Where am I?

A lot has happened in the last 2 weeks.

I left Puerto Plata, the best place on earth. I love that place so much. It was really sad to go. There are so many good people there and I have so many friends there and my converts there are the best people ever. I feel like I was sent to the Dominican Republic for the people in Puerto Plata. I feel so blessed to have been in that area and to have been able to find the people that I did. YO AMO A PUERTO PLATA!

Anyways, my new area is Bonao 1 which is basically in the middle of the country, I don't know where I am. I'm pretty sure that Santo Domingo is closer to us than Santiago, but I don't care. This area is super cool. First off, we have the best house of all time! It's super clean and we have hot water, and we are on the third floor. Bonao is just surrounded by a bunch of mountains and it rains basically everyday. We work in Bonao which is pretty urban, but also we have this other neighborhood super far away called Los Arroces. It's named that because there are just a bunch of gigantic rice fields all over so that means that we have to walk forever to get to some houses. We have to take a little bus thing to get there and we preach there 3 days a week.

My companion is Elder Perez from Texas. He is a good guy. He has 8 months in the mission. Its pretty weird to speak English so much and I decided that it's a lot better for my Spanish if I have Latino companions. But me and my companion get along really well. He doesn't know how to cook and there aren't any cheap places to buy food by us so I have been experimenting with a few things lately. It's going pretty good, for the most part. haha

I love you all! The church is true!

Pictures

Me and a super cool mural

Me and Maceko and Rodrigo. I love them.

These people are cool. I kind of just wanted to take the picture because both ladies are pregnant haha

Worst Hurricane Ever

The worst hurricane ever passed through here this week. Not worst as in bad, but everybody just made a big deal of it and it only rained for a few minutes. oh well.

We went on exchanges (it took me a whole minute to remember that word in English), but Elder Kyle took me to the coolest wall of all time. I was so happy. Look at the picture. I have no idea how that got there haha.

Deurin and Marlen, my converts, had their baby! She came like 3 months early and is super tiny but she is doing good. They are the best family of all time. I feel so blessed to have met them.

Transfers are on Wednesday and I am out of here! I love Puerto Plata so much and I have enjoyed my mission and had a lot of success here. But also I'm happy to be leaving because I've knocked on every single door in this area. Not really, but this area is small and I'm ready for a change. I wouldn't change the experiences I've had and the people I've met here in Puerto Plata for anything else in the world. I love being a missionary!

Pictures,

VIVA LOS UTAH JAZZ YESSSSSS!!!!!

There is an abandoned basketball court in our area. super cool

I burned an old shirt in the house for my year. My shirt has a samuri on it. 

One Year?

What just happened?

I feel like I just got here but now I have a year in the mission and I'm already more that halfway done with my missionary service. Wow. In the last year I have learned so much. I know Spanish, I feel like I am a lot kinder and patient, my testimony is a lot stronger, and I know how to work hard. Lots of times people talk to us about how we are losing two years of school and stuff like that, but I know that I couldn't have learned the things that I've learned anywhere else except for the mission. I'm happy to be here and I love being a missionary and preaching about Jesus!

This week we had a lesson with this super good family. The dad is a less active member and the mom and 2 kids are super good too. The dad says that he wants to reactivate himself and get sealed in the temple eventually! ESO! They are super cool but I don't know if I'll get to see their baptism because I've been in Puerto Plata for a long time. But we'll see what happens!

We found a quarter in the street this week...

Pictures,

1 for one year

#themission

I always send 3 pictures and I didn't have any other interesting ones.

2.5

This week was one of the hardest, but also one of the best weeks of my mission. 

A lot of stuff happened the first few days of the week and it was terrible, but it finished so good.

These kids in this neighborhood that we are always in were putting up this 8 foot basketball hoop and asked us to help. I started playing and got super sweaty, but I dunked a bunch of times and everybody went crazy. It was so fun. I felt like such a baller.

Deurin and Marlen got baptized! We found them like 3 months ago contacting and they had a lot of questions at first. They asked if we celebrated birthdays and donated blood, but got more comfortable when they realized that were not jdubs haha. They are both 26 and Marlen is pregnant with their first child. I baptized Deurin and Elder Maltez came to the baptism and baptized Marlen. She's pregnant so I don't know if it counts as 2 or 2.5 baptisms. The spirit was so strong and when we were changing in the bathroom, Deurin told me that he was feeling something that he had never felt before. I'm so happy for them and their family and I have no doubt that they will stay strong in the church. I feel so blessed to be here in Puerto Plata and to have been able to meet so many good people.

The church is true. Jesus lives and loves us.

Elder Eliason

Pictures,

Me haha
Angelitos
All of us!

I was in a cloud this week.

A lot of stuff happened this week.

At the start of the week we couldn't find anybody and so many people rejected us but we kept working hard and eventually found some people.

There was a cockroach and a frog in our house at the same time. I killed the cockroach and the frog disappeared when I went back.

I went on exchanges with Elder Webster from Colorado. All of our lessons fell through but oh well.

Elder Feliz, my old companion is in Puerto Plata now because his comp went home. That means there are no missionaries in Moca again, the area that I opened. That kind of bugged me, but he says Papo still goes to church so that makes me really happy.

We went to the Teleferico today. It was cool. There was a cloud on top.

Elpidio went to church again. He is super cool. He should be getting baptized soon. As soon as he can find a house. 

Pictures,

Me eating the strangest fruit in the world by a swimming pool.

