Pictures of Dalan from Arizona

Dalan and Elder Stewart at Mesa Temple

Dalan and Elder Weight fishing on p-day.

E-Mail 5/25/10

hey you! i love your email!! that is sOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sweet, those tools look amazing! :) and baileys head board is sooo cute! you did such a great job on it!! :) the pics of home look so amazing! the clouds above the house look awesome! sounds like its been a little wet there latly! sorry to hear, hopfullly you can get a litttle of the weather down here up there! :) The Monsoon season will be starting here soon, lots of rain and lightnig storms in the evenings! :) so thats kinda exciteing! my collar bone still is really hurting but its getting better! :) the car helps alot! oh by the way, if you are wanting to sell the avalache and get a car, go test drive a chevy malibu!! :) we are driving one, its got 1100 miles on it so its BRAND NEW!! awesome car (Mom, you would like one!) so any ways we are moving Kyles bap. back one week cause of memorial day weekend, more family will be able to come next week! :) but he is a awesome kid and were so excited for him! :) The Gila Valley temple ded was amazing! President monson and iring talked! it was sooo good, it was also very kool cause pres, monson joked around and we really got to see his personallity! :) the mesa temple is sooo prety! iloved it, it is set up a little different inside compared to others i have been too but way kool! :) Saturday was along day with 7 hrs sitting in the car, 2 hrs sitting in the temple! haha, but it was way good! bro burden drove us down and back! he is was kool and he bought us wendys on the way down in Payson, then Panda Express on the way home! it was sooo good!!! :) the members are amazing and we never go hungery anywhere! :) in fact i tti'ed a guy right b4 we got here and he told me and elder stewart to go to trappers restraunt in taylor and eat lunch, he owns it and called his ppl there and told them we were coming by and it was on him!! so we get treated way better than we deserve!! :)


last friday was zone confrence. it was in Hollbrook, 45 mins north of here, it was amaizng! president basset is amazing! that man is going to be a apsotle some day! he is so spiritual and talk about know the B.o.M. inside and out.... WOW, it was amaizng, we were taught about the importace of weekly planning, we have district meeting tomarro and me and elder stewart are in charge of some part of it! :) so that willl be good!

last monday i went on a exchange with elder hilton. his area is out east of snowflake(bordering the res) so it was freaking crazY! lots of drunks (navahos haha), pagins, and just plane crazy ppl! haha, so it was defently a eye opening expirence...who knew that i could have more of those! haha ;)

im getting alittle nervous cause elder stewart goes home in 3 weeks so he is startiing to turn the area over to me....awwww! :) it will be good though! i am learning and growing so much everyday! :) i love it!

Oh and dad, guess what i did yesterday!... i wore my mesh G's! haha, i actually really like them! ;) it is defently more dificult to keep suit pants up cause they are so slick but they are defently cooller! :) we have distributuion center here so i might go get another pair! :) haha we'll see! :)

by they way, i dont know if it is too late but i got some pics that i want for my placque!! i will send them too you in a email after i finish this one, you can choose what one you want to use or which one will work best! :) so i am excited for you to see some of the arizzona terrain! :)

we taught close to 30 lessons this last week so we did pretty good! we are keeping really busy and doing our best to be productive! :)

have you got moved up to the mountain yet? or still waiting on sun?! its 73 right now here and its only 11:00 so by 2 it should get in the mid 80s! :) gotta love it! haha

well hope all is going well and you can get the rig in the dirt soon! take care, be safe, and enjoy the new tools! :) i love and miss you all and pray for the very best! :)

Love

Elder Dalan Lerwill

Dalan Update

Not what Mom likes to hear, but other wise Dalan is doing well.




OK so story of the week: :)









We were teaching jim huffman in silversage trailer park.(on Saturday) it went really well and we were biking to our next apt, so were bombing along a gravel road going probley 20-25 mph when a really fast blue healer dog comes running out from between two trailers! so scarred to crap what do you do?!?... start pedaling faster! haha, i looked back and he was right next to me biting at my heel so i freaked out and tryed to kick him, he kinda backed off but when i looked back at the road there was a rock about the size of a baseball right in front of my tire... i hit it and it washed out my bike and i went sliding down the road! when i got stopped i expected the dog to be in my face, but a miracle happened and he went after elder stewart! i was so relieved! :) i have some pretty good road rash all the way down my arm and my right hand is tore up pretty good and my shoulder was absolutely killing me! so we went to a members home and called dog patrol and they got me cleaned up! we finished up our day and my shoulder was still absolutely killing me so (saturday night) i was feeling my collar bone and it hurt like crazy and felt like it had a big bump or weird angle on it so i iced it and took Advil cause it was swelling up! we had to wait till monday to go to the doctor, the doctor which is a member worked me in early so that was good, but he examined it and moved my are around and made me almost cry, then told me that i have broke my collar bone! but luckly it is still in place and aligned for the most part! :) which is a good thing! :) so he gave me so pain pills, told me to stay off the bike for 2-3 weeks and ice it all that i can! so i have got a car 4 a while! :) so ya thats my story! i am hurting alot and having a hard time staying awake cause of the pills but it should be healed up and ill be back on a bike in 3-4 week! :) haha, so that's the most exciting thing that has happened this week! :)



