The Zone Leaders Move In

I LOVE that Dallin is in the States, and especially in Utah. It is so exciting and comforting to receive a text from an unknown number that contains a picture of my missionary. We got 4 this week.  The first one was taken in the yard of where they live. They are living in the basement of an older couples home.

The next pictures came from their dinner appointment on Sunday. Along with the photos, she said, "He is a great kid! It has been great seeing his confidence and spirit grow over the last month."

As well, she mentioned that they would be walking for the next few days as her husband was checking their bikes and Dallin's tires were nearly bald.  So they are getting new tires and tubes and fix it for him. Okay-wait. Dallin rides a bike?!  Crazy! He was in a pretty bad bike accident when he was younger. Knocked his front tooth out, had to get stitches, road rash all over his face. And he was NEVER riding a bike again. So I am super appreciative of these strangers taking care of this as it will help reduce the probability of another accident. We did not provide the bike. In this mission, there are just bikes left in areas and whatever missionary is there rides it. People can be so wonderful!!

Dallin in Minnie ears

Hey all!

Hope everyone is doing well. It's weird. This is my fifth week. It feels like it's been going by so slowly and yet so quickly at the same time. Haha.

Guess what? Elder Killpack's birthday was last week! He got a package and everything! He says he had a great birthday!

Thank you all for the emails you sent! I read each and every one of them. Thank you all so much for the support!

Did I ever tell you about the landlord's dogs? They had 3 super-cute Yorkies named Bogart, Pepper, and Dolly. I've taken plenty of pictures!

My companion and I are continuing to get along well. A few days ago, two more Elders moved in with us. They are the Zone Leaders, and they are Elder Millet from Missouri, and Elder Lowry, from Alaska. They've left their stuff EVERYWHERE. I'm hoping they clean their stuff up today. So, things are going to get a lot more lively around here. And crazy.

The Duck family is still searching for a house. I've heard they're zeroing in on one, but they'll need to make a final decision this week.

Remember Kaden, who I was talking about? He came to church yesterday! We sat next to him during Sacrament meeting! I hope he felt the Spirit there!

Take care,

-Elder Atchley

The Companion's Birthday

Today was Elder Killpack's birthday, so the family they had dinner with sent pictures.

 It is good to know that there are great people out there taking care of our missionaries.

We also got a picture from the fb page. Dallin is on the far right in the gray shirt.

P-day Activity 7-23-18

Hey all!

I was asked to give yet another talk on Sunday. It went well, but giving talks is wearing me out. I've talked in 4 out of the 7 wards we cover already. Do people enjoy my voice that much?

The Duck family is still doing well. They have to move within a week or two, and they're still looking for a house. I have been praying for them to find a good house, and I encourage you to do the same. When they move, we likely won't be able to teach them anymore (they will probably be out of our area), so I will miss them.

Kaden (I misspelled it as Cayden earlier) is doing well. He still likes learning about the gospel. He scheduled for us to teach him a lesson last Saturday, but his family went camping, unbeknownst to us. We laughed it off, and when his family came back, we re-scheduled for Tuesday.

On Sunday, we ate dinner at a member's house. In addition to us, he invited his entire family. And I mean his whole family, grandkids and all. There were a lot of grandkids. And they were loud. Very loud. And also disgusting. I am NEVER having children. The food was good, though.

Here's a story for you all: One day, we were walking past a church building. We decided to stop for some water, but the keys we had wouldn't work, so we turned around. Right as we did, we saw a guy named José. We walked and talked with him for the entire evening. As we did, he revealed he was feeling lost in life, so I shared a lesson pamphlet with him and invited him to read it. I'm glad the Spirit was able to provide us with such an amazing encounter!

Take care,

- Elder Atchley 

The Porch Swing Photo

Dallin sounded great in his personal letter home. His only concern was he still hadn't received the package we sent. Everything has to be mailed to the office and when the Zone Leaders come to the office, they get it all and deliver it to the missionaries in their area. I called and it was in the office just waiting for pickup. So hopefully he gets it soon.

We got a picture from a member. YAY!! The lady that sent it said she refueled him with ice water and an Otter Pop. And that Dallin is an amazing guy. And that he gave a great talk in Sacrament meeting. Looking at the photo, he definitely looks hot. But he also has that missionary glow. I love this picture!!

7-15-18

Hey all!

So, I don't think I ever told you what I did for the 4th of July: Missionary work. That's literally it. From what I've heard, the missionaries last year could finish at 6:00 to watch fireworks, but not this year. Oh, well.

I went to the Family History Center in Layton the other day. I didn't even know there WAS a Family History Center. Doing family history work there was a ton of fun! I hope I get to go there again soon!

