Workin Hard

The newest commandment according to Elder Hazelgren: Work with urgency. The missionaries have been told to do so and I think it applies to everyone. A great little thought from our missionary. Dallin is also learning how to teach with power and boldness. They've had some investigators that aren't keeping their end of the bargain and Elder Hazelgren said he's had to be bold with them especially since in the Book of Mormon, the prophets taught the people that way.
He loves the climate in El Salvador! He loves the jungle and would probably stay in Central America if he could.
The staple food of El Salvador is called a papusa. Dallin has now figured out that yes, that is the only thing he will eat for two years :) Thank goodness for all the walking they do so he doesn't gain weight!
Elder Hazelgren is learning the power of patience. He's definitely the type who's a "go-getter" and lately his companion hasn't been as focused as he should be which has been frustrating. This last week was a good week he said, very humbling.
Since getting to El Salvador he hasn't had as much time to email so we don't always get elaborations on everything he says. He did say this week that the reason he's so pressed for time is because all the missionaries meet at the Stake Center to email home and they all have to take their turns and they only have an hour to do it all.
Dallin went on splits with his zone leader and was very confident in doing things like where to go, who to call. His zone leader said he's doing a great job.
Here are the two pictures we've received since his arrival in El Salvador...

                                        Elders...(his companion is on the far left)

                                        "Service projects are no laughing matter"

Life in El Salvador

First off, sorry there was no post last week. Dallin didn't send a generic email & we just got a little busy. He tells us in his family emails that his time is limited but he will try to send more emails so everyone can hear from him.
He is doing good, still having culture shock. He said he's struggling with the language but he's very hard on himself so I'm sure he's doing great. The weather is very rainy so he's loving that. His companion and he are getting more investigators; he said there was 8 at church on Sunday.
Elder Hazelgren said last week that El Salvador is very dirty with tons of pollution but he looks out in the distance and it's like paradise. It's really green down there from all the rain. He said he works in the jungle a lot because most of the investigators live so far from civilization.
Dallin also said he's having a hard time sending pictures because they take so long to download but when I get some, I'll post them immediately :)
Also, Dallin celebrated his 19th birthday last Monday, he said it was different than any other birthday but in a good way.

First week in El Salvador

Dallin is definitely having a culture shock. I don't think he knew what to expect and its way different than what he did picture. The filth will take some overlooking. His living situation is very dirty and there are bugs everywhere in his apartment. Apparently his apartment is called "The Palace" and it sounds nothing like a palace. On a scale from 1-5, he rates it at a -3....
He is loving his companion which is an answer to prayer. He really wanted a good first companion so he's very grateful he got one. His companion, Elder Vazquez is from Honduras and he is the best trainer.
They've had several lessons already and each time Dallin is improving with his Spanish. They don't go tracting at all, it's a mission rule. They work off member referrals only. He said he is in the most baptizing mission area but as of his first week, he doesn't see how that's true. He has a good attitude and said they will work super hard.
In El Salvador, they have two seasons; the dry season and the wet season. It's the wet (rainy) season now which makes the humidity worse. Dallin said as soon as he stepped off the plane in El Salvador, he got hit with the hottest, most humid weather he's ever felt. Welcome to Central America :)
The staple food of El Salvador is called a papusa. It's basically a very small tortilla filled with beans, meat and cheese. They are delicious! He said he's probably going to gain a few pounds because that's all they eat!
We were so excited to hear about his first week there and know there will be plenty more crazy stories to hear.
Here are the only pictures we received. He said he had tons to send but apparently he has a lot less time to email now and wasn't able to send pictures home. The pictures we received were from the mission home.

                                          President and Sister Glazier

                             Group photo

**As a side note, I've (Lindsay) been to El Salvador on a dental humanitarian trip just this past April and was able to meet President and Sister Glazier. They are the nicest people I've met and were so excited to meet Dallin. The people of El Salvador & Central America are great people; I'm so excited for Dallin to come to love them as I have. I've also seen the filth and sadness of being in a third world country and its very heartbreaking. It'll be an eye-opener for Dallin to experience that. It sure made me more grateful for where I live and made me realize how much I take for granted.

In El Salvador

Well Elder Hazelgren is in El Salvador! He said he's excited to be a "real" missionary now :) He got there Monday night. We heard from him that morning, but haven't heard from him since. He was going to try and call from the airport but we didn't hear anything. He only sent us a very short email but did say he has lots of pictures to email home. I wish we had more of an update this week, but we're looking forward to hearing from him soon.