Sounds like things are going good there and your getting things done! :) thank you soooo much for the package! i love the shirt and my blanket is a life saver! it has been getting down into the the low 40's at night and were in a basement with no heat! haha, i never thought id be needing some more warmth but it is purfect! thanks so much, and the head light is sooooooooooo kool! i love it and it works soooo good on a bike! :) thanks a ton! :)



the dear elders are fun to get and i got my last one on saturday so you know how fast they are!? :) its nice to be able to get email type things though out the week! :) thanks for keeping me in touch!



but the members down here are amazing, the pharmacist payed for my pain pills and some random guy bought us taco bell! haha :)so we are being treated well! some times too well! haha, the other day a member took us to Sweet Charlys BBQ for all you can eat ribs them 1 hr later some members fed us steak and potatoes! haha, i was so miserably full!!



i have gone on 2 splits this week! that is so nerve racking cause its all up to me to teach a 45 min lesson! haha, but they have gone so well! i love being able to just go into ppls homes and teach by the spirt! :)



i gave a talk Sunday in 4th ward, it went really well and i actually kinda enjoyed it! haha, i talked on the adversary and keeping strong!



the members here are amazing! the throwkeld, bryant, and rapier families are amazing and will do literary ANYTHING for us! it is so kool to have that kinda support from the wards and familys! ppl take us into there homes and treat us like family! it is amazing! :)



funny story: we were teaching a lesson to the argonbrights, they are a elderly couple who dont have any kids but have two dogs who are there pride and joy! :) in the middle of the lesson one of the dogs drugg its butt all the way across the living room on the carpet! it was soooo gross, and the lady just laught and told us the he was playing..... little did she know, now she has worms living in her carpet!!!!!!!!! it was aweful!



and katie FYI i have my dex in and i am taking care of my self! :) but thank you for being a 2nd mother! haha :) oh and thanks for the pics and works of encouragement! :)



i bought insulin last Tuesday, it took them a day to fill it but all went through good and everyone in the pharmacy are member so they are amazing to work though! ill let you know wen i need more supplies! :)



Dad thank you so much for the post card, that was awesome and mom and bailey, thanks for all the love and support! :)



Elder stewart is not trunky what so ever! he is a amazing missionary and doesn't want to go home! haha, we are having a blast and i am teaching, learning, and growing so much! :)I Love you all and am so thankful for great family! thanks for the support and love, i love and pray for you and your safety! :) good luck on the farm and keep things rolling love you all and have a wonderful week! :)



Love Elder Dalan Lerwill

Craft Projects

Another wedding gift. I really like how this one turned out. Like the green and black and love the heart. Hope they like it too.

Here is my chair that I re redid! I really like it, looks old and rustic!

Bailey's Bedroom

We are going to give Bailey her last room update (oh that sounds kind of sad)! She is very tired of her pink and green walls. They have been really cute, but time for a change. So we will be painting her room when school gets out, but we made her a new headboard. It turned out soooo cute. Here is a picture of it.

Can't wait to show you the whole room when we get it done. Will keep you updated.

Mother's Day Phone Call

Dalan called us Sunday evening and it was so good to talk to him. He is doing really well and keeping so busy! He is loving Snowflake, he is says it is a town of 12,000 people and it has 2 stoplights. It has lots of rolling hills and trees and the wind blows ALL the time. Anywhere from 40 to 70 mile hour gusts. He is on a bike and bikes around 20 to 30 miles a day. He says his legs are feeling hammered and getting big. His jeans almost don't fit in the thighs. Him and his companion are over 4 wards. The 2,3, and 4th ward are in the Stake Center and the 6th ward is in a different builing that was built in 1910 and he says it is the coolest building. They are doing a lot of retention work and teaching a lot. They have a goal of getting 60 TTI (Teach, Testify, and Invite) a day working the streets. Dalan is doing good at that. He is not afraid to talk to people. His companion was amazed, he said he didn't talk to anyone the first month. They ususally have a dinner appointment every night and most lunches. He has developed a bad case of snoring (I think he is exhausted) and woke up the other day with his companion sleeping in the living room. Elder Stewart went and bought ear plugs. He also gave Elder Stewart the first discussion in his sleep the other night. On Sunday he went to 4 sacrament meetings, 2 gospel doctrine, and 2 PEC meetings. He also has already had some close dog greetings. He is doing well and loves getting letters, it is what keeps him sane. So keep the letters coming.

