Hi Everyone

Greetings y'all... haha... uhh...

So I have a new companion!! Her name is Sister Davis, and she's from
Duval, Washington! WOOT!!! NOT FROM UTAH!!!! haha... I mean... uhhh....
woops... haha... But she's way cute, and super sweet. So far all I know
about her is that she's 22, and grew up in the Church and apparently has
extended family in Arkansas that her grandpa told her to find. Pretty
cool eh? haha.. So I think I'm feeling alright about being a trainer...
So far at least... When we start actually doing stuff where I have to
help her know what to do and actually TRAIN her... we'll see how that
goes. I still feel like a brand new missionary!! Yeesh....

At transfer meeting this morning, I got to talk to Elder Marshall, who
was my Zone Leader in Cabot. He was telling me all about that family
that I taught that are now getting baptized. Turns out only the father
has been baptized so far. they didn't all do it at once, but the rest
are soon to follow. The 9 year old son is getting baptized this Saturday
and the mother (who was the most rigid Baptist of them all when I was
teaching them) is getting baptized on July 5th! So I'm hoping I'll be
able to find a ride up to Cabot so I can at least see the mother get
baptized. That'll be a special moment, and one I would love to be able
to witness. I guess the only reason why the mother started actually
being serious about what we were teaching her was when her husband
commited to baptism and she was telling the people she worked with. Then
they started being all nasty to her, so she told the Elders that if she
was gonna be persecuted for it, she might as well be serious about it so
she's not getting persecuted for nothing! haha... I'm so excited. Then I
found out that another person we taught in Cabot, who was the most
frustrating person ever because she was never home when she said she
would be, has started actually keeping appointments and has accepted a
baptismal date! haha... All this stuff... finally happening... too bad
it didn't start happening when i was there. But at least I'm still able
to hear about the fruits of my labors there!!! I can deal with not being
there to experience them first hand. The point is, that they're getting
baptized! Can't complain about that!!

Oh... Also.. Our car tells us the temperature outside.. Yesterday it was
109 F.... yeah... So we found out that you can change the temperature to
tell you what it is in Celsius... Yup... it was sure 42 degrees
yesterday.... it droped down to semi-reasonable eventually... Good thing
we were driving from one air conditioned building to another at that
time.. yeesh!!!

So yeah... This week will be good. I've set up a bunch of appointments
with the members here already. So Sis Davis will be able to meet them,
and then we're going to be able to do some practice teaching with them.
I'm hoping that'll help her out... I know it was easier for me to teach
members at the beginning of my mission. That way i wouldn't worry so
much about if what i was saying was coming out right. My greenie is
going to be amazing. I can feel it. She's also really tall... haha... I
just remembered that.. She's a whole head taller than me. So far i've
only had companions that are my height!! I was even a whole inch taller
than my last one!! haha!!!

Mom - I sent that package back yesterday, so at some point you'll be
getting a refund. and dont worry. it only cost 2.50 to send.

Basically that's about all... I'm just thinking about what i need to
tell Sis Davis... Showing an area to someone is one thing, but having to
teach them how to do it feels kinda overwhelming. I'm gonna be praying a
lot, and really focusing on how the Atonement is an enabling power.. I
know that through the Atonement, I can accomplish things, mentally and
physically, that under my own strength, would normally have no
capability of doing. I already know that, but now I'm really putting it
to the test. Pray for me!! I'll need it!!

Love y'all so much!!! I'm proud of everthing that's going on back home
and I think of you often... but not too much. haha.. 

-Sister Dyer

Hello again...

So...

6 months this week eh???.... its pretty crazy how fast time flies...

I'm sorry to hear about Arnold and Ken... But as we know, they're in a
better place now, and prolly have a really good idea of what I (and all
the other missionaries around the world) am doing by now.. 

