amo a la mision

This week was super good. I learned so much.

This week somebody that we were teaching that had a baptismal date moved. Ugh. It's not the first time it's happened to me in this area. Its the fourth. But oh well.

I downloaded a talk from President Monson last week and it changed me as a person and my whole mission. He talked about seeing people as who they can become instead of who they are right now. I feel like a judge people a lot less and I feel a lot more hope talking to people. He talked about how one missionary tried to imagine every person that he talked to as who they could be as a member of the church. Ive started doing it. The first guy we talked to said that he's not about what we teach and didn't even let us tell him who we were but NO ME DESANIMO! It's helped me a lot. Everybody is a child of God and nobody is perfect. People can change. And they will change if we love them.

We had these 3 super good kids come to church on s

Sunday for the first time. Out of the 17 solid YESes that we received, 3 went. I'm doing my best haha. We have a lot of good people that have been to church, the problem is getting them to go the second time. Its kind of hard here in Bonao, but I have learned so much.

We saw a man carry a moped on top of a motorcycle. Never seen that before.

We were teaching some of our best investigators and their cousin was there. But he was super drunk. Elder Tupou was praying and then this dude says ¡BENDIGA CESAR! BLESS CESAR. It was kind of funny but after we told him that if he doesn't behave he has to leave.

Being a missionary is hard, but there is no place I would rather be. There is so much wickedness in this world, especially in la republica dominicana and especially in Bonao. But the church is still true. I know that Jesus is our Savior. No matter who you are or where you are in life, you can change! I love the Gospel! I love the DR!

I spoke to one of the 12!

This week we were walking down the street and decided to contact this one house. The guy let us in and was really nice. We talked a little about the Book of Mormon. Towards the end of the lesson, he started opening up a little and said that his house was getting foreclosed on the next day. He said that the whole morning he had been praying and that all the stuff that people say about the missionaries and church is wrong because we are good people. It was a good experience.

We got to meet an apostle this week! Elder Soares came to visit us. I got to talk to him and shake his hand too! He said como esta and I said bien y usted then he said de donde viene and I said Utah!!!!! What?! Isn't that so cool. He shared a lot of good stuff with us and I felt the spirit. He is a very humble man and I know that he really is an apostle of the Lord. 

On Sunday, everybody that said that they would come to church didn't. We were really bummed because we have a lot of good people, but if they don't go to church they don't progress as fast. Then almost at the end of the meeting we see Cheo! We had taught him a lot of times and he told us a week ago that he would go, but when we passed by his house during the week he wasn't there and he lives super far away. But he remembered! It took him a while to find the church, but he said that he was going to go every Sunday now! We are blessed.

Today we went to this river where a bunch of people go swimming. We didn't go swimming, but it was still really cool. I'll have to come back after the mission.

Pictures,

This place is super cool

DANGER!

Another week in Bonao

Carlos came to church! He is so good. He has to drive so far on his moped to get there but he did it. God bless him. I feel so blessed to have found him.

We went to this Haitian families house during the week. They are super cool and live on a fish farm haha. They took their friend to church last Sunday and we went to teach her. Everything was good except for that she doesn't speak Spanish or English. I've studied a little Creole in my mission, but it was so crazy. God has blessed me with the gift of tongues. I don't even know that much, but I could like form sentences and understand some things. I'm pretty excited about learning it now so today I read in the Liv Momon An.

We have been working really hard with Johan's family so that they can all get baptized. The good news is Brian and Mariani have a baptismal date for this month! The bad news is that they moved to the other branch and other missionaries will baptize them. Also one of our very promising investigators moved to the same other branch. We might not be doing a very good job of strengthening our branch, but at least we are strengthening somebody haha. Oh well. In the future I'll know why God did that.

I've learned a lot this week about the scattering and regathering of Israel. I didn't know anything about that for so long, but it blows my mind. Israel means like true believers in Jesus Christ or something like that and we have the Book of Mormon to find those people. There's so much stuff in the Bible that says that TCOJCOLDS is the true one.

Carnaval started this week. This country is wild. If my camera worked I would send pictures.

still here

Transfers were last week. I'm staying. This will be like 6 months in the same area and 4 months with the same companion. I feel good though.

This little store on our street burned down. It was pretty sad because it was somebody's house too. But like the whole neighborhood gathered around. It was crazy!

We found a lot of good people this week. A lot of married couples that have never talked to missionaries before!

