Hermana Rachel Dangl - We got chairs!

 

Best week ever!! I say that every week, but I'm feeling especially good and really cultured because we got food from Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico and Argentina. Call me Miss Worldwide thank you very much. 

Last Monday we got to go to the National Zoo with our district!!! We were having a grand old time then an Elder ran and threw up in a trash can :/ I mean, at least he made it tho. Then it started pouring rain because hello it's DC, so they announced a severe storm warning and advised us to take cover. Our activity ended early and we ended up walking 3 miles in the rain to our car. As we were walking out I saw a vending machine selling Dippin Dots and I decided I would pay anything to relive my childhood. I paid a hefty $5 and the machine dispensed a LID. Yes just a LID and no ice cream. A true act of betrayal, that I wouldn't even wish upon my worst enemy. They couldn't figure it out so a worker gave me $10, so I made $5 for doing absolutely nothing which was cool . . .  but I still never got my Dippin Dots :( 

Important news: 

1. On Friday I turned 20 1/2 which means I'm officially old so that social security check should be coming in pretty soon 👀

2. WE BOUGHT CAMPING CHAIRS. We saw them at the store for 5 bucks and couldn't pass up the opportunity.  So now we bring them everywhere and just post up with our cute little chairs for lessons. 

Jose & David (our English class boys) came to ‘in person church’ on Sunday!!! I was joking around the day before and was like what if both our English class boys, Jose and David met? It would be the greatest crossover episode in history. They did, and it was Iconic. Later we had a lesson with David at the park and yes we used our new chairs and looked like a cute lol family at the park. He also brought us Salvadorian food 💯💯

Now a miracle thanks to... yes, you guessed it! Our new camping chairs. At our lesson with Jose, he said we said hi to his wife and kids at the store, but we didn't remember at all because we had never formally met them in person. We just say hi to everyone so they thought that we recognized them when we were really just being nice. BUT, Jose's wife, who isn't a fan of religion, said she thought we were really nice and that she approves of us meeting with Jose, which is a HUGE step! Jose's got the green light sooooo hopefully a baptism is soon to follow. 

That's it for this week! Love y'all :)  Con amor, Hermana Dangl 

I think CA wrecked me bc every time it rains here (all the time) I'm like WOW we needed this rain so much it's gonna get us out of the drought. If you're from CA, you know what I'm talking about.  

The District at the Zoo waiting for our Elder in the bathroom. RIP.  

                                                               Look at us in our cute chairs 

 

The typical late night fire alarm fun. Also us faking smiles, 

because we still have to wake up at 6:30. 

Reenacting our favorite scripture story. Laman and Lemuel hitting Nephi with a stick. 

Yes that is a giant bamboo stick we've had in our apt for at least 6 months.

Hermana Rachel Dangl - Anyone know how to fix a crying fridge?

 

Holaaaa! 

 

Not that anyone probably even noticed, but I forgot to send a letter last week so this one is packed with all the fun, crazy, exciting stuff from the past 2 weeks :) Also about the subject line, for real let me know. Serious inquires only. 

 

First off, we put our boy Edenilson on date to get baptized!!! Funny story tho because after that, he ghosted us for a week and didn't respond to any of our texts/calls so we assumed he wasn't interested anymore :(( but yesterday we woke up to see a text from him so we set up a lesson that night!! He said he lost his phone and had to get a new one which I was like hmmm yeah sure that's what they all say, but we talked and he still really wants to be baptized so wooo!! 

 

We did service again this week! We got to know the person in charge pretty well and he told us he was proud to know us. It has been so cool to be able to come every week to work with people who have different beliefs, backgrounds, opinions, and just serve others. On the way back we got lost and "happened" to drive by some of the monuments on accident so enjoy a cute pic of me and the Washington from the car window. 

