Wednesday, November 29th 2017

This week has been a very exciting week. I went on my first exchange, I had my first interview with the Mission President, Thanksgiving was amazing, I joined the ward choir, I went to the temple, our mission got Facebook and smartphones. My first exchange was awesome. I was with Elder Edwards, who is a very experienced missionary in the Derwood area. 

Thanksgiving was very nice. I played football with the Bishops family which was super fun. All of our Bishops brothers and sisters and their children were there. It was a really fun way to start Thanksgiving off, and to get closer to the Bishop in my ward. We had dinner with a family named the Taggs. The meal was scrumptious. We went to another dinner with the Fortiz. Julio Fortiz is a recent convert and his family of non-members were there. Most of them only spoke Spanish and I know like 23 words in Spanish, so that was cool. The night was very festive. I ate a lot of pie that day. 

Interviews with the Mission President were awesome. We have them once an exchange. We also have an interview with the Mission President's wife. This week we taught a guy named Norman who is Jewish and 90 years old. He was a member referral and was very nice to talk to. He had a lot of stories to tell. We learned a lot about Judaism from him. 

We also taught three teenagers this week out on a doorstep. We had a great conversation about God and why he allows things to happen, and about depression.  Later in the day, I watched the conference talk, "Like a Broken Vessel", by Elder Holland. He addresses very well the reality of mental illness and how we can get through it through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I am excited to meet with the teenagers again. We saw them at Cafe Rio later in the week. 

I always look forward to the Sabbath day and taking the sacrament. It is such a blessing to take the sacrament each week and to remember the Savior. Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday this year. It would be an awesome time to invite someone to church and help them to feel the love Jesus Christ has for them, especially during this season when we celebrate His life. Remember, success is in the invitation. This year the church has put out another "Light the World" video series. There are short videos the church puts out the first 25 days in December showing ways that you can serve people. They are all ways the Savior served people while he was on earth. I invite everyone to follow along and invite others to follow along.

This week we got a Bible referral, which means someone went on Mormon.org and ordered a free Bible. When we went to deliver the Bible, we asked the lady how she found out about Mormon.Org. She said she was on Facebook and saw something about Mormons and searched it up and found the website. We delivered the Bible and also gave her a Book of Mormon. It is amazing that we got to meet her just because someone posted something about the church on Facebook, which brings me to my next topic. This week, our mission got Facebook. It is amazing how the Lord's work is going forward. A lot of people are scared of the temptations this will bring, and how it may make missionaries distracted and lose sight of their focus, but this change would not of come if our mission president didn't trust us, or if the Prophet didn't trust us, or if the Lord didn't trust us. Please, please, please use the technology the Lord has given you to spread the gospel. 

One of the biggest changes this week was the addition of smartphones in the mission. It is so cool/weird to have a smartphone. I am so excited for this addition and I know only good things will come of it. Advice our mission president gave us was before you get on your device, have a purpose in mind of why you are getting on your device and when you are finished with that purpose turn it off. That is advice I would extend to everyone who owns a phone. We as missionaries have been asked to pray before each time we open our device.  

I am so glad to be out here as a Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The work is going forward, this addition of technology will quicken the work. Miracles happen! Have faith in Christ! Be made clean through his Atonement. Repentance is a happy thing. Read the Book Of Mormon Every day!  Honor your Covenants. Pray often!! Never stop your conversion process.

I love you all. 

Elder Spurgeon 

Monday, November 20th 2017

This week has been the fastest week of my life. I am so excited to tell you all about what I have learned, and the experiences I have had this week. We put up a fence made out of wood crates for a lady in our ward. It actually turned out really nice. While we were doing it, My companion ripped his pants.
This week we went out bike tracting. We rode to an area where we wanted to knock and while riding to the areas, talked to people walking on the sidewalk or waiting at the bus stop. We met a guy in one of the townhouses we were knocking and he let us in because he said he could not turn away God's people. He spent an hour talking to us about his beliefs and says he feels like God has prepared him with his knowledge to meet with us. To my surprise, everything he talked about in the hour is stuff that we believe and is church doctrine. I am excited to meet with him again.

It is sad when people don't follow up with commitments you left with them. You really start to care about people, and you are sad for them when they don't read the Book of Mormon or pray or come to church. All you can do is to keep on encouraging them and promise blessings and bear testimony. 

