Primary Program

The Primary program

The shoes of the elder playing the piano.

After we were the concluding speakers in the primary program, we were invited to teach primary. I should have listened to Mikan and tied my hair up. They couldn't stop touching it. 

Elder Cook's Messages

Today Elder Cook was in Santiago and the meeting was broadcast to all of us here in the Dominican Republic.  It was absolutely one of the highlight days of my mission so far.  What a humble prophet he is!  I never expected to be inspired the way I was today.

The first thing that impressed me was when he related the experience of building the Kirtland Temple.  I have always known the women broke their china to add to the sparkle of the walls, but it meant something deeper to me today.  The walls really didn’t need their china.  The temple would be built without the china.  The sisters needed to break their china to add to the temple walls.  Their china was a symbol of the fine things of the world and the fact that they broke their china symbolized their willingness to give up worldly things.  The fact that they gave the china to enhance the temple symbolized the importance of heavenly things.  We are working hard here in this mission to be consecrated and that means putting the things of the world aside, not caring, not worrying about material things or what’s happening at home, but focusing on the work and the things of God.  What a beautiful symbol Elder Cook shared with us today.

Another thing that impressed me was his message about the converts our missionaries are finding.  He spoke of the gathering of Israel and how we are to find the elect.  I realized the investigators here are the elect.  They are those who have been prepared.  That’s why they have such soft hearts.  That’s why they are so willing to listen to the gospel.  They are a chosen people and we need to remember this when we teach them.   We need to remember that The Lord has prepared them, and that is why they are ready to hear the truth.  They are open-hearted, open-minded and we need to treat them with the respect and reverence they are due.  We need to bear solemn testimony in the discussions, not a rote, habitual testimony, but a testimony born of the spirit.

First Time for Everything

We rode the metro for the first time last night.   It saved an hour stuck in heavy traffic but we felt like sardines squozen in between hundreds of hot sweaty bodies.

The return trip was less crowded and we were able to make some contacts. The man who sat next to me had actually attended the church when he was 12 and had a friend who was a bishop. I shared part of the Book of Mormon with him. He said he had a copy in his house and would find it and read it.

A Chosen People

The Dominican people are truly chosen. They receive really vivid confirmations that this is the true church.  One man was sitting in the foyer of the church. He said that before he ever came to church, he had had a vision (a dream) on two different occasions where he saw himself sitting in the exact same location looking in the very same direction.

Another woman was listening to the discussions and she saw a halo appear around the heads of the hermanas who were teaching her. She felt like this was a sign from God that these hermanas were bringing her the truth.

Transfers Require Divine Intervention

When we were doing transfers this time, we were blessed with guidance we didn’t know why we were receiving. We chose our trainers several weeks ago, and our new missionaries just arrived yesterday. We didn’t know who these trainers would be training, just that we needed them to train. As it turned out, they were the perfect choices for this exact group of missionaries. Practically every companionship was matched up in heaven. We put two Panamanians together, without knowing it. We put two athletes together who excelled in the same three sports. We put two hermanas together that happen to be the two craftiest hermanas in the mission. We had selected one Brazilian to train, and it turned out we received a new missionary who spoke only Portuguese, not Spanish or English. She was so happy when she met her trainer! Three weeks ago The Lord knew who we were going to need to train well before we knew it.

Blessings of Obedience

It’s so wonderful when the missionaries listen and follow counsel!  This week I gave the missionaries a training on the Santa Cena (the Sacrament) so they could help investigators understand the importance of church attendance. One of her hermanas comparted the information to a “member seca,” a woman who had been attending church for 8 years, but refused to be baptized.  When this hermana shared with her the connection between the Santa Cena and baptism, she committed to be baptized!

We started a practice in our mission where our missionaries carry a Book of Mormon in their hand at all times. The other night two of our hermanas were walking home and a man on a moto drove up and told them to give him their bags or he would shoot them. They immediately stuck their hands up in the air like a Saguaro cactus. When the ladron saw the Book of Mormon in their hands he sped off without taking anything.

Teaching By Flashlight

Many times there is no power when the missionaries teach. When we were teaching with these missionaries, luckily we had flashlights on our phones.

Stake Choir

It's so sweet... when they sing here they always dress like a group of professionals regardless of how professional they sound. They send the flowers home with me afterwards ..it's even sweeter!

Life After Goodwill

This is what happens with all the clothes we discard in the USA -- on the way to a market here.

Really Funny, Elder!

Our assistants played a joke on our elder in charge of housing. After eight transfers in the office (that's almost a full year!), our assistants told him he was staying for yet another transfer.  He almost cried with relief when he discovered it wasn't true!

