May 16




Sarah left this morning for the MTC in Provo.  We saw her through the gate and waited for the email that told us she had arrived safely.  Before she even left Phoenix, I was blessed with a picture of her and the other missionaries leaving with her.

May 19

Hola! 

The last few days have been amazing but really crazy!  I missed the shuttle in the morning along with thirteen other Sisters and Elders heading to the MTC so we had to wait until 1:00 but it turned out okay. We sat and talked, getting to know each other it was pretty cool. There was a big group from Canada and some from Washington and some from Texas and almost all of us are going to different missions it was really interesting getting to know all of them. One of them did wind up getting a ride with a friend but at that point, we didn't have much time left to wait. So at about 12:30 the shuttle arrived to get us but they didn't have a trailer because they weren't expecting so many of us so it looked like we wouldn't all fit with the luggage since there were only thirteen seats but then right when we had tried everything we could think of  the Elder who had been waiting with us showed back up with his friend and a truck. It was a miracle that they showed up just in time. After we all got there we checked in and went straight to class and that is where I met my companion. 

She is wonderful and we get along really well! Her name is Hermana Stingam. Then I got to write a super quick email to my mom but I'm pretty sure I sent it to the wrong email so sorry about that mom.

Then after class, we went to a big meeting with all of the other new missionaries and that was great. The mission Presidency and their wives spoke they said so many good things but one thing that stuck out to me was that obedience should be a quest.

Then we had dinner which was pretty good. Then we went straight into a class called People and our Purpose. We helped teach three different investigators and I could feel the spirit so strongly the whole time and I could just feel how much our Heavenly Father loved each of them and all of us. I know without a doubt that our Heavenly Father and our Savior love us so much and that they are there and always will be, we don't need to be afraid to pray and ask for help. No matter what we have or haven't done they love us and want us to be happy!

Then after that, we met our zone leaders and they talked to us and got to know us until it was time to go back to our room. We have two other Sisters in our room Hermana Weston and Hermana Caudillo. They are wonderful and we already feel like family.

The next day we got all our books and a water purifying water bottle which is pretty cool. Learning Spanish has been really fun but hard. I can only understand about half of it if that at times but I know that I have Heavenly help so there is nothing to worry about. 

That night we met our branch presidency and their wives. They introduced themselves and bore their testimonies. Then They had each of us do the same. It was really nice and I could feel the spirit really strongly and I managed to not be super nervous.:-) Then after that, they took us one by one and interviewed us it was really nice and guess what! My branch President said they have violins pianos and Harps here!!! He asked if I would be interested in doing a special musical number and I said yes so I might do that. I love how music brings the spirit and touches people even when they don't understand the words. It is amazing!

Yesterday we had our first night class and our teacher Hermano Loin showed us a video introducing our first investigator that our companionship has to teach on our own and then he went over with us how to best plan and prepare for the lesson. Everyone in our class will teach her a fifteen-minute lesson in Spanish. It is exciting and terrifying at the same time but as long as we have the Holy Ghost with us we will be fine. The teachers often remind us that even if our Spanish isn't perfect as long as love them and try our best to share our testimony it will be alright. 

Also this morning we went to the temple and that was wonderful. There is always a very peaceful feeling in the temple. I love it. 

Well I need to go

I love you!

Hermana Dewald

May 26

I think one of my favorite day's is Sunday. We have so many wonderful lessons that are relaxing and spiritual and we go to the temple as a branch and sing it is so nice. We also took a couple pictures of our entire branch I'm sending it they are kinda funny. Our branch president really loves music so the departing missionaries also sing a musical number during sacrament meeting and their favorite songs during our temple walk. Then we also had a devotional and they talked about the effect one missionary can have on could have. The speakers were one of the mission presidency for the MTC and his wife. They were both converts and now their entire family are members parents and siblings and all of four of their kids served missions and it was just really cool and inspiring and I know I'm not doing it justice but I wanted to share that. Then we watched the Character of Christ and that was really inspiring it is an amazing talk! 

Tuesday Elder Rasband came and talked to us it was cool. A couple of things that stuck out to me were our mission calls are a perfect assignment. They choose where we go by revelation. Then the other thing that stuck out to me is when he said to "Go forward with faith, not fear," I know I've heard it before but it just stuck out to me. After our district talked about it and it was really great. 