This week was pretty uneventful... Just a lot of tracting and sweating,
as it was our walk week and we didn't have a car... blech... two showers
a day... I never thought I'd actually be required to do that... One day,
after coming home that night, I felt like I had just been in a mosh
pit!! I was just as exhausted and just as sweaty, except this time it
was all MY sweat!!! UGH!!!! But this week so far is treating us
nicely... It's only been 85 degrees!! haha!!

I did find out that a whole family I taught back in Cabot got baptized
though!!! Crazy!!!! The dad looked be square in the eye and told me he
didn't wanna learn anymore, because he just joined a baptist church...
now look!!! He's baptized and received the priesthood!!! RANDOM!!! But
so wonderful!!!!!

Also... Randi and Monie sent me a birthday package... my favorite item
that was sent.... FISHNET STOCKINGS!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good thing i cant wear them
anywhere!!!!!!!!!! haha!!! but I laughed way hard and pretty much those
and the Canada socks made my day. well... the whole thing did, but i
laughed a lot and that's the point.. haha...

And in the spirit that Randi is in Ecuador right now... I was reading
one of the Ensigns... i think it's the one made for new converts... but
it listed the amount of members in the top 10 countries.. #10 most
members in a country is Ecuador with almost 171000 members... #9 most
members are in Canada!!! haha!! There's about 172000 there!!! Who
knew!!! Ecuador and Canada are super close in the number of members that
live there!! I thought that was cool...

Louise is still a go for baptism on July 12. She's really excited and a
bunch of her family is flying in from Vegas to see it. She's so great
and she's ALREADY doing missionary work!!! We tracted the street she
lives on a couple days ago and told her who she needs to talk to.
haha... she's already made plans to have a couple neighbors over for
dinner one day... hahahaha... I love that woman... Her husband is still
Agnostic, but his heart is slowly but surely softening, and he comes to
every church function Louise goes to as long as he isn't working.
haha... Pretty much its awesome..

Anyways... That's about all... Next week is transfers so the next time
you hear from me, I'll be a Mommy!!! haha... That means I'm a trainer.
haha. I emailed Sis Blake and told her she's going to be a grandma next
week... hahahaha.... Maybe that's only funny to missionaries.... uhhh...
awkward.... ummmm... yeah... LOVE YOU!!!!! MISS YOU!!!! THE CHURCH IS
TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Sister Dyer

Hello!!

Well I'm glad Mom and Dad made it back from Quebec safely. I assure you
that the humidity you had there is NOTHING compared to what we have to
deal with here... It's rediculous..... But it's even more motivation to
try even harder to get into someone's door!! haha!! okay... I actually
wrote down a bunch of stuff i need to write about. go me!

1. We had Stake Conference this weekend. It was amazing, Bishop
McMullin, who is a member of the Presiding Bishopric came to speak to
us. He is such a spiritual man, and very inspirational and has a very
dry sense of humor. but I loved it. He asked all of the investigators
the missionaries are teaching to come for a meeting before the Sunday
session, and he met them all and gave them this awesome short little
lesson.. Louise got to come, and she loved it. She's so set for baptism.
The date is going to be on July 12, because it's her grandson's
birthday. He's the one on a mission. So she wants to be baptized on that
day because she remembers holding her grandson when he was minutes old,
so she only felt it was appropriate to have her own spiritual rebirth on
that day. He's the one who started this whole thing anyways!! WOOT!!!

2. Yesterday we were tracting and Sis Rothe saw a lizard and tried to
catch it, which was hilarious in itself, but when she actually did catch
it, she only got it's tail, so then the lizard detached itself from the
tail, so she was left there screaming because she was holding a
twitching lizard tail.... it was disgusting... but hilarious too..
haha...

3. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you Dad...
You're pretty much amazing, and thank you for all you do for me...
because it's a lot... I've honestly got the best Dad ever, and I'm
willing to fight anyone on that statement. haha.. Also... Sis Rothe says
you're really awesome too. She likes the picture of the mountains that
you sent, and that you wrote on the postcard you sent that you used my
"cool Dell light up pen". She liked the randomness and reached the
conclusion that she likes you a lot too. haha...