The Chicken Store and the Egg Store

These guys will soon be upside down waiting for a buyer.

The egg store

Great Training

During interviews this week, one of our assistants gave the best training. He compared the story of Peter fishing to our mission. When Peter was obedient to the savior and threw his net on the other side of the boat, he caught so many fish he couldn't haul them in alone. He then called on another boat to help him 

Elder Palma compared that to our mission because our promise is that every companionship will baptize this month. When one companionship needs help, they realize they can call on other companionships nearby to help.

Sister Golbranson - CCM President's Wife

My friend Sister Golbranson's husband is the president of the CCM here in Santo Domingo.

My 90-Year-Old Friend

My friend is 90-years-old and he plays like a teenager.

A Yoga Class I Longed to Join

The Smarts

We caught up with the smarts during the conference. What a trial to have a hurricane wipe out your mission!

Presidenté between Meetings

A Replica of an Italian Village

The river and the mountains are Dominican originals.

Blessings in Disguise

Each time I speak to a group in Spanish I ask Presidente afterwards what I said wrong.  He always replies, "I didn't hear any mistakes."  And then I ask one of the assistants who is from Mexico what were my mistakes and he says he doesn't know.

Obviously, I make all kinds of mistakes when I speak Spanish, but I have learned something from these responses that I think is good for all relationships.  When I speak the listeners are concentrating so hard on what I'm trying to say, and they are trying so hard to understand me, they don't even pay attention to my mistakes.  They are not listening to identify my mistakes, they are listening for understanding.

I think that is a beautiful lesson.  In our relationships if we could listen for understanding instead of criticizing others, imagine how much more content we would be with our relationships.  We wouldn't even notice the mistakes, and we would have far greater understanding!

All Tuckered Out...

This is a reminder that these young men are really big boys. Seeing them in play clothes playing together made me marvel that they do a man's work and do it so well!

Cool Caves with Bats and Everything

Finally, a p-day!

Our office elders have been waiting for weeks for us to be available to go explore the caves in Haitises National Park. Today, their patience and their persistence was rewarded!

Habla con todos (talk with all)

Our missionaries contacting our guides and setting up an appointment to teach.

Another cave photo. It began to rain just as we entered the cave and fell in this hole.

Too Rushed

Every time we pass one of these lovely vegetable markets, I want to stop and buy. But we're always late for something and we have yet to stop :(

B-days

Our sweet hermanas made a birthday cake for this elder. The zone had a lot of fun teasing the hermanas about how it looked but of course they ate every bite.

Fabric Quest

While Presidente was preparing three different discourses for this weekend -- I only had to give one --  I went hunting for a fabric store so we could make a surprise for the elders. But I surprised myself with some fun prints to use for skirts.

Zone Conference

One of the elders took this photo during one of three zone conferences. The missionaries were all repeating the theme in unison. 

Question: Who are you?  

Answer: I am a consecrated missionary.  

Question: Why are you here?  

Answer: To bring converts unto Jesus Christ!

It's All About the Book!

We just finished three days of wonderful zone conferences. We introduced our theme:  "I am a consecrated missionary who brings converts unto Jesus Christ."  We talked about how to be consecrated and how to teach with the Book of Mormon. The missionaries are going to start carrying a Book of Mormon in their hands instead of in their bags so people will recognize who they are.

Out of the Frying Pan

Boy, did I get us stuck today!  We were on the way to Villa Mella and the road was closed so we were in traffic at a dead stop. I looked on the GPS and found a "short cut." Turns out, I took us right through the middle of the vegetable market where vendors were loading up their carts to sell in the streets. There were plantains piled to the sky as far as the eye could see, and zillions of people in the street. We basically had to wait a until every vendor got his cart and got out of the way. Lesson learned: there are no shortcuts or GPS doesn't know everything!

Christmas Already?

I think they win here for starting the season first. They sing Christmas songs all year long, so technically they started celebrating in January!

Cool Baptism

This man saw a Book of Mormon at a friends house and borrowed it. He read half the book before the missionaries even began to teach him. 

Teaching while Waiting

President Smith teaching.

Pday

Our plan for pday:  sleep!!!

Reality:

• Respond to missionaries invitation to meet investigators in the temple gardens to bear testimony. 
• Respond to another invitation to meet investigators in the temple gardens to bear testimony.
• Respond to request to conduct baptismal interview.
• Attend really cool baptism.

