January 29, 2018

Baby goat!

I might have to bring a Dominican baby home with me.

This is Luis and his avocado farm. He's down to 3 cigarettes per day.

Five in the morn for a beachside devotional.

So this tiny branch I'm in is lost. It's a branch of about 35 active members, and when I say active, I mean they go to church on Sundays...and that's about it. They don't do their callings at all. The branch president is supposedly sick all the time, so he can't do anything. His counselor is super lazy. Relief society doesn't do anything. There's not a young women's program. The young men's president just moved. We never ever have ward council. We don't have a ward mission leader.

This Saturday we had a baptism planned. The girl showed up who was going to be baptized and then 45 min later, her brother showed up to baptize her. But we didn't have witnesses or anything. We were calling and calling all of the priesthood holders but only one showed up. Then they suggested we have the baptism the next morning. My comp was furious at everyone! So we planned to do the baptism at 8am before church. But then the girl that was being baptized didn't show up, but it didn't even matter cause only one priesthood holder showed up.

The stake president came to our branch yesterday and our branch president walked in the sacrament meeting when it was almost over. The stake president wasn't too happy with what he saw. So long story short is that this branch has a long way to go. but after this experience I have even more of a desire to do all I can in the time i have here in Ocoa. Yesterday the young women had their first class in ages and we are going to have a meeting with the president to help her get things organized. We are going to meet with the branch president to actually set goals and get members callings to get them more involved. I'm excited though. It will be a fun lil challenge and with the guidance of Heavenly Father, I know real soon this branch will become an actual functioning branch in the church of God.