 

This week we got to do exchanges for the first time in person! I went to our Sister Training Leader's area in DC and we walked by the Capitol, Supreme Court, and Library of Congress. It was super empty except for the usual people shouting in megaphones about who knows what. 

 

Last week we had our first zone conference IN PERSON. (I still can't believe I get so excited about these things nowadays). It was so cool of president to get my whole zone together for my 6 months mark!! I'm so special 🥰

 

BUT YEAH, 6 MONTHS? WHAT? 6 months ago when I stepped on the plane to go to Mexico I never could've imagined in a million years that it would've gone like this. Even though it's been such a rollercoaster, I wouldn't change it for the world! I'm just enjoying the ride and honestly I really like where it's taking me. I won't bore you all with a sappy story about all I've learned in the past 6 months (it's been A LOT) but I will say that deciding to serve a mission was the best decision I ever made and I see it changing me every day into a better person. Love you all!!!! 

Con amor, Hermana Dangl

Some good lookin girls at some random  building.

Frank Lake round 592629

Look how cute we are together.

Recreating pics from the pamphlets for a zone activity.

Peace signs because we are 12 years old. 

Using our cars as self timer stands 10/10 would recommend.

OUR BOY JOSE

Me #inDC

Churros, Church, and Change

 

Ya girl got a promotion! My comps and I are now the new Spanish Facebook Page Admins!!! Future influencer mommy blogger here I come. 

Also!

-I survived my first tropical storm/hurricane (I have zero idea if there's even a difference). There was a ton of rain and some flooding so we had to stay in out apartments until it passed. Wooo! I feel like a real East Coaster now. 

-We called an Hermana in the ward to share a short message then sang a song. She thanked us and said that we were angels sent from heaven and she really needed that.

-We got to go to church on Sunday!! It was super small and social distancing rules were very strict but it was cool to take the sacrament at church after a reallyyy long time. 

We started teaching English classes to the coolest guy ever named José!! Every class just reminds me how whack English is and how much it doesn't make sense, but Jose is so dedicated and willing to learn even though it’s hard. It's been so cool to see his progress and he started to read the English and Spanish Book of Mormon we gave him!! When we dropped it off, he and his wife invited us in but we had to say no because our Mission President told us this week that we can't go in people's houses anymore  :((( There's always a possibility that we might have to go back into isolation so that's fun 🥰

This transfer I thought I could slide by with only minimal changes but NOPE. The second you get semi comfortable God laughs and says "lol get ready for what I've got planned for you." Our companionship got kicked out of our zone and we are now in a different one in the south part of DC. Super random because we are pretty geographically isolated from them but we are stoked because we get to meet new people! And our new comp Hermana Inga is the BOMB! She speaks Portuguese too and we made homemade churros together so I think that explains it pretty well. 

Wednesday was the best day ever because got to do service at a Spanish Catholic Church in DC!!! We got there and were put right to work in the food distribution line. Almost everyone there spoke Spanish and I met some of the coolest people ever.  My hands smelled like onions for a good 3 days after. Yum :)

That's it for this week! 

Con amor, Hermana Dangl 

Name a prettier view.

You already know what it is. 

                                                                            Got em

Churros with the coolest comps ever 

You know what it iz @FrankLake

Basic girls spotted in their natural habitat.

When no one joins grupo de oracion :/

                                                                    Facebook Page Admins

Maryland drivers are worse than Utah drivers

 

Hello hello!! 

This week...  

- We found THE perfect sunset spot on the roof of our parking garage that overlooks the whole city. Only took me 3 months to find it :) 

- I found out that my trainer's parents MET and were ENGAGED in 11 DAYS. 

-We escaped a burning building (this may or may not be a tiny bit exaggerated) 

We just got some transfer news!!! My trainer is leaving to an English area and Hermana Romney and I are staying here in DC 1st woooo!!! We are getting another hermana in the mission and I'm so stoked! 

