I enjoyed your last email. It sounds like you are really working hard and it is paying off. The gifts of the spirit are worth the price. Did you set a date for the baptism with Matt? I have a lot of questions:

1. did you get my package with shoes and sd card?

2. Are you living in an apartment?

3. Are you living with other elders as well?

We are getting a lot done. I wish I could email you the pic of the rock wall that Dad and Beau are finally putting up. It looks really nice. It's kind of like a second Eagle project for both Beau and Dad. I mowed the lawn for the first time and had to use 10 leaf garbage bags plus the garbage bins. It took about 2.5 days.

Dad left for Seattle today for recurrent training. Beau went to prom last night and was nominated for prom king. He didn't get it but we went up there anyway to take pics. He had a good time. We haven't even celebrated his 18th b-day yet because we have been so busy. We can't wait for general conference this weekend.

You will probably go to a members home or to the stake center. We will be thinking about you.

I know you have limited time for email. Please let me know if you want me to cancel the shoe order. I can see by your bank acct that you had to buy a bike and something sort of expensive at Dillards. I assume this was for shoes. I hope you get a good lock for the bike. It looks like it has been really nice weather there. Everything else is going fine.

I will try to get another email to you tomorrow from work. We are praying for you and your companions.

We are also praying about our own missionary work. Let me know about your shoes.

Love you lots!

Mom

Dal's Response:

Hey!

It was an AMAZING WEEK! Matt set his baptismal date for April 21st. I'm
probably going to confirm him the next day. We invited a lady we met
while waiting for the bus to Iowa City. We never got the bus ha! We just
stood there and talked to her for an hour. Her name is Deedle, and she
loved everything we taught her. I was prompted to invite her to
baptism (should have seen the look on my companions face). She was like
"yeeah I feel like I been lookin fo somethin, so if I get that answer I
certainly will." We promised her that our church was it and she is coming
to conference! We are preparing two cat ladies for the temple, and I have
really grown to love them, and their cats.

THE HIGHLIGHT: Last week we randomly tracted this house and the lady told
us come back another time. We did and her husband answered that time, and
he said come back another time. We did on Sunday. She reluctantly came to
the door and came out on the porch. She stood there for 45 minutes in the
hot sun engrossed in what we were saying, we had prayer and everything! She
set a date for her baptism, May 5, but we will probably move it to April
28th. She was really skeptical until I told her in Joseph Smith's words the
first vision. The spirit hit her hard at that point. Her husband will
probably follow suit. Their names are Jeremy and Shae. She totally did not
even seem like a potential investigator, this work is amazing. We don't
have the car this week so we are hoofing it, and I washed these washable
slacks and half of them's hems came apart. Missionary Mall sucks...

So: 2 investigators with baptismal dates, 2 temple preps,4 new
investigators(assuming Jeremy takes the lessons)
I guess we are leading the zone(not to brag just sayin). New
missionary power! Elder Winchester has only been out four months.


To answer your questions:
Yes I got the package. Thank you so much for the card! We plowed through
all the treats already! Yes I am living in a really nice apartment, but the
AC struggles. Sits around 75 in our apartment. We have the apartment to
ourselves. The areas around here are massive, ours especially (Iowa city 1st
ward and Belle Plain branch). I got permission from President Jergensen to
call the missionary mall because I got a bad case of athletes foot, due to
the hotness of those winter boots. I cured it with some crap you rub on
there this week. Anyway, I cancelled the shoes and i do not know where they
were refunded. I bought some eccos from Dillards. So so so much of an
improvement in my life because of the new shoes. I am buying a bike today
because our apartment is a thirty minute walk from the boundaries of our
area, stupid right?

Love you guys!
Elder Tall

Oh I'd bet the yard looks amazing! It is super green here, and there are no
pine trees. Beau is such a stud! I wish I could go back to highschool and
be him. I am so proud of him. Happy birthday you old geezer! Dad loves
training so he should be very happy about that :).

DUH.

I was asked today what Dal's email is and I should've posted it first thing! Der.

bruce.tall@myldsmail.net

Letter #5 3/11/2012-2nd week in Iowa

Hey!

So its the beginning of a new week here in Iowa City! We got after it this week! We have a lesson with Matt tonight and he will probably set adate. On Wednesday we have a lesson with a girl named Deshauna. She's a girl who has been searching. We passed her by in an apartment complex, but the spirit told us to wait for her in the lobby. She came backa few minutes later and we taught her about the Book of Mormon and she said in her awesome English, "Ima go read this book right now mmmhmm". She is awesome!

