Peace and Quiet

Usually when we teach on a patios it is right on the street and cars, motorcycles, and trucks blast by creating all kinds of noise and distractions.  This patio was in back of the house, although shared by many houses that surrounded it, it was cool, quiet and a great place to teach.  The little girl in the photo is the younger sister of the person the hermanas are teaching.

A Balancing Act

The zone leaders created an activity to help the missionaries in their zone learn how to keep all their balls (people they are teaching) in the air.  When they have too many people to teach themselves, they solicit the help of the members, and they go out with the members.  That way they can teach twice as fast.

All for Nothing

All those pallets are for the Oktoberfest celebration this weekend.  The event will take place in the park across the street from our casa.  So much work, booth after booth built, painted and decorated just to sell millions of different brands of alcohol.

Super Prepared

These faithful hermanas baptized two members of this family this weekend, and will baptize the others soon.  Note the furniture covered in plastic.  It's not new.  It stays that way!

Fun to give

I've decided I like the welfare system here in the DR.  Those who are handicapped and can't work, actually work really hard.  They walk in the streets all day every day and come up to the window of your car while waiting at lights (always long, long lights) and you put money in their cup.  The thing that I really like is seeing their gratitude.  It doesn't matter how much you give, a little or a lot, they are grateful.  Even when we choose to give granola bars or food, they are happy.  One day I gave a little boy a bag of M & M 's and you would think he won the lottery.  I've never seen such a big smile.  I hope he comes back!

Fill the font

The zone leaders find lots of ways to animate their missionaries.  This day they had a relay that included filling the font one cup of water at a time.

In the garden

This stained glass is in one of the chapels of a really old cathedral here in Santo Domingo.  I was impressed that the subject was the Savior in the garden of Gethsemane.  So often the stained glass pictures the Savior with the cross.

9 baptisms

New leadership

Elder Gavarett, of the Area Presidency arrived in the country last week and he came to our mission to do a mission tour this week.  He emphasized how effective family history work is to retain new converts.

20-5=15 more missionaries!!

Such potencial

We passed this abandoned monastery the other day. It was so beautiful we wanted to restore it.

Paying it forward

One of our marvelous zone leaders was a member for a year before he came on his mission. He carries the photo of the missionaries who baptized him to share with his converts.

Baseball team comes to check out church

Talk about referrals!  We had a member bring his entire baseball team to church on Sunday.  They had to have the "Gospel Principles" class in the chapel instead of a classroom.  You gotta love the Dominicans!!

Look carefully

This is the luggage of a missionary just leaving on her mission.  President Smith is in charge of the district so when a missionary wants to go on a mission from the district he fulfills the role of the stake president.  We were marveling at how little these people have and how willing they are to give their all to The Lord.