Monday, April 30th 2018

Hello all! Let's start off with a story.

So we were in McDonald's enjoying some lunch, and we meet a man sitting across from us whose name is Walter and he is 90 years old. He tells us he comes to McDonald's all the time for the entertainment, not soon after he said that another old man walks in with a guitar and sits down and starts playing old classic songs such as You Are My Sunshine. He was very good, I could not help putting a dollar bill in his guitar case as Walter clapped to the songs and as the man playing the guitar gave me a toothless smile. 

There is a lady that we have been working with recently, and she is scheduled to be baptized on May 19th. She just moved right outside of our area. So sad, but we have some good news, Ian, one of our friends and fellow brethren that was baptized on April 14, was confirmed this Sunday, only two weeks after his baptism. For those who don't know, Ian was in an accident that left him with 6 broken ribs and a punctured lung, which is the reason for the hold-up, but he is recovering well and is doing great. Because Ian can't move too well, he was confirmed while just sitting on the pew. The ward has been doing so fantastic with fellowshipping him and helping him, especially during this rough time.

I would like to end with my Testimony. I know that the priesthood has been restored, and it is the power of God. I know that God can and will give us personal revelation. I know Jesus Christ is our Advocate with the Father. I know the Book Of Mormon is true scripture that contains the fullness of the Gospel, and that prayer is powerful. In the name of Jesus Christ AMEN

Elder Dallin Spurgeon 

Monday, April 23rd, 2018

Guess What??? They just finished building an IHOP ( International House of Pancakes), in our area. Yes!!!!

We were tracting this week, and my companion stopped and said he thought he saw a kitten walk from one bush to another, I looked and we saw another one. I looked under the bush and there were kittens in the bush. Too bad we can't keep pets as missionaries. We had an exchange this week. On the exchange we went to this really good ice cream place called Bru-Sturs. They make their ice cream fresh each morning. 

We were supposed to confirm one of our investigators at church on Sunday, but on Saturday evening, he was at the Metro Station, and he fainted and fell onto the tracks and broke 6 ribs and punctured one of his lungs. He will be in the hospital for a few days. He was on the news and everything. Satan really does not want him to receive the Holy Ghost, because he knows how strong it will make him. We Skyped him from the hospital and he looked and sounded really beat up. He will be alright, he will have to undergo one surgery. Our ward is awesome. Our Elders Quorum President and the Ward Mission leader went and visited him and gave him a blessing at the hospital. Now that is Ministering in action! 

We are working with a lady right now, and she is progressing very well, she participates a lot in gospel principle class, and after each lesson, we teach her she asks, "What Next?"

The work goes on, and I am enjoying every moment of it

Elder Dallin Spurgeon 

Monday, April 17th 2018

We just recently started a new transfer. I am staying in Olney, (only in Olney), and I received a new companion named Elder Newbold. He has been out for 9 months. He is more commonly known around the mission as that one Elder who is 6 foot 9 inches. He gets so many tall jokes from the members. He has a specially made bed so his feet don't hang off the edge. He has to duck under all the door frames. One time a kid asked him if he was tall because of a disease. 

This past week has been the busiest week of my life. I have also been getting the best sleep of my life too. A couple of months ago we went to a members house for dinner, and we gave her our number if she needed any help. Just a few days ago she called us and said she needed help moving and laying some mulch. It was nice to know she kept our number that whole time, and she called us in time of need. Afterward, she made us some stir-fry. 

We were knocking on some doors the other day, and we ran into a deaf person, so I tried to summon up what I remembered from my freshman and sophomore year of high school ASL class. My last companion was also an ASL missionary, so that helped a little. We sent him as a referral to the ASL missionaries. 

We found some tennis rackets and some tennis balls in our apartment the other day. Luckily we have a tennis court that is literally right outside our door, so that is how we have been doing our exercise lately. Tennis in the morning! I have yet to win a game. ☹🎾

For our investigator's baptism last week we had a couple of people Skype in for the baptism. It was kind of funny, the first row of chairs was filled with phones and tablets leaned up against hymn books facing the font. 

We had a missionary training meeting this week with Elder Stevenson, Elder Gong, and Bishop Daves. We got to take a mission picture with them, and then we got to shake their hands. It was super awesome. Bishop Dave's talked about faith, Elder Gong talked about being called by God, and Elder Stevenson talked about repentance. It was so awesome to hear their testimonies of the Savior and their witnesses that President Nelson is a Prophet of God.   

Our ward had an adult talent show that we went to with one of our friends/recent converts. I think my favorite act was one that a brother did. He did a Ted Talk making fun of other Ted Talks. It was pretty funny.

We also had Stake Conference this week. Elder Stevenson was able to come. The biggest thing I got out of it was the power of prayer. There was a part in his talk where he was talking to the primary children, but it was still my favorite part.  He told stories of how a child's prayer would be answed, and it was just so inspiring. 

