Happy Easter.

Hey all!

 

Happy Easter! Hope the Easter bunny was good to you all and brought treats... I don't think the Easter bunny exists here. I mentioned it, and I'm pretty sure I just came off as crazy... But it's all good! This week we had an awesome combined ward activity. Friday we had a "salvation route". What we did was do a tour of the plan of salvation with the organizations in different classrooms to do acts for each part of the plan. For example, the primary was the Garden of Eden with all the kids dressed up like animals, and the teachers explained the garden, and like that we went through the chapel with us missionaries as guides through the plan of salvation. We all took groups of 15-20 people through, and to end we all ended up in the "celestial kingdom" and watched a movie about the atonement of Christ. It was really good. I think about 100 people showed up. We even ended with a snack :) Best missionaries ever. So transfers came in, and it looks like I will be with my companion Elder Delgadillo one more transfer. It's his last transfer in the mission. I will be his last companion. There are a lot of changes in my zone, and that's always stressful as a zone leader getting everybody in and out in one piece. But that's it. 1 transfer down here in Pasto! Anyway, this last Sunday morning I woke up thinking about the resurrection... I just want to share my testimony that I have felt in my heart that Christ lives. I want to tell you all that in my short 11 months here in Colombia I have seen him change lives. I know he is our Savior. I also know that through Him and only Him we can find true peace and happiness. The church is true. He lives and guides his church today. I love Him, and I hope with all my heart that everyone of us, no matter where we are, or what our circumstances, can accept him and let him into our lives and hearts and minds. I love you all. I know that the Savior loves you all. And this little testimony I share with you in his name, Jesus Christ, amen.

Just An Ordinary Week.

HI EVERYONE

Hey everybody. How's it going? Good? I'm glad ;) Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts. I'm feeling better. I think I got over my bug! After I wrote you all last Monday, it got worse for a few days, and then Thursday/Friday I started to get over it. Whew. Not fun stuff. SO this week was pretty ordinary, other than President Prince and Sister Prince and the APs came down to Pasto for interviews with all the missionaries. Best part was eating Sis. Prince's banana bread. Good stuff.  I'm gonna miss that for sure. Always love talking with President Prince, too. Awesome guy. That might have been my last personal interview with him. He's going home in June... Yikes! If I'm lucky though, I might have one more. We'll see what he does... Anyway the assistants slept over at our house, too. Good to chill with Elder Eliason again. Love that guy haha! Those were great times in Popayan with him- 4 1/2 months in the house. Good stuff. Anyway, just truckin' along here in Pasto. We are doing fine. Keep up the good work at home, and I'll keep working here :) Lots of people to help wherever we are. Lets go get it! Love you all. Hope you have a good week. This is the last week of the transfer here coming up. Almost one transfer down in Pasto! Love you. Talk to you later.

Elder Dean

Pictures from last week at Zone Conference in Cali (Pictures from Cali Colombia Blog)

Zone Leader Coference and General Conference

Hey all.

Hey everybody. How's it going? I'll just start of by saying that conference was awesome. There were a few talks that I liked more than others, like Elder Uchtdorf's talk of gratitude, as well as Jeffery R. Holland (he's always awesome). We watched conference on the family history center computer in the chapel with Elder Jolley, Hansen, Kendrick, and Payne. Gringo club. It was nice to be able to watch it in English. I loved priesthood session as well. I shared the Utah tradition with all the Elders in my zone, and we bought ice cream right before the priesthood session started. Good stuff. This past week I also went to zone leader conference in Cali. We started off in a bus Wednesday morning, and got to Cali Wednesday night. The conference was all day Thursday. It was good. We talked about a lot of things- about how we can improve as a mission and in our zones, and it was awesome to be able to talk to old buddies (Eliason, Wilcox etc) We hopped on the bus Thursday night and got home at about 4 o'clock Friday morning, and then got up again and we were working in our area all day Friday! I was pooped out, that's for sure. I can't wait for the Ensign to come out to be able to read the conference talks. Anyway, I hope you all got the chance to listen a bit to conference, and if not, you can just hop on the Internet and watch a few. Love you guys. I'll attach some pictures this week for sure. I've been feeling kinda sick lately- bad stomach and other things, so thanks for your prayers. I'll keep working hard. Thanks for being awesome friends and family. Love you all. Hope you have a good week!

 

Elder Dean

Gringo group watching conference

 

 La Cocha

 

7 days ago (last p-day) when we went to "La Cocha" as a zone