Milagros

This week Elder Garcia left. It was really sad. We were together for 3 months and we got along good and worked good together. He was one of my favorite companions. My new companion is Elder Corpus from Dallas, Texas. He has been out for a little more than a year.

Transfers were Wednesday morning so me and Elder Durham were together. We went to my area to teach this lady but she couldn't share with us so we went to contact. We found this really good lady named Yanelis (Jahn-el-ees). She already is really good friends with some members and she has wanted to go to church but just hasn't decided yet. She is like 25 or something and has a kid. And she is MARRIED BY THE LAW! It's a miracle. I have a lot of hope for her!

We have been teaching these people named Randal and Clarinez for a while. They are siblings. Randal is 19 and Clarinez is 18. They have progressed really good for a while and have a desire to change their lives and be baptized. They are super good and ESCOGIDOS, but they haven't been to church yet. We weren't planning on going by but Clarinez called and said she wanted us to go over. She said she wish she would've gone to church last Sunday and promised us that she would go this Sunday. So Sunday morning comes around and she wont answer her phone which always happen. I got kind of frustrated. I'm pretty sure it was the spirit that gave me the idea but we decided to walk to their house super far away right before church started. We woke them up and they came to the second hour of church and they liked it a lot. Its a miracle because if they didn't go to church we would have left them but now they are going to get baptized in a few weeks if everything goes good.

I'm getting closer to the end of my mission but I am full of energy to work and offer the Gospel to everybody! I feel really good and I love being a missionary. We talk to so many people everyday and there are so many people that don't want to hear us, but every once in a while God sends us to somebody that needs us. I know that the church is true and Jesus is our Savior and if we live the Gospel, even when its hard, we will be happier.

I put some good pictures in this email

We are teaching a lady and she is really good. We were going over the baptismal questions with her to make sure she was ready for her baptism on Saturday. Turns out her whole family moved to Salcedo to get away from some bad stuff that they were in and we have to do a bunch of things to see if she can get baptized. So close but so far away.

We are doing really good with some things here but struggling a lot too. Never in my mission have I had more people that read what we leave them. It's so awesome. They read and have questions and some people actually write down what they read. It's a miracle. But, nobody is going to church. AHHH! It's so frustrating. We can't keep teaching people that don't go to church but they are good. It's hard, but we are trying to do what the Lord wants us to do here.

We were walking on this and decided to contact a house that we already contacted. We talked to this super cool dude that has read the bible all the way through 2 times, but hasn't heard about the Book of Mormon. We gave it to him and started reading it while we we're still talking to him. SWEET! MIRACLES!

Jose got set apart yesterday for his mission and we got to go. It was really good and I felt the spirit. It reminded me of when I was set apart. I thought a lot about the importance of this calling that the blessing it is to be a missionary. I love being a missionary even though sometimes its hard. 

Look up yaroa on google. That's what we eat every night.

Pictures,

Some little kids that we schooled playing soccer.

Good news, Spiderman wants to be baptized. Bad news, he is only 5 years old.

I have become a pretty good artist in the last few months.

This escalator in Santiago was broken when I got here.

The biggest tarantula I have ever seen. This is as close as I would get to it. It's in the gutter.

Our zone.

Me.

Jose got set apart as a missionary yesterday and is leaving today for Mexico.

Salcedo

Hello world!

I'm here is Salcedo and I'm loving it. Salcedo is a small town and there really isn't anything here. There are four missionaries here and we live in the same house! It is so fun!!!

My companion is Elder Garcia from Honduras. In our house there's ELDER DURHAM my mtc companion, its so fun, I don't sleep, and Elder Vallejos from Niceragua. 

The members here are super good and want to help us and leave with us which is way different from Bonao. We have a few good people. I've been getting used to things here and now me and my companion are getting used to each other and how we teach. He is super outgoing, but this is his second transfer in the mission so he is still learning a lot of stuff.

On Sunday, we had this kid come to church. His name is Brendy. He likes the church and has a testimony, but we are working with him to leave some stuff so that he can get baptized. Also we are teaching this girl who has a few members in her family. She went to church. She is so sweet. 

I love Salcedo and I'm happy to be here. 

I'll try to send some pictures next week.

If anybody still reads these send me an email so I know haha.

goodbye Bonao

I'm leaving!

Four transfers, six months in Bonao and I'm finally leaving. I have learned so much here in Bonao and my testimony has grown so much. I have learned so much more about Jesus. I know that He lives.

My companion had to go to Santo Domingo for his visa or something so Elder Garcia came here with me for a little. It was super fun. We lived in the same house in Moca and I love him.

The Sister missionaries that came to the mission with me go home this week. haha.

I'm going to Salcedo! I don't know that much about it except that apparently the house is haunted. Sweet!

Things here in Bonao are pretty tough. Still a lot of people that don't want to listen to us or go to church. But, this super good guy that we are teaching named Cheo came to church! He lives super far away. He came and hour and 20 minutes late but at least he is a man of his word. God bless him. He is so good and humble. Hopefully I can come back for his baptism.

Pictures,

Me and some dominicanos

The church has a super cool camp in Bonao. We went today for Pday and it

Ups and Downs

This week had some good ups and downs.

First, I went on exchanges with Elder Garcia, the new missionary. He has less then 2 weeks in the field and he is still learning Spanish. We had a super good day and it gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities as a missionary and also in Spanish! We taught 4 lessons that day which is actually pretty dang good.

We taught in English! We went to Papo's house and taught Ajecka in English. We talked about the Book of Mormon and it was actually pretty good. He says he believes in the bible and that the BOM has some weird names in it but he read what we left him. He has a lot of questions and I know that he can get his own testimony. It felt super good to bear my testimony in English and Elder Garcia said he really liked talking in English. Also, if everything goes good Papo is getting baptized this week!

Some things were pretty hard this week. I thought I was so cool after I finished my training, but I still have so much to learn as a missionary and also as a person. Im really grateful for this opportunity to learn and grow but sometimes it is hard. But I have a lot of faith and hope in God because I know he has a plan for everybody and he is shaping every one of us.

Also I gave a talk in church and it was medium.

This is a drawing that my companion did of me. Idk what to say. Tell me what you guys think.

Elder Hooker had his birthday and also I'm still pretty bald, but its coming back!

I love you all! I love la Republica Dominicana!