We have a few return appointments with people we tracted lately. We have been working so hard and it has sat around 80 degrees with humidity, nothing but blue skies, short sleeves, and my winter boots for walking! So great.

We went on exchanges with the zone leaders the other day (my companion and I split up and go with one of the other guys). The zone leaders are Spanish speaking. Most of the day we were talking to people who were only Spanish speakers, and rarely were they legal! :). I was kind of bummed because I couldn't understand anything, but then I prayed for a good attitude andto be able to teach. The next guy we talked to on the road invited us in. His name was Jose. The spirit was so strong, and I must have received the gift of the interpretation of tongues because I understood every word. Not only that, I was prompted by the spirit several times to say things in English, and the zone leader would translate, and they pertained perfectly to the lesson. I asked him to pray with us at the end, it was the first prayer he had ever really said. He was tearing up after he prayed. We told him how powerful it was. So the zone leaders will continue to teach him and baptize him for sure!

I have experienced several times that the spirit teaches, not the missionary.

We have had a few rough days, but the majority are great. The days are like weeks and the weeks are like days. So much happens in a week. People around here can be really short with you or really nice. There isn't a lot of grey area.

I had my first Zone conference the other day, and that was amazing. We have met and taught alot of members. I love the members here. Most of them are doing their residency for med school here at Iowa State.

We play alot of them in Basketball on Mondays and Wednesdays.

So I hope that SD card you sent has not gotten stolen. And I don't know if my email thing is not showing me your emails, but I did not get one regarding my shoes.

I'm not allowed to call Missionary Mall, so that's why I am bugging you about it :).

Love you guys

Elder Tall

Dallin & Angie week of 3/11-3/19/12

3/11/12 from Ang to Dal:

Hi Dal!

First off Sorry for any typos, im writing on my iphone in

bed......How's Iowa?? How's your president? Companion? Housing? Ward?What do u eat? I want details.

We are doing well, I went to chico with Steph and Abbie last week, it was awesome. I saw Scotty and his fam which was great. Chase is like 6'14":) they all say hi and how proud/excited they are. Cade called Colton and Chase 'Dallin and Beau' the whole time haha. You were Colton:) La comida was euphoric, as expected. We ate Jon and bons every night. Four times. Lotta yogurt.It's so nice to be home now though. We went on so many trips latelyI'm exhausted and Cade is going nuts. Cade has been wandering around the house calling for Abbie:(

Bill is super sick, he says hi here in bed grumbling like a baby.

Are you allowed to look at our blog if so,it's billandangiecarter.blogspot.com. I posted all our latest venturesand our Billings trip there. You need to take pics on a USB and send it home so I can post pics on your blog. We skyped with mom and dad tonight and they were making dinner as usual, looked yum, I was jealous. They showed me the cool pics of you and Austin in the MTC so cuuuuute! K well I miss you and I can't WAIT to start sending real packages:):):)):):):):)): You're gonna be showered with random knickknack patty wack stuff with hints of tasty treats here and there. It's gonna be fab.

lOVe you lOng time.

You're de beeeest.

Oh and to answer your Q about the world, it's all the same.

Lots of evil, hintsof goodness and mitt Romney is a likely candidate for president.

Sent from Angie's iPhone

From Dallin 4/19/12

Hey Ang!

So I'm still rudely laughing out loud in the public library about the "euphoric la comida" ! I'm so jealous also. Mom is supposed to be sending me an SD card so you have to ask her if she did. Iowa is.......there is alot of work to be done here. My companion and I are in charge of a massive area. It would take about an hour to drive across it at highway speeds. Get a map. I live in Coralville Iowa, which is a suburb of Iowa City ( home of the hawkeyes, very famous school) We go from heavily populated ghettos to Montana type farming communities. I don't think I am allowed to look at the blog, but sometimes its better to ask forgiveness than permission ;). Our ward is pretty small, but awesome. I'll get into detail in the letter I send mom about the people were teaching, but I love the blog!!

Miss you guys! Im working hard in this 80 degree humidity with boots on because missionary mall still hasn't sent my shoes! I LOVE IT

Love you guys
Elder Tall

Dallin's Iowan Address

Elder Bruce Dallin Tall

LDS Mission Office

8515 Douglas Ave. #19

Urbandale, IA 50322

Letter #4- First Week out in Iowa

Hi,

My first P-day today(Monday)! I am loving it! My first day they picked us up

at the air port and President Jergensen ignored my hand shake and bear

hugged me. He looks like Phil Jackson from the Lakers. He was very

flattered when I told him that :). He interviewed me and asked me what my

parents would say if they were to brag about me. I told them I like to work

and I have initiative and such.