I had my first Zone Conference this week and we had a general authority come, Elder Ringwood. Zone conference was awesome and it was great to hear from Elder Ringwood about our purpose as missionaries. This week I finished the Book Of Mormon. It was a great experience of how I felt the truthfulness of it. A couple of hours after I finished it, a man came up to us and tried to pursuade us to stop reading the Book Of Mormon because it is false. It was in that moment that I felt the truthfulness and reality of the Book Of Mormon. In the words of President Monson, "If you have not read the Book Of Mormon, READ IT!". I don't know about you, but I would follow his council. I would also invite you to watch President Monson's last conference talk he gave. 

Something else happened this week that was a first time for me. We got pulled over. It was kind of funny because my companion was driving and he was turning left at a green and cut off the cop. At the time we did not know what we were being pulled over for. Then the cop said, how about yielding next time. So that was fun. 

There is a recent convert in the ward, and we go over and teach him the recent convert lessons. He loves JUICE! He is from Haiti and he makes us this peach and pear juice every time we go over and it is heavenly.

There is a lot of fire trucks here. There was a apartment fire the other day at a apartment building where we were teaching. 

This week we went mountain biking with a recent convert. (Not the juice one.) It was really fun. I went off a jump and landed vertically on my front tire. Thankfully it did not fall off. We also had a huge deer chase us while biking. Me and my companion did not see it but the people stopped in front of us were laughing and told us a huge deer with big antlers was chasing us. 

This week while having dinner with a member, I got talking to him and it turns out he is a photo journalist. He showed me a lot of his pictures he took at sporting events for the NFL and the NBA. He also took photos of the presidential election. All of the photos in the Temple Visitor's Center are his. He was a cool guy. 

Every week I look forward to church. It is such a special thing to partake of the sacrament and to renew covenants with our Heavenly Father and to think of our Savior Jesus Christ. I encourage everyone to always make an effort to make it to church each week, and to help others make that same effort. It should not be something we dread, it should be something we look forward to. 

Maybe the most exciting thing that happened this week was, after we knocked on a door, a lady came out with a baseball bat screaming at us. She pretty much had us cornered. We were tracting in a very sketchy area, and people have to be careful. After she saw we meant no harm she went back in her apartment. We could hear the lady laughing afterwards. We were also laughing. 

I can't even begin to start to explain how much I enjoy being out here serving the Lord. I love my mission president and his wife. The members out here are amazing, Love you all!

Elder Spurgeon

Monday, November 13th 2018

Everyone always told me that on my mission I would meet a lot of amazing people. It's only my second week and I find that to be true. The ward here is amazing and their efforts on member missionary work are fantastic. I would like to tell you about a couple of people in the ward who are amazing.

The first person is a lady who used to work for the government, and retired and is living alone. She lives in the country away from people and calls her house the House of Horrors. Elder Cropper and I were putting up a fence for her and we talked a lot about her life living in the House of Horrors. This lady reminds me so much of Gloria off of "Because Of Winn-Dixie."

The next person I would like to talk about is a man who is a 75 years old, and a convert of 48 years ago. His wife past away a couple years ago. He comes with us to teach lessons all the time, and is so friendly and gets along well with all sorts of people. He played minor league baseball before he was a convert. I love to hear his testimony about the plan of salvation. 

The next person I would like to talk about is a man who plays the organ in sacrament meeting. We went over to his house to put up some bunk beds and set up a bed downstairs. His wife is having knee surgery so we set up a bed on the first floor so she would not have to walk up the stairs. We could not find the hardware needed to assemble the bunk beds. Someone suggested a prayer. He offered the prayer, and shortly after some more searching, we found the hardware upstairs in a box. I love how faithful he is. I have had so many prayers answered in the past couple weeks. So many little things that Heavenly Father cares about. 

The whole ward is full of amazing people. This week we had the annual ward chili cook-off, which is kind of a big deal. Each year the winner gets the golden apron. It has been passed down for years and the winner each year signs it and keeps it until the next year. It was nice to talk to non-members or less active people that were invited to the event. 

This week we had our first special training where all the newcomers and their trainers go to. It was nice because I was able to see my buddies from the MTC. The mission president and his wife were there. They told us we would be switching over to smartphones in the next month, and we would also be using Facebook. We still get to keep our tablets. We also talked about the temple visitor center. Those who go to the visitor centers who are investigators are 5 times more likely to be baptized. 

We are teaching two young boys who recently got baptized and the mom reactivated and the dad a non-member. But the last time we met, the dad ASKED for a Book Of Mormon. YES! 

We had our primary program this week and it was on choosing the right. It was very well done, and everything they said I applied to missionary work. 
Something funny happened. Elder Cropper and I went tracting in the ghetto and saw a Ferrari in the parking lot. 
It is getting cold, but I am staying warm.  I have not even broken out the big coat yet. 
This week has been another fantastic week, I'm loving every experience I have. 