Me in a cloud in the Celestial Kingdom.

Me and Our Savior.

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!

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.

Hello America!

The Dominican Republic is treating me well. Except for the sun.

I don't even remember what we did this week, but it was good. We were with Eldpidio the other day, he is going to get baptized this week! He is like 50 or 60 something and he told us he is in love with Miguelina! She is a member of the church and so hopefully in one year from now I'll be going to the temple with them in Santo Domingo to go to their wedding!

Jimmy, the Haitian is also really good. He went to church on Sunday again and he has really changed his life. Sometimes the mission is hard, but its all worth it when you see somebody's life change for the better. He always talks about how he loves reading the Book of Mormon and he does it every night. He told us that we can come by to share every day of the week if we want. He is super humble and loving and I just love him a lot.

Presidente Castillo called and I'm going to train a new missionary. This should be interesting. haha

Pictures,

Our district and the zone leaders

Male model?

Me right before I jumped into the swimming pool

It's hot here

This week was interesting.

First, it is so hot here. If we walk in the street for more that 5 minutes during the day, I get soaked. It's so uncomfortable.

We had to contact so much this week. I feel really lucky to be here because the people are so nice and let you in a lot, but nobody let us in. I don't even know how many people we talked to but it was a lot. It was sad because these people don't know what they are missing out on. But... 

we did find a part member family that is super good. The mom hasn't gone to church in like 20 since she moved, but her family is cool and she gives us lemonade. So all the work was worth it.

Also this week so many people have been saying crap to me about Spanish. So many people judge me because I'm white and if I don't start talking to somebody first, they don't think I speak Spanish. It was bugging me really bad so I read about when Jesus was crucified and he said, "Forgive them for they know not what they do." I really liked that because a mission is hard and I've only been speaking Spanish for 9 months. I'm trying to help people and they don't know how it is so I don't have to worry about what they say.

I just keep learning more and more about Jesus and how amazing He was and is. I know that Jesus lives and that He loves us. He lived a perfect life and suffered for us so we don't have to. But we have to follow Him. Even though a mission is hard, I am happy. Jesus equals Happiness.

I didn't take any pictures this week, but here is another one of me on top of Puerto Plata! I love Puerto Plata!

Hot Shower

Lots of good news...

We were contacting and my comp saw this door open on the second story of this building and I didn't really want to but we contacted the house and this guy came to the door and he was super nice. He is married! Him and his wife don't go to a church, but believe in God and they seem really interested.

Elpidio went to church! I'm pretty sure he is going to get married to this member lady that lives across the street from him and so I might get to go to the temple in a year from when he gets baptized.

There is this super cool returned missionary in our ward and his family, the Polancos, are FILTHY rich. His dad distributes all the Mars Bars and Colgate for the whole country. We hung out with him today for our pday and they fed us and gave us a bunch of food. We played tennis then soccer and I took a shower in their house. It was the nicest shower I have ever been in. I took a cold shower because its so hot here but I put it on hot for a second just to remember how it felt. He is 20 and speaks perfect English and Spanish. He is going to BYU in August. But their family is awesome and I love this country.

The church is true. Jesus is our Savior. God is real. The Book of Mormon is also true, read it.

Elder Eliason

Me at the Polanco house

Me shooting a giant cannon at pirates

Sometimes nobody wants to listen to us

Milagros

Woah! This week was so awesome.

First, we got this reference from a member last week and we went this week and this guy is so cool. His name is Elpidio and he is so prepared. The first time we taught him we were basically just listening to him talk and he started asking us what he has to do to be a member of our church. He takes care of this ancient lady that is 88. He asked us to give her a blessing. We went into the room and I thought she was almost dead. We gave her a blessing and in two days when we went back he said she is doing a lot better. She ate solid food for the first time in a long time and was talking too. The Priesthood is real. We have already taught him 3 times and he is so ready!

We went to teach Mariano the Word of Wisdom and he was super drunk so we decided another day would be better. haha

We played basketball 2 times this week. All the kids in the street respect me because I can play basketball.

We went to the Teleferico today which is basically like the tram that goes up the big mountain here. We saw a lot of gringos and I felt really uncomfortable around them. It is super cool. I'm defintely coming back here to visit.

Pictures,

Me holding up a giant statue of our Savior with only one hand.

Me preaching repentance to all of Puerto Plata.

Coolest picture of me ever taken???

Other white people

This week was pretty good. My area is super cool and there are a lot of rich people here.

I met this Italian guy that moved here to make cheese. He is super cool. He said he was going to make us some Italian pasta but we couldn't do it when we planned. Maybe this week. I'm excited!

We were walking through these big apartment buildings and we saw this white guy. I knew he was going to start talking to us when he was still far away. He is from England and has been living here for 25 years. He drinks a lot and doesn't want to listen to us. He asked me how old I am and I said 19, then he said, I'm 60 then a lot of explicitives then walked away. It was good.

This super cool Haitian dude named Jimmy came to church this Sunday. It's the first time he has come but he is super prepared. There was this old white shirt in our house so I ironed it and we brought it to him and he wore it and looked super good.

Also, I talked in sacrament meeting. I have given the exact same talk in 4 different wards, 6th, Flamboyanes, la Española, and Torre Alta. But I don't care. Nobody knows hahaha.

I didn't take any cool pictures this week so here are some older ones. 

The church is true.

Amo a La Republica Dominicana.

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.