We have another baptism this week!

Hey what is up! I am doing well for the most part, I just wish the power wouldn’t keep going out all of the time. The power never used to go out and we don’t have an inverter so when it goes it goes. Sleeping is a little hard without the fan, but oh well. But we got hit by a freak storm the other day, it was hailing here! And we got hit by a tornado! Good thing we were in our house and not in the street when it hit.

But on the good side we have another baptism this week! We are baptizing someone named Eddi who is a stud. We have only been teaching him for 4 weeks and he has already met all of the requirements and has a testimony. We had a sweet branch activity at his house last night which helped him out a bunch. This means our branch is going to have a baptism every Saturday for the next three weeks in a row. We also have some other people that are awesome that are progressing mainly Jose Miguel. He is already going to institute and has his friends for support so it’s a favorable situation.
We have transfers next week, thankfully. I love my comp but we are two different people and are styles of doing things are way different, so we have had some mini clashes in the past week. Its aright I have a good 60 pounds on him. But the Dominicans in our district have paired off with the sisters, so we have had some problems in our district. Our district meeting the other day was Elder Kinney trying to teach and our comps chatting with the sisters not even paying attention and me in the middle of them, talk about an awkward situation! So these problems as been here for a couple of weeks now and the zone leaders and assistants have tried to talk to them, but it has just gotten worse. So I might be staying next transfer with Kinney if they combine the area which is probable.
The weather sounds like the weather here, hot and humid! Well I hope y’all have a great week, Love ya a ton!

Elder Smith



They serenaded the Mission President when he was there




The infamous Kola Real Challenge he talked about previously.
The challenge was who could drink it the fastest, they may be missionaries, but still boys 



Another waterfall picture.

This week has been the best week in the mission!

Hey guys give me light (a Dominican phrase- Dame luz)! Happy late Father's Day dad! Too bad I don't get a call for Father’s Day. This week has been the best week in the mission! I got to baptize Cesar and participate in his confirmation! That baptism was one of the most spiritual ones that I have been to. I love the branch we have here, it functions like a ward for the most part. They set up the program and some of Cesar’s good friends spoke and gave their testimonies. I did it right on the first try, not bad for never having done it before. When it was just me and him afterwards before we changed he gave a big hug and started crying in relief that he was finally baptized. He is stronger than ever, we are trying to get him the calling of ward mission leader because the one now does absolutely nothing. He is already fulfilling that calling. He left with us to teach with him last night and he has a strong testimony and knowledge of the doctrines. It is almost better teaching with him instead of teaching him. He has also made some visits to some of our investigators without us!

We have 2-3 people that as of right now are eligible to get baptized next week if they all got to church this week. So we will get some more baptisms this transfer. First we have Eddy a golden reference that we might prepare him for only a month to be baptized. He is one of Cesar’s good friends, but he was a reference from another member. Cesar goes over everyday and talks to him, so he has that support. Also we have Flavio and his wife, they have the desire and a testimony so if they come to church this week we will baptize them. We are finally getting some good support from the branch and they are helping us out a lot. We also have José Miguel who is 18 and is way smart and is already going to institute with his friends so he will be a member shortly.

Last night most of the Elders from La Vega came over to our house to eat pizza and Elder Jimenez (Mexican, not my companion), Elder Kinney and I decided to do something called the Kola Real challenge. In this challenge you have half an hour to drink a 2.6 liter thing of Kola Real (soda). The record in the mission was 12 minutes, so we decided that we wanted to break it. So we went at it Jimenez set a new record at 5 minutes, Elder Kinney 7, and me 10 minutes. We found out the key to drink it faster is drink it fast, throw up, and keep drinking till it is gone. So we all threw up a ton, but we broke the record. I think Jimenez will put it up on facebook in 2 weeks, he is finishing his mission this transfer. But other than that we went to Jarabacoa today, and it was way nice. It was cooler up in the mountains.

But hey guys stay busy, it sounds like everyone is having fun with their summer activities. Take care guys, I love y’all!

Love Elder Smith




Elder Jimenez, Cesar and Matthew/Elder Smith



Branch President, Matthew, Cesar and Elder Jimenez 

Cesar

Some of the Branch Members



Matthew and Cesar





Matthew and his companion, Elder Jimenez 





Elder Kinney, Matthew and Elder James




James, Kinney and Smith





Elders Jimenez, James, Smith and Kinney



Cesar is getting baptized Saturday

Hey guys, it’s been a great week. I think I actually miss the rain because it was actually cooler with the rain, now it is insanely hot. The fan doesn’t do such a great job as an ac system. But hah, Jacob has glasses now too; looking good bro.

