Email from Feb 17th, 2010

Hey family how is it goin! So this week has been good. We set four baptismal dates!!! I am so excited about that. Bijou and Ocean, black, friends that just showed up at church. We gave them a baptismal date of march 6th and they accepted! They have started reading random parts in the book of mormon.. haha i dont know why they havent read the chapters we told them to read. but hey they are reading so that is all that matters! They we have a baptismal date with florence, a 19 year old black girl. for march 13th, She has been out of town so we are going to try to meet up with her this weekend! then our last baptismal date is with paul, one of the philippino guys for march 13th. He is nervous and has to over come some stuff. but we are doing our best with him! We are doing a lot of point systems now to see that our days have been affective. So we are actually accountable for each day. I love it! It totally helps you see what we need to improve on.Elder Estupinan and i are getting along good. most of the time! sometimes i have to force a rule down his throat before he will finally accept it and live by it. And sometimes i can barely understand him. i say what like 8 times and tell him he needs to talk slower without his accent! hhahaha he just gets mad at me. But i am doing good helping him gain confedence. he is a shy and nervous elder. I just keep telling him to teach by the spirit. it is the only way to not be nervous!
Dad I totally want you to keep sending your stories! Dont get mad at me because i dont say anything about them. i just forget to write them. i think they are funny. everytime i read them i just imagine you probably waking up at 330 in the morning to start writing a story you were having a dream about!
Katie sorry i couldnt listen to that song! first of all i cant get on youtube. second of all, the comp doesnt have sound i dont think. but i bet it was good! ps you shawn and terra are going to die in that wasatch run.. Jeremy will be the only one that can handle that heat! and then again, he probably wont even train for it so he will be dead for the next couple weeks.. hahaha
Dana you still making these cds for me or what! the long drives with a spanish kid next to me is killin me. he wants me to learn spanish. and i just say no way jose.... even though his name is alvin..
I am glad i am serving in brooks the first part of my mission so every other area i go into for now on i will be able to play basketball! i still love my mission and just for the record, i still havent called home yet! i dont think i will;.. haha how many calls do you think dusty had made at this point of his mission, what about devin? hahaha So how is timpview doing? they play provo again yet? i think that is all i have for about write now.. i love you guys, hang in there with the canadian national anthem, every time you hear it, just think about how much i have to listen to it then you wont hate it so much. you will be happy you only have to hear it a few times!
ps how are the jazz doin? i cant check espn anymore because of 100% obedience and it is killin me. i heard d will made the all star team! that is sweet. well i love you guys and ill talk to you later.
love elder dastrup
So i forgot to tell you guys that we as a mission average about 20-25 baptisms each month. since this 100% obedience thing as a mission has gone down, (taken place, for you old folks) We have made a baptismal goal of 100 baptisms in march. i personally have a testimony that is going to happen. i know it will.miracles all over the place are starting to happen.. at any given time, our mission normally has aboout 25 baptismal dates set. write now it is sky rocketing. as a mission we have about 70.
Miracles are already starting to be shown. Our mission president has testified that he has had a revelation that we will have 100 baptisms in march. I know that each of your prayers will be appreciated in our mission... When we get 100 baptisms, we will be the 3rd highest baptizing mission in the northern hemisphere behind the Provo utah mission and the Mexico City mission.. We will be fasting march 7 as a mission. You are all more than welcome to join! love you guys