Traveling in Southern Colombia.

Hola a todos.

Hey everybody. What's up? Sorry I didn't have the chance to write last week... We changed pday for today- Saturday. This past week we've been here in Cali, resting up and getting Elder Walker ready to go home Monday. YIKES. Poor guy. He's been an awesome companion. We've honestly got along so well working together. It's all good though, because we'll be in contact and see each other in Utah. The week before, we were traveling the south. We traveled all night Monday, and Tuesday morning we got in to Ipiales and went to work. It's really cold in Ipiales, and it's right on the border with Ecuador. I took a picture of a city called Tulcan, Ecuador that's right across the way from Ipiales. I'll send it to you. Tuesday morning we got back on the bus and drove 2 hours to Pasto. We worked in Pasto Tuesday and Wednesday, and I actually ran into a few people who recognized me. The asked me, "You're still in the misión??" haha Yep- still here. Wednesday night- back on the bus all night up to Popayan. Back to the best climate in the misión. My beloved Popayan. We worked Friday and Saturday in Popayan, and we slept in the zone leaders house- my old house. Funny to go back and all the memories come flooding back. Saturday night- back on the bus and back home in the office at about midnight. We've been helping out with the transfers and everything's ready to go. Tomorrow they go out. I know who President is going to call to be my new companion, but I won't say just yet just in case President makes a last minute change, even though it's pretty certain. Yesterday President and his wife took me and Elder Walker to lunch to a pretty nice Colombian restaurant for Elders Walker's ending the misión. (Sorry the word misión is in Spanish-  the keyboard keeps correcting me and I cant fix it haha.) Anyway for pday today we are going to go shoot some hoops for the first time in  a long time and go get some cholado (Colombian snow cones). Last night Elder Walker and I were talking, and going home is really hard. There are so many things that we want to keep doing when we go home, but the things of the world are so easy to fall back into. The scripture in Helaman 5, when Helaman tell his sons that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, that we should build our foundation. If we strive to make him the center of our lives, I know that all of the temptations and distractions of the world really won't hurt us. To think of Christ, talk of Christ, and rejoice in Christ more in our lives will bring the sweat peace that only the gospel brings. Anyway, I'll leave it at that for now... Love you all. Until next week.

Elder Dean

Elder Green y Elder Talavera (Utah y Peru)

Tulcan, Ecuador off in the distance 

Elder Skinner y Elder Cortes (Oklahoma y Chile)

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Elder Pead y Elder Coca (St. George y Bolivia)

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Popayan.  Elder Silverio and I found these investigators.  After teaching them twice, we passed the reference.  They were baptized 5 months ago, in November.

Lunch with the Pricolis.

Being a Traveling Missionary is Awesome.

Hey all.

How's it going? Hope you all had a good week. I've felt better this week. We were traveling like crazy this week... This week I was in Tulua Tuesday and Wednesday, and then Thursday in Buga, and Friday and Saturday in Palmira. Being a traveling missionary is awesome, but it's a little hard sometimes, too. But I can honestly say it's the best experience. Being in a new place with different elders everyday is quite different. This week we are in Ipiales, Pasto and Popayan. Pasto and Popayan should bring back some memories. I won't be in my old area, but it will be interesting to be in Pasto and Popayan again. Maybe I'll run into somebody. Who knows? Today for pday, Elder Walker and I hiked up Las Tres Cruses. I had already hiked up when I was back in Colon, but Elder Walker had never done it, and he goes home in 2 weeks, so we did it. I got super sun burnt.  Bummer haha. I've got to log off because we have to catch our bus in an hour. We will travel all night tonight and get to Ipiales at 6 or 7 in the morning. Reminds me of the good old days traveling from Pasto to Cali and back for zone leader councils. Anyway, love you all. Hope you have a good week. Thanks for your prayers. I know they work. Chao.

Elder Dean.

Elder Arias y Garramuno (Bolivia y Argentina)

Elder Prieto y Hernandez (Uruguay y Honduras)

Elder Deterline y Almeida (USA y Brasil)

Elder Amascifuen y Ortiz (Peru y Colombia)

Tres Cruzes

Sick Week.

Hey everybody! 