The package made it, thanks you guys! I meant my teva tennis shoes, but its

no big deal. We are enjoying the popsicles, and I loved dad's letter. I'm

really hoping the stinkin missionary mall will get those shoes out here.

Tracting in boots is kind of rough.

This week we visited this cat lady, interesting (have dinner there

tonight...). We tracted at this really ghetto apartment building that

smelled chokingly like weed and Chinese food. I started getting better at

tracting. We tracted through this neighborhood of relatively rich people

all day Wednsday. We got one return appointment with an Australian lady,

and another guy who is mildly curious/wants to argue.

WE HAVE AN ACCEPTED BAPTISM.

His name is Matt. He came to church and met us. He had never met

with missionaries. He is a single guy, who is an engineer. He had a great

experience at church and wanted to meet with us right after. We taught him

lesson 1, The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He knew nothing

about it! At the end I challenged him to pray right then and there, on our

knees, if what we were saying was true. He awkwardly accepted, and then

after he said he knows what the Holy Ghost feels like now. He wants to pray

about the date, but he wants to be a member really bad.

Awesome right?

My trainer is really nice and refreshingly mature compared to alot of dweebs

out here, and he is Utahn. His name is Elder Winchester. He is younger than

me, but he is a great trainer because he has only been out three months. We

are learning the ropes together. I told President that I want to train at

my three month mark. If so, I will still be in this area, Iowa City

(Coralville, North Liberty, and Belle Plaine). This used to be the highest

baptizing area. We WILL get it back there, no two ways.

So awesome about Beau! Tell him I am so proud of him, and I told my mission

pres that my little brother is soon to be an Eagle Scout/Thespian.

Love you guys! I'm workin my booty off! Don't forget about the shoes...

Elder Tall & Elder Tiner

Dallin was in the MTC with his sweet cousin Austin. Austin is headed to Poland!

They got to hang out pretty much everyday, so cool!

Angie & Dal Letters

Hi Dallin!!!!

I can't believe you have only been gone a week. I have wanted to text, call, email FB hack you everyday I swear. Today I was a little blue because something funny happened I can't remember now I wanted to tell you and couldn't. But then, I was on pinterest and saw this quote:

Miss.ion.ary (noun) definition:

Someone who leaves their family for a short time, so that others can be with theirs for ETERNITY.

It made me happily emotional and rejuvenated to let go and be stoked for you and your journey. I posted the quote on your blog:) The only question I have is important and if you don't have time to answer me specifically its ok and you can just add it to a letter to Mom. Are you okay with me posting your letters on your blog so grandparents and family etc can read them too? That way in 1.98 years your mission blog-book will have your correspondence too. Who knows? Maybe your letters posted will teach someone looking for truth? Let me know ASAP. I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE you. Think about you and how very proud I am to be your sister everyday. Be happy. Be thoughtful. Spread peace and joy.

Ang (& Bill & Cader)

Dal's Response:

Great quote, I love it!!! Miss you so much. Has mom told you everything about this place? I have witnessed miracles Ang, and mom has final discretion on the letters. I dont care, but there might be some things she doesn't want to put on there.

I'll be in the field and teaching in exactly one week from this moment!

Ilove you, pray for me.

Elder Tall

Letter #3

Hey,

Today is Tuesday. We get to have P-day the day before we leave. I'm doing

laundry right now. I got your letter on Monday. The MTC was definitely

critical to teach with the modern techniques and Preach My Gospel. I

struggled some days to have a good attitude because you know me,

I just want to get out and do it.

On sunday we had alot of going away meetings. Funny story: Elder Brunson, a

red head from Idaho in my district, was eating ice cream after dinner. He

mixed it up all perfect like a milk shake( dad would appreciate this story,

this kid is like Mason and Ben combined) so he goes to take a bite and the

president of the whole MTC comes up and taps him on the shoulder and while

he looks the other way the president snags a huge bite of his ice cream

he's been working on! Perfect! Also on sunday we had a speaker named Alex

Boye. He was this hilarious singing black guy from England. He gave a

really inspiring talk about his conversion story. He was yelling and

baptist preaching about how we need to realize what it is we are about to

go do for people. He said the sister missionaries are the most important

people he has ever met because they saved him for eternity.

I'm packing today and it is a bit sad because our district will have to

split up. We are like family; more than any other district that I have seen.