4. I dont remember if i mentioned to you how excited i was that you sent
me a scan of my Institute Grad diploma thinger... I was sooo happy to
see that... I LOVE INSTITUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5. We've also been living off of freezies... our freezer is full of
them. But I wanted to mention to Mom, that I cant eat the purple ones
because even though I'm accross the continent, I still have this idea
that the smell of anything I eat that's grape is gonna make you sick...
haha...

6. Also... I broke down and bought nail polish.. If i cant have it on my
hands, I can at least have it on my toes. So my toes look cute and are
this pretty dark purple color. haha.. I dunno why i felt like i needed
to tell you that, but i wrote it down, so i guess i figured it was
important at the time.

7. Last thing... Clarke..... What's Wells Fargo???......

So pretty much that's been my week. Pretty random, but awesome too. Its
still warming up and we hit our first 100 degree weather day....
blech.... The things i do for the Lord... I know that what we teach is
true, so as a result... The Church is still true!!!!

Love y'all!!!

-Sister Alison Dyer

Happy Birthday to me!!

Haha... Hellooo...

So I pretty much had an awesome birthday. We had a Zone Conference in Hot Springs today, so I spent the whole morning and a good chunk of the afternoon there at the church. I got an ALRM luggage tag from Sister Batchelor. haha.. It was pretty sweet. This is the last Zone Conference for Pres and Sis Batchelor... It was really sad!!! They gave their farewell testimonies, and we sang God be with you till we meet again... Pretty much a tear fest for EVERYONE... I've really come to love and respect them, so I'm sad to see them go, but I know the new mission president will be awesome too. Even if he is a "kernal" General in the Army, and a CEO of some big company AND from Texas.... haha... Pres Batchelor was less intimidating... He was a gym teacher... anyways... I know that I'll prolly come to love the new president because i have a whole year to get to know him.

So after that, we drove back to Maumelle, and visited a couple people, then went over to the Ward Mission Leader's home for dinner. They had this big party for me!! Haha!! They invited a bunch of ward members and we got to sit and have fun together. Even Robin got to come. I love that woman!! and Louise came too!! I think I told you last week that she's getting baptized on June 21... WOOT!!!! She's sooo wonderful!! I love the people here so much!!! So we had this awesome meal, and Sis Brown (WML's wife) whips out this chocolate cake with candles and everything and everyone sang to me! haha!! It was weird to hear them sing "Sister Dyer" in the song... haha... But it was so great. I definitely had a great birthday. Louise even got me a Maumelle t-shirt. haha. I loved it.

So that was my day... pretty sweet...

Oh!!! and MOST RANDOM THING EVER!!!!!! But we had to take our car in to get an oil change (we've got a Chevy Malibu now). So the guy that was talking to us was Asian, but i was SOOOOOO confused because he had this incredible Southern Accent!!! He said y'all, fixin to... EVERYTHING!!!  haha!!! It was hilarious... maybe you had to be there... but then again... just picture Jessie speaking in a Southern accent and maybe you'd catch the vision... haha....

So thank you everyone for sending me the bazillions of happy birthday emails. haha.. I definitely felt loved.. Well... I know I am. So thank you...

Can you believe I've been out for 5 and a half months already?! I sure cant... Its incredible... time is truly flying...

The Church is True everyone... And if you dont know it... Pray about it. I promise an answer will come. Serving a mission is incredible... I read a poem yesterday that someone's aunt wrote about missionaries... the jist of it was... I've never been so upset, but I've never been so happy... its so true... This is such an emotional rollercoaster, and it truly tests your devotion to the Lord. I've come to a great understanding of how insignificant i am alone, so I have more reason now than ever to use the enabling power of the Atonement... I know it's real.

I love "y'all" so much. haha... Thank you again for your love and support. I miss you so much, but i take comfort in knowing you're praying for me...

Keep up the awesome everyone. There is so much to be grateful for, so dont ever take what you have for granted.

Love you!!
-Sister Alison Dyer