Great news, Cesar is getting baptized Saturday at 10:30 in the morning. We filled out is baptism form yesterday and it is all good. He picked me to baptize him so this will be the closest I will be to swimming this summer. I’m way stoked, his wife is kind of iffy on it, but his desire overrode her. He is already acting as the ward mission leader with the other investigators we have. Funny thing, some of his best friends when he was a kid are members such as our Elders Quorum president and others who are converts so he thinks it is a sign he should be there.

We have two other guys that we might have baptized in 3 weeks at the end of the transfer. We got two golden references, Eddy and Jose Miguel. Eddy is a good friend of a member and of Cesar so they are working a lot with him. Also Jose Miguel is 19 and was another reference from an RM. Also when he went to church he found some of his good friends there and he went to institute last night with them. We still have some of our good families and are just trying to get them to church. We also have a Haitian that we are teaching that has gone to church for a month but we have to wait 2 more months until we can baptize her.

Hey mom, the new shoes are looking fresh! And yeah I miss our good ole dinner time conversations. I think those are one of the things I miss most about home. I got a little trunky Sunday, we ate at one of the richest guys in La Vega house. We have a guy that is a way good doctor in our branch. We got a ride to his house and home in a brand new 4 Runner, and the best pasta I have had on my mission. A ride in a car home from church and good food is something you never get here.

I hope y’all are having a great week enjoying the summer, and wow time has passed by insanely fast, I almost have a year!
Love, Elder Smith

We’ve got some new cheese that we are teaching

Hey what’s up guys, congrats to Mom for a happy birthday and to Brittney for graduating! But yeah the rain never seems to stop. I’m just trying to not get sick. So the Wilkes are moving to Australia then, when are they going to move? We had a sick day in Santiago yesterday, Elder Kinney and I had an intense morning of ping pong at the President’s house and we got some good hamburgers for lunch yesterday. Also we went to the tourist trap and checked out all of the stores they have with souvenirs. Also I picked up some pants that I made last transfer, for the pockets they have SpongeBob and Mickey Mouse animations so they are legit.

Now we’ve got some new cheese that we are teaching and we put out a ton of lessons last week even though it has been raining all of the time. Cesar came to church in a freakin suit this past Sunday and everyone thought he was a member of the 70 when he walked in. I went to go and try to talk to his wife this week and she wouldn’t even talk to me, so its a pretty ugly situation. We are just waiting on the wife. Also we are reactivating a family that has been inactive for 11 years because of problems with the stake. Everyone that is inactive here is because of the mission president in the Santo Domingo west mission. He pretty much screwed up La Vega and the church did nothing. But we have a guy from the states that we are teaching now to that is awesome named Eddy that was a reference so he is pretty tight. Also we have a testigo (Jehovah’s Witness) that is enjoying the lessons and understands everything and doesn’t try to bible bash like all of the other ones, so he is enjoyable to teach. The testigo bible is a joke in Spanish.

I hope y’all enjoy the summer break, and enjoy the pool for me. Take care and have a great week.

Love, Elder Smith

He is way short so I sometimes lose him when we are in the street.

Hey guys, how are y’all doing? I'm doing well and little tired, we played football all morning. I love having someone in the zone that has a football. But yeah the rain sucks, I had to go buy a pair of hiking boots to keep my feet dry during the day. I have to buy a new umbrella someone stole it yesterday. I finally got good at bargaining with the Haitians so for 10 bucks I got a pair of 100 dollar shoes. I almost got a 110 dollar pair of Nikes for 10 bucks but he wouldn’t go that low. But yeah my toe is doing a lot better now with new shoes.

Happy early B-day mom, thanks for all you have done and enjoy your b-day, just don’t go to Pappasitos on Sunday :)

But yeah, Elder Jimenez is pretty good for the most part. He is way short so I sometimes lose him when we are in the street. He is way different than Elder Reyes and his form of teaching is different but it is all go. We had 4 people in church our first week together and it is nice having someone who doesn’t know the area so we have some life in the area. We will see if we will have a baptism this week, Cesar is finally settling things worked out with his wife and she has chilled out since Reyes left. She pretty much hated him but likes me so we have some luck. Cesar wakes up at 4:00 every morning to read the scriptures before he goes to work! He read 3 Nephi 27 yesterday and it hit him that he should work to be baptized this Saturday so I hope all goes down, and I'll get to do my first baptism. We have done a lot of contacts and we still have some of our other investigators that have dates to be baptized this month so we are working with that.

Congrats to everyone for their awards, I bet everyone is looking forward to the summer other than me. Take care and have a great week!

Love, Elder Smith

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