Email from December 20, 2010

Family...

Yo what up!

This week is the week. Five days and counting. I can't wait. Mainly because it will be the last Christmas I ever Have out here! That is a weird idea eh? I think this will go a lot faster then I am expecting as of right now. Christmas is going to be very interesting this year. A very busy day, and potentially even busier than expected..

We are having brunch with the stone family, which they are soooooooo cool. We talk a lot of football with them haha. They are sweet. And they are actually related to one of my Arizona friends. Small world.. So we will be with them for a bit starting at 11. Then Elder Hansen makes his call home at 1. And you guys call me at 3.. Not a second late! remember... So Don't be forgetting it. Then We are having our Christmas dinner at 5 or 530. Busy Busy Day.. Then to top that all off. We have had some investigators coming to church the last couple weeks and we taught them yesterday after church. The husband is a member already. But the wife wants to be baptized. But not till the new year, but their nephew, Craig Anderson, which is like 35-40. Decided he wants to be baptized on Christmas Day!!!!!!! So we are praying for him so hard that he can keep all his commitments. We honestly have hardly taught him at all. He committed to not smoke yesterday. So that is our biggest issue. If he smokes at all this week he can't be baptized. This morning we were supposed to have a lesson at 10, but he bailed for some reason. So we hope that he keeps the rest of his commitments. PRAY PRAY PRAY. How awesome it would be to have a WHITE Christmas :) We hope it will happen but we definitely aren't a 100% sure it will. But if it happens, it will be at 9 am Saturday morning.

But for the members wife, She is thinking she wants to be baptized on January 1st. But she has to quit smoking as well.. They also bring a 86 year old friend, which her name is Edith. She as well wants to be baptized on Jan. 1st. But she goes out of town today for a week or so. So we aren't sure that we can get all the lessons in.. But we are going to try.

They are all awesome people and are just looking for a better life style. They feel the spirit so well at church it is amazing. I am so excited to see what happens. Even if Craig isn't baptized on Saturday, it will be soon. I am sure you guys are all surprised about that.... So am I. Are you kidding me.? The lord is blessing us so much. It is amazing. I love it...

So yeah, my letters have been dwindling so bad... haha. I get less and less. It is sad. That is when you have been out for a while. Because EVERYBODY forgets about you! I keep telling myself this is the week I will get a lot. Ha nope, oh well I guess I will just not have to write anybody back!

4 New trucks just came into the mission, And we have one the the older, and when i say older i mean like a 2008 truck... So hopefully we will be getting one of the brand new ones. They are sweet. way nice. Chevy Colorado's. They are pretty cool.. It is weird how the oldest cars in the mission are 2008 and 2007's.. The church definitely keeps everything really nice and new. We only put on about 60 thousand kilometers, which i think is about 40000 miles. ? I dont know.

It is so sad that the tabernacle burned down. I got a call from sister Vellinga (Dads clients) The morning that it happened at like 7 o clock. It is crazy that that happened. Do you guys know if they will be rebuilding it or what? monument?

Well i am out of time and i am starving. I love you guys and miss you a ton. Your prayers are appreciated. Talk to you in HOURS.... :) Love you

Love Elder Dastrup

Email from December 13, 2010

What is up...

Calgary would be the answer to that. Wow that is when you know i have been on a mission for such a long time. My jokes get more and more like Dads jokes! hahah OK that one was kind of funny.

So this week has definitely been a fun week! Full of good things happening.. Miracles. There will be miracles happening every single week from now on. It is the Lords will and I just have to recognize and follow the promptings of the spirit..

First of all, me and Elder Hansen get along.. We can joke around a lot which is good. Most of the jokes are me making fun of some of the things he does, cause he is pretty ditsy. but he can laugh at himself. and we still get along great. So it is awesome... haha his Friends did the same thing to him at home, so it works out perfect! haha plus he can remember his good ol times.

We had some potential investigators come to church this week which was awesome. They are still just potential because we haven't taught them yet. But this is the story..

Last Monday night we got a call from the bishop and he told us to come over. So we go over and he tells us how the Burtons had gotten a hold of him and wanted to be taught and come to church... We weren't able to meet with them that week but this week should work. The husband is a member and the wife and nephew aren't. but they are both really interested.. So they came to church and actually brought a neighbor with them as well! It was awesome. Definitely a miracle when non members are doing missionary work.. Legit!!!

It sounds like you guys had an awesome time up in park city without me. Luckily I didn't think about it all weekend long. So I didn't get home sick or anything. Which is always good! To bad I don't think I have been home sick yet on my mission.. I was actually thinking about it the other day, how Dusty and Devin told me I would have called home by the second or third week, And i still haven't... I would say that is pretty good! The only thing I really get homesick for is the Jazz. I will admit. I can't stand not being updated immediately after everything.

Speaking of basketball. I still haven't gotten a update of the T-Birds yet. I would like to hear about that! That would be good! :) I heard from a source that they were ranked pretty high in the state as of right now! Dang I miss that!

So all is well up here. We are hanging in there in the cold. It is on and off when it gets really cold, some days it will be +2 or 3, then the next it is - 30. honestly it is the worst thing ever. the zero days feel like summertime.. what is that all about?? I really don't have that much more to say other than i love you guys and miss you. Keep on Keepin on..

Love Elder Dastrup

p.s. No The mission doesn't give out our packages until like the 22nd or 23rd. That is probably a good thing because I guarantee that I would have opened it by now..... :)

p.s.s. There was a homecoming in our stake this week, his name is Brian Rea, I went to high school with him, But his family moved up here when he went on his mission. Small world. I didn't get to see him and now he is already in Provo. But I thought that was pretty cool!

