What a Week

What. A. Week. That was the longest, shortest, most adventurous week I've had in my 20 yrs of life. And it just keeps getting more and more exciting not by the day, but by the minute in each day :) I have been taking immune stimulator everyday, and staying hydrated and working out everyday. For my workouts, I do:

- 45 min running
- 10 min of stairs (running up and down the stairs by the front door. Lightly so I don't wake the neighbors up ;))
- 150-200 Crunches
Monday thru Sunday, it's the best 😉😁

How are all of you doing? Is everyone doing okay and staying healthy??? School is out for the next 3 weeks right? Have they given you guys info on what you're going to be doing during that time as far as working and going to school online? What did you decide for Sundays and how you want to do sacrament and such? Bishop Pease told the Lewis Center ward to do it in their own homes if they have a priesthood holder to do it, or to have the missionaries or their ministering people do it.

School in Ohio is cancelled for the next 3 weeks, and many adults are now working from home. As of last night (Sunday), it is being told by the school districts in Ohio that they may end up just cancelling the rest of the school year. So the next 2 months. The stores are bare, hardly anything at all. When I was at Walmart on Friday this week buying stuff, most of the shelves were bare; I almost thought it had been 365 days already and Christmas was here, but on steroids :).

I have been able to see how all of my time as Student Body President and in other tense leadership positions growing up, has helped me now to be able to stay calm and keep a cool head. Lots of people in Ohio are going crazy, and freaking out. But WE know, that nothing will get accomplished when we "aren't thinking right". Stay calm, keep a cool head, and have some fun these next 3 weeks. :) Its not everyday that the whole world gets shut down and everyone is at home 😉😁

I'm doing good, just staying positive as much as I can. I'm very anxious to just be able to talk with people on a regular basis again. Because of the virus, people haven't been open to us at all coming to their house, which I can honestly understand and am glad they are wanting to be safe and keep us safe as well. So I've been pacing around in the apartment a lot lately. We went knocking on a lot of doors this week and at every single door we went to, this was the peoples response to us, "Sorry, please come back in about 6-8 weeks after the coronavirus is gone". So we are no longer knocking on doors and tracting for the time being, which makes it interesting because finding new people to talk with and teach is a HUUUGGEEE part of missionary work. This means that we solely are needing to do member work. So over the last few days that is what we have been doing. We had 12 member visits on Saturday. Before this week, I think I just was okay with being average to share the gospel. We ALL must make a commitment to ourselves everyday, that we will truly truly exhaust ourselves to share the Gospel. Everyday, everyday, everyday. The Lord is hastening His work, and on the horizon is coming to meet His disciples.

I've been reading my Patriarchal blessing recently, and I just have to say how amazing and so cool that it is that we can have blessings given to us by our Heavenly Father, to know our identity and objectives in this life. For me, I still remember the day I received my patriarchal blessing on November 12, 2017. It was a special day and I know Heavenly Father was there in the room. I truly felt He wanted me to hear all the words He spoke to me through Patriarch Griffiths. Read our patriarchal blessings often, for in them, we will continually find comfort and peace and guidance.

Tuesday: We went to seminary again and that was super fun! They had chocolate chip muffins there and it was so so great! Seminary is the best and I'm so so grateful I had the opportunity to go. When the quarantine/all of this, is all finished, I encourage all of us to go to institute. It is such a great place to be! We also went over to the Ball house on Tuesday night and did a Book of Mormon reading with them. Me and Elder Marler taught the class and it was a ton of fun! We taught on Alma 47 and how we must always stay on higher ground, even when temptation comes. It reminded me of Elder Holland's talk, "Stay within the lines". In the talk, Elder Holland talks about how we must armor up always; that we can't expect to play for the adversary, and then suit up for the Savior come temple and mission time. I love that phrase. We must be worthy and ready to see the Savior always.

