Our First P-Day

First P-day

Waiting for the Grands

Beautiful Coastline Marred by Trash

Fisherman?

This man had all his fish in a bag on his back, and he was wearing a scuba mask and snorkel. We don't know how he caught them.

Did I Tell You I Love Our View?

Our Date

We are never without the missionaries.  The elders pick us up in the morning and tuck us in at night. I will not blink if one of them wakes us up by jumping on our bed! :)

Our car holds 8 and it is usually full. Here we are giving a ride to some fantastic sisters!

Traffic

Traffic is insane here. They have traffic lights but nobody obeys them. So they have to put a traffic cop at every corner to direct traffic. They have lanes delineated but no one pays attention so you have three cars a lado in two lanes. Cars turn left and right with no regard for the cars they are turning in front of.   No wonder Taylor had to hire a motor (someone on a moped) to escort him out of the city.

These missionaries are sooo obedient!

1). There're supposed to call when they are sick. They call me even when they know there is nothing I can do, and they call me again when they get better. We have lots of tummy problems here. Unclean food and water. 

2)  We were shopping for a lunch for the missionaries and I put 7up in the cart. They gasped because it has sugar and they were taught to eat healthy. (I'm such a heretic!)

3). I was chewing gum and one of the elders called me out. I knew I'd have to give up Diet Coke but gum??

4). We surprised some elders playing basketball on p-day. They quickly assured us they were only playing half court in accordance with mission rules.

Lunch without the 7Up

Around the Mission, Part 2

We feel like we left the Garden of Eden and went straight to the Celestial Kingdom.  What a great mission we’ve been called to preside over.  We visited two zones Saturday and today and found the following:

-One of the companionships had 14 investigators at church (every single companionship had at least one... two companionships had eight each)

-As we were walking to the car we witnessed one of the Assistants street contacting.  He was amazing.  Got the man’s name, address and phone number, had the man look at the phone to make sure everything was accurate and set up a time for someone to drop by.  These missionaries have been taught to talk to EVERYONE, and they do.  What great training they have had.

-We have been invited to two “Noche Blancas”  This is a “white night” where all the missionaries in one zone bring their investigators for the month to be baptized together.  One of our Noche Blancas has 26 investigators scheduled already (and they have three more weeks to go)

-We overheard one of the assistants checking in on the Zone Leaders.  He was so kind as he asked if they had reached their goals and encouraged them to continue the good work (or in some cases gave suggestions).  He ended every conversation “Love you” or  “Love you too.”  No wonder these missionaries work hard.  We have great assistant!

-I have never been hugged so tight and so often.  The Dominicans are warm, and open, and generous with their affection.  It is impossible not to love them.

-My small victory:  As I was speaking Spanish to the sisters in one of the wards, the ward mission leader asked Presidente where I had served my mission :)

Around the Mission, part 1

These sisters serve in the same area that my brother Geo served in 17 years ago!

Super cool tree

A flea market with miles of used goods.

No baptismal fonts in Punta Cana.
If the elders want to get in the pool at the apartment, they have to baptize someone.

Driving to the nethermost parts of the vineyard. After 2 hrs sleep and a 12 hr day we wore out the assistants with a 14 hr day. Today they volunteered president Smith's counselor to go with us. We ADORE the missionaries. :)

Presidente autographing a fish.
The elders save the craziest things.

Temple Grounds

This is the temple and the tall building is our apartment it is so close to the temple we can hold our breath from door to door!

These trees are everywhere.

The temple grounds are beautifully manicured.

We're Here!

After 2 hours of sleep we had 12 hrs of meetings. But the temple is 40 steps from our home!

The Lord Chooses Where Missionaries Serve

Elder Renlund told us the story while we were sitting with him at dinner, so it won't be on LDS.org.

The night before Elder Renlund was supposed to report to assign missionaries for the first time, he couldn’t sleep.  He had been fasting as he understood the weight of this responsibility.  He asked the other brethren for guidance and he said they didn’t share anything that would help him.

As he began making assignments for the first time, after a little while he came across a sister who was marked as someone who had the ability to learn a difficult language.  He thought about it and assigned her to Norway.  He assigned a few more missionaries and  began to get a sick feeling.  He returned to that sister an realized that even though she was slated as someone who could learn a difficult language, she wasn’t supposed to go to Norway.  She was supposed to go somewhere in Southern Europe.  He then assigned her to Italy, Milan and continued with the other assignments.  A few moments later he felt sick again and he retuned to this sister.  He pondered and received the impression she should be assigned to Rome.  He changed the assignment and continued on.  This time he felt peace and the sick feeling went away.

Somehow he met the grandfather of this sister missionary who shared her experience.  When she opened her mission call she burst into tears.  When this sister had been nine years old she went to the MTC with her brother who was going on a mission.  While there she stood in front of the world map and said boldly,  “When I serve a mission, I am going to go here, and she pointed to Rome, Italy.”