I was really blessed to have them.

Beau's Eagle?

Big news of the world?

Family news?

I'll be teaching for real tomorrow about 6:00. I meet my president, we have

dinner, we get interviewed, then we get a companion, then we teach.

I love you guys

Letter #2

Hey,

So glad you guys liked it! Its hard to describe some things.

I should be working harder but I am figuring it out. All of our mock

teaching appointments are getting better. This training is actually

starting to take hold and help me teach. I teach alot with Alma 7: 7,11-16.

Awesome. I'm becoming a master at four square and getting better at

basketball. I left my teva shoes at home I think and if it's not too

expensive it would be great if you could send them to the mission home.

My companion and I are both type A personalities so sometimes we have to

just be cool with each other. I will have to work on that. I have given two

blessings since I have been here. One to my companion, and one to Sister

Thompson from my district. She pulled me aside and told me how much she

appreciates me and my example and such (don't worry shes like 23).

Elder Holland came last night! His talk was amazing, mainly yelling. He

was talking about how dispicable it was that missionaries do everything

they can in the first five minutes they get home to not look like a

missionary. He talked about the role of the Book of Mormon in conversion. He

said the spirit is not only the comforter, but it's provocative (how people

say the spirit made them bear their testimony on sunday), and the spirit is

eternally clean.

I sung in the choir! We sang the best version of Come Thou Fount ever!

MTC choir, great memory.

Ok so next Wednesday I want to know about Beau's eagle project and such.

Travel plans: leave next Wednesday at four AM. Stop in Minneapolis. Then

Des Moines, where the mission pres will personally pick us up. We have six

guys including me that will be on the flight.

love you guys!

Elder Tall

First Letter...

Mom,
Thanks for the mail, email, and package. I didnt think it would be a big
deal to me but in just a week mail is like gold. I already told dad that
this week I have learned more about myself and my spirit than I have at
any other time in my life. I have witnessed literal miracles.

Ya, I saw dallin and I get to see Austin pretty much every day.We are going
to sing in the choir. I'm getting way too much to eat! My five guys I live
with get packages of food every day! The brownies are amazing though.
Especially thanks for the mangoes and chocolates.
My p-day is wednesday. It is crazy! I dont even know where to start with
this place. The spirit did crush me this week. I didnt know if I would make
it. It made me physically ill. Its normal i guess. Today is wednesday and
the spirit is my friend again. We're getting closer by the day.
Most of the mtc is based on role play. My companion and I are currently
teaching three investigators. They are voulenteers that don't even have to
be members. The spirit takes over and makes it a completely real
experience. You dont even realize it is a mock. You become that person. I'm
sending a copy of a journal entry that talks about this miracle. Two of our
investigators are people from Paradise, CA! The Garrison's. They guessed I
was Bruce's son. Interesting eh?

Tell Beau how proud of him I am. Tell him my testimony that the spirit here
is real. It is indescribable. It feels tangible. Like the veil is close to
evaporating.

I love you guys. Pray for the people I will teach.

Dallin

Letter from the MTC presidency:

Dear Elder Bruce Dallin Tall ,

Congratulations on your call to serve! We are excited about your arrival at the Provo Missionary Training Center next week and are grateful for your decision to serve the Lord. We would like to share some important information about your stay at the MTC.

This will be your MTC mailing address:

Elder Bruce Dallin Tall

MTC Mailbox # 156

IA-DMOIN 0307

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604-1793

Please share this address with those who may want to write or send packages to you while you are in the MTC. Please pay particular attention to the following items:

1. Your service begins the day you check into the MTC. Remind your family that complete separation from loved ones is part of the sacrifice that families and missionaries contribute to the work. For this reason, you should ask your family and friends not to attempt to see or visit with you while you are at the MTC, not even during your temple walks or at other places near the MTC.

2. All missionary mail must come through the US Mail or commercial delivery services. These services should not be used to send pizzas, fast foods, ice-cream, or any items that will spoil if they are not refrigerated within 24 hours. Missionaries are not called out of class to receive packages, nor do they have access to a refrigerator. For security reasons, we cannot accept any items delivered by hand.

3. Communication with family can be done through your missionary email account on your weekly Preparation Day. Communication to you from friends should be through letters mailed to the above address. We cannot accept telephone calls for missionaries.

4. Families and friends should not visit missionaries as they depart to their field of labor, whether at the MTC or at the airport.

Please do not reply to this email. If you need to communicate with the MTC, please call 801-422-2602.

Sincerely,

Provo MTC Presidency