Here's a cool "what else could go wrong story." We were teaching a lesson about Joseph Smith and the First Vision to a guy named Daniel and our building fire alarm goes off. We told him we'd call him back in a sec so we left the building and found some covered stairs because it was starting to rain. We called him back and the storm started to get bad but we kept teaching. At one point some drunk guy was stumbling past us on the stairs, then some kids start arguing and yelling at each other right next to us. Even with all that happening, there was such a strong spirit in the lesson. Satan works hard but we work harder :) Daniel is the coolest!! 

This week, one of our LIFE game challenges was to do a cartwheel, somersault, handstand. We did it beautifully and gracefully as expected (Olympics 2021??) but the Elders were a little less graceful to say the least. One Elder started out with so much confidence but it plummeted the second he ripped his pants right down the middle during his cartwheel. Rookie mistake :/ 

Another transfer down in the books! The past 6 weeks I've learned a lot about patience and recognizing our weaknesses. We are given specific weaknesses that stretch us and constantly push us out of our comfort zone, but also pushing us to become the person we are supposed to be.  For an independent person that thinks she already knows everything, I was super humbled and realized that there's so much I don’t know. Missions, especially in the beginning, are kinda like riding a bike up hill, with no tires, and the bike is on fire too. But for real, I wouldn't trade my time here as a missionary for anything. So here's to a lot more challenges, trials, miracles, and memories!! 

Adios, Hermana Dangl 

That sunset tho😀

Monkey's Cliff with the cutest comps ever.

Sorry I know I'm basic.

Mixtape droppin' soon✌

The aftermath of our lesson with Daniel.

Please understand our Saturday's Warrior reference on the mirror. Also our whale in the back, his name is Sterling.

One big happy socially distanced district family at our 

favorite abandoned golf course. 

Let Freedom Ring

Hola! 

 

First off, hey @kettleyfam sorry I couldn't be there in Tahoe with you guys! My boss wouldn't give me the week off :/ 

Last week we received some super exciting news! We are finally moving from isolation to phase 1!!!!! It's no where near complete freedom but it's a step forward. This means we can now meet with people in their houses but under the rules of 1. Wearing a mask at all times 2. No meals or eating and 3. That they are feeling good and no one they live with is sick. Also we can now meet with other missionaries for approved meetings! So we were able to meet as a district for the first time in person, and today we had a super fun P-day activity at the park :))

Thanks to my new comp, Hermana Romney, I tried Mate!!! Every missionary that served in Argentina is obsessed with it and will NOT stop talking about it, including my comp hehe but I still love her. I'll admit there's a pretty cool cultural significance but I personally don't get the hype. If you could drink a petting zoo, that's what it tastes like, but with a ton of random herbs. 

This week we were able to hear from Elder Cornish of the 70 and his son Reid! Reid has Down Syndrome but is out here living his best life and loves to make people smile! To do this, he puts on shows of him showing off his mad rollerskating skills and doing tricks! Everyone should be like Reid. 

On Sunday, we went to our bishop's house to take the sacrament then on our way out, his wife gave us homemade empanadas and treats from Argentina! That may seem like nothing but here's the best part. To give some background, my whole entire mission we have been fed once and that day we just really wanted a nice home cooked meal that we didn't have to make ourselves. So I prayed that a member would bring us food and Bishop's wife pulled thru!! It's kinda silly but it is so cool so see how involved God is in our lives and how mindful He is of us!! 

Lastly, Jacqueline and José are some really cool people we are teaching. They are really progressing and we were even able to meet Jacqueline in person to give her a Book of Mormon! Being able to see people in person is the best I love it!! 

Ciao ciao, Hermana Dangl 

Family history app really out here bringing my confidence down to a -2.

Culturing our new comp at THE Frank Lake 

 "Pose like a pioneer for pioneer day" 

 Obligatory post rainbow photoshoot

MATEEE!! 

My whole family in Lake Tahoe having an absolutely horrible time without me :)

New member and new comp!