I always thought cherry blossoms were pink, and so when they were all blooming and were white, I was a little disappointed. I thought maybe the only ones that are pink are in down town D.C, but it turns out they start of white, and turn pink later in the spring. Well, I woke up one morning and looked outside and there was pink everywhere. I was so happy. The trees are literally so cool over here. 

The Plan of Salvation is as real as anyone that is reading this. Revelation is flowing out of the heavens, be open to it and seek it faithfully. It is there because God loves you more than you can comprehend. There is a Prophet and Apostles on the earth today, that are called of God, as much as Moses, or Joseph Smith were called by God. The priesthood and the church are restored. Hold to the Rod.

Elder Dallin Spurgeon 

Hello Emma. I love you! I love you!! I love you!!! Yesterday I remembered something that happened when you were about 4 years old, and I wanted to tell you the story to see if you remember. You had a little bouncy ball and you were bouncing it out on the back porch at our house in washington, and one time when you bounced it, it went into the bushes. We looked for it, but we could not find it, and you started to cry. I asked you if you wanted to say a prayer to find it and you said yes, so you knelt on a chair and said a prayer. When you finished your prayer we went back to looking. I lifted up a part of a bush and you found it. Heavenly Father answered your prayer! I want you to know that Heavenly Father will always answer your prayers, and you can pray to him any time for anything. If you are sad, scared, or need help, he will help you like how he helped you to find your ball. Have a good day ❤

Monday, April 9th 2018

As you can tell by the pictures, there are so many beautiful trees around here in the springtime. They are everywhere. Something that I have grown to appreciate on my mission is public transportation, it is pretty efficient here in Maryland. It is fun to talk to people on the bus, and it's where the good stories come from. 

Some exciting news is that one of our investigators is being baptized on the 14th of April, he is so excited and has demonstrated so much faith in the sacrifices he has made to make to enter into the covenant of baptism. 

A funny/cool story: We were at 5 Guys with a member, and she asked us if we would go talk to the person frying the burgers and invite him to the visitor center. We asked her if she knew him and she said no, I just feel like you should. So we went over and invited him to the visitor center and left him with a card with our phone number on it. Hopefully, he will reach out to us. 

Our stake has an upcoming Stake Conference with two guests, Elder Stevenson and Elder Gong. I am super excited for this Stake Conference.  The last time this stake was visited by an Apostle was 15 years ago. 

Transfers are coming up this week. I will keep you in touch with what happens. So many wonderful/crazy experiences so far on the Mission. I am excited to see what happens. 

Enjoy the pictures!

Elder Dallin Spurgeon 

Monday, April 2nd 2018

I loved This Wonderful Easter Season, especially General conference and hearing all the wonderful testimonies of Jesus Christ from all of his Apostles and a prophet of God. I have so much love for President Nelson and all the Apostles. I know President Nelson is a Prophet of God, and he speaks with God on behalf of the Lord's kingdom upon the Earth today which I know is The Church of Jesus Christs Of Latter Day Saints. 

I know the priesthood, the power of God, the very power that was used to create this earth is on the earth today and it is within the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and it is for the benefit of God's children. I know we can talk to God, and he will speak to us and we can receive personal revelation from him, as we faithfully seek it through prayer with real intent. That is something that really stuck out to me this conference. President Nelson talked about how in order to receive revelation we need to listen and be ready to receive it. We can do this by writing down what God tells us and follow through on it. I know that President Nelson is the only one that can receive revelation for the entire world, and I know the revelation  given this last conference was from God. I loved the Apostles witnesses of the revelation the prophet received. 

I am incredibly grateful for the priesthood. It has blessed my life so so so much. I'm grateful to be a holder of the priesthood so I can bless the lives of those around me. For all priesthood holders, it is a sacred trust to hold the priesthood. I invite all the priesthood holders reading this to go and read section 84 of the Doctrine and Covenants and learn more about the Oath and Covenant of the priesthood. The authority of the priesthood comes from the laying on the hands, but the power of the priesthood comes from living the commandments of God, and magnifying our callings. What does it mean to magnify our callings? I invite you to find out for yourself how you can all magnify your callings in the church. All members of the Church have callings, as we can see in Mosiah 18.

Mosiah 18: 8-9

8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life. 

When we are baptised we recieve a calling to do those things stated in verse 9. 

I would like to close with my testimony of the Savior. He lives. He lived to die, and he died to live so we can. He is the only way. He broke the band's of death and satisfied the demands of justice. What does the father ask, live like his son. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen. 

P.S. Shout out to the Henry's and the Heartlings, who I saw at the visitor center while watching the Saturday morning session of conference. That was a fun surprise.