Wednesday: We were able to find one new person that day. He said he wanted a copy of the Bible and so we invited him to come to church this week to receive a copy, but that is no longer a possibility for a few weeks ;). We went over to the Cluff house that afternoon for a lesson and visit. He is the 2nd counselor in the Stake Presidency. We were there for about an hour and a half, with the first 45 min talking about what is happening right now everywhere. It was there that we also found out that everything, literally everything in the state of Ohio, is closed for the next 3 weeks. We taught the Cluffs about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and what it means to live the Gospel, ESPECIALLY in the home (hint hint ;)). I got back to the apartment and found out that General Conference was now only being broadcasted, and no public admittance would be allowed.

Thursday: We visited with the Millers. They are an older couple and it was so much fun to talk with them. Brother Miller was a pilot for his job and talked about all his piloting adventures. Made me think of Elder Utchdorf's talk when he and President Monson were touring a plane, and Elder Utchdorf put his hands on the controls and handset. President Monson gently put his hands on Elder Utchdorf's shoulders and said, "Dieter. Don't even think about it" :) We went and stopped by the Bulsons, and it was so great! Sister Bulson is a recent convert of I think 3 or 4 yrs maybe. We helped answer some of her questions about the Book of Mormon, and what types of ways she can be finding answers to her prayers (i.e. prayer, church, temple attendance, etc). With 2 out of those 3 things being temporarily closed, I INVITE ALL OF US, to earnestly and sincerely pray these next 3 weeks til General Conference. As President Nelson stated April 2019 Conference, "Come and hear the word of the Lord. Time is running out." We also were able to go over to the Gornichec house and help sand the last part of his shelves and drawers, and I kind of looked like Jack Frost afterwards because of how much sawdust I had in my hair. Haha pics to come :):) They bought us all some Chipotle dinner. I ordered a pork burrito and man it was so good. I was pretty much dripping from head to toe in sweat because I had been sanding for 3 straight hours and had gotten a pretty great workout in if I do say so myself 😉 I got back to the apt and saw that church is temporarily closed for the next 3 weeks til General Conference. The APs sent out a message Thursday night and told everyone that President Stratford had been hospitalized that day and to keep him in our prayers. Well that didn't help the situation of what's going on, and a lot of the missionaries here are very worried right now and so everything is just tense to say the least.

Friday: Because President Stratford was hospitalized, then interviews were cancelled. So we had district council at the Powell bldg, and I gave a training on the Safeguards for using technology. And then me and Elder Marler had comp study and weekly planning. We got back to the apt at 3-ish, and the APs sent another message out and said, "Your MSF funds have been loaded again, President and Sister Stratford have given everyone permission to go EMERGENCY shopping. Please get what you can, the stores are crazy right now". So me and Elder Marler went shopping for the next hour. And just so everyone knows, I do have toilet paper ;). Kroger and Walmart were so busy and the shelves were so bare. I got a few things and then decided to go back today to get a few more things. We went and visited the Walkers, Sullivans, Nelson's, and Pease family that night.

Friday night we also had a mission wide conference call with everyone, mission staff and senior couples included. President first addressed his physical condition. With him having Bell's Palsy right now, it got worse this week, and he went to the hospital to have some tests done. He then was ambulanced to OSU hospital. They thought he had a brain bleed. It was determined that he did not have a brain bleed, but they gave him prescription meds to take. He said the meds have weakened his immune system, so he is quarantining himself until transfers on April 2nd and will be staying at the mission home until then. So we will do interviews next week via video call with him.

He then explained everything else. So, as of October 1, 2020, any missionary who is scheduled to return home after October 1, 2020 and does not have a yellow star on their drivers license (A.k.a, A real ID), they will not be going home by airplane. They'll have to have their parents come pick them up. So, thankfully we got my drivers license renewed in June last summer and so I have a yellow star on my license and my license also doesn't expire til 2024 so that's even better :):).

President then said, that effective immediately, all senior couples in this mission are quarantined for the time being. There are currently 4 or 5 cases of the virus up by Cleveland, and one or two in Columbus area. He then said that we will be getting 3 missionaries being transferred from the Korea mission. They'll be coming sometime around March 23 or 24 I think. President told us that we are still supposed to be out and about outside doing missionary work.

