I had to say bye to my bro, Elder Reyes

Hey guys, how is it going? It looks like someone should be really happy, with a brand new car. So I am guessing I get one with my scholarship right? But today was a sad day as I had to say bye to my bro, Elder Reyes. He got transferred and now I have an elder named Elder Jimenez for my comp. He is from Azua to like Elder Reyes, and we will see how the transfer goes with him. I have set a new record in the mission for the longest time for a new missionary that hasn't had an American so still going strong. It looks like everyone is doing great with their rewards/awards and flying. I'm glad that I get to stay here from another transfer and hope everything goes has planned.

So yeah it seems like the rain never takes a day off. It always starts way hot and humid in the morning and all afternoon and night it just pours, making it hard to be efficient sometimes in the work. Cesar is still strong and last night when we went to say goodbye his wife wouldn’t even let us in even though it was pouring rain and we were getting drenched. She pretty much hates us and we have to teach him at a member’s house. Flavio is doing good and starting to teach his family the Plan of Salvation after they had a cousin die. Enriquez has a testimony and is working to get Sundays off, but he is awesome. We also have a couple of Jehovah's Witnesses that we are teaching and they are always fun.

This past week I got to do an exchange with Elder Van Leuven and tag teamed to get some good ole Katy Texas Stake missionary power. So it was fun going out with him and putting ourselves trunky talking about H-town.
I hope everything continues going well for y'all, and I'll try to stay dry. Take care and have a great week!

Love, Elder Smith



Elder Reyes, Matthew,Robin and Christina and their family



Flavio and his son



Elder Reyes, Flavio and his son



Gregory, a Haitian kid in their Branch



Enriquez




It won't stop raining!!!!



Working the Church Farm in Bonao

Hey guys, what’s up? Everything is going alright down here and it is the last week of the transfer so we are trying to stay strong. So yeah, Belkis is a member here and we are teaching her husband and yeah I don’t know why they added you or me to facebook. I guess they were bored one day and looked for us. So yeah she told me they added us. It sounds like everyone is keeping busy and doing well. But yeah, the rain is not letting up here for anything, it is raining a ton here! When it rains the streets turn into rivers making it impossible sometimes to get anything done.

I still haven't had any baptisms but if I stay here for next transfer I will very soon. We could have one this Saturday if Cesar's wife gives him permission to be baptized. Our branch had a baptism this week that he went to and it gave him a lot of desire to get in the water. But Cesar is a stud and brings us fresh mangos every morning which is sweet. Emerson is kind of indecisive and we are being patient with him. Flavio is a stud and he is already at the end of Jacob in the Book of Mormon and loves everything that we have taught him, especially the Plan of Salvation. We have some others that we are working with that are good too. 

For p-day yesterday we went with the San Fransisco Zone to the Church's farm in Bonao in the mountains which was legit. We had to do service for 3 and half hours which sucked for p-day but gave us hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch which was somewhat worth it. We had to take out a side of a hill and make it level, which was not easy and ended up with a pair of blistered up hands. But after lunch I played my first game of football in the mission for 2 hours which was awesome to have a football in my hands again. But we got back late and we didn’t have time to use internet so I'm sending it today, sorry for the delay. 

I hope everything is going smooth and say hey to everyone this weekend for me. Take Care!

Love, Elder Smith

Leveling Land

Elder Gamboa and Matthew

Group Picture

Mountain in Bonao

Pedro Smith(an investigator) and Elder Smith

Pizza for Matthew's birthday

You Know You´re in the Dominican Republic when…

This was a list compiled by the Elders

You Know You´re in the Dominican Republic when…

             The women have 5 o´clock shadows

         You can´t tell the difference between a party and a funeral

·         It´s more commonplace to see naked kids than clothed ones

·         You have 12,000 baptismal dates but 3 baptisms in your entire mission

·         You can fit 9 people in an ´82 Camry

·         50 year old women think that bras are optional

·         A lesson about Joseph Smith turns into a lesson about anatomy

·         The school bus has a reserved section for pregnant students

·         The women sweep the dirt around

·         A couple has been together for 30 years and has 4 kids and aren´t sure about marriage

·         A visa to the U.S. is more important than a visa to the Celestial Kingdom

·         Someone has lived on the same street for 10 years and doesn't know the name of it…nor do they know the number of their house.