Also, I'm really grateful that they had us teach a teacher fist as a fake investigator. It was good for us to practice planning lessons and answering questions in Spanish. We taught her six lessons and at the end, she told us that the person she was pretending to be was based off a real person. It was pretty cool. She is super nice. I love all my teachers they are amazing and have helped me a lot. I'm not saying that it's easy to learn Spanish but they have made it so much fun to learn. I have started to think in half English half Spanish. It's kinda funny.

Oh and guess what my district gets to host next week! That means we get to show all the new missionaries where to go. I'm pretty excited! 

I love my district they are all amazing and it is amazing to me that, they already feel like family. I'm so grateful that I was put with them! I also love going to the temple in the mornings on preparation day. It is peaceful. We did sealings to parents and it was a wonderful experience. I feel like I have been here for so long and then I think about it and I realize that I have only been here for a week and a half but it also seems as though I only got here yesterday. 

I love you!  

Hermana Sarah Dewald

Sarah was able to see Kirran when she got to the MTC.

June 2

Hola,

This week has been really good. My companion and I went to choir last Sunday and it was so cool. It's half singing half an amazing pep talk. The choir director is so great! We sang at the devotional on Tuesday and it was so much fun and the devotional was wonderful as well. Elder Costa and his wife both talked and it was really good. He talked about our Savior and all the things Jesus Christ is to us and the thing that stuck out to me most about all of them is that he said is "The One" pretty much every time and I know that He is The One and only One who could atone for our sins and he is the one who is always there if we truly seek to be close to him and don't shut him out. He will be there for us anytime we need him! Isn't that amazing!!!

Hermana Stringam and I started teaching a new investigator on Monday. Her name is Jessica and she is super sweet and patient with us and our halting Spanish. Teaching is becoming a lot easier and during our first lesson with Jessica I felt the Spirit super strong and had an easier time speaking than I had any time before. I felt like the I was given the gift of tongues in that moment. Heavenly Father really does take care of his missionaries.

I love how supportive my district is. If one of us is struggling no one hesitates to fast for them and all the Elders have repeatedly said if anyone needs a blessing to not hesitate to ask for one. I think that is super great. Our teachers are super awesome too they try so hard to make sure we are all getting it. They are all fantastic. 

Also if you didn't watch the "Be One" celebration you should it was amazing and beautiful I got chills so many times. I loved it! 

Here are some pictures of my district, some with just me and Hermana Stringam and some with Hermana Weston and Caudillo.

 June 9
I can't believe that I only have two weeks left at the MTC it is totally crazy! It is really great here but I am really excited to go to El Salvador but I am kinda sad that I won't be with any of the wonderful missionaries in my district, but I can email them so that's good. The last couple of weeks we have been teaching this wonderful lady named Jessica I'm pretty sure I told you about her last week, she has made so much progress and I love her so much! She was soooo excited when we taught here about the plan of salvation especially the parts about the spirit world and the kingdoms of glory she also asked a lot of questions about temple work that we do for the dead. It was really cool and then at the end, we sang "Family's Can Be Together Forever" in Spanish it was so nice. She really likes to sing and so we've sung a hymn with her almost every time we taught her this last week but in the last one this week we just gave her a copy because we ran out of time. She really seemed to like it! It is sooo wonderful teaching her! Spanish is coming a lot easier so that is nice and I have been able to teach a lot more it is so great! It's so wonderful being here and learning with all the other missionaries. I love bearing my testimony in Spanish even though it isn't easy. I love this gospel and I know that its true!

Love you!

Hermana Sarah Marie Dewald

June16

This week has been sooooo great! We had two fantastic devotionals! The Sunday one was given by President and Sister Priday. A couple of things I really liked that Sister Priday said was that the Lord is in the details and "Believe in order to understand. She also suggested that we make a list of miracles that we have seen each week. so a few I saw are: my district is learning Spanish way faster than we would anywhere else. It's kinda amazing that we can teach pretty much every lesson in preach my gospel in SPANISH in so few weeks!!! The lessons are not even close to perfect but still, that is amazing!!! One other thing that I think is a pretty amazing is when we were teaching our investigator Jessica and I felt the Spirit so strong directing me what to say! It was soooo cool it wasn't perfect but I think she understood. It was a really awesome feeling! 

