Friday, November 19, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
My First Baptism! Such A Great Feeling!
Wow! What a week it has been. I´ll begin on Monday after I emailed you all. We went to a “Noche de Hogar” (Family Home Evening) with a great investigator family. It was a blast! We celebrated the eighth birthday of their son and then we played “Don´t Eat Pete” with the family. The Dad gave us all t-shirts to smack the loser with when they ate “Pete”. We pummeled each other into oblivion.
The next day was Tuesday and we had the conferencia de zona with president and his wife. They are great folks. I mailed the letters to you with the memory card, and I got a whole bunch of letters. They made my day!
Wednesday, we spent some good time with the family that got baptized on Saturday, finishing up the lessons. We taught some other good lessons and had a good day.
Thursday, that day was great! We woke up early, and got on the bus going to the capital. The whole zone went to go eat at President´s house. It was a Christmas dinner…in the beginning of November! We were the first zone to do Christmas dinners which is why it was so early. We had interviews with President and just hung out. The food was to die for. I haven´t had a good home cooked meal like that, complete with lasagna, steak, etc., well since the end of August. I really like Hermana Almonte. As nice as can be!
Friday came around and we had a fairly uneventful day. We planned, contacted and got the family ready for baptism. They all passed the interview and were excited. There was also an activity in the ward that night that we helped out at, and got some investigators to attend.
Saturday came around. My first baptism! I found the note you left in my pants Mom, talking about my first baptism. The baptism was the highlight of my week. Even more so now, that´s my goal. Once a week! I baptized Madelin first, then right after her, Melen. Such a great feeling! There was a 12 year old boy named Joselito that came to the baptism that told us right after that he wanted to be baptized. I said great! We´ll start teaching him today.
Sunday, they all arrived to Church early and received the Holy Ghost. During a lesson on Sunday, I had my second favorite story of the week. We gave a woman a message about families and I tried something new and showed her the pictures of our family in the photo album you gave me. She couldn´t have cared less about the lesson, but she loved the photos. She told me that Gretchen looks like one of the Dominican Soap Opera Stars.
Have a great week. I love you all!
Elder LeCheminant
The next day was Tuesday and we had the conferencia de zona with president and his wife. They are great folks. I mailed the letters to you with the memory card, and I got a whole bunch of letters. They made my day!
Wednesday, we spent some good time with the family that got baptized on Saturday, finishing up the lessons. We taught some other good lessons and had a good day.
Thursday, that day was great! We woke up early, and got on the bus going to the capital. The whole zone went to go eat at President´s house. It was a Christmas dinner…in the beginning of November! We were the first zone to do Christmas dinners which is why it was so early. We had interviews with President and just hung out. The food was to die for. I haven´t had a good home cooked meal like that, complete with lasagna, steak, etc., well since the end of August. I really like Hermana Almonte. As nice as can be!
Friday came around and we had a fairly uneventful day. We planned, contacted and got the family ready for baptism. They all passed the interview and were excited. There was also an activity in the ward that night that we helped out at, and got some investigators to attend.
Saturday came around. My first baptism! I found the note you left in my pants Mom, talking about my first baptism. The baptism was the highlight of my week. Even more so now, that´s my goal. Once a week! I baptized Madelin first, then right after her, Melen. Such a great feeling! There was a 12 year old boy named Joselito that came to the baptism that told us right after that he wanted to be baptized. I said great! We´ll start teaching him today.
Sunday, they all arrived to Church early and received the Holy Ghost. During a lesson on Sunday, I had my second favorite story of the week. We gave a woman a message about families and I tried something new and showed her the pictures of our family in the photo album you gave me. She couldn´t have cared less about the lesson, but she loved the photos. She told me that Gretchen looks like one of the Dominican Soap Opera Stars.
Have a great week. I love you all!
Elder LeCheminant
Friday, November 12, 2010
The rain in the Dominican Republic stays mainly in the plain
Familia, good to hear from you! Always the best part of the week. Well once again, numerous adventures this past week. The hurricane came through. Where I am in the D.R. it rarely rains, but that changed this week. On Tuesday, the zls called us and said that we had to come stay a couple nights with them in Azua. It was actually pretty fun.
We borrowed a mattress from a member and the four of us moved three mattresses together and slept there. That was only for one night though. We kept on the split for the next night, and my comp and Elder De La Cruz went back to Sabana Yegua and I stayed in Azua for another day.
We did splits that next day and I went with Elder Garcia. My Spanish improved significantly. Being thrown into a place where English is not possible, is something else. I thought I did pretty well for myself. We taught a few lessons and I had some good chats about the Book of Mormon and prayer. That was actually a great day. The irony is: it didn’t rain at all that day. As sunny as can be. The next day, when they cleared us to go back to Sabana Yegua, is when the rain came. We got a whole bunch of rain. It poured on us. My comp informed me when we work in the rain, our wives get better looking though. (Note from ML: I love mission folklore!)
