Go Forth and Serve

Wow, so much has happened in such a short amount of time and I'm so grateful for that. It has been an adventurous and exciting last few days and I'm so excited to tell you all about it!

Thursday morning I got up at 6:15-ish and made sure all of my stuff was in my 3 suitcases and that my bike was ready to go. I packed it all in the car and we set off for Dublin church bldg at 10 o'clock sharp! I was driving, and had so much fun. We drove through Solon, then from Solon to Dublin it is 100 miles of open freeway (hah talk about a long stretch ;)). We pulled into Dublin church parking lot at 12:50, 10 minutes early. I found my companion, Elder Yukihiro, and I also saw and talked briefly to Elder Henshaw. We are both super excited to be in the same district this transfer! So me and Elder Yukihiro left Dublin and drove 25 min north to the city of Lewis Center where our apt is. He asked me if I wanted to stay there for a min and unpack or go start doing stuff. I chose the latter ;). So we got into the Malibu (we are a car area, mostly) and we went to 5 families, one of them being the ward mission leader and the other one being the bishop who we went out teaching with that night. Guess what the bishops name is . . . Bishop Nielsen! So I had a Branch President Nelson and now I have Bishop Nielsen.

Elder Yukihiro is from a city close by Anaheim, California, and he said his family is originally from Japan so that us where he got his last name from :). He has been on his mission for 9 months! He loves sports and so we get a long just great. He has been in the Lewis Center area for 4 transfers now, so it's been good to have him know the area a little and we can make a huge difference for these people. It's been fun as well, because this is his first time being District leader and so since I've been comps with the DL for 3 straight transfers I've been able to help him out and it's taught me a lot about the type of leader I am and how I can always be improving in some way.

Friday I got up and worked out. Elder Yukihiro said he was the #4 nose guard player for the state of California when he played football, so he loves to workout . . . Just not every morning when I do it haha :). I also had a pretty bad bloody nose that morning. I think it is coming from not being in such a cold environment anymore and more just a wet rainy, warm temperature. We went and stopped by members all morning, and talked with a few of them, Kelly Jo, Deborah Ann, and Gary. Elder Yukihiro said he loves doing member work so I'm super pumped! We have made a goal to see 20 members in their homes every week, and we are working so hard to do that.

Another  amazing thing about this area! With Lewis Center being 15 min away from the Mission Home and the Mission office and the closest missionaries to those places, we get called by the senior couples a lot to help them move furniture in and out of the storage shed they have here, and also helping out directly in the mission office. Sometimes even going to the mission home and doing stuff with President and Sister Stratford.

On Friday afternoon we went and helped Elder Wheadman who is the housing specialist, move furniture to 3 different storage places in Powell. He is a 65-yr old man, and his wife told us to be sure he didn't lift a single thing while we were moving :). He didn't listen, but thankfully he did okay :). On Friday night, we did weekly planning at Elder Bowers apt. He is the car specialist for the mission and lives in Polaris, which is the next area over, but he allows us to do weekly planning and p-days at his house because he has Wifi :).

Saturday we went and saw the Gibson family, they're part Portuguese so they spoke a little to us and it was so cool to hear! We did member work all day, and went to a family called the Tucci family. They have a son who is deciding if he wants to go on a mission. He graduated high school last year and is just working now. We took him out with us that night and went to see 2 families. It was so good to have him there with us to help him see what missionary life is like!  I challenge each of us to have the missionaries in our homes, and to also go out with the missionaries to lessons and appointments during the week. It will bless all of our lives so much.

We have church at 12 pm on Sundays. It's a little different not going to 7 am meetings with church at 9 like I was in Chardon. But it's good too because then we have study time in the mornings now before we head to church. We go to church at the Powell bldg, and we are in the Lewis Center Ward. District Councils will also most likely be held at the Powell bldg, which is about 10 to 15 min away. Church was so amazing and so incredible! The members were so welcoming to me and really made me feel right at home, which I appreciated very much. They are a ward of about 120 members, and a mix of families and older couples. I'm super stoked to work with them!

So I also found out that on some Monday mornings for part of our p-day, we go to the Olsen house and Sister Olsen is the seminary teacher here. They have 6 am early morning seminary, and we go every couple of p=days! :) I think we are going to try and go this week.

And today we are also going to help Elder Wheadman at 11 or 1130 with unloading furniture that came down from the northern zones, and putting them into the storage shed in Powell. I'm so glad I became a lover of moving furniture and lifting before my mission, because it looks like we will be pretty set on those things here, and I cant wait!  Elder Wheadman (housing specialist) and Sister Wheadman (mission nurse) live in Provo Utah! :) They'll go home in March of next year.

Lewis Center is so cool! As I'm sitting here writing this email, I'm realizing I could go on and on and on about how cool this place is. It is a suburban city area, and some of the houses here are literally mansions! Like, 3 story houses with pools and 4 car garages, 6 bedrooms, etc etc. I love that we can just be walking on the street and see people out and about and go up to talk to them. We usually drive everywhere, and then we park on one street and walk around 2 to 3 miles to houses for about 1 1/2 hours. I'm definitely getting my steps in and my feet are telling me they hurt every night.

It has rained everyday I've been in this area. It rains for 7 or 8 min, then is wet and sticky humidity for about 30 seconds, and then rains for another 10 min. I was telling Yukihiro on Saturday when we were walking around to places, that these people probably get so confused when they live here, because they're mowing their lawn in the middle of December and January!! Its winter, but green grass and blue skies and I absolutely LOVE it!

There is quite a few malls and stores here, and so that'll be nice to be able to talk to people that way too and have more of a link to groups of people. The people of Ohio are so cool to get to know. I've realized and come to learn that they just need friends in their lives. A lot of them are lonely and live by themselves, and so to have the missionaries and other members stop by to visit them, is a huge thing for them and I'm grateful to be a part of it.

How is the Book of Mormon come follow me going for everyone? I have been reading the Book of Mormon everyday and I have loved getting immersed in the stories of the prophets of the old days and learning how they came closer to Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. I cant wait for April General Conference and to see what it'll be like!

I wanted to extend a very important and special challenge this week, and it'll be a challenge and invitation that I will refer back to often. The challenge is this: Everyday, memorize someone's name that you see on a regular basis, and go up to them in the hallways, streets, or wherever you see them and call them by their name and say hi and smile at them. Be the leader and the example to everyone, and when people see you memorizing their names and doing this, they'll want to follow in your footsteps. It is a ripple effect and I think it is the coolest thing we could ever do for someone.

I know this will bless their lives. I saw it when I was SBP at SHHS and saw the happiness it brought people when they realized someone knew them by name and cared enough for them to say hi and smile. It is the small and simple things that matter most.

I pray for you all everyday, and I know Heavenly Father is blessing you. Time is speeding up, as President Nelson has said: "Time is running out and we are living in unprecedented days." I invite all of us to be ministers as Christ was, and go to THE ONE, and invite them back into the fold and be their friend.

A definition I've been thinking of for the word FRIEND: "Someone who goes out of their way to be there for someone, not because they were told to, but because of the burning fire and feeling they had in them to make sure God's children were and are taken care of."

I care about you all so so much and I miss you guys everyday. Keep doing your best and never give up. The Lord is on OUR side.

I love YOU Forever and Always!
Elder Dylan

"Be your best when it matters most" - Make it a great day everyday, and be a friend to ALL.
"I can only Imagine" - MercyMe. Go and watch this movie this week. The power behind its words is incredible.
"Don't let a problem to be solved, become more than a person to be loved"- One of the talks given in sacrament meeting.