Turns out, they got 7/11's here in Roy, and they gave out free slushies on the 11th. But sadly, I didn't have time to grab one.

I mentioned that I had to give a talk for church. Turns out, I actually gave two talks, each for a different ward. They both went well, but I need a break from talks.

Random story: One evening, my companion and I were walking home, when we saw the SWAT team coming out of a house across the street. They piled up into a minivan and left. Neither of us have any idea what that was about.

I have read every email I've received so far, and I appreciate each and every single one of them. I love reading your emails, so I'm inviting you to send me one this week. (In other words, if you're reading this, send me an email.)

The address is dallin.atchley@myldsmail.net

Thanks everyone!

Take care, 

Elder Atchley 

The Dinner Appointments

One great thing about Dallin serving in Utah is that members feed him. And-they take pictures and send them to us. We got 2 this week which was super fun!

Dinner Appointment 7/4/18

Dinner Appointment 7/7/18

Dallin is still figuring out how to handle missionary life. Now that he is sleeping on a bed, instead of a foam pad on the floor, he feels like his allergies are clearing up. Which is good news cuz it's hard to be motivated when you don't feel well.

Hey all!

Today is my 2nd P-Day here in Roy! I've been working hard (and sweating harder) as I invite others to come unto Christ!

Unfortunately, Elder Hartman left on Wednesday, leaving just Elder Killpack and myself. He was incredibly outgoing and spiritual, so having him leave was a bit hard on us. We both miss him dearly, but we've been doing our best. Though I'm still kind of sad about it, on the bright side, I got upgraded to one of the beds, so I no longer have to sleep on a dusty piece of foam on the floor. So that's good.

With Elder Hartman gone, I've been talking to Elder Killpack more. Over these past few days, I've been surprised to find that he and I share a lot of similar interests. We've even played some of the same video games that not many other people have heard about. Being teamed up with Elder Killpack is enough proof for me that God is watching over us and chose our companions. We've also given each other a few video game recommendations to play when we get home.

It's hot. We walk around in sweltering heat, and we sweat a bunch. Thankfully, the members are very kind and give us water every time they see us. Some of us even give us popsicles! I especially loved the Hatch family. Not only did they give us popsicles, but Brother Hatch told us some intriguing stories about his mission in Japan.

We still talk to the Duck family, and they're still great. We've also been teaching lessons to a young investigator named Cayden (I'll omit his last name for confidential reasons). The rest of his family doesn't seem interested, but Cayden really seems to be fascinated by the gospel, so I'm excited to teach him more.

We both gave a talk in church on Sunday, 5 minutes each. Mine was on faith; Elder Killpack's was on repentance. The Spirit was able to help me deliver my talk, and based on the feedback I received, I think my talk went really well. A different ward asked us to deliver 10 - minute talks next Sunday, so wish me luck!

I don't want the email to be too long, so I'll end with a short story: One night, Elder Killpack and I ate ribs at a member's house for dinner. The ribs were really good, but one of the younger children there dumped an entire container of fish food into their aquarium while we were eating, so the parents had to move the fish out of the aquarium and pump the water out of the tank. Elder Killpack and I helped, of course.

Take care, everyone!

-Elder Atchley

The First Email

It is so comforting to hear from your missionary, no matter how long they have been out. Dallin sounds great, but he mentioned he hasn't been feeling well. Allergies most likely. And-the adjustment to missionary life is a little harder than he anticipated. But-he is giving it his all.

Hey all!

I've been out in the mission field for a few days now. It's certainly been a new experience, but I'll continue to do my best! Right now I'm staying in a member's basement. His name is Brother Zito. He's kind of gruff, but he has a soft heart.

I'm starting out with two companions. The first one is Elder Hartman (not to be confused with any middle-school band teachers). He is half -Taiwanese and a super cool guy! He is very friendly to everyone he comes across, has incredible social skills, and he's really funny! (I guess that's a common trend among people with the last name of Hartman). He's doing the two-transfer mission just like I am, and he got his second call to Fort Worth, Texas. He will be leaving this Wednesday. The other companion is Elder Killpack. He's about halfway done with his two-year mission, and he absolutely loves it! He is very hardworking and obedient.

We've met some amazing families so far. A lot of member families love having us over for dinner, so I've never gone to bed hungry. We also met the Duck family (yes, that's their real last name). Originally from Louisiana, the Ducks recently converted to the church, and they're always super eager to learn more about the gospel. What are they like? Well, picture a stereotypical family from Louisiana. That's the Ducks. I love them so much! I also met a man named Chicho, from the Dominican Republic. He is incredibly outgoing, but friendly. We ate dinner at his house on Sunday, and I helped him make limeade. It was very good limeade!