Hola!

You know it's summer in DC when you walk outside and get slapped in the face by the humidity :) We were outside and my companion says "you know, I kinda feel like I'm in a hot tub." I really felt that.

I realized that don't think anytime soon I will get over the surprise of seeing how big people actually are in person because I've only seen most people over the phone. Today at the store we saw 2 different companionships and I was just like wow! People! In real life! I kinda just wanted to sit in the bread aisle for 30 minutes and talk to them. If you couldn't tell already, I miss people.

We were challenged to make a video about service so this week we focused on finding creative ways to serve people despite our circumstance. One of my favorite things we did was give an old lady in our ward a heart attack!! I could've worded that differently but it's funnier this way. We got there with our bag of hearts and we looked for her door and of course it was the one that was cracked open. So we went all ninja mode and gave her the best heart attack ever. We did pretty good if I do say so myself and she didn't hear us, but we couldn't have pulled it off without the help of her rock music (go off sis). She called later to thank us and said it made her day! 

Today we got a third companion!!!! Hermana Romney is from Utah and was serving in Argentina for 4 months prior to Covid. We picked her up from the airport in Virginia so I decided to make a trip out of it, and by trip I mean we stopped in DC for Chick Fil-A on the way home. As we drove past all the monuments it was a little eerie to see pretty much no one out, but it was a fun lil adventure.

And best for last... Jessica got baptized this week and we got to meet her for the first time in person!!! It was definitely my favorite moment of the mission and is something I'll never forget. It was super interesting and different than any other baptism, but there was such a strong spirit there. It was super small with just us, Jessica, the bishop, and his son, then members from the ward watching over Zoom. Jessica looked so happy and bore the most amazing testimony. Seeing people come unto Christ and learn for themselves of their divine potential is one of the most rewarding feelings ever. I love being a missionary. Best day ever :) 

Con amor, Hermana Dangl 

You would not believe your eyes

Hey y'all!

Startin off with some highlights!!

-Saw "10 million fireflies" - if this doesn't bring you back to EFY in 2014 idk what will.

-Got soaked in the rain.

-Got blizzards at DQ because 7/11 was a disappointment.

-We can do SERVICE!!!

-Made a mosiac of Christ for our FB page- kinda looks like it was done by a 4th grader but it took a good 10 hours.

-We made maybe 10 cookies then ate the rest of the cookie dough throughout the week. All I'm gonna say is if I don't get Salmonella then Jesus performed miracles then and he sure is performing them now.  

-Coolest new hiking place with a waterfall called Monkey's Cliff

Zone/mission conference this week! It was super, super good and we heard some cool announcements! We can do service activities in our area up to 10 hours a week with one other companionship. I'm stoked about this because our outside time is a much needed break from our tiny apartment so it will be good to be outside or at least in a different place serving and talking with others. 

Soooo we planned all week to go to church then the morning of we were told we couldn't go. It was hard because my companion was going to play the organ, we were going to get some stuff figured out for the baptism and FINALLY meet Jessica in person but we accepted it. That night we got an email that we CAN go to church, soooo I guess we'll go in another 3 weeks. 

I've been thinking a lot about goals and what lessons and skills I want to take from this quarentine. I am currently learning how to juggle and I have a new found respect for clowns around the world. Clowns really do put in WORK; it is not easy. So if anyone has tips, send them my way! Also I am getting my splits back solely for the purpose to flex on other people and prove that I'm still just as cool as I was when I peaked in high school.

This week in our conference we talked about the things that we can/can't control. There's so much we can't control so stop trying let it frustrate you and just focus on what is in your hands. God's got it all under control. Also send me a letter if you love me and if you don't, still send me one in the mail :) 

Con amor, Hermana Dangl 

198 Halpine Rd. #1236

Rockville, MD 20852

Art masterpiece of Christ

Monkey cliff 

 Matching bracelets with Jessica, our investigator