Email from December 6, 2010

Familyyyyyyyyyyy

Monday once again. It has been an exciting week. With being transfers and all types of new things. I went from a very very young area in Airdrie. To about the exact opposite. Very Very Old area. Big change. But changes can be good sometimes.... Hopefully. So now I am serving in the Willow Park area, which is the area around our mission home. In this area, the missionaries have formerly been the office missionaries. President Archibald changed that this transfer. Thank goodness. Even though my companion has been in there and will still need to go help every once in a while when the senior couples get lost. But it won't be to bad. I am excited for the change. We have our work cut out for us. Since it has been an office missionary area, things are really slow right now. But we will be finding good effective things to do. We are excited for the changes to happen in the area. mos def! My new companions name is Elder Hansen. He has been about 5 months and been in the office 3 of the 5. So it was a big change for him coming out of the office. But he is excited. So that is good. We get along really good, So all should be very well. He is from Fresno California and is like 6 foot 5. Freak. Why am I so short? Oh well all is well...

So mom and dad I forgot to ask you... You said you went to Sam Rosens mission farewell.. He got out?????????????????????? That is so awesome. He wrote me and told me he was making his efforts in like February, but I never heard more from him..... Where is he going? I need to find his address or something... That is so awesome he got out.. And it was good to hear Max's farewell was really good to. I need to write him!

So this week, since my companion hasn't been to the temple yet, he really wants to go. So we might go on Saturday. Quite honestly I would rather just have pday. It makes for such a long day to go all the way down there and I only went like a month or so ago. But oh well I will try to be positive.

In this area we don't have any solid investigators right now. We have a couple of potential investigators. But nothing real solid. There is one lady that is less active and has three kids who want to get baptized. So that might go somewhere. I haven't met them yet though. Our other potential investigator, had a son get married in the temple recently so that may go somewhere good!

Guess what?? Only 19 days until you guys are lucky enough to talk to me on the phone.... Yeah I know you guys are probably pretty stoked about that right now...... So me and Elder Hansen figured out how it all will go down... So we have a brunch thing with a family in the morning. So by the time we get done with that, Elder Hansen's family is going to call at 1...ish. So we wanted to give it a little time, in between in case he goes over some. So The time we figured would be best for you guys to call me, would be at 300 o clock sharp! Not a minute after. Is Holly coming up, or what will be the deal for that?? It should all work out well.. Is 3 OK for you guys? And just so you will for sure know I can start giving my number now!

403-617-2686

So mother I was just curious and thinking about it the other day, do you keep one of those triangle count down things for me? Cause if you do, yep, I am on the down slide!!!!!!! ha So crazy how time works. I am one of the older missionaries in the mission.. "What what?" In Dana terms..So legit.

I am reading like crazy in personal study right now. I have read like 100 pages in the new testiment in the last, like 3-4 days. I am going to truck through the new testiment, then the old. I figured I gotta do it sometime. I have read the book of mormon 5 times so far out here. Could you imagine the damage that could be done if Mom was out here reading to me.... Oh man. Now I realize why Devin had to call home, So mom could read to him!!!!!!! I never though about that until right now... Hmm..

My zone is sweet. Elder Gulbrandsen is one of our zone leaders and he went to school with me. He was in our group of friends. But he is a few years older. But it is pretty sweet, he goes home on January 5th, so i was excited to serve around him at least a little. That is pretty cool..

Well that is about all I have to say. I don't know much else besides the church is true!

I love you guys and miss you a ton.

Love Elder Dastrup

Email from November from November 30th, 2010

Hey family!

Transfer emails come.... Me and Elder Dana are both getting transferred. yeah kind of weird. I dont know why... But he is senior companion and I am still District Leader so is wasnt because of disobedience. Cause we have been obedient. So I guess that is just what the Lord needed... ? But I am going to do my best to be positive!

I am going to the Calgary South zone.. I might even be in the office.. I am not sure. So it will mix things up a little bit i guess.. I am excited. My zone leaders are way cool.. One of them actually went to high school with me and was in my group of friends. So that will be really exciting.

This week has been a good one. We once again met many goals. And worked really hard. It was nice. I was so excited to hear from the martins when they got home. I was very surprised you sent a whole freakin suit case. hhaha now i have three i guess. Oh well.. Thank you for the grape juice. I was sooooooo excited when i got it. We got out goblets and everything. It was realllllllly good. We are going to go to dinner tonight with the martins since we are both getting transferred. So we are going to chilis. :) I honestly dont know what to say this week. I am still just so astonished that we are both getting transferred.. i am kind of at a loss of words. I called Nathan and told him, yup he was pretty upset. No one wanted this to happen.. But the lord needed it.. so I guess it is going to be what has to happen right?

At least i am going to a good area. I am excited for that. But the office will be a new experience for me. I will be around Elder And sister Vellinga a lot! Did i tell you that I met them. haha you could tell that they had been watching for me. It was funny.

The cougs blew it i heard???????? oh man how great would that have been if they would have beat them. seeing that the cougs werent that good this year and the utes were supposed to be amazing. The holy war doesnt seem as much like a holy war anymore.... weird.

Man. I still cant believe We are both getting transferred. Crazy.

And Dusty thanks for the wanting mom to send me an ipad. But yes umm definitely can not have one of those hahahha .

welp we are finishing up. But i love you guys and miss you a ton. I will talk to you next week!