Tuesday, July 28, 2015

July 28th, 2015

Thanks Allyson and Jere VanPatten for the quick snapshot.
As they say...
Well I'm living here in Allentown
And it's hard to keep a good man down
Good luck Elder Dean!

Monday, July 27, 2015

A change in companionship


July 27, 2015

Hello family and friends,  it's me Elder Dean.   I am sending you my weekly report.  
Elder Fernandez and Elder Dean
This week we had transfers. My past companion, Elder Litton, is gone and I have a new companion Elder Fernandes.  He is 23 years old, he is from central California.  He served four years in the Marines and is now on his mission.  He's a really fun guy and we're going have a really great time here together in Allentown. 


Nothing too dramatic has happened this week.  One of our investigators Xaymara Fajardo will be baptized on
August Ninth and hopefully Cinquetta Moore the week afterwards.  It's good to have success.   I am also so glad that I was born to great parents who have raised me to be a missionary.   I know that Heavenly Father has put trust in me to be a missionary because I know that I was born into this gospel so that I could share it with others. 


Thank you for all the letters and emails I have received (shout out to you Grandma) they have really lifted my spirit.    It's hard to be a missionary, but it is fun to see that I have already been away from home for three months.  Time is just flying by.   I love you guys.   If you have any questions for me I would love to answer them (whether they be for Trevor or Elder Dean).   I can also read Emails any time, so write me anytime like I said I love seeing what is happening back home. Keep doing your best
-Elder Dean

trevor.dean@myldsmail.net
My mailing address is 510 North 8th Street, Allentown, PA 18102 

Transfers are coming...

July 20th, 2015

Dear Mom,
Humidity in Allentown.  
I hope you are doing well and I hope Colin is doing well after his fifty miler hike.  I expect he has some good stories from camping.  How are you doing?   I haven't heard much from the family in the past week.   I am doing well-ish.  Transfers are coming up and my companion is leaving, so I will be getting a new companion soon.  I don't know who it is yet.  I'm a little nervous taking over my first area.  I will still be in Allentown.  What was dad's first experience of taking over an area?

I have a few things to ask of you mother first could you email me some pictures of each family member second could you send me your bread recipe and third could you send me some nose hair trimmers (they're getting a little wild).  I hope your feeling better from your Kux love you.

-Elder Dean
(P.S. I'll write about my week in a minute)
(P.S.S. Minute is slang here for any measure of time)

Love you Mom!

The Bread Recipe
6 C flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 Cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tsp yeast

Mix 6 cups flour and salt together.  In another bowl add to 1 Cup of the water and 1&1/2 tsp yeast and set aside.  Mix the rest of the water into the flour salt combo.  When well-mixed, add the yeast water.  Mix well, cover and let sit.  (Note: None of these ingredients needs to be exact. If the dough is too playdough'ish add more water.  If the dough is too watery...you'll add more flour after its raises.  Depending on the quality and age of your yeast you're dough should raise enough to cook within 4-10 hours. I generally do it over night, it seems to work best.)

When you're ready to bake. Set the oven temperature to 400 degrees and heat up the pan and lid.  Scrap the dough onto a floured surface. Depending on how wet your dough will determine whether you need a full cup of flour or a half cup of flour to knead into your mixture.  Scrap the dough onto a flour surface and shape into a ball or oval. (Just needs to fit your oven proof pan.) I pour a little olive oil into the bottom of the pan, but you could use Pam spray as well.  Put the lid on the pan and bake for 30 minuites.  Then remove the lid and bake uncovered for 15 more minutes to brown the top of the bread.  
                                                                    Love you, 
                                                                    Mom 
                                                                        



July 4th, 2015 

Thanks for the heads-up I love you and I have a lot of cool news and stories for you when you get back.   I am getting a mini missionary, so we will see how that goes. Also things continue to go well for for me in Allentown we have some ne
w investigators and have five baptisms on the forecast. 

I hope you are having fun and I expect to here some fun stories of dear nuzzling and Ashton antics when you get home. Also it's all about your mind that if you want things to be good things will be good.  That's what I learned here in Allentown.  If you plan be
happy,  you will be happy.  If you want to be stressed about a camp out,  you'll be stressed about a camp out.  Keep doing your best.    -Elder Dean

(Trevor wrote later "The mini missionary wasn't able to come.  He had something come up.   To put it in missionary terms we had a miscarriage.)




June 29th, 2015
Things are going well not much has changed we are about half way through a the transfer so I will probably have a new companion in 3 weeks or so my trainer will probably leave but he could also stay nothing is to solid in missionary work.   I'll write something about that for the blog later.   Not much has happened this week.  The days are starting to blur together.  I love you I will write a news letter next week. 

But to answer some of your questions,
  • I get out of the car to make sure he doesn't scratch the car on the curb. We drive a Ford Fusion.  
  •  I have started to keep a dream journal.  My asleep mind is weird. 
  • Can you get dad to tell me some of his mission stories (maybe he can share them with everyone at a family home evening as well?) 
  • Peace save the whales!  
Love you
-Elder Dean