Photo:  The entire family will be baptized. Three already entered the waters of baptism, and the rest have dates for this month. The patriarch of the family wandered in when one of his children was being taught by the missionaries and invited himself to listen. Result: mucho enthusiasm for the restored gospel and an entire family following his example.

Mucho Discursos Diferente

Tuesday:  we spoke to four zones in the temple about covenants

Wednesday:  we spoke to the Mission Leadership Counsel about using the Book of Mormon to contact

Thursday:  I spoke to the Santo Domingo zone about how to get along with your companion while Presidente did interviews

Friday:  we spoke to the new missionaries and their trainers about Faith in Jesus Christ

Sunday:  we will speak at one of the stake conferences about???

ALL TALKS WERE IN SPANISH!! Is this for real?

Temple trip

This week we took the third of three groups to the temple. We can take three to four zones at a time. We have a chapel meeting after the session, and it is a great opportunity to talk about the tremendous blessings of the temple which are extraordinary!!

Leaving It All Behind

We have been studying Nephi's experience returning to Jerusalem to get the plates lately and we have pondered why The Lord had him return three times before he had success.  After all, he was on the Lord's errand each time.  Why not succeed the first time?  

I believe Nephi and his brothers had to have a chance to give up all their riches.  I imagine they thought about their riches while in the desert.  Perhaps they wondered if they had hidden them well enough.  Perhaps they wondered how much an ounce of gold would buy when they returned.

The Lord wanted them to give up all their riches so they would look forward, not backwards.  He wanted them to realize they were not going to return to their old ways, that their new life was their future.  The riches were a distraction and they had to go in order for Nephi and his family to press forward.

This week we had a missionary ask to go home. He had only been in the mission for a week when he decided he couldn't take it here. It was very, very sad for us. But it made us admire the missionaries that stick it out all the more.  The missionaries in our mission are amazing. They don't live in luxury like they may have at home.  

• They seldom have hot water.  
• At times they don't have any water at all because the city turns off the power and thus the wells won't work.  
• When the power goes off, so do the lights.  We have generators in all the apartments, but sometimes they break.  
• We have had sisters experience bed bugs.
• The water is often so dirty they they can't use it shower unless they add Clorox.
• And one need all day to tell you about the food.

How wonderful are these missionaries that don't complain, that focus on the work and not on their discomfort.  They don't lament that they have clothes dryers at homes where their towels are never stiff.

President recognized that one of the attributes of a successful missionary is one who has "left his riches" and doesn't look back.  He doesn't wonder if his brother will have trashed his snowboard while he is gone.  He isn't worried that he'll have enough money to buy a car.  The "riches" of home aren't on his mind.  He is selflessly focusing on the people here and how he can bless their lives.  

I should say he/she because it's even harder for our Hermanas to live in less-than-luxurious circumstances and they are troopers! Pray for them. They deserve all the blessings of heaven.

Noche de Hogar

These wonderful sisters brought a family who are investigating the church over for Family Home Evening.  They love the church -- we're just rooting for marriage!

Today's Miracles

A  22 year old man had been invited to another church with his mother many times and to the church of his grandmother also. So he was praying which church to attend and he got the answer to go the Mormon church so he just showed up Sunday and now the hermanas are teaching him. 

Other hermanas started teaching the wife of a member who had been less active since he was a teenager. His dad is currently the bishop and he had been trying for years to activate his son. Hermanas started teaching the sons wife who was not a members When she showed up to church the bishop couldn't believe it  she was baptized 6 weeks later. The son is all in now Special hermanas united this family.

Not for All the Jewels in the World

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2017/10/media/session_2_talk_10?lang=eng&cid=email-shared

This message is marvelous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please....... watch, read, and share. And if anybody's wondering, I would not trade the Book of Mormon for all the jewels in the world. I knew my response the instant President Nelson asked the question! The Book of Mormon wins -- hands down!

The Beckwiths

We had the Beckwiths over for one of the sessions of Conference.  Sister Beckwith is the Area Mental Health Adviser.  I didn't think I would use her much when I first arrived, but I surprised myself.  She is such a great resource.  She sees missionaries who are afraid to go home, missionaries who have been robbed and need to process their fear, and missionaries who have physical symptoms stemming from emotional illness.  I could never do my job if I was also providing counseling.  I'm really grateful for the Beckwiths.  Her husband has been helping out in the office too since we don't have any senior couples (not a single one... HINT, HINT!!) in our mission.

It was also great to have the Beckwiths over because we got to listen to that session in English.  We had investigators here for Priesthood session and for Sunday afternoon and we heard both sessions in Spanish.  I might just need to review them again in English.