So after Sister Priday, President Priday spoke about the Book of Mormon and a project they did at BYU. They gave one page of the book of Mormon to all kinds of people all over the world and had them read it and mark all the notations about God and Jesus Christ. They showed us what some of them said and it was cool to see how reading only one page of the Book of Mormon can bless people! The Book of Mormon is POWERFUL! It can really bring so much light! Then on Tuesday we had another devotional by Elder Nettress and his wife they talked about the Book of Mormon again and he also asked us a few questions and want to share them; "How did you come to know Jesus is the Christ? When did you know that you knew? and What scriptures have helped you to know?" I just think those are so great questions! I also really liked when he said "Christ is more interested in what we do now than what we did in the past. something else I got from it was If you prayerfully read the book of Mormon you will see your life change. Isn't that cool! I like one other thing he said, "Read it because you want to!"  It really does make a big difference! One other thing he said was, "He who helped the blind to see and the lame to walk can and will help you!" I'm not sure if I worded that exactly like Elder Nettle did but I know that it's true! One last thing that they shared was a story about President Hinckley when he was on his mission and a note card that his father gave to him and I just want to share what was on the note card it said: "Be not afraid only believe!" I think that is super applicable to anyone because it is so easy to be afraid in this life but as long as we have faith in the Lord we don't really have anything to fear! 

Well, I got to go but first I would like to share my testimony in Spanish. 

Yo se que El Libro de Momón es verdad y yo se que José Smith fue un profeta. Yo se que Jesucristo es mi Salvador y el Salvador por todos personas en la tierra y Él ama nosotros! Yo se que Dios es nuestors amoroso Padre Celestial. En el nobre de Jesucristo, amen.

I know my Spanish isn't perfect but the Lord will help me! I love my Savior and my Heavenly Father so much and I know that I am doing what they want me to do! I am so excited to serve in El Salvador! One more week!!!

Hermana Sarah Marie Dewald

June 23
 Alma is so awesome I am so glad that you have gotten peace, comfort, and ideas from it. I think that the Book of Mormon really is the best place to go when you need answers. We have been talking about how the Book of Mormon answers the questions of the soul and it really is so true. I was just reading in Alma this morning in the temple but a different part than you, it was right after the Alma and Ammon and his brethren had just met up again and Ammon had just talked about how the Lord had helped them change hundreds of lives and I was thinking when they were young all of them did some pretty bad things but when they changed and let God guide them they where so happy and helped so many people to be happy and change their lives! It is so amazing how many stories there are of change in the Book of Mormon, how God can change us for the better. Isn't it just amazing what God can do for us if we let Him! 

Miracles for the week once again has to do with the gift of tongues. We took a test at three weeks and then again just on Thursday and it is amazing the progress I have made! The first time I was stumbling over everything, didn't really know what to say and I had a ton of pauses but this last time I was able to answer almost all of the questions without much trouble and I was able to speak faster and had a way better accent. The other was that my companion and I saw our TRC investigator even though we haven't been teaching her and got to say goodbye! It was super nice. 

 

P.S. I will be able to call you sometime before I fly to El Salvador I will try not to call at an unholy hour but I can't make any promises. 

Dear Bro. And Sister Dewalt

My husband and I had the privilege of going to the airport today to pick up your daughter. Tomorrow we will have our new missionary orientation and she will have the opportunity to email you, but I just wanted to let you know she arrived safely. Thank you for preparing a wonderful young women to serve the Lord.

Hermana Kelley

Mision El Salvador Santa Ana

La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias

 

Hola Mama y Papa

I am here safe and sound.

I just met my trainer and she is wonderful. Her name is Hermana Krebs She also understands English so that is nice. The people are all really nice and I kinda understand them but not totally but that will come I am sure. The flights felt really long but they weren´t too bad and thanks to Elder Brimhall I didn´t get lost. And I wasn´t nearly as tired as I thought I would be. My mission President and his wife are really wonderful They picked me up and took me to lunch then I stayed with our nurse and her companion. The nurse is from Australia and her companion is from Mexico. They are so sweet! We went to a family home evening at a member house and visited a bunch of people yesterday because the Hermana from Mexico is heading home tomorrow. They let me take a nap before we went out though but I´m not sure if it actually helped or made my exhaustion worse because I was super disoriented when I woke up haha but it´s okay. Visiting was fun. I am a little less tired now but I think it will take a while to adjust totaly but I am excited to be here.

Well, I probably should go.

Love you lots! 

Hermana Sarah Dewald