Saturday: By this day, I was pretty much just waiting for President Nelson to announce for everyone to drive to Missouri to Adam Ondi Ahman, because the Savior was coming. 😉 It was a good day. It also snowed all day long; so it was not only snowing, but the whole world was shut down and the coronavirus was there, a day to be remembered ;). We visited with 12 member families and were able to visit and have some good lessons. It was busy, and I loved it! Member work is the best and I'm glad that they are willing to have us in their homes . . . After we wash our hands first with the hand sanitizers by their front doors 😁😉. We gave Brother and Sister Mathis both a blessing. Even though I probably shouldn't have because she was sick, BUT, I did wash my hands for a long time after. We visited John Russell, and then a lot of other members in Sunbury. We then were able to give 2 bibles to a guy named Emanuel who isn't a member, but had contacted the Dublin sisters through their Facebook bible give away group, and then they got a hold of us. We met him at the library in Lewis Center. It was like 8 o'clock, and we walked up to his car, and he rolled his window down and the merchandise was delivered. :)

Sunday was wonderful! So I did my usual Sunday morning routine and did daily planning at 8:30 and personal study from 9:00-11:00. We then went over to Sister Secrest's house and gave the sacrament to her and her family, as well as ourselves. Then we had lunch at the apt, did comp study at 2, and then went over to the Forbes house for a lesson, and they gave us both a package of MRE's to eat. :) Bishop Nelson texted us and asked if we were still allowed out of the apt or if we had been quarantined. He then invited us over to their house for nachos and chocolate cake. The nachos were so good and I had some TOBASCO sauce on top of it. You'd be proud of me Dad 😉. We had 2 other member visits planned, but they both cancelled because they were all sick. But, overall it was a very fantastic day! It was fun doing the sacrament at Secrests, it made me think back to me doing Shut Ins at peoples houses after church each Sunday. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true!

I have also been washing my hands about every 10 to 15 min. I just say to myself that it's getting me ready for when I'm a doctor and I have to wash my hands multiple times a day :) ;)

It was a great week! With as much as was and still is happening, I truly saw myself turning to prayer this week. I thought back to what I have learned about the early saints going on missions and leaving their families behind and a lot of hard things happening to them. I then thought about my wonderful and incredible family who I am currently not with in person. I prayed day in and day out for Heavenly Father to bless you guys. And while I know everyone is safe and well back home, it tears at a missionary's heart strings to have something like this be going on.

I came to a true testimony this week of Revelation and the blessing of having a prophet on the earth. You guys probably saw it on Facebook, but there was a post that said something along the lines of, "We have been asked to have a food storage. We have been asked to live within our means. We have been asked to learn to study the Gospel in our homes. We have been asked to minister and reach out to people. And we have been asked to follow the prophet." That hit me hard this week. I know Heavenly Father has a role in what is taking place. He is there for us, because I know He is our loving Heavenly Father.

I have been thinking about the parable of the 10 virgins. About how 5 of the virgins had their lamps filled with oil and when the Bridegroom came to the feast, the 5 virgins went in and ate with Him. The other 5 virgins however, were not ready and anxiously rushed to get oil, but by the time they got to the feast, it was too late . . . I just got cold chills while writing that. The Lord is coming, and I'm so very grateful that we are all continuing to prepare and be ready for when Jesus Christ does come. "For we know not the hour nor the day which the Son of Man cometh; but this much we do know, that those who patiently wait on the Lord, shall be received into Heaven." Ahh that's AMMMAAAZZIINNNGG :)

I also have a testimony on the power of the Priesthood. I felt overcome this week with so many emotions. One of them being that Priesthood power is indeed on the earth and we can use it to its full capacity. Being able to give Brother and Sister Mathis both a blessing on Saturday was amazing. I'm so grateful I have the amazing chance to use my priesthood authority for other people. Over the next 3 weeks til General Conference, I encourage all of us, to seek ways to use the priesthood to bless people and use God's power.

