430 members

Okay. I am just going to jump right into this week starting off with last Thursday. We had a talent show at the church. And when I think of talent I have, I think of running, or being a goof on the dance floor... haha. So keeping in mind that Dominicans have such a good sense of humor and think that pretty much anything is funny, I decided to take advantage of an opportunity to perform something in the talent show, especially so the members and investigators could see that us missionaries are fun too! So I got the other 3 elders to do a short air band dance with me. We had literally no time to plan it until the day of because Elder Lemon who lives with my comp and I, had to go to the capital to renew his visa and was gone for a couple of days with his companion. So it was going to be just me and my comp which would have been good, but not as great. But Elder Lemon and Elder De La Luz got back literally an hour before the talent show started so we had to hurry and plan something really quick. We picked the song YMCA. Throughout the week we had been telling people to come and that they didn't want to miss it, especially because we were going to to a funny dance. So we managed to get a good amount of people there. We went last to close it because we knew it was going to be great and wanted to end on a great note! We performed the dance and the whole time, everyone was dying of laughter and loved it! It was way hard for me to remember not to shake my hips so much ;P but they definitely loved my dancing! Everyone video´d and after all gave me hand shakes and said it was so great! I knew it would be a great way for people, especially the members, to have more confidence and love for us, so we had to take advantage of the opportunity! And I am so happy we did and can already see the members, especially the youth more open with us and want/are willing to help us more and teach with us! I would just like to thank Beau Reilly because we had no time to plan the dance, but I had lots of inspiration from what I remember of him dancing to YMCA throughout high school! I was also in a couple of other skits where I had to use my acting skills. I don´t think I am that funny, but I had to act as a whinny, disruptive, typical kid of a mom who wanted to hear the missionaries and the dad who had no interest. The setting took place in our "House" during a lesson with the sister missionaries. I had to improv everything because they told me last second that I was a part of their skit and only told me to act like the typical kid. So I am way thankful for being good on the spot and improving. All those times in high school having to do things like that has definitely helped me! So I had no script and just did what came to my mind just like improv. Whatever I did, they loved it because they all came up to me and said I was such a great actor! So that was a way fun, successful night and activity!

Our family who is preparing for baptism is having a few problems still because of the living situation. The dad, Juan is now homeless because he got kicked out of the place he was living apparently and his wife´s mom still wont let him live with his wife, Rosa Maria. Way sad and we are super confused about the whole situation so we are going back tomorrow to figure it all out. I am sure that Juan is okay and probably living with a friend for now though because the Dominican people are always so generous and giving and take people into their homes all the time. But we really need help and miracles because they are so close to being ready for baptism!

This week our bishop finally gave us the list of all the members in Salcedo that I have been asking for since I got here!! So we are in the process of finding all the inactive members and cleaning out the list! We have about 430 members here supposedly, but only about 50 are active! So we will hopefully have a ton of work with inactive members once we are able to find all of them! The members are helping us a lot to find where they live. Because all we have is the people´s name and the area they live in because they don't really have addresses here.

We get our new president, President Castillo next week. I'll be way sad to say goodbye to President Douglas, but I know President Castillo will be great as well!

 That is all for this week, other then the fact that a guy totally got stabbed in the heart and died on the road we walk down every day... But that is why the world needs the gospel! Don´t worry, no one harms missionaries here because everyone is secretly inactive members :)

 

Me and Elder Cummings (My companion) and our investigator.

Adventures in the jungle part of our area.

Our less active family was having trouble remembering to pray, so we made prayer rocks to put on their pillows so they wouldn't forget!

This girl just left for her mission in Cancun, Mexico!

My Latino spirit is up.

Service we did in this whole which is pretty much a well. It is pretty much a dungeon when there is no water inside and we had to clean it out and kill cock roaches and crickets.

Shaving creme fight that unexpectedly happened as i walked out of the bathroom...