Hey all. How's it going? I hope you all had a good week. This week has been kinda rough. I've been battling through some sickness. It started Monday with some body aches etc... but Tuesday and Wednesday I had some pretty bad fever, and was in the house all day. Thursday I felt better and went to a conference. The conference was cool. We even got to see the movie "Meet the Mormons." The quality wasn't very good, and it was in Spanish, but it was cool to see it. Friday morning I was feeling better so we went out and prosylited all day, Elder Walker and I, and Friday night I started getting a pretty bad headache, and Saturday morning it was a full blown migraine. The doctor came over and took my blood and hooked me up to an IV, so all day Saturday and Sunday I was in the house, and today I'm feeling better with plans to hit the road again tomorrow. Anyway, other than that, no huge news. I'll send some pictures with the email for sure. I love you all. Thanks for your prayers and thoughts. Talk more next week.

Elder Dean.

Conference Thursday: Me, my son Elder Silverio, my grandson

 Elder Bernales, my greatgrandson Elder Moran 

Walking up some stairs in the area

Elder Walker expressing how much he loves

 being in the office after 7 months.  Love this guy!

Colorful homes of Terron Coloreado

Sick Elder Dean

Lessons In Faith: Buenaventura

Hey home!

Como va todo? Bien bien? Ahh bueno. Hope you all had a good week. My week was full of travels, that's for sure. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I was in a different area everyday in Cali. Saturday morning at 4am, Elder Walker and I traveled to Buenaventura, and were there all day, and slept there Saturday night. I've never sweat so much in my entire life, it was so humid. Buenaventura is super poor. The whole day I was crossing bridges just a long plank of wood over water - all trashy and dirty. Some of the houses are wood built on bamboo on the water, where the bathroom is a hole in the floor. The church is only about two and a half years old in Buenaventura. Sunday morning we traveled back to Cali and got off the bus and went straight to sacrament meeting. I was quite car sick. It was the twisty-est and turny-est road ever coming back over the mountain pass to Cali. Anyway, it has been quite the experience being with a different companonship everyday. So many new missionaries who just don't really know what to do. I feel like I've really had the opportunity to help quite a few missionaries out in all aspects of the mission work, and I hope to be able to keep up the energy and be able to be a blessing for the mission in these next few months. This week I had the opportunity to get to know a recent convert. The Elders took me to his house, and right away I could tell he was very special. When he opened the door I realized that he was blind. He invited us in and started to ask me questions about who I was and all about me. He was baptized 8 months ago. He told me with pride that he had memorized the sacrament prayer and that he had blessed the sacrament this past Sunday. We taught him the first Article of Faith, and after hearing the article one time, he repeated it perfectly. He has many gifts that make up for his lack of vision. When we knelt down to pray at the end of the lesson, he prayed for the bishop, the visiting teachers, the elders, the less active members, and to always be worthy of his priesthood, and prayed with such sincerity and faith. He knows the Book of Mormon is true, and that God exists, and is just as sure that the church is true as he was sure I was there, sitting in front of him. He couldn't see me, but he knew I was there. I learned a great lesson from him, and am very grateful for the lesson on faith I learned. Anyway, this week I will be in area tonight and tomorrow with Elder Walker, Wednesday in a conference, and Thursday, Friday,  and Saturday traveling again here in Cali and in a town called Villa Gorgona. Love you all. I hope you all have a good week. Thanks for your prayers and thoughts. Talk more next week.

Elder Dean

Terron Colorado

Hey everybody.

