December 25, 2018

Talking to Sister White on Christmas.

December 18, 2017

Bye bye district! I'm headed to the mountains of the DR this week! woohoooo

Baptisms! Yay!

Our ward had our Christmas Party. They did a lil gift exchange type thing. I didn't have anything, so I quickly wrapped up a Law of Chastity pamphlet and a CTR ring.

So we were able to have an amazing night of baptisms! We combined this baptismal service as a zone and we were able to see 10 people enter the waters of baptism!  I will give ya'll a quick lil run down of my lovely people who were baptized.

I will start with my sweet Antonia who was definitely a miracle. So one day my comp and I were contacting in the morning and we were about ready to head to our lunch appointment. But I had one of the strongest impressions ever to go knock one last door. And then we met Antonia. She was so inviting. We didn't even say we were missionaries or anything, but she just immediately let us in. We talked for only a minute, but said we would come back, and every lesson after that we learned new things about her. She doesn't know how to read cause her dad didn't send her to school. She has two kids who don't really talk to her unless they need something. She lives alone in this tiny house without power. She told us about how before we met her, she was very depressed. She wouldn't even leave her bed some days. But after she started learning about the gospel and the love God has for her, she got a little more excitement for life. Then she went to church and made friends and got even more excited. And now she knows she has a purpose here on the earth and that she can have joy even though the circumstances are hard. When she was opening up to us about all this, I started to get very emotional because I just started thinking that if we would have just gone straight to our lunch appointment, and wouldn't have knocked on that final door we wouldn't have met this amazing woman who literally needed the gospel. After she was baptized she just kept saying, "I'm so thankful God sent me you angels."

I've been so blessed to have the joy of the gospel all my life, and now there is nothing better than to share this joy with others who have never felt it.

Okay next up Angel. He's 16 years old, and so great. Something great about this ward is that all the young men love basketball and so they invite all their friends to play. So every Friday night its like jackpot to go meet new people and set up some appointments. And that's where we met Angel and we were able to teach him with his best friend who's a member and several weeks later he was baptized. wohoo

Josephina is 12. She's the daughter of a less active. Honestly, I've never really taken much time to visit the less actives, but I made a goal to try and visit them more this transfer, and that's where we met this mom who hasn't been going to church for years, but we met her daughter who was interested, and now she's a member and helping her family become active in the church again.

Gilberto is the sweetest 10 year old kid you'll ever meet. Ever since his cousin Jose Alberto was baptized back in my first transfer here, Gilberto has been coming to church by himself almost an hour early every Sunday, He's part of the ward choir, and he's reading the Book of Mormon more than our adult investigators. The other day when I asked him what he wants to be when he grows up he said a missionary and a bishop. and when we were teaching about tithing he asked in shock, "Why don't we pay more? Why so little?" haha I would not be surprised if this kid is some type of leader of the church one day. 

Melany is the neighbor of the primary leader, and was involved in the primary program. After the primary program, she ran up to me and said she wants to be baptized. We spoke with her parents and they had all support. Although they don't have the desire to be baptized, they could see how the church was doing lots of good for their daughter. This girl is so smart and remembers everything. She says she wants to get married so she can have babies one day haha. 

And last we have Wilki. The calmest most adorable lil Haitian boy who definitely balances out the craziness of his siblings. It's been a long process for him to be baptized with all sorts of obstacles in the family and other things, but now he's finally a member and so happpy about it. 

I learned a lot about teaching kids this transfer. They are so special and they just radiate the light of Christ. I've felt the love that God has for his Children more than ever teaching these kids this transfer. It was definitely a transfer of miracles! 

December 11, 2017

Woweee. Christmas time in the mish is crazy. On Friday we had a Stake Christmas concert. On Saturday we had a light the world concert in a big fancy mall in Santo Domingo. And on Sunday we had another concert at the temple. It's a good time. And we had a good turn out of investigators for all of the activities!

So crazy that it's already almost Christmas. From what I've heard, December in the mission is pretty tough. Everyone has their own activities, no one has time to listen to our message, and baptisms are really low this time of year. But God has been helping us so so much. This next Saturday we will be having 7 baptisms. I've just been in awe lately witnessing the hand of God in this work. Like it says in Alma 13¨24 ¨Angels are declaring it unto many at this time, for the purpose of preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive his word.¨ I truly believe that angels have been preparing and touching the hearts of these people. It's so incredible to see some of these people accept the gospel so quickly. For some of them who will be baptized next Saturday, its been a longer process, over a few transfers. But others we met in this transfer and so quickly they have been able to feel the truth of these things in such a short amount of time. And it's all thanks to those angels preparing these people for the moment when two hot, sweaty, tired imperfect missionaries pass by with a simple message. And the spirit and the love of God and Jesus Christ do the rest. I'm so grateful to play a small part in bringing these people to the truth. There is nothin better!

I'm becoming pro in dominos!! Oh if you didn't know, Dominicans looove dominos.

Christmas concert.

One of the very best things about this week, is that I got to see my darling Haitian family! They were at the temple for the Christmas concert. And I saw Milady, the little girl walking around, and then she saw me and gave me a big hug and led me to her parents! And I got to meet the newest lil member of the family! They didn't end up using my name. hahaha Probably cause my name is really close to another word that means blanket....but it's all good! I love them soooo much!

Lighting da world with service! 

Me and my comp

December 4, 2017

This week we met a man with a snake around his neck. At first I was freaked out, cause I got a big ole fear of snakes...but my comp held it so I decided to hold it too. yolo I got a cool pic and it was all fun and games until it bit my finger. The guy said it would be fine, and so we bandaged it up and continued on with the day. But then at night my finger was huge and really hurting. Anyways. long story short, we went to the emergency room, and they told me if I would have waited any longer they would have had to cut my finger off, but they sucked out the venom and now I just have a lil mark. So dat's cool. 

Just kidding.

The snake before it bit me.

Cute old man

Fun plants at the temple grounds.