Voles or Gophers????

I don't know when a gopher became a vole? I think it happened when all the new people (hippies) moved here to the valley. But whatever it is called can I just say I DO NOT LIKE THEM. Half of my back yard grass is all gone. It looks like it got a REALLY bad hair cut. Saturday Stacy mowed and mowed and then we raked up all the grass, I can't believe how much we raked up, we dumped our trailer 3 times. It looks good to have all the dead stuff gone so maybe it can get some sunshine and start to grow back. Please spring it is time you made your appearance.

A great Mother's Day

Sunday was Mother's Day and it was a great day. First of all I have the most wonderful husband and friend in the world,  I don't know what I would do with out him. Thanks Stacy for being the BEST! Second of all I have the most wonderful children in the world. Bailey is a sweet heart and I love her cards and notes. Stacy and Bailey and I picked out my mother's day present the other day when we went to IF. They bought me a picture of the Idaho Falls temple and I love it. It is so pretty. I also got to hear from Dalan and it was awesome. He called around 5 and we got to talk for about an hour. We miss him so much,but he is doing so well and is becoming a great missionary. He is so busy, I worry how he can keep this pace up for 2 years! I will blog about his phone call and copy and past it to this blog on all the details. But I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have such a great family. I also have the BEST MOTHER ever. I love her so much and am so thankful for all she has and still does for me. She has always been one of my best friends. My other best friend and a TERRIFIC MOTHER is my sister Katie. Love you both and hope you had a great day, wish we were closer and we would go do lunch today. All my love to you both.

I have to say I have another GREAT MOM, Verna, what a remarkable lady she is. She is a wonderful person who I love very much. I also am very blessed to have wonderful sister-in-laws. Each one of them have so many talents and abililties that I envy and look up to. They are ALL wonderful mothers to our cute nieces and nephews that we love! Happy Mother's Day to you ALL!

President Bassett's Family

Dalan with President and Sister Bassett's family. Taken on his arrival date, May 4, 2010.

First Day in Mission Field, Snowflake, AZ

Hey how is everything going?!?!?! my pdays are on tuesdays and we didnt get the chance to email yesterday so we get a chance to today!! im so excited and LOVING it here! so yesterday after i talked to you, i flew down and the ap's and presidnt Basset picked us up at the air port then we went to the Mesa temple visiting center and talked and took some pics real quik, then we went to the mission home! we got out all our driving paper, lisence, immunazions, and other stuff out so they could make copies, filled out some insurence/health papers and the ap's talked to us for a while, while presidnt basset intervieved us all!! he is such a spirtual man and is sooooooo nice!!!!!!! :) then we had lunch,... hot dogs ;) and then went back into the room that they talked to us in and all the trainers came in and sat down. we practice street contacting with each other and then some ppl talked about things to do and not to do in the mission, like leaving clothes on the ground cause of scorpions!! :) haha then after all our orientation stuff presidnt basset got up to announce our trainers and where we would be serving?! i was the last on to be read off the list of who mine was and where i was going! my comp is elder stewart and he is from rexburg! haha.. how does that work? :) he is way kool and is teaching me lots! :) and im am serving in the most coveted areas in the mission, Snowflake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :):) i love in here! So after i found out, we grabbed my bags and got in the truck and drove 3 1/2 hour to here! it was amazing country and there are pine trees and its awesome! it really reminds me of island park!! :) its a small town feel! nearest wal-mat is hour and a half away, everyone waves to everyone and it is 15 degrees cooler than down in the valley! its 76 here right now and in mesa is in the 90's! :) so that is amazing! elder stewart is going home in 6 weeks so i gotta learn alot in 6 weeks cause when he leaves ill be taking over the area! aww haha :) we live in the basment of a members home, really nice! :) im in a biking area, but also have access to a truck if absolutely needed! i got a really nice bike and got a good deal on it i think! we will be biking alot so that will be good to have a good one! :) when it is 75 degrees or higher we dont have to where our suit coats so thats a blessing! :) get to go to the temple once a transfer! :)


