Elder Wride in the Dominican Republic: My Last Email

Enjoy my last weekly email

Dead Chicken

Well we were in a lesson with Orlando (who I'll talk about in a sec) and his 2 year old kid came up during a lesson with something in a bag and gave it to his dad. His dad opened it up and inside was a dead chicken. Orlando freaked out and chucked it over the fence and then his girlfriend got mad and told him to go get it. Then his kid started spazzing out because he wanted his chicken back and ran away crying.

First Kiss in a While

The past couple of days I have been seeing some of my favorite people for the last time. The time feels like sand just slipping through my fingers and it makes me kind of sad. Yesterday we stopped by an old lady named Orjina. I mentioned her a few weeks ago. She's just the sweetest old lady and is missing a leg. I would have loved for her to be baptized but it's kind of impossible to get her to church. She's also just so old that she can't really understand our message super well. But she's a sweetheart and I know the Lord will bless her for the goodness of her heart. As we said bye I gave her a hug and then she full sent it and gave me a big fat kiss on the cheek. I was like "whateva" and gave her a kiss on her cheek too haha. It was funny. But it's honestly amazing how much the mission has taught me about charity. I seriously love that lady so much! And not in a weird way don't worry

Right before she swooped in on me we took a picture together. She also had her hand on my thigh haha. Pictures attached right before the scene of attack haha.

Orlando

The highlight of the week was seeing Orlando get baptized. We found him a few weeks ago when we sent a text to all the members asking for referrals. Then Cinthia, his girlfriend, asked us to teach her boyfriend, who turned out to be Orlando. He's been elect from the beginning, but they aren't going to get married until next month so we haven't baptized him. We thought they were living together, because everyone here does, but we found out last week that they aren't living together until they get married! So we asked him if he wanted to get baptized. He's been super excited about it. Cinthia too. At Orlando's baptism Cinthia talked for a while crying bearing her testimony and talking about Orlando and some trials they've been going through. Orlando cried too. After I baptized him I gave him a hug. We also had quite a few investigators that are getting baptized in the coming weeks as well. So I'm happy about that.

Cinthia was really sick though at the baptism. She has a kidney stone. So she was in a lot of pain at the baptism. Afterwards we asked if she wanted a priesthood blessing, and she said yes. So we went into the other room with the branch president. I anointed her with oil and the branch president gave her the blessing. He was really bold in the blessing which stressed me out a bit but the Spirit was there for sure.

Cinthia is a really shy person so I don't know exactly what the blessing did. But yesterday when we stopped by she was all smiles and said that she felt good. So that's good!

Victor

Victor is one of my favorite people. I mentioned him a while ago. He really wants to get baptized. He was originally going to get baptized last Saturday but has had problems with smoking. We have been trying for the past two weeks to help him get off them but the addiction is really strong. We gave him a blessing last week that probably helped a little bit. We blessed him that in the Lord's due time he would be able to get off it. I was scared to say anything in the blessing that wasn't the Lord's will so I didn't say anything too bold.

But he was still struggling really bad. Like he's going to die really soon if he doesn't stop smoking. Thursday as we were talking we felt prompted to ask him to do a fast with us to ask the Lord to help. To be honest I really didn't want to fast. Especially in this country that is hot as freak. But we love him so much, so we did it, and he did it with us. We did the fast from Saturday at lunch until yesterday after church. He came to church and looked totally dead haha. But we visited him later that night and he said that since fasting he told us that he has no desire at all to smoke. Fasting works. He hasn't been able to go hardly a day without smoking for years and after one fast he gives it up in a few days. God is good.

Fun

There's a giant colmado by our apartment that is freaking loco. They are always blasting music and have pila de drunk people outside of it all the time. (A colmado is like a snack shop place). We had a lesson with a member a little while ago and she could find where we were at so I told her to meet by the crazy colmado on the corner where the people get super drunk or something like that. She knew right away where to meet.

Point is, the colmado is loco.

Tonight was my last night as a missionary who can actually go out and teach. On the way home I saw an opportunity. I went and asked the owners if I could change the song. They always say yes, but de una vez he said no. I was like uhhhh whut. Its my last night in the DR and you're not gonna let me play a sick song? I asked again and he said no. I was gonna say it was like my birthday or something but instead I just said "look man, it's my last night in the country". He was like, "we don't play Christian music here". So I told him I'd put on a non-christian song.

The day or so before I got set apart two years ago, me and my siblings watched the movie Despicable Me. In the movie there's a song called "Fun, Fun, Fun" by Pharrell Williams. It's super good. I remember listening to it over and over again before getting set apart. Some of the lyrics are -

"Take me, far away, anywhere

As long as it's fun, fun, fun, I wanna go"

And so forth. I remember listening to this thinking about where I was going as a missionary, it being far away, and hoping it was fun haha.

So for sentimental reasons I changed the song to that! It was super sick, even though it took some persuading. Nice way to wrap up my final proselyting night. As I walked out all of the drunk people turned there heads as the song changed from their normal 4 song playlist to something actually good. They all looked really confused.

Tonight I also said my final goodbyes to everyone. It was hard. I love them so much. Tears were shed. I will never forget them though. And I'll visit again soon enough.

Final Spiritual Thought

Man, I have loved my mission. I hated it sometimes, but it was always a love-hate relationship. I loved that I knew the Lord was helping me grow, but despised the pain. But all of the experiences have been for my good. 7 areas, 17 companions, 2 countries. It's been amazing. From Frontenac, to Paris, to Litchfield, to Navarrete, El Dorado, Puerto Plata and finishing here in La Vega. Things worked out great.

From the beginning of my mission I have tried to keep as much of it documented here as I could to help me always remember it. I hope it has positively impacted you guys too.

And now to conclude my missionary weekly that's been going for two years, I want to read a scripture (revised) from Jacob 7, verse 26.

"And it came to pass that I, Elder Wride, began to be old; and the record of my mission being kept on this email list, wherefore, I conclude this record, declaring that I have written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying that the time passed away with me, and also my mission away like as it were unto me a dream…"

The time has passed away with me like a dream. I'm excited to go home and see my family, but I will miss my family in St. Louis and the Dominican Republic. But we are all children of God and one day we can all be together again, if we do out part.

I really hope I did my part as a missionary. I've prayed a lot for forgiveness, just really hoping with all my soul that I did the work the Lord wanted me to do. Although I haven't been perfect, I do know without a doubt that since day 1, I have tried the very best of my ability, with the knowledge and ability that I had, to do the work the Lord gave me.

I love you all a lot. I'm going to be giving my homecoming talk in two weeks if you want to hear more about my mission and see how I ugly I've gotten these past two years. Haha. But I'll talk about stuff I wasn't able to convey in my emails.

After my homecoming talk I'm going to send one more email with it all typed out for any of you that want to read it.

But my talk is going to be on July 10th at 11:30 am @ 9575 S 3100 E, Sandy, UT 84092

Love you guys!

2 Timothy 4:7

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:"