Elder Spurgeon 

Monday, November 6th 2017

On Thursday evening I got a text and picture from a very kind person where Dallin and his companion were eating dinner.

"Had these great guys over for dinner tonight. They are working hard. Elder Spurgeon is going to be an awesome missionary."

Never have I had such a fantastic week full of excitement, strange stories, busy scheduals, and miracles. By now you might have seen the pictures that the Mission President has sent out, if not they are coming. I am excited to share with you all the wonderful experiences I have had this week. I saw Sister Haertling this week. The first thing that me and my companion, Elder Cropper, did was go to the hospital to visit a lady that was in the ward. She asked for a blessing. The lady is so kind and always expressing God's love for people. It was funny, as soon as I walked into the hospital room she looked straight at me with a confused and surprised look and said, "I know you". She is convinced she knows me from somewhere. We visit her once a week.

 We then went to meet Harold, who is a recent convert. Harold is one of the most dedicated men I have ever met. He does not have much family, so he considers missionaries his family. His calling is the missionary meal coordinator, he is very good and serious about his calling. The months are full of dinner appointments every month. He basically has a little store in his house. He has all ready given me a watch and a pillow. He always makes sure he has our favorite drinks ready for us whenever we come over. 

I love tracting, it's where the good stories come from. It is also hard sometimes to love the people when they reject you. But like my companion always says, "The Saviors Atonement wasn't easy, and Jesus Christ faced the most rejection and hate of all, but he still loved them and forgave them." So many miracles of the Lord preparing people to hear the gospel and things lining up perfect for us to meet with them.

Mosiah:4, 9

"Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."

Moroni:7, 37

Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain.

 I would like to share an experience I had on the first day, it was actually the first door I knocked on. We introduced ourselves and asked if we could share a message with him. He said, "Yes please come in, I am actually trying to get closer to God right now."

Wait, what just happened?

We went in and we figured out while talking to him that he just got in a recent car accident, and the police said he should not have survived it, and he was up and walking around. He then told us that the only way he could of survived was God's hand. He told us he was praying to God to send him someone to help him get closer to him. He expressed to us that we were the answer to his prayers. After our visit with him, my companion turned to me and said, "That does not happen very often, and it happened on the first door you knocked on." It was so wonderful to see how God prepares his children. 

The first day we got a flat tire while driving. Was it a miracle that I took a car maintenance class a week before I left on my mission?  Yes, yes it was!  We put the donut on and got it replaced. The whole week was awesome. One sad thing this week was an investigator who was on date for baptism dropped us and wants to stop meeting with us. Even though I had not met this person yet, I still was really sad. But we are not done with her, if you know what I mean. 

The ward is awesome, as you can tell by the full meal calender. Harold and I went up this week together to bear our testimonies. It is so cool, so many people in the ward are converts. Church went by really fast. The name of our ward is the Olney First Ward, which is our area. In the missionary life you are always praying, and prayers are answered. This week has been awesome and I am looking forward to the next two years. 

Elder Spurgeon.

P.S Our tablets are being replaced by smart phones, and the D.C Temple is extremely lovely. We only get to go two times a year. We also get to go to the mall, (where all the monuments are), two times a year.

FYI- Sister Haertling is Dallin's cousin who is also serving in the DC North Mission, at the Temple Visitor's Center.
 Also, the picture of Dallin at Five Guys Burgers says the potatoes are from Easterday Farms in Pasco. The Easterday family are our neighbors from Pasco, Washington. I can just imagine Dallin's surprise when he saw that!!

Tuesday, October 31st 2017

We spoke to Dallin from the airport as he was waiting for his flight. A very kind person offered him the use of their cell phone. I am so thankful to them. Brent was still home and we both got to talk to him. It was incredible. He was so excited and anxious to be in Washington DC. We got the following e-mail from him to reassure us he had arrived safely.


Hello, Our flight was delayed for a half an hour because of some malfunction to the central fuel tank, but we got here and all is well. I was planning on talking to the person next to me about the gospel, but turns out he was an old Mission President in Brazil. We went to meet our Mission President and his wife and the assistants to the President and the sister training leaders. We took our luggage to the trailer then went proseliting on the Metro. It was hard, but I could feel the love that our Savior had for all the people. We then drove to the DC Temple and took pictures. I did not see Sister Haertling, YET! I talked about her with the sisters in the Visitors Center. The Temple is amazing. Then we went to the mission home and ate dinner. We had a testimony meeting and our interviews. The mission song is so catchy. I am going to sleep well tonight. I saw the Washington Monument today, but was not close enough to get a picture with it. I will get one though Emma.
I love you all!