·         Every wall in the city serves as a urinal

·         Shirts are optional for men and pants are optional for boys…and morals are optional for everybody

·         At church, it´s just a party with Jesus

·         Renting plastic chairs is a very profitable business, but the most profitable business is owning a church

·         The dogs get stuck

·         They don´t wipe, don´t flush, and don´t aim

·         A fork and a cheese grater is considered a musical instrument

·         You can´t tell the difference between someone feeling the Spirit and somebody having a seizure

·         Christian schools are owned by liquor companies

·         The outlets in your house were installed upside down or sideways

·         Being rained on causes liver failure…but the 20 bottles of rum don´t

·         They burn every piece of toxic trash out in the street right next to your house

·         They sell milk by the liter and oil by the gallon

·         You mistake someone singing for a mix between a dying duck and a screaming banshee

·         A truck comes by, buying anything old and used, even your grandma

·         You try to say hello but everyone just says goodbye

·         No one ever finishes building their house

·         They use an old T-shirt as a welcome rug

·         Being embarrassed constitutes a foul in basketball

·         The most frequently used phrase of a child is “Give me 5 pesos”

·         You hang your clothes up to dry, and they´re gone within 5 minutes

·         The best lawnmower is a Haitian or a goat

·         A high quality T-shirt is a HOLISTAR

·         “C Ben D” means “For Sale”

·         Cockroaches are not only tough, but immortal

·         People use the word “vaina” for everything in sight

·         Cough drops are considered candy

·         The most convenient time to beat your 3 year old is in a lesson

·         All you can think of is “What!? She´s only 13!?”

·         All you need to get a cute girl is a sparkly shirt and a shiny hat

·         Everyone is on key except for the piano

·         You can smell the men´s BO from a mile away and a woman´s perfume from 2

·         Dating only consists of making babies

·         Your speaker system costs more than your house

·         A toy consists of a bike tire and a stick

·         The highlight of the conversation is about baseball, visas, or the girl that just walked by

·         The cost of everything goes up for being white

·         You eat chicken with your hands or a spoon, but never with a fork

·         When every part of an animal, inside and out is gourmet.

·         The hairnet is just as popular as the turban in Iraq

·         The whole economy is monopolized

·         Every shop is sponsored by Kola Real

·         The key to a woman´s heart is an American visa

·         You have to sleep with the fan on to keep  the mosquitoes from eating you alive

·         Every house has 3 butterflies next to the front door…and no one knows why

·         Crossing the street is like playing Frogger

·         The corner stores advertise everything they don´t have

·         They hang aloe vera upside down in their doorways to keep away witches…and Haitians

·         There´s a party every time the power comes back

·         They wash their house with a hose

·         You can´t tell the difference between a school and a prison

·         Cleavage is mandatory, no matter what age you are.

·         Nobody can read for more than 5 minutes without getting a headache

·         It doesn´t matter who´s right, because the loudest one always wins

·         Dating a 13-year-old is the norm, not the exception

·         You see 5 people on a moped; one with a washing machine, one with a gas tank, and one with a baby.

·         Cross-eyed people wear glasses

·         You don´t follow the hairline; you cut your own.

·         You can obligate everyone, but no one can obligate you

·         You knock on a door and someone in the back yells ”Nobody´s here!”

·         Work time, fun time, rest time, and everything time is spent sitting out on your front porch.

·         All the American food has corn on it

·         You think you´re original, but it´s just another variation of beans, rice, and meat

·         There´s a synonym for “filling the stocking” and “sucking the pineapple”

·         3 year old children wear playboy shirts

·         Haitians work and the rest watch.

