PUERTO PLATA!

This last week has been super interesting. 

First, I got transferred to PUERTO PLATA! It was kind of sad to leave La Española because I opened that area and I made a lot of friends there. Im going to miss that area but it was good to have a change.

Right now I'm in Puerto Plata, Torre Alta with Elder Benitez from Honduras. Our area isn't very big which means less walking and there are a bunch of cool people that I have already met. We are super close to the ocean even though we can't go. I can see the ocean from my roof and it is so awesome! Also there is this giant mountain here so sometimes I feel like I'm in Utah, but I'm not. Elder Benitez is 22 and he is pretty cool. He doesn't talk too much and he is pretty humble so we have been getting along pretty good so far.

Also we had a baptism! We baptized this guy named Luis who has been with the missionaries for a long time. He is pretty big so my companion asked me if I could baptize him. It was kind of awkward but I did it and it was super good.

Something spiritual. We went to another baptism from the Elders from the other ward and we were singing hymns and I just felt really good. It makes me really happy to see people getting baptized and the songs we sing just helped me to remember that God and Jesus live and are real. In the night, I went up to our roof to wash some clothes and I was just laying there looking at the stars and the universe is just so big. I don't know how anybody could not believe in God. 

I love you all. Choose the right.

Elder Eliason

Pictures,

Me and Azulo. The most coolest Hatian kid in the world. If you don't believe me look at him.

Me and all the young men in the La Espanola ward. They are so cool.

Me and Papo and Ajecka. I baptized Papo. Ajecka is the super interesting guy that is from Indiana and doesn't speak Spanish and married a deaf woman.

Me and Elder Benitez and Luis.

Me on my roof with a big mountain behind me.

We played basketball in this mini stadium place like 2 blocks away from the beach. It was super fun.

Most Interesting Man/Burger King x3

Hello world,

I am doing pretty good and this week was a good one. We went to Santiago Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and we went to Burger King every time we went. It was awesome!

We had interviews with President Castillo this week and he is a really good guy. He was really nice to me and he told me that I have definitely been blessed with the gift of tongues which made me really happy. Also he told me to tell everybody at home that he says HI!

We found maybe the most interesting man in the world this week. We went to Papo's house who has been going to church for 2 months and his step dad was there. I don't know how to start so Ill just say everything. First, Papo's mom is deaf and only speaks sign language. The step dad's name is Ajecka. He is from Indiana. He is half Cherokee and half something else. He played college basketball for Syracuse. He is a big black man. He speaks English, French, and Sign Language, but not Spanish. He married a Dominican and is going to take his new family to live in Indiana. He is hard of hearing, but still speaks good English and sounds almost exactly like Forest Gump. He talks a lot when we are there because not a lot of people understand him. He is super cool and I'm so excited to teach their family. He loves Jesus a lot. He prayed in sign language and I felt REALLY good. It doesn't matter who you are, God loves everyone of his children and wants to hear from them no matter what way. He listens to every prayer!

I called Elder Cortez a little while ago in my old area and he told me Joan is finally going to get baptized. I called him again today and Joan is lost again. Maybe one day he will get baptized.

I love you all. Here are pictures of Burger King, Enjoy!

Jell-O

Hello Everybody

This week has been pretty good. We are still working hard and we have found so many people to teach. We are so blessed here in La Española and there are so many people that are ready for the gospel. 

One of our first days we contacted this one house and this guy and his wife let us in and we had a good lesson. He said that he always saw the missionaries pass and they were always ready to accept them with love, but we finally found them. He prayed and said he feels good about the church and he has been reading and said that he could try to get work of on Sunday so that he could come to church. His name is Junior and his wife is Ofelia and they are both probably 20 years old. I'm really happy for them!

We were walking on this dirt road and these guys asked us if we wanted coconuts so they cut one open for me and I drank it under a palm tree! All the people here are so nice and will just yell "God Bless You" at us when they are driving by.

We also have been making a lot of jello this week and decided that it would be a good idea if we filled the fridge. So we did. I love Jello and the Dominican Republic!

New Area!

Sorry I didn't write last week. I didn't have a lot of time, but...the last two weeks have been crazy.

Transfers were this week and so I left my first area Flamboyanes. There are so many cool people there and it was really sad saying goodbye to all of them.

I got transferred to La Espanola which is to the north east of

Santiago. Me and Elder Alba from Utah both got moved here and so we are both new here. There haven't been missionaries here since December so there is a lot of work to do. The area is super big because there should be 4 Elders here but it is just us two. We live with other Elders super far away from where we always are because some not so good stuff happened in the old house and it was expensive. I live with Elder Guajardo who was my companion in the MTC and Elder Hooker from Trinidad and Tobago. We all speak English so I'm not getting a lot of practice in Spanish haha. 

This area is super cool and there are a lot of hills and a giant river and some big cliffs. The members are super cool and we have already found a lot of people that are ready for the Gospel. Everything is going pretty good right now and I'm excited to be here in a new area with so much work to do! It is pretty fun.

The first picture is of me and Elder Cortez, Hermana Estofanero and Hermana Niceler.

The second is a picture of Alejandro. He is super cool. He got baptized right before I got to my first area and he is super funny and old. He is really good at dominos and he got kind of emotional when I went to say goodbye. I love him.

The third is me on a cliff in this neighborhood. It is super cool. I love this place!