I also realized something this week. Church, work, and school are cancelled for 3 weeks. General Conference is in 3 weeks. God has put families together for the next 3 weeks to learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass", and in the words of one of our favorite movies (The Incredibles), "Coincidence!? I think not. :)" 😉

The challenge I would like to invite all of us to do this week is going to be a little different than the last ones. The invite is this: "Apply Helaman 5:12 and strengthen our ability and capacity to have a firm foundation". I know it'll bless our lives. And I'll add one more sentence to the challenge, "Take our vitamins. It's going to be exciting!" ;) And make sure you're drinking Spark, that'll be even better to have :) ;). Continue to study Come Follow Me every week. It will bless all of our lives as we do so, and we will continue to see different ways that we can "Hear Him" as President Nelson invited us to do. Come Follow Me is the best!

I also wanted to say how much I love being able to write in my journal everyday and how much it has blessed my life to be able to start my day out with that. I haven't always been the best at journaling; in fact, as I'm writing this part of the email, I'm realizing that I always said it was too hard for me to write in my journal when I was younger. A phrase comes to my mind, "The words which we write unto the Lord, if we keep them sacred, they will be given to us for a remembrance and a testimony in days to come". That phrase just came to my mind out of nowhere. Journaling is the best, and it is a blessing to be able to do it.

My testimony is this, I know without a shadow of a doubt that this Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. The coronavirus was supposed to happen during the year 2020. We can't always control what happens, but I know we can control how we react and respond to what happens. Reach out to those around you, minister as the Savior did. That is true ministering. Not a lesson, but serving others and extending our hand towards them. President Nelson is a prophet of God and I know he is seeking revelation from the Lord. I felt that this week. I don't know how I felt it, but on Thursday and Friday this week, the Lord confirmed to me that what President Nelson announced was truth and it will all be okay. The Lord has a hand in everything we do and are doing.

I also hit my 7 month mark on Saturday. Time is going so so quickly and I can't believe it's already been 7 months since I left Utah . . . And it was also PI day on Saturday; 3.1415962 . . . . Haha that's all I can remember. Did you guys have pie? I was craving pie, because you know, Pie is my very most favorite :):) I should've bought one to eat this weekend.

I also almost got in a car accident on Sunday morning. Generally speaking, it would've been my fault . . . I pulled out in front of a black car, and even though I looked both ways, it must've been in my blind spot. The guy laid on his horn for about 15 seconds, then I had pulled off to the side of the road because we had just arrived at a members house to visit them. The guy pulls up next to me, and we both roll our windows down. He looks at me and says, "Are you okay?" I ask him what he means. He says, "Well I'm just making sure you know how to drive because you just pulled out right in front of me". I kind of laughed, and then just said, "Yes man, I know how to drive. Have a good day!" He drives off. Needless to say, it was quite the moment, thankfully I didn't get in an accident.

How did YM's go on Wednesday Dad with the game night? I saw the pictures mom posted on Facebook! It looked super super fun. Mom, are you still doing classes right now then? I guess it's a good thing you were already doing online classes. It'll be a nice and easy transition for you instead of having to transition from in person to online over the next few weeks. Mom, I sent your birthday package on Friday so it should be there either today or tomorrow. I wanted to get it sent before the post offices were told to close :):).

A song I've been listening to this week is the youth theme song, "Press Forward". This week has taught me that missionary work cannot be done alone. I have seen this week just how hard it is to do missionary work when people are inside of their homes and not able to meet with us. But just like this song says, "We will press forward. Onward with faith. We will press forward, together, onward, press forward". This is my testimony to ALL. Christ lives and we are all missionaries to help in this great work. Coach has called our number, we have strapped up our chin strap, we are in the game :)

I am so very grateful for all of you and so very grateful for everything you guys do for me :) 💛 Families truly are forever, through Heavenly Fathers plan. I always want to be with my own family, and the Lord has shown me how I can, the Lord, has shown me how I can.❤ I miss you ALL so very much, and I pray for you all everyday. I feel like the Grinch, "my heart has grown 3 sizes larger" and I love and appreciate all of you guys so so much.

I love YOU Forever and Always!
Elder Dylan