In this case the Lord revealed to a young girl where she would serve her mission and he also revealed it to an apostle.

Wearing the Badge

It’s way different wearing a missionary plaque out in public than it is wearing one in the MTC.  In the MTC you are no different from the other 126 Mission Presidents and wives.  In the world, people watch you.  

I remember, in the past, watching missionaries in the airport and on the airplane.  From the perspective of a member, I wondered if they were using their time to share the gospel.  I wondered if they were being polite.  

Now that I am a missionary I realize suddenly people are watching me.  Members and non members are expecting me to be polite, to do missionary work.  It’s weird being in the same setting... in the airport, in the Sky Club, on the plane and thinking how I acted in the past and how I am expected to act now.

In the past I just kept to myself and minded my own business.  I figured I was inconspicuous and nobody was watching me.  I didn’t need to wipe off the sink in the women’s bathroom, because I was a nobody.  I didn’t need to carry my trash to the garbage, I could wait for the Sky Club attendants to do it.  Now I ask myself, do they think I’m rude because I brought large bags on board?  Do they think I should sacrifice leaning my seat back so the guy behind me can have more room?  Will they look with wide-eyes if I order Diet Coke?

You who have served missions know what it’s like to be in the spotlight.  It is an interesting experience.  It’s kind of cool because when you’re a nobody, nobody cares what you have to say.  When you have a badge on your chest, your actions, your words have weight.  It’s a daunting responsibility, but what a great opportunity to be in a position to make a good impression, to say something people may want to hear (or may not, as the case may be :)

First Night in the Country - What Should We Do?

We heard a great story about Elder and Sister Zwick who were called to serve in Chile several years ago.

The first night they were in the country they received a telephone call from a missionary.  The missionary said, “President, I am standing in a telephone booth wearing my companion’s coat with no other clothes on.

“While we were in the church, terrorists came in with machine guns, made us take off all our clothes, and they put them in a pile, poured furniture polish all over them, and lit them on fire.

“President, we got out of the building and we are okay, but the Church is burning down.  I’m calling to ask you what we should do.”

The Hollands

We were so pleased to see the Hollands again.  Pat remembered that I had babysat for her when I was a Merrie Miss and "Uncle Jeffy" expressed his deep condolences for the loss of Grandma Carol.  He also said it was a blessing she passed when she did -- a difficult realization -- but he's right.

President Nelson

President Nelson is a miracle! He is spry of mind and body. You should have seen him leap up stairs with amazing alacrity and strength.  How old is he now?

We feel like we are leaving the Garden of Eden...

its absolutely gorgeous

we have walked and talked with the Quorum of the Twelve

it feels like a Celestial place

we are headed out into the lone and dreary world

if we didn't go, there would be souls that wouldn't get saved

Feasting on the Word of God

Wonderful training here at the MTC.  All the apostles are here.  Today we heard from Elder Holland, Elder Christopherson, Elder Stevenson and Elder Bednar.  Such a feast!  

We can't emphasize the importance of reading the scriptures enough.  The scriptures are the way to know Christ, to be able to be like Christ, to teach of Christ.  All our answers come from the scriptures.

The Book of Mormon is the most powerful witness of Christ on the earth.  Consider, IF God really did appear in person to a boy prophet, IF God really did tell this young boy that none of the churches on the earth at the time were true, IF this boy really did see an angel, IF the angel really did show the boy where to find a record made by ancient prophets, IF this boy actually translated this record, wouldn't that be the most important discovery of any lifetime?  Wouldn't you want to know more about this series of miracles?  Wouldn't you want to know what was in the book delivered by an angel???

Al these things REALLY DID happen.  How can anyone not voraciously read the book that God provided for our day to guide our lives???  It's better than a time machine, better than a crystal ball.  It's from God and it will lead us to salvation

Day 3

Elder Craig Zwick

Welcome!

Lovely sit-down meals with the apostles and the 70s.

These arrangements are everywhere.

A Great Day at the MTC

President & Sister Smith with Elder & Sister Stevenson

Sister Amato (Peru Lima East mission), Sister Smith, & Sister Bonnie Oscarson

Day One at the Missionary Training Center

Day one was delightful.  Everyone greeted us by name when we arrived.  I think they must have been studying our pictures.  We had a personal docent that guided us from the "dietary needs" station where we were offered a lovely snack, to the stations for healthcare, transportation, finances.  We received our name tags and a great big book with the seminar schedule.

At dinner we met presidents who will serve in Tanner's mission!!! Quito, Ecuador.  They are from Bountiful and have two children.  We met our counterpart, the president of the Santo Domingo West mission.  Love Sister Santos who is from Puerto Rico.  She spoke to me in Spanish and told me to "go for it" no matter how I think I sound.

We had a nice chat with Grandpa's cousin Elder Zwick and Elder Klebingat, who we know from the Single Adult Conference in Jacksonville.  Lovely people who hug like you are a long lost relative.