How's everything going? I'm doing great. My toe has healed up pretty good and I'm back in business. Haha. So this week I got all my zone shipped off for transfers, and then I hopped on a bus with all my bags real early Wednesday morning and got in to Cali at about 8 am. Got together with Elder Walker, my new companion, and we helped with the transfers for a little bit in the bus station in Cali. We got to the house about 10 am, and I left my bags in the house and straight away we went to the area. The area is called Terron Colorado, and it's like San Francisco on steroids. haha. It's straight up hill side, and iI have no idea how they built all the houses, but they did it. It's fairly poor, and we honestly won't be here in the area much, but from Wednesday until yesterday Elder Walker and I were able to teach like 20 lessons, and we had a few people in church yesterday. Elder Walker is awesome. He played basketball at Cottonwood High. We get along really well. We also share the area with President's secretary and the finance secretary (Elder Rebolledo and Elder Mejia) and Elder Lyle and Elder Gomez, Presidents Assistants. We all live together in the same house, right around the block from the mission office. It's a nice house. It's old, but it's a really pretty old house. Kinda classy. This week with the new missionaries that came in, I found out that I have a "great-grandson." I trained Elder Silverio, he trained Elder Bernales, and now Elder Bernales is training a new missionary. Gettin' old here haha.  Today for p-day we've just been running errands, getting ready for tomorrow, because starting tomorrow we will travel pretty much 4 weeks straight. We'll only be here in the house Sundays and Mondays. Divisions everyday with a different companionship, and we'll sleep on the floor! It's gonna be quite the adventure. Anyway, I'd better get going. Still gotta get some things set up. We'll be in Cali this week, and also Buena Ventura. It's coast, and it's super hot and muggy- right next to the ocean. Anyway, love you all. Thanks for your prayers and thoughts. I hope you have a good week. Hope Valentines day was good. I didn't even remember it was Valentines day until just now! Haha! Talk more next week.

Elder Dean

Elder Walker and Me

One Shoe and a Flip Flop: Extended to June.

Hey all.

How's everybody doing. Hope you all had a good week. This week was a little slow. This week I had to go to Cali and the toe doctor cut my nail off a bit. It was infected as well, so I've had to proselyte in one shoe and a flip flop haha. My companion has also been a little delicate with a wisdom tooth they took out a few weeks ago. We did what we could though. Anyway, so Wednesday morning I'm headed back to Cali. I've been called as a traveler. My new companion is Elder Walker from Utah. He has been an assistant for 7 months. We will be companions, and we will travel the mission doing divisions with missionaries, training them, and reporting to President. I actually had an interview with President, and have known for about 3 weeks now, but just kept in on the down low. My time here in Palmira wasn't too long, but I met amazing people here, and I hopefully have learned. They as well offered me to go home in June, so I will be going home in June. A little extra, but not too much, so we'll see you all then. This will be a new experience for me, and very different, but it will be awesome ending my mission by traveling the mission and getting to know so many elders, areas, and people. Anyway, I hope you all have a good week. I love you all. Hope you all feel the happiness that comes from this gospel. It's marvelous to know our purpose here, and know how to achieve real happiness. Until next week.

Elder Dean

No Bake Cookies and Square Dancing: The Heart of American Culture

Hey all.

How's everybody doing? So this week a few interesting things happened... This Friday we had a international foods night. The sister missionaries from Venezuela and El Salvador, and Elder Campos from Peru, all did a little dish from their countries, and I did chocolate no bake cookies. They didn't turn out as good as Dad's, but everybody loved them, and I definitely won best food haha! They didn't show up with the projector and some other stuff, so I just stood up with the microphone and talked about the states and even taught a little square dance haha. Saturday was crazy. We went to go fill up the baptismal font Saturday afternoon for Daniel's baptism. First, Daniel is an investigator that we've been teaching for about 4 weeks now. He is friend of Miguel Beltran, a young man in the branch. We went to go fill up the font, and the water pump was broken. With only a few hours before the service we started filling up buckets of water, trying to fill up the font, but it just wasn't working. So we sent two other elders from another chapel here in the zone to go fill up the baptismal font at another chapel, and when everybody showed up we had to send everybody over to the other chapel. Finally we made it over there, but we forgot the baptismal clothing, so I grabbed Elder Nilson, another elder here in the zone, and we took a taxi super fast to go get baptismal clothing. We got back to the chapel at 8:45 and the assistants called me to tell me that Elder Campos replacement was at the bus station in Palmira. I left the baptismal service to go pick him up, and left Elder Campos there to baptize Daniel. I missed the service, buts it's all good. He got confirmed yesterday in another branch because he doesn't live in my area, but we taught him in his friends house because he couldn't receive us in his house. The important thing is that he got baptized and his progress in the gospel. Yesterday afternoon Elder Campos headed out. I'm now here with my companion, Elder Azabache, also from Peru. I miss Elder Campos. It's interesting that sometimes the little things your companion does sometimes you get bugged with him, but when he leaves, you realize that he was a really good companion. Anyway, he's headed back to Peru. Anyway, I better get going. Gotta get the week started here. Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts. I hope you all have a good week.

Love, 

Elder Dean