We were supposed to have a zone conference, but I think the rain actually was a problem in the capital. So our zone conference got moved to tomorrow. I’m stoked for zone conference. Everyone says they’re really good. And then also this week on Thursday, we’re all going to the capital for lunch with the president.
I am going to send all letters tomorrow, so that will determine how quickly letters get back to the states. I got a great picture with my new tailored pants. Tailored pants, that is the only way to go. I am going to try and remember to take a picture of our apartment. I have a ton of pictures from the CCM, so watch out. Some are good, others aren’t. Just erase the blurry ones.
And p day. We played some basketball this morning, and then after we got all ready, we played some more ball in Azua with the zone. Good times, good times.
And p day. We played some basketball this morning, and then after we got all ready, we played some more ball in Azua with the zone. Good times, good times.
Sunday, was a bit rough for us this week. Here, we have a phrase, whenever someone backs out of a commitment, they fallared us. We had a few investigators fallar us on church with some lame commitments. I’m pretty sure that the toughest part of missionary work is going to be to help people keep commitments.
But the great news of the week is we have five kids getting baptized this Saturday! They’re all great. They’re names are Madelin, Melvin, Magelin, Melin, Miguelina. Haha, seriously, all sound alike. They all like me and we have fun together. They went to church and the parents are going to be baptized too. However, technically, the dad doesn’t exist. He has no birth certificate, so we are working on that. Their names are Fledida and Luis. We set a date for another great lady last night. Her name is Confesora. She’s in a wheelchair and has had a rough life, but she keeps coming to church and believes with all her heart. She can’t read, but as long as she does what she can, the lord will take care of the rest.
Other items of note: I got a haircut this week. I’m starting to understand these people. At least with Gospel related stuff. My comp is a stud. Once he saw my personality a bit, he really likes me. One night, we had to come back at six because of the rain. We spent the rest of the night making videos on his camera. It was his year mark. You guys have gotta see the video of his shirt being burned. Alcohol burns baby! We’re working hard and I love the ward members here.
Other items of note: I got a haircut this week. I’m starting to understand these people. At least with Gospel related stuff. My comp is a stud. Once he saw my personality a bit, he really likes me. One night, we had to come back at six because of the rain. We spent the rest of the night making videos on his camera. It was his year mark. You guys have gotta see the video of his shirt being burned. Alcohol burns baby! We’re working hard and I love the ward members here.
Love Elder LeCheminant
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Weekly Letter to the Mission President
Presidente Almonte,
Todo bien aqui en Sabana Yegua. Tengo un gran entranador con Elder Urry. Nosotros trabajamos bien juntos. Mi español esta mejorando rapidamente. Tengo Animo para nuestro conferencia de Zona en Martes. Estamos trabajando duro, y tenemos suerte porque 5 niños van a ser bautizado este sabado. Vamos a ayudar nuestros investigadores para que puedan asistir iglesia con nosotros.
Elder LeCheminant
Todo bien aqui en Sabana Yegua. Tengo un gran entranador con Elder Urry. Nosotros trabajamos bien juntos. Mi español esta mejorando rapidamente. Tengo Animo para nuestro conferencia de Zona en Martes. Estamos trabajando duro, y tenemos suerte porque 5 niños van a ser bautizado este sabado. Vamos a ayudar nuestros investigadores para que puedan asistir iglesia con nosotros.
Elder LeCheminant
Monday, November 1, 2010
It feels as if I´m walking through a National Geographic magazine.
November 1, 2010
Many things have transpired this past week. First day in the mission field was Tuesday. We woke up at 5 am, got out of the CCM and drove to the Santo Domingo West mission home. I got my entranador (trainer). We had a quick meeting with President and his wife. A few hours later, we got on a bus and headed out to Azua. Compo baby! My area is Azua and the specific area we´re assigned to is a small town called Sabana Yegua. We got settled into our apartment and went and visited some ward members, taught a couple lessons and called it a day. That was the first day in the mission field.
Compared to some of the other places that we´ve seen, I´m living in a palace. With that being said, I´m taking bucket showers, and flushing the toilet with a bucket. Anyways, a typical day in the field thus far has been this: 6:30 am, wake up, pray and work out. At 7 am, I hit the books, study my English scriptures for a bit, then move to Spanish study. Sidenote, I thought that I was hot stuff in the CCM with my Español, but now that I´m here, I´m singing a different tune. It´s a good thing that I´m not afraid to look like an idiot cause I´ve done it numerous times. My comp is a solid Spanish speaker and I understand a lot of what he says. But, you double his speed; add a Caribbean twang and you´ve got what these people speak. Es muy dificil para entender a ustedes. (“It´s difficult to understand you guys.”) But I´m not worried. I only have a week out here. I´ll be rolling pretty well in a few months.