so yesterday i got my bike and we drove to payson and got groceries at the walmart and then hauled butt to snowflake and got here 5 mins. before our apt with the Chairez family! so we threw all our groceries in the fridge and got back in the truck and drove to there house! we taught lesson 2! it went really well have another apt with them next week! then after that we hauled butt again to the Gardner families home and taught the about the importance of the BoM and tithing, they are a less active family and the mother is not a member! that was really kool and went well too! :) i was so nervous! haha, we have 5 teaching apts today, all lesson one to new investigators! :) so that will be kool! our area includes 4 wards, and me and elder stewart got white washed into this new area cause they just spilt the area! so guess what that means... next Sunday we get to talk...four different times... :) haha it will be good. we were asked to just introduce our selves and give a little bit of back ground and then talk on the importance of missionary work and just how excited we are to be hear so that wont be too bad! :) also today we a apt with Jim Hufman and we are going to try to set a baptismal date!! :) we already have two ppl with dates this month so i will be able to step in and teach them the last couple lessons with elder stewart!! :) so there is a crap load of work and i don't think ill have a problem keeping busy!:) It all definitely puts me out of my comfort zone for the most part but im am learning and growing so much! :) i miss and love you all so much and cant wait to talk to you sunday! :) be safe and good luck with everything. hope you dont mind me filling you in early... ;) haha



Love Ya, Elder Dalan Lerwill





p.s. last Sunday it snowed here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Tuesday, May 4, 2010


Fly Date



Oh how sweet, we got a phone call this morning at 7:00. Dalan was up at three and headed to the airport, he was all checked in and waiting to board his plane. It was so awesome to hear his voice and talk to him. He really liked the MTC but is so glad that it is over. He said he weighed 193 but he would soon loose the extra since his mission is a total bike mission except for the office people. He thought they would get to AZ and have some orientation and do some tracking tonight and then in the morning more orientation and be sent to his new area and companion. I think he was nerveous and excited all at once. He said he has met so many neat people and he has loved to read in the scriptures and also write in his journal and letters. I think his journal has been a good out for him. He has almost read the whole Book of Mormon while in the MTC. He was planning on finishing it yesterday but was too busy getting ready. It was awesome and we can't wait to talk to him on Sunday to see how the real mission field is going. We are lucky on our timing for the allowed phone calls. It will make Christmas seems like a long ways away.

Dalan 's last P-Day in the MTC

hey how are things going? it has been rainy and snowing here during mornings but not quite like at home! haha, i leave in the morning at 5 from the mtc then my flight is at 8ish! :) i have 2 1/2 viles of insiln left! things are going good and im really ready to get out of here! that crazy about kyle! haha, the temple was awesome this morning! tell bailey to get better and im thinking about her! :) i have money for my luggage and ill keep my reciet and wen i get to az the church will refund it back to me! so thats good! :) thats too bad to here about aaron's boy! he'll be in my prayers! one of the counslers in our branch presidency here is a doctor,his name is Brother Stacey and he is awesome!!! yesterday i was in a interview with him and just talking about how things were going and all that fun jazz and then we started talking about my diabetes, i told him where i was with my a1c before and how fast i got it down to a 8 and he was absolutly amazed! i think he actually doubted me haha, no he didnt but he just testified how the lord works and apprently i am supposta be here!! :)


Did you get all the grain cleaned or how is all that going?!

The best way that mail to az is ging to work is just send all my letters to the mission home then they will forward them. any thing through US mail they will forward, but UPS or FedEx packages wont, so i wouldnt get those till transfers or wen id be at the mission home again... so ill let you know more about that when i know more! :)

i am going to do laundry here in a bit and start packing up all my bags! :) We had a chin up contest last night and i got 2nd place! haha, i did 24!! my shoulders are sooooo sore! haha :) One of my teachers came in yesterday (Brother Lewis) and told us that he just looked it up and it was 98 Degrees in Mesa!!!!! AWWWWWWWWWhaha, but ill be ok, ive got all kinds of help and support! ;) im running out of time so if you would forward this to Wes and Katie that would be awesome! they emailed me and im not going to have time to write them back as well! :) keep shootin those squerrls! :) love all you guys and thanks for the letters and emails! :) keep in touch with all that goes on there and ill do my best on the other end as well! haha :) ill talk to you next sunday! :) good thing i wont be in the mtc cause you cant call if you are so its gonna work out perfect! dont know for sure it will work but you'll here from me! :) quite honestly im not sure how anything for the next few days is goin to work out! haha :)



Love you all,

Elder Dalan Lerwilll

p.s. im hearing from nathan and he is doing well! :)if you see wayne and cinthia tell them hi from me! OHHHHHHHHHH and in my zone i met this kid and we got talking, his name is Elder Olsen and John and tom beard is his cousins! realated to rigby aand stuff so talk to regina! ;) love ya all :)