Elpidio!

This week went by super fast. I don't even remember what happened.

On Tuesday, we went to almost every single one of our appointments and found a lot more new people to teach which is awesome.

We had interviews with President Cowan. He came all the way to Puerto Plata and he and his wife are pretty cool. The interview was pretty good and in English. We were finishing and I asked him how he likes being a mission president so far and then he talked to me for a long time. They are both really nice and I can tell that they are loving it so far.

On Sunday, Dewdy and Marilyn came to church again. They've come 3 Sundays in a row and I'm so happy to have been able to meet and teach them. Elpidio who was going to get baptized came to church again too. He was going to get baptism then the lady he took care of died and her kids kicked him out of the house. He has been living all over the place, but we have been praying for him and prayers work!

I don't even know how to say this word in English but the girls here are so freca. They are so flirty and they don't have any shame. We will just be walking down the street and some girl will just tell us that we look good. Its kind of weird, but blessings come in all sorts of ways I guess haha.

This week wasn't as interesting as the others but I'll make sure to tell some good stories next week.

...

I totally forgot to talk about the best part of the week. The kid in the picture is named Frandy. We had an appointment with him but he wasn't there so we passed by this internet center where there are always a lot of kids and asked where he was. They showed me a video of him fighting with this other kid. I shouldn't laugh, but the video was so funny and they had scissors and everything. Frandy won so its ok. Thats it.

Still here

This week was super hard and first, but it got better.

The first few days were super hard. All of our appointments fell through and there was nothing to do. We ended up contacting and it is so hot during the afternoon. Everybody told us no and it was hard. Those are the hardest times when there is nothing to do and nobody wants to listen to us. But it got better.

I've been trying really hard lately to be a good missionary and be diligent and at the end of the week we saw the blessing. We had a lesson with our 2 super good investigators and I felt the spirit so strong. I felt really good about the work that we are doing and even though I'm not perfect and my Spanish isn't perfect, I'm trying really hard.

It doesn't matter where you are or how strong your testimony is. The only thing that is important is that we are trying. If we are improving we are moving in the right direction. God didn't send us here to be perfect, He sent us here to grow. And we can do that through Jesus and his Atonement. I have a testimony so strong of that now and I have changed so much because of Him. I know that Jesus lives and loves us.

Also Dewdy and Marilyn went to church again this s

Sunday! They said they are going to go again next Sunday and now have a lot more friends in the church. I'm hoping so badly that I don't get taken out of this area before they get baptized.

I didn't take any good pictures this week, but here's a picture of Elvis.

A baptism!

Last week was great!

We had a baptism! Elvis got baptized but we call him Maceko which means Maco which means frog haha. He is 14 and he is a super crazy kid. We have been with him for a while and he has changed a lot. He isn't the perfect convert, but the church is really good for him and he says that he wants to serve a mission. Rodrigo, who is a member baptized him and we are really good friends. The baptism went good and I'm super happy about it.

On Sunday, we had two of our really good investigators come to church. They are a young couple named Dewdy and Marilyn and they are married by the law! They always have good questions and always give us juice and food when we go to their house. I love them.

Things that happened this week...

1. We met an atheist, I think for the first time in my mission. He told us we are from the CIA. I told him that we aren't. But he said yes you are. We didn't end up teaching him hahaha!

2. We saw a motorcyle pulling a man in a wheelchair at like 40 miles an hour. HA

3. There's an Asian dude that just rides around our neighborhood on a minimotorcyle. I don't know where he came from. 

Pictures from the baptism!

Coast to Coast

So many things happened last week...

First off, this happened last week but I forgot. There are so many apartment buildings in our small area that Elder Benitez didn't like so me and my new comp are going to contact everyone. But we were contacting this building and we saw that the people on the 4th floor were busy so we contacted some people on the 3rd and we started walking down the stairs and it had to have been the spirit because I stopped halfway down the stairs and we contacted the family on the 4th floor and they are so cool! We had a good lesson and the mom told us that she is going to make food for us on Friday! They are awesome.

On Tuesday the mission office called us because I had to renew my visa. We slept in Santiago on wednesday and went to Santo Domingo in the morning. I got to spend my 4th of July with all of my American friends from the MTC! It was super fun. Then we went from Santo Domingo which is on the south coast of the country all the way back to Puerto Plata which is on the north coast of the country.

So I saw the ocean on the southern coast and on the northern coast on the same day.

THEN... this is not a joke. 5 minutes after we get back to our house in Puerto Plata they call again and say that the papers for my companion came and he has to go. So we get back on the bus and go to Santiago. I spent the whole day in Santiago while my companion went to Santo Domingo, but when he got back he said they couldn't do the medical stuff he needed to so we had to go again on Monday. I spent my Pday in a bus. But we got to go to the MTC and I saw the temple and it was so cool to go back!

The people don't know the difference between pecar (to sin) and pescar (to fish). So on an exchange in Santiago this kid told me that if we have faith in god he can help us to not fish. hmm

Pictures,

Us in Santo Domingo.

Me and my comp on our roof in Puerto Plata the same day.

Me and the house of the Lord. I love the temple!

It's a Nicaraguan!

So this week my new companion came and he is from Nicaragua. I'm training him and so far things are going good. He already knows a lot of stuff so I don't have to teach him that much haha. When I started my mission I didn't know anything. hahaha. He just turned 18 and almost everybody we talk to says he looks really young so I kind of feel bad for him, but he is doing good.

This week we were about to teach this lesson with one of our investigators and he got in a big fight with rocks and boards and ripped shirts so we left. But he came to church on Sunday so it's all good.

Today we were playing basketball in the big arena place again. We were playing 5 on 5 and it was 18 to 18. The guy defending me was talking to me and said he was going to take the ball from me then I pulled up from the 3 and ended the game. I tried not to stare him down because I'm a missionary but I'm not that strong.

We met Rudy from Buffalo, New York. I taught the whole lesson in English. He is like a 60 year old black guy and super cool.

There is this minimarket by our house and these two white guys always sit outside it. Their names are Mike and Mike. One if from Massachusates and the other is from England.

We went to one of our investigators houses and this white guy was there who I guess is her husband. He said he just got off the plane from England then our investigator starts speaking perfect English to me. It was so weird.

On Sunday, like 10 white girls came to our church building. I talked to them and it was super weird. I've been here for so long.

Anyways it was a good week. Thanks for writing me everybody that does!

A picture of me and my companion.