·         Three guys on a moped isn't gay, it´s a way of life

·         Yawning means your hungry

·         You've got two handles for the faucet, but only the cold one works

·         Honking exempts you from all traffic laws

·         Someone throwing a tantrum means there´s an evil spirit in the house

·         They say you already know, but you don´t

·         Burnt rice is a delicacy

·         Cohabitation is considered to be marriage

·         A blue shirt means they´re too young

·       

Sorry...

NO EMAIL THIS WEEK :(

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRITTNEY!

Hey guys how are y’all doing? It was awesome to get to Skype with y’all Sunday, and it looks like everyone is doing well. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRITTNEY! The big 18, congrats! It is weird to think that I will be 20 tomorrow. It sounds like y’all will have some fun with family in the upcoming weeks. And yeah I got part of my toenail taken out on Monday, and I have got a sick video for y’all that I will send home in a cd shortly. The anesthesia shots in my toe were terrible, especially the one they but in between the big toe and the toe next to it. Talk about my least favorite shots ever! But I was able to get back to work yesterday because they didn’t take the whole thing off.

So last night we went by Cesar's house to go see how things were with his wife. So we talked to his wife and things actually went pretty good. She is a lot calmer now, but told us that she had a "nightmare" that her house was full of Mormons cleaning the house. So we were like and that is a bad thing? So Cesar arrived home when we were talking to her and everything went way smooth, and we have a cita (appointment) with him tonight and we will see how things go. Also Flavio is a stud, we showed up to his house last night and he was reading the Book of Mormon and he is already at the end of 2nd Nephi. He hasn’t touched coffee or beer since we taught him the Word of Wisdom and he was an addict to coffee. He drank it about 10 times a day and thought he would never be able to give it up and he has and said it is a miracle that he has.

So it is good to be out in the sun again, and getting to work with the people we have without my foot problem. I sold my other shoes to Elder Reyes and I bought some others in the Haitian market for 12 bucks yesterday, hopefully they will last. I won't lie I was a little home sick after seeing everyone and especially the pool with the dogs, but I got over it pretty quick. Only 7 more months till the next call, not much uh. Take care guys, and have a great week!

Love Elder Smith

I'm freakin' stoked

Hey guys, 4 days!!! I'm freakin' stoked, so I am going to a house of a member that has Skype and I'll be there around 2:30 y’alls time till how late I want so whenever y’all get home from church I'll be ready. But yeah, feel free to take the rain from here, Elder Reyes has been sick the past couple of days because of walking in it all day. Some bad news, I have an infected, inflamed-ingrown toenail too so it sucks. So I have to get it taken out in the next week, I would of taken it out yesterday but we have to wait until the infection is taken out. So I got a sweet steroid shot in the butt for it yesterday for it. The new shoes were way too tight, they were a different style. So know I got to go try to find a nice pair of eccos in the Haitian market for 10 bucks this week. So with this I'm confined to the house which isn’t fun at all it is just reading all day which is death.

But on the good note, we had an awesome week when we could leave the house. We had 5 investigators in church which is a new record for me. Cesar is a stud, and it is probable that we will baptize him Saturday. His wife brought the biggest opposition ever this past week. She is super catholic and Elder Reyes and her argued for an hour straight and brought up the threat of getting a divorce if Cesar gets baptized, so it was a pretty serious situation. Cesar is handling the situation perfect, and is ready to go into the water this week. So we are praying all goes smooth, we have a cita with him tonight so we will see then. Also we have Flavio and his family that came and is the perfect investigator. He has changed a ton in the short time we have with him. One thing that has surprised me in the mission is the Word of Wisdom. I thought it would be the hardest thing to help people overcome in the mission, but so far it has been one of the easiest. People have a harder time giving up their cup of coffee in the morning than their rum or beer.

So yeah Elder Reyes and I are just trying to keep our health up, it is being a pretty big obstacle for us right now. Staying in the house all day without anything sucks. But I am way excited for Sunday. Take care and see you Sunday!
Love Elder Smith