Vamos a la Playa!

This week was great! We have been fasting and praying long and hard for our investigators and have definitely seen the blessings! Although it is always challenging, I realize the blessings more and more. We are teaching a lady who really wants to get baptized, but her and the man she has 4 kids with and living with are not married. So we taught them about marriage and commandments and the Law of Chastity. I just layed it down hard and made it super clear to them how important it is. Honestly, I had little faith that they would every get married or that the man would want to get married. But, when you ask, you receive! Our next lesson with them they told us they wanted to get married! So I am stoked about that! It will still be a huge challenge and super difficult to find all the papers and what not, and actually make it happen, but the desire is there and that is all that matters! My faith was definitely increased and I felt bad that I didn't have more faith in the first place. We had a bunch of other super awesome lessons and have some new investigators who came to church two days after we met them! And they really enjoyed it.

I figured out that if I don't get transferred this next transfer, I will be staying in Los Cocos for another 3 transfers at least because my current companion will be finishing his mission in two transfers. So if I don't leave this next transfer, I will need to stay there until he finished, and then at least one transfer more. So at least 7 and a half months... Which is a really long time in an area. But if I am to stay in any area, I would not mind to stay here. This area is special to me and I have had a lot of success here. I can smell the readiness in the air!

Ok, so now on to my P-Day today...

Today was by far the best and most fun P-Day yet! Last transfer, our zone broke our goals for that transfer so President lets us have a big zone party or do something really fun or cool. We decided we wanted to go visit Puerta Plata. So we got permission to go to Puerta Plata, a beachy tourist city in the northern most part of the Dominican Republic and in my mission. It was an hour drive and we left early in the morning. There are about 10 missionaries in Puerta Plata and is an area everyone wants to serve because it is super chillaxed and beachy and tropical. And they have a stake up there! So a pretty good amount of members.

(I am now going to send pictures of today and add paragraphs or captions about them. Add them in order after this part of my blog. Get ready... there are a lot!)

 

 

When we first got there in the morning, we headed up to the Peak of Puerta Plata in a Gondola where you can see the whole coast and city.

Now to the beach!

A statue of Poseidon on one of the tiny islands.

I think it's safe to say I picked up a few things from my sister Maddie and her photography skills ;)

I don't know why, but I was obsessed with getting sick picks with my plaque.

 And yes, we did get permission to be here and no, we are not disobeying rules :)

Tryin' to be artsy like Sydney Smith

And finally, the group of us Elders of the Santiago North zone taking on Puerta Plata!

Sorry for the cheezy poses, but I had to be a tourist for a sec

At the top, there is a big Jesus statue like the one in Brazil, but way smaller.

 

 

 

Annnnd my shoes are now forever stained. So that's a bummer... And no, that is not what you think it is... Just mud

Gondola that took us up

More cool views....

 

My Zone Leader, comp (in the brown) and a few others in my zone