On Saturday, I had the honor of witnessing a baptism of Lynn Harris, a formerly ex-communicated member who just rejoined the church. She was super friendly, so I can't help but wonder how someone like her could have even been excommunicated in the first place.

I'm really glad for this opportunity to do the Lord's work, and I can definitely feel the Spirit a lot more strongly.

Take care everyone,

Elder Atchley

The First Area

Dallin was assigned to the Roy area, which means he will be in the Utah Layton Mission. He is in a threesome for a week. The missionary on the right will be leaving on the 4th of July. And the missionary on the left will be his trainer, Elder Killpack.

The missionary on the right served a two-transfer mission as well, and he will be finishing his remaining 21 months in the Texas Ft. Worth mission. There is a fb page for missionary moms, and I just happened to see this elder's mother post about her don. I reached out to her and she was a great resource about how two-transfer missions work.  Hopefully he can answer Dallin's questions and help him ease into mission life.

Also-Steve said he is thrilled with Dallin's trainer, mostly because he doesn't look like a jock. Dallin has never really liked sports so Steve thinks this guy will get along great with Dallin. I think he looks kind and patient, which is what he definitely needs as he jumps into this new lifestyle.

The Drop-Off

The morning of report day, Steve, Hayden, and Dallin went to the Salt Lake Temple. Then we all loaded up and headed to the Ogden Temple for some pictures.

We were able to take Dallin directly to the mission office where we met the Mission President. Which was pretty cool because usually you only meet them after your child's mission is over. The Mission President only had 2 days left but he still took a great interest in Dallin and our family. We truly felt of his spirit, love of the work, and concern for Dallin. He asked each of us what we loved about Dallin, and we were able to spend a few moments as a family before we had to say goodbye. We were all doing okay until we had to get Dallin's luggage out of the car. As I went to give him one last hug, he whispered, "I'm scared," and his eyes welled up with tears. Way to break this momma's heart! The elder that was helping overheard and said that everyone is scared at first and that he would be okay. I gave him another big hug. He quickly hugged everyone else and then walked into the office as we drove away.

One of the things Salt Lake looks at on these two-transfer missions is how well the missionary handles change. Not only does the MP change of July 1st, but the mission boundaries change as well. The Utah Ogden Mission will be gaining quite a bit of rea to the North (the Logan Mission) and losing some of the current area to the South, which will become the Layton Mission. Dallin's first assigned area will determine which mission he ends up in. 

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The Temple

It just so happened that the Meridian Temple was closed for 2 of the 3 weeks we had before Dallin had to report. He got his endowments at the Boise Temple. There is a lot to learn at the temple so it was pretty overwhelming, but a beautiful experience. We are so proud of this kid!! While Steve, Hayden, Dallin and I were in the temple endowment session, Jacob and Emma did some baptisms. Love this family!!

The Call

Because of Dallin's Asperger's, he had to do a few more steps before his paperwork was submitted. One of the things he had to do was meet with a psychologist. From that encounter, the psychologist felt like Dallin could serve a regular proselyting mission with no restrictions. His papers were submitted and we were waiting for the big white envelope to come in the mail. Our Stake President was great at keeping us in the loop of what was happening. He let us know that even with the psychologist's recommendation, the brethren that assigned mission calls the day Dallin was in the queue felt like he needed to serve a two-transfer mission. We were able to talk with Dallin about it. He cried a little a first, but then said, "Well I guess I will do what God wants me to." What amazing faith!!

Dallin's call actually came to the Stake President. He and the Bishop came over and had Dallin read it. The Spirit in the room was amazing and I think we all had tears in our eyes. Dallin was called to the Utah Ogden Mission and had 3 weeks until he was to report. We were definitely busy. A two-transfer missionary needs all the things that a 24 month missionary needs so we had a lot to do in a short amount of time.

FYI--A two-transfer mission is kind of like a practice mission. It is designed to see if the missionary can adapt to mission life, if he can handle the work and lifestyle. The missionary goes for 3 months and is called somewhere close to home. He goes directly to the mission, without going to the MTC. At the 2 month mark, the Mission President, the missionary, and the companion fil out an evaluation. Those are sent to SLC where they are reviewed. At that point, if it is deemed that the missionary adjusted well, another call is assigned. The missionary receives a big white envelope where he is currently serving and opens it while the family is watching via Skype. Then he goes directly to his new assignment. (He may or may not go to the MTC in between-we have heard both ways.)

If it is deemed that he did not adjust well and continuing would not be a positive thing, the missionary is released and his service is considered full and complete. He is considered an honorable returned missionary.