Apostle time 😎

 Not too much time to write but I didn't even send anything last week so oh well. 

Last week Elder Stevenson who is one of the 12 Apostles who is alive today!! Came and visited our mission and so the whole mission met up and had a mission wide conference it was legit. The bus ride was so fun it was like 11 hours of driving for like an hour or 2 conference but it was worth it. We got home at midnight it was legit. Felt so nice to be out late again nothing beats driving on the empty roads.

Then on Pday we went up to Pactola lake which has a great trailer campground with boat parking and stuff which had the most clear water with petrified Wood all over the shore. The water felt so warm and GEEZ I wanted to jump in but NO can't be doin that. It was sick to drive up the hill on the windy road practically my favorite past time of course.

We had a great week it was legit. Super fun. Our Ward Mission Leader was a Recon Marine and he is absolutely hilarious it is so fun because we roast each other back and forth. It is so nice getting to roast people without them looking to get offended. He has been through a lot and done a lot for our country and then found the gospel so hype.

Runnin out of time so everyone just pray this week it'll bless you 

Pics:

- mission pic

- Elder Skousen and I in front of this cool play house a member made

- petting a pure bred wolf because I am an animal whisperer

- pic with me and two sisters in my district

- Hike with our friend Jonny

- drone shot of us at Pactola lake

- bus ride to Biz town

- me and my friend Elder Larsons long time friend Keaton who is reassigned to my mission!!

Supercross follows ME

 Super great week!!

I got my new trainee this week which was hype  he is down with the work and we get along pretty well which is always nice to not be living in a state of contention haha.

Anyways so this week my old comp dipped out to serve on the rez so we took him around to say his goodbyes. Then on Wednesday it is Transfer day and so Rapid is toward the bottom of the mission and so the people being transferred out leave at like 7:30am and then the new people get there at like 8:30pm and so the people who live in outlying areas like me pair up with another Elder or Elders and mob for the day while we wait for our new comps and so we went and checked out these dinosaurs up on this hill just cuz which was fun and then after we loaded up with some copies of the Book of Mormon and went to what they call a "mini rezervation" because it is just the sketchfest neighborhood they have in Rapid City (which isn't all that bad but it looks kind of sketchy and stuff but nothing like the streets of San Bernardino where I grew up  hahahaha) and so we go out and knock door to door and found like 5 potentials for the Elders who actually cover that area it was sick. Fun to get to work with other missionaries too.

BUT this Thursdsy the first day in the field with the trainee Elder Skousen. I had felt prompted a couple weeks ago to knock doors of neighborhoods that clearly have families living in them and then two days after I got that prompting my mission President emphasized the same exact thing! Coincidence? SIKE I think not! So that's what we did and this is two weeks ago and we went and knocked doors and then there is this one house where a family very obviously lives like there is a mini van right in the dang driveway as well as some chicken scratch type chalk art in the driveway that it looks like I drew so very clearly these people have kids so we knock their door and we end up giving him a Book of Mormon and then we go back and knock his door Thursday of this week and I'm like hey did you read any? And he is like yeah I did! Okay dope and he says he watched some sermons of some preacher homies pointing out scriptures and misinterpreting them to make it sound like it contradicts the Bible (Which it doesn't it supports it and if you think I'm wrong tell me what your concerns are and I will show you how it supports it!) And so are are leaving but I had a Restoration of the Gospel pamphlet and I give it to him knowing curiosity is gonna get him and he will read it and he was like Restoration? Thinking the full gospel is already here and so we teach him about the beginnings of how Jesus Christ's one true church was restored on the earth through Joseph Smith who was a prophet and he wants to learn more he said he thought prophets stopped after the Old Testament times and now we are going over to teach him more tomorrow! Let's get it!! So hype Spirit was so strong! 

Then we worked Rushmore and Cole Seely a former Supercross rider was there and so I got a pic with him and got roasted for blinking but it is okay still got the pic. As well as Sidney Powell Trumps attorney wanted a pic with us. Didn't know who she was when her friend who was a member asked if we wanted a pic with her and we were like oh yeah sure we would love to! Because we felt bad that we didn't know who she was lol.

We were doing some service this week and the mowers we use at times act up and I was thinking, DANG sometimes i really wish I owned and rode a KTM back home so that I would be better at working on things! I shouldn't have bought such a reliable bike that I never have to work on so that I would be more help when it comes to fixing machinery dang it what was I thinking!

Alright love you all and so does Jesus. I a don't understand how Jesus Christ is so willing to forgive all of his children who constantly make the same mistake over and over but I am thankful for it. Anytime I have to remind people of something more than 2 times i get annoyed but yet he is still full of love with all of us. Show him your gratitude this week by reading the scriptures and praying to him and thanking Him. 

Email me! matthew.dalton@missionary.org

Training Pt. 2

 Last week we went and served on Rushmore again and then actually took 15 minutes to go check it out. It is pretty cool I don't know how they managed that one.

Went on an exchange with with our ZL/AP which was fun we went to the warehouse for Feeding America and loaded like a billion (atleast) boxes of food it was pretty cool! 

We went up into the Black Hills and did some Billion graves too it's a way cool place to do it too the only noise up there was the sound of a ton of can ams and RZRs ripping by which is always welcomed!

This week was pretty legit. This area I am in has been real slow for a long time but this week we were able to find 3 new people to teach! One of them is in Pakistan so we fr be teaching all over the world. He was an exchange student here and hadn't edited where he lives on facebook so I sent him a friend request and he responded and wants to learn more about what we believe. He is 11 hours ahead time wise so it makes scheduling stuff kinda tough but we will manage.

Transfer calls came and my comp is dipping outta here and I am staying and am training a newbie. I was hoping I could get a comp who is experienced so we could grind and get a ton of stuff done but Heavenly Father has other plans and I am training haha.

I want you all to know just how loved you are!! Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ want you all to succeed whether you believe it or not. Everyone out here always tell me how they "know him" and how he is their best friend. How well do you really know Jesus Christ? How well do you understand what he did for you and how do you show him your gratitude? Jesus Christ took upon him not only all of our sins but all of our PERSONAL pains, afflictions, anxieties, and struggles. Anytime you are feeling off I promise you he has already felt what you are feeling and so who better to turn to in prayer and in scripture study??

Love you all send me an email matthew.dalton@missionary.org