Back to the schedule, after we´re done with comp study we go and do our morning activities. Then, we come back for lunch, or if we´re in Azua we hit up a comedor. We take our siesta til 2:30 pm, (where I study more Español) and after that, we do the work. Generally, we go to our appointments we set up the day before. Teach them about the Book of Mormon and the restoration and set up return appointments. At about 5 pm, we contact for an hour and make appointments for the next day. Then for the rest of the night we visit and teach our progressing investigators. That´s a pretty typical day. And it´s great! Finally, I´m doing something with my life.
Cool stuff I´ve seen. Well, I´m definitely not in Sandy, Utah anymore. It feels as if I´m walking through a National Geographic magazine. Seriously, I´m in real life Dominican Republic. I´ll give you a taste of what I´ve experienced. When we have to go into Azua we take what´s called a cambioneta ride. No joke, today, they packed 20 people into the back of a small pick-up truck while we were flying 60 down the highway. Plantain fields to your left, and palm trees and beach to your right, it really is an amazing sight. I saw a cock fight in somebody´s front yard two days ago. I saw crowds packed around a small TV watching the first game of the World Series. Imagine that street, with thousand of dirt bikes whizzing past you. Everybody here has motorcycles. I´m talking crappy, old, motorcycles. Wild, wild stuff. Anyways, I bought 5 butt ugly compo ties for 100 pesos. Little under 3 bucks.
I love the people around here. Everyone is so happy and accepting. Teaching the deacons and teachers is the best part of my day. There are 3 or 4 that hang out with us a ton. I practice my Spanish with them. I´ll end with a good spiritual experience. We were teaching a family outside at night time. (A good portion of our lessons are taught outside.) But I remember looking up and seeing more stars in the sky than I had ever seen in my life. The entire sky was lit up! The works of God are endless, and even though I´m on the other side of the world, with people who have nothing, we´re all children of God with the potential to return and live with him again, as long as we keep the commandments. All people have this opportunity. And I´m grateful to be here and share this message with the people here.
Love,
Elder LeCheminant
Many things have transpired this past week. First day in the mission field was Tuesday. We woke up at 5 am, got out of the CCM and drove to the Santo Domingo West mission home. I got my entranador (trainer). We had a quick meeting with President and his wife. A few hours later, we got on a bus and headed out to Azua. Compo baby! My area is Azua and the specific area we´re assigned to is a small town called Sabana Yegua. We got settled into our apartment and went and visited some ward members, taught a couple lessons and called it a day. That was the first day in the mission field.
Compared to some of the other places that we´ve seen, I´m living in a palace. With that being said, I´m taking bucket showers, and flushing the toilet with a bucket. Anyways, a typical day in the field thus far has been this: 6:30 am, wake up, pray and work out. At 7 am, I hit the books, study my English scriptures for a bit, then move to Spanish study. Sidenote, I thought that I was hot stuff in the CCM with my Español, but now that I´m here, I´m singing a different tune. It´s a good thing that I´m not afraid to look like an idiot cause I´ve done it numerous times. My comp is a solid Spanish speaker and I understand a lot of what he says. But, you double his speed; add a Caribbean twang and you´ve got what these people speak. Es muy dificil para entender a ustedes. (“It´s difficult to understand you guys.”) But I´m not worried. I only have a week out here. I´ll be rolling pretty well in a few months.
Back to the schedule, after we´re done with comp study we go and do our morning activities. Then, we come back for lunch, or if we´re in Azua we hit up a comedor. We take our siesta til 2:30 pm, (where I study more Español) and after that, we do the work. Generally, we go to our appointments we set up the day before. Teach them about the Book of Mormon and the restoration and set up return appointments. At about 5 pm, we contact for an hour and make appointments for the next day. Then for the rest of the night we visit and teach our progressing investigators. That´s a pretty typical day. And it´s great! Finally, I´m doing something with my life.
Cool stuff I´ve seen. Well, I´m definitely not in Sandy, Utah anymore. It feels as if I´m walking through a National Geographic magazine. Seriously, I´m in real life Dominican Republic. I´ll give you a taste of what I´ve experienced. When we have to go into Azua we take what´s called a cambioneta ride. No joke, today, they packed 20 people into the back of a small pick-up truck while we were flying 60 down the highway. Plantain fields to your left, and palm trees and beach to your right, it really is an amazing sight. I saