Feliz Dia de La Madre

This week was fast and good. Here is the update - 

Dia de la Madre

Yesterday was mothers day for Dominicans and they were super crazy. Just another excuse for people to get drunk. 

Church RIP

Because of mothers day church attendance yesterday was really rough so that was depressing.  Every Sunday morning we go out to confirm that everyone is going who said they would and it was kinda heartbreaking to hear the last minute excuses that came up.

One of them was super funny though. Our friend Noelia said she couldn’t go because her sister Sarah’s baby was sick. We asked Noelia if Sarah could stay with the baby while she went to church, and she said that the baby needs extra help from her too. We looked at the patio and saw Sarah on her phone with two other adults sitting next to her on their phones. We asked Noelia if one of them could help watch the baby while she went to church, and she said that the baby is crazy and needs extra reinforcement to take care of. I was like, “all four of you to take care of one baby?”. We tried to convince her to come to church but she was throwing out so many excuses that we just left. As I was walking away though I was even more confused because they were talking about having to take care of the one baby (who is like 8 months old), but literally everyone in the house was outside on their phones while the baby was inside being unsupervised. Haha it was kinda lame but whatever. 

Also during sacrament meeting one of the guys talking asked all the mothers to stand up. I wasn’t paying a lot of attention and saw people standing up so I figured it was a stretch break. So I stood up and started to stretch for half a second but then some people around me started laughing so I sat down really quick. But there is a member there who is super old and doesn’t understand much who stood up with me and stayed standing. It was super funny as the guy speaking looked around and thanked all the mothers and the old guy just stayed standing without any clue of what was happening haha. 

Gloria

I’ve mentioned her a couple times, but Gloria is someone that me and Elder Opheikens contacted while waiting for a bus in Santiago a few months ago, who got baptized in another area. Although I’ve helped with the process just over text, I haven’t seen her in person since the day we contacted her. Anyways, this week we had a meeting in Santiago and ended up waiting at the same bus station that we had contacted her at several months ago. So I texted her and told her I was there if she wanted to come and say hi. She wanted to but needed to go to her house first to get money to take a taxi here and if she did that she wouldn’t get here in time. After praying about it for a sec I decided to use the rest of the money I had to pay for her to take a trip to the bus station and back. 

Even then, she barely made it to the station on time for us to talk. It was a sweet conversation. We talked for like 7 minutes about the gospel, and I talked to her about the importance of taking the sacrament. It was all super fast though and next thing I knew I was on the bus heading away. 

I sat on the bus feeling really sad. I only have had like a total of a 10 minute conversation with her in person and I want so much for her to be happy. She seemed like a good friend who I hadn’t talked to for a long long time and then I had to go again too soon. Then I started thinking about my whole mission, how fast it’s gone by, all the lifelong friends I’ve made, and how fast they’ve come in and back out of my life. I want to be with everyone forever haha. Families can be together forever, but I also think part of the plan is that we be with friends forever too, that are basically family. 

But it was nice to talk to Gloria even if it was only for a few minutes. She’s going to try to visit Utah in the next couple of months so I’ll try to see if me and Elder Opheikens can give her a tour of temple square or something. 

Also Gloria took a selfie of us but with some super weird filter on it. I look super ugly and like I’m wearing makeup, which I wasn’t. Just FYI.

Also with the way the trip to Santiago worked out me and Elder Killpack (my comp) were in an unofficial trio with an hermana for the day haha so that was weird. 

Marisol

Speaking of Elder Opheikens, he shared a story in our meeting in Santiago about Marisol who I talked about last week. She’s the one who is paralyzed. I also forgot to attach a picture of her baptism last week so I’ll attach it here. But the Sunday before her baptism she was in so much pain and she told the Elders that she wasn’t going to be able to go to church. Then they gave her a blessing, and Elder Opheikens said the spirit was insanely strong. The next day she was at church. Marisol later told them that that night she was praying to God to tell her if this church was really true and if it was to help her go to church. While sharing the story Elder Opheikens was bawling and I was getting teary eyed too. The Lord has done a lot of great stuff for us. 

Para Terminar

But overall, this week was great. I love the people here. We went out and talked to a really old lady who is missing a leg. She told us that it’s better to go to heaven with one leg than to hell with two jaja. Then we taught her about the resurrection, and gave her the assurance that she will have both of her legs someday. 

But anywho, in my personal study this week I read some verses from 3 Nefi 6:14-18 that I really liked. They are intense but great. 

14 And thus there became a great inequality in all the land, insomuch that the church began to be broken up; yea, insomuch that in the thirtieth year the church was broken up in all the land save it were among a few of the Lamanites who were converted unto the true faith; and they would not depart from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord.

15 Now the cause of this iniquity of the people was this—Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world.

    16 And thus Satan did lead away the hearts of the people to do all manner of iniquity; therefore they had enjoyed peace but a few years.

    17 And thus, in the commencement of the thirtieth year—the people having been delivered up for the space of a long time to be carried about by the temptations of the devil whithersoever he desired to carry them, and to do whatsoever iniquity he desired they should—and thus in the commencement of this, the thirtieth year, they were in a state of awful wickedness.

    18 Now they did not sin ignorantly, for they knew the will of God concerning them, for it had been taught unto them; therefore they did wilfully rebel against God.

I hope we can all always know the will of God and do it. There have been times on my mission where I wished I could just leave, but I’ve always known that God wanted and expected me to serve. So I’ve been trying to do it. 

Also I made homemade Pica Pollo this week! I was super proud of myself. I’ll attach a picture of that too. 

Bye!

- Elder Wride

El tiempo se esta acabando

This week was good, here’s the update.

Tarantul(it)a

We were going shopping and our taxi driver Juan took us back to our apartment from the store. I was sitting in shotgun, and noticed that the three elders in the back were getting kinda squirmy. Then I looked back and saw that there was a big tarantula of some kind in the cup holder of the car. Looked like the same kind of one I murdered by fire when I was in Navarrete. I was in a safe spot in the car but was kinda freaking out too. He looked deadly. We didn’t move much during the car ride in fear of provoking him to attack. At the end of the car ride after we all got out, I told Juan that he had a deadly spider in his car. So he went in the back of the car and just grabbed it with his fist and threw it out. I felt kinda like a loser after. I was expecting him to be as freaked out as we were but he wasn’t scared. Anyways.

Rip my watch

As I was shopping before I started the MTC I bought a casio watch that I have had since day 1. Since being here in the DR though it’s been through a lot. When I ran into a car door in the US part of it broke but it was still managable. But just in this area two more spots broke and have been holding together with colmado super glue and some duct tape. Last P-day I finally got it figued out so it wouldn’t break again. Then I unfortunatley put it through the wash haha. I remember hearing loud smacking noises and I kept opening it up to see what it was but didn’t see anything. But after I drained the water out I saw my poor little watch in there, broken. I felt like Harry Potter when his wand broke. So I took a picture of it before I threw it away in memorium. But one of the new elders that got transferred here to our apartment had another broken watch that I was able to attach to my w.w.j.d. bracelet so that’s going to last me the next five weeks before I can come home and buy a new one. 

Uno

We had transfers last week. My companion (Elder Woods) left to my same old ward in Puerto Plata which was exciting. We also lost Elder Maddox who got transferred to San Francisco with one of my last companions. It was sad to have them leave because we’ve all gotten really used to each other. 

We’ve had a lot of stuff going on in the apartment that I haven’t told you about so I’m gonna hurry and give you a quick run down of the stuff we’ve been doing when we’re not in the streets. These next couple paragraphs by the way aren’t going to be very spiritually uplifting but it’s important for me to remember it haha. You don't have to read it though.

Most nights before we go to bed last transfer we’d play a quick game of uno except we added a bunch of rules to it throughout the transfer. I’m gonna tell you all because I want it documented for me in the future when I want to play it again. Here’s what happens to each card if you play it.

0 - you can have everyone pass their deck one person to the right or one to the left.

1 - you get to pick a card you have and trade it with one of someone else’s cards. 

2 - you have to yell “tuki tuki” before someone else does and if you don’t you have to take two cards. If we put down four 2’s in a row that are all different colors everyone yells “tuki tuki” and whoever says it with the most enthusiasm get’s to put two cards back into the pile.

3 - everyone has to slap the three and the last person to slap it has to take three cards

4 - if someone has less than four cards you yell “four” at them and they have to take a card. 

5 - for example, if someone puts a “take 4 cards” down and says the color is red, and you have a red 5, you can play the five and don’t have to take any cards. Basically the 5 is like ultimate protection. If someone gives you a green plus 2 but you have a green 5, you put it down and are safe, etc. 

6 - if you put down a 6 then everyone has to take a card

7 - a feel good card. If you put down a 7, any hard feelings at the table have to go away, and you put your hands in the air and say “seven” in a really chill way. And then everybody picks a card they have to put at the bottom of the deck. Also if four 7’s, each a different color get put down in a row, the game ends and everyone feels good and get’s ice cream haha.

8 - They are called crazy 8’s, and if one is played then everyone no matter who’s turn it is can put down any color 8 as you say “get crazy with it”

9 - We call them nuke nines. If you put down the 9 and press it, like it’s a button, it means you have declared war, and we go around the table with everybody drawing cards until someone gets the same color as the 9 that was put down.

Power Cards - So for example if I put down a plus four and say that the color is blue, and the person who I tried to get to take four has a blue reverse, skip, or plus two, he can add onto that so the next person has to take 6, skip it to the next person, or reverse it back to the person who originally put the plus four down. And of course if he has a blue 5 he can put it down and cancel everything out. 

Those are just some of the rules. But it’s been a good way to wind down at the end of the day. Basically if you win a game you get to add another rule or take another rule away. Anyways, after playing uno a lot and getting two new elders in the apartment who I don’t know how we play was kind of an adjustment. 

Khaki Friday

One of the most important things about being in a four elder apartment though is khaki Friday. I don’t remember where I had the revelation about it but it’s been a thing for a while. I think I always did it on my own but then in Puerto Plata when we got put with four elders I officially announced it to everyone and they were all converted. So every Friday we all wear khakis. I have had to lend pants to elders at times just so they can respect the occasion. Anyways me and my last companion Elder Woods got along great, except for last friday he didn’t wear khakis. He didn’t have any that were clean, but he did wear a pair of khakis on monday AND tuesday which wasn’t a good move since I was pretty sure he only hadd two pairs and I told him that earlier in the week that he was going to regret it. 

So Friday came around and not only did he not wear khakis, but he wore black pants. Me and the other elders were pretty upset about it. I told him he needed to change his pants and I think I might have even offered him a pair of khakis but he flat out said he “didn’t care” which really was frustrating haha. 

A couple days earlier, Elder Maddox had gotten annoyed with the 2 card rule in uno (which was my idea by the way) so he went through and took all of the 2 cards out and hid them. It only took me a day to realize that they were missing haha, and after doing some investigating we found out that he was the culprit. So as punishment me and Elder Woods decided that for the next 8 games of uno (a game for each of the 2’s that he disrespected, which there are 8 8’s in the deck), any time anyone played a two, including himself, he would have to take 2 cards. After four games though we felt bad because of how many cards he was getting and ended his punishment. 

So since Elder Woods was disrespecting Khaki Friday, me and Elder Maddox had a discussion about a punishment. We decided that since Friday is the 6th day of the week, any time anybody played a 6 in uno, Elder Woods would have to apologize to all of us for not doing khaki friday and take a card. 

Well he also rejected our punishment haha. I don’t think I talked to him for the rest of the day. But other than that, me and Elder Woods got along great haha. I love and miss him. But it’s fun to have little games like that and feel like a kid again and just have fun.

 

Cool…? Guy

All day every day there seems to be music playing here and on Sundays they go really crazy. Yesterday while walking through a crazy party (they call them ‘teteos’ here. they are the worst), a white guy called us over and said we were absolutely crazy for being here but in a more inappropriate way. As we walked away and I looked around, I realized how crazy this really is. This country is insane and we are two American kids just running around all day every day trying to teach people about Jesus Christ. The guy told us that God must really be with us and I’d have to second that. I’m kind of scared to come back here not as a missionary. 

Marisol

I forgot to tell you guys last week, but someone me and Elder Opheikens found and taught in Puerto Plata got baptized last week. Her name is Marisol and she’s so awesome. She got sick a couple of years ago and is kind of paralized. She is always in a wheel chair but is such a sweet lady. After our first lesson with her me and Elder Opheikens both knew that she would get baptized eventually. I got teary eyed when I saw that she finally did it! Here’s a quote from Elder Opheikens about it that he put on his facebook.

“Today one of our good friends named Marisol De La Cruz was able to be baptized in the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints. As we were talking to her after she said that the path to be baptized was not an easy one but she was able to put her faith in God and see miracles pass in her life. I can testify that anyone who is willing to put their faith in God and his son Jesus Christ can see miracles for themselves as well. Baptism is how we open the door to eternal life and is an essential ordnance to receive salvation. If you want to see change in your life and receive the blessings God has prepared for you click the link below or send me a message 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist”

I second that by the way. Anyways I was super happy about that and I am excited to see Marisol again when I visit in the coming years. I know that she will be blessed for the choice she made. 

Ashley!

Quick update on Ashley (who got baptized a few weeks ago), she went to the temple on Saturday and did baptisms for the dead! And she really enjoyed it. I love her a lot and I am so happy that she is going strong in the gospel. She is going to do amazing things.

Kaira, Albert, and Scarlin

One of my favorite families here in La Vega is Kaira and her two kids Albert and Scarlin. I think I have mentioned them before. They’ve been coming to church every week since we found them but still haven’t been baptized. We’ve been waiting for Kaira to be on board with the kids about getting baptized but she has been hesitant. But yesterday we had a lesson with them and a member where we retaught the gospel of Jesus Christ, and Kaira decided to get baptized with her kids on June 4th! I’m super excited for them! The Lord is being really nice to us right now. 

Wrapping it up

Coming to the end of a mission is weird. I am working super hard right now. I don’t understand getting trunky this close to the end of it. All that I’m thinking about is that I only have 5 weeks left to make the most of the moments that will change my life. I don’t want to miss a second of it.

It’s been a long two years though. Me and the elders in the apartment were looking at old photos and I showed them a photo of me right before I got set apart and they said I look old and tired now. 

In my personal study this week I’ve been studying a lot in the New Testament. I’ve loved reading in Corinthians where Paul is talking about the sacrament. I love the sacrament. 

When I was doing summer sales with my brother Joseph, I remember one Sunday I was up really late talking to a good friend over the phone. I hadn’t taken the sacrament yet. Joseph wanted to take it with me that night but I was out too late. I assumed when I got back that he would be in bed. But he had waited for me, and there he had the sacrament ready to be blessed. We blessed it and partook of it. Then he told me how taking the sacrament was the most important thing I could do all week. That experience really impacted me. 

So last Sunday Ashley and her friend got up to use the restroom right as the sacrament was starting. As the tray came around to me I took an extra piece of pan y agua to give to Ashley when she came back. After the sacrament when she came back and I gave her the sacrament she freaked out a little bit. She said “no lo quiero (I don’t want it)”, and I said “pero lo necesitas (but you need it)”. I talked to her after and she said she didn’t want to take it because she feels weird when she does it and I tried to give her the same kind of talk that Joseph gave me all those many moons ago. The speaker that Sunday also talked a ton about the sacrament so it was good for her. 

The last thought I wanted to share was that I love how the Celestial Kingdom of God isn’t for those that are perfect, but for those who did sin but repented of their sins. We all have the potential to go there. That’s the whole point of the atonement, is because we aren’t good enough on our own. When Paul is teaching the Corinthians he says “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our Lord.”

Reminds me a little bit of Noely from Puerto Plata. I am still in touch with him and his now wife, Loren. She reminded me the other day that I have to come back in a year for their temple sealing. I am excited for that. I remember when we were going over the baptismal interview questions with her and Noely while I was there. We asked Noely if he felt like he had repented of all his sins, and Loren immediately cried out “Si!” and then gave us an idea of who he was before haha. Which I don’t think he was ever a bad guy before, but he wasn’t really a man of God. Now, from what I have heard, is passing the sacrament at church. That is just amazing. 

Have a great week!

• Elder Wride

1 more transfer

Hey guys!

I really don’t have anything to say this week unfortunately. I’m headed into my last transfer now too so that’s exciting. 

I'm getting pretty trunky for music. Other than that I'm not trunky at all. Right before I got set apart, I took a screen recording of my apple music library and I still have it saved. Me and my comp went through and looked at the music, and I was sooooo freakingggg trunky to have my music library back. Someone should go listen to "Mother and Child Reunion" by Paul Simon. That's been stuck in my head.

But I love being a missionary, and la Republica Dominicana. Serving the Lord is so fun!

If you guys didn’t watch the devotional with President Nelson last night, y’all have to go watch it. It is so good. Like it kind of blew my mind. Pleaseeeee go watch it

Gotta go beat everyone in uno and basketball, bye

• Elder Wride

Witch attack + Waterfall

Klk

Megabed

We're in a four Elder apartment so there's not a ton of space. Our only option for beds has been that all of the beds sit right next to each other. It's a tight fit. We call it "megabed". I'll attach a picture. Megabed is kinda fun but also not. It is super hot all the time and if it's too hot I move around a lot in my sleep. And I unfortunately am in the middle of megabed, so I apparently I am always kicking Elder Broadbent. 

Crazy Woman

We were walking this week and this old witch lady saw me and tried to curse me with a waterbottle stick thing so I juked her out and me and my companion started speed walking away. She started chasing us and yelling things at me. We were walking fast but weren't running because I didn't think she would get to us but then out of nowhere she popped up in front of me and grabbed me pointing her stick (it was a stick with a waterbottle taped on it. I think it was in the form of a cross actually) and started trying to curse me and telling me to go back to my country. I was kinda scared for my life low-key. It was a pretty big scene in the middle of a busy street and a family saw and told us to run in there for protection. So we did and then they started yelling at the witch lady to go away. Anyways it was pretty exciting. That lady is kinda nuts though. That wasn't my first interaction with her either. A few weeks ago we were walking on the same street and a rock flew by near us and we looked back and she had tried to hit us with a rock jaja. She is famous in the area though for being crazy. Right after she tried to curse me she threw rocks at someone's car. But I don't think she's even accountable so it's all good! God bless her soul.

Don't have time, sorry

I had more I wanted to say this week but we went to a waterfall and I have no time left. But our friend Ashely got baptized this week and it was awesome. I love her a lot and am super excited for her. Shes been one of the easiest people ever to teach. She reads the scriptures, comes to church, and wants to do whats right. Its pretty good! 

We also had a lot of really powerful lessons with other people this week. It's super frustrating to teach people who just don't seem to understand no matter how hard you try but we had a lot of better ones this week. We are working hard out here. Again I'm sorry I don't have more time to share some of my spiritual insights this week but Im doing great, Ill talk to yall next week when I have more time. BYE