We went with Carlos this week and he is super good. It was only the second time we visited him but he basically already knows that this is the true church. The only hard thing is that he lives super far away. He told us that we were the first missionaries to ever go into their little neighborhood. I felt super blessed and looking back I could see so many things that happened so that we would end up at his house. The Lord directs this work.

Carnaval starts next Sunday officially. It basically started yesterday though. Every Sunday of February, everybody just goes and parties haha. Last year was crazy. This country is so wild. Get ready for some good stories in February.

We were walking down the street and we saw Johan´s little brother who we are teaching riding down the street on a motorcycle. That sounds normal. But Brian is 12 years old. And he was on a grown man's motorcycle. 

I dropped my camera and it broke. Sorry.

Johan Se Bautizo!

This week was a week of fruits. Not fruits that you eat, but the fruits of our labors! I have been here in Bonao for a long time and it's been one of my toughest areas. I've worked harder than any other area and I've seen less success than any other area. But! ... that all changed.

Johan got baptized! We have been working with him for a while and he has progressed a lot. Johan is 16 and he lives with his mom and two little siblings. He is such a good kid even though he is surrounded by a lot of hard stuff. Elder Tupou baptized him! His first baptism! The baptism was super good and everything went really well. Halfway through the baptism Johan's mom showed up who has never really shared with us, so that was a miracle! After the baptism his mom said that his two little siblings want to be baptized too! WOO! It will take a little longer but we will baptize her too. 

Transfers are in two days and I have been here for a long time so I might of had my first and last baptism in Bonao, but I'll be leaving a few more people for the missionary that replaces me to baptize.

Here are pictures from the baptism! It was a good day.

Crackhead Magic

We went to visit Johan this week. He is doing really good. He took his two little siblings and their neighbor (who are actually super good too) to church on Sunday. If everything goes good, he will be getting baptized this Saturday! YAYAYAYAYAY! My last Saturday in Bonao if they transfer me somewhere else. Johan is such a good kid and I'm so happy we went back to talk to him the day we met him!

So the same dude that told us that he was Jesus Christ comes up to us and says that he was the number one magician and guitar player in all of Europe, but doesn't know how to drive a car. He took these cards out and started doing this trick and it actually was really good haha. I don't know how he did it. Some things only crackheads understand.

We went on exchanges this week. Elder Benitez, one of my old companions, came over to Bonao 1 with me. It was a good time. We taught this guy named Angel that is 20 and was super interested in the Book Of Mormon. He lives super far away from the church, but I feel really good about him.

We found these two super cool brothers. They look like the type of people that would usually reject us but they were super nice. After teaching them, we asked when we could come back and they said tomorrow haha. They are pretty close to my age and we get along super good. They are funny and understand what we teach them! What more could I ask for?

I love you all. I love the mission. I love America. Yo amo a la Republica Dominicana. Y lo mas importante yo amo a JESUS!

A NEW YEARS MIRACLE

Hey everybody! This week was super good.

We had interviews with Presidente cowan and it was awesome. I asked him about the miracles he has seen as a mission president and we talked about that for a little bit. I know that he is called of God to lead and direct this mission.

Johan went to church again! He's going to get baptized soon and I'm very grateful for him. I think I'll be leaving soon from Bonao and I haven't had too much success if you look at the numbers. But, I'm super happy for Johan and being here in Bonao will have definitely been worth my time.

On Sunday, we went to this appointment that I knew was going to fall so we planned to contact this place close by. It didn't look like anybody was home, but we saw a door opened and we called. This dude came out and let us in. We started talking to him a little bit and he said that he was going through some really hard stuff and said that just a few moments before we got there he was praying to God for help. It was a super good experience. We taught him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how that can help him with what he is going through. I know that God sent us to that house and there is no better feeling than knowing that God has used you as an instrument in his hands.

A bird pooped on me today for the first time of my life.

I love you all. The church is true. Jesus lives and loves you!

Pictures,

The first look at Elder Tupou and Elder Eliason in the new year.

Happy New Year!

Hello world,

The best part of this week was that I got to talk to my family. Christmas was really good. This country is wild so they made us go home early, but it was fun. We have to go home at 4 o'clock today for new years haha. But we went by a few people's houses and gave them candy canes. I don't know if they don't have them here or what, but they all got excited about the candy canes.

This week we focused a lot on commitments and getting people to commit to come to church. I felt like we were really able minister to some people and help them understand how going to church will help them have more peace in their lives. We committed at least 14 people to come. They all said yes. In the morning, we went and passed by people's houses and called to remind them, and... nobody came. The mission is sometimes hard. The people don't understand what they are missing out on. But this week we will work hard and all of those people will be in church this Sunday.

Going on a mission is the best decision I have ever made. I know that Jesus lives and that he knows us and loves us.

No pictures this week sorry.

Elder Eliason

We went to a fish farm

This week was amazing!

These 2 Haitian members moved to our branch about a month ago and we went to go visit them. They live so far away! We had to walk forever to get there. They moved from Haiti to Santo Domingo then to Bonao for work. They take care of a fish farm haha. We shared with them and their friend that was there that doesn't speak a lot of Spanish. I spoke a little bit of Creole with them and they thought it was funny haha. Probably because they're super black and I'm super white. Mwen pa pale kreol. Mwen grangou. Something like that. Thats basically all I know how to say.

We found this family in the area book and went to teach them this week. They are so good WOW! Anderson who is 15 and Hasmerly who is 13 are the 2 kids. They talked to missionaries before and were going to get baptized, but went to live in the US for a while so they didn't. Their grandparents are members and live in Salt Lake City haha. We have been struggling here in Bonao, but I feel like they were a huge blessing.

Last week we had this kid named Joan come to church the first time. We went over to his house on Saturday. There were these 3 girls hanging out with him and his little sister was there too. We taught about the Plan of Salvation. Joan was like backing up our church to his friends and said it's a normal church and they don't do that thing when they make people pass out and nobody yells haha. Elder Tupou invited him to be baptized and the spirit was so strong. He took the 3 girls to church on Sunday and I was so proud of him!

The other night I was thinking and I don't know why I'm so blessed. It's such a blessing to have a family. To live in America. To have to restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I feel like I have been too blessed. But I am a very grateful boy.

Pictures, 

Me holding up THE BIGGEST CANDY CANE OF ALL TIME!!!

This is basically the only other picture I took this week. Its a swimming pool.

A week in Bonao

This week was super good. A lot of things happened, but I don't remember them all but..

We started teaching this super cool guy named Edison. The first time we taught him he said that he would be baptized. This week we found out that his ¨wife¨ is 16 years old.... and she is pregnant. Nothing is easy here. But we will have to baptize the 3 of them.

We were in Los Arroces super far away. All of our plans fell through and we didn't know what to do. My companion said that we could go pass by this one old dude that we contacted once. It was super far away, but we decided to go. We got there and almost didn't share because they were sitting in the street and this dude was smoking something that smelled so bad, but we did. We started talking a little and he actually read the pamphlet that we left with him and had a lot of questions. We left him with a Book of Mormon and when we went back he had read! Heck yeah! He is super cool and his name is Simeon.

One day in the morning I was getting dressed and this GIGANTIC moth flew out of my closet. It scared me to death. It almost touched me. I don't know if I would be writing this email right now if it did. God always watches over his missionaries.

This happened a long time ago but remember the big bull in the movie Cars when they go cow/tractor tipping? Yeah, we saw one of those, it was awesome.

The church is true! Live the Gospel and you will be happier!!!

Pictures, 

This crazy little girl got in our picture. Jk it's Stefani!

After church on Sunday.

It's a Tongan!

Hello world,

This week was great! There were some ups and some downs, but it was really good. 

Elder Perez left me. We went and said goodbye to everybody. He seemed pretty excited to get out of here haha. They didn't tell me I was going to Santiago so on the day of transfers the bus gets to our house and I help my companion with his bags. They told me I was going with them and I looked down and was still in my pajamas so I changed the fastest that I ever have in my life.

My new companion is Elder Tupou! He is from Utah and he is Tongan. He is super cool and chill and we just play my ukulele all the time. I realized how much Spanish I've learned in the last year because I was just like him when I got here. He is still learning Spanish, but he is doing really good.

On Friday, we went to this meeting in Santiago. I saw Brandon... um I mean Elder Todd there. He just barely got to this mission and it was super weird to see somebody that I knew before the mission.

Sunday was fast and testimony meeting. Two of our investigators got up and shared their testimonies! ESO! HECK YEAH! It was so cool. They are doing really good, but just are having problems with leaving coffee.

The mission is really good. We are finding a lot of good people and working hard. We had some good spiritual experiences this week and we can see people changing. The church is true and Jesus lives!

Mine and Elder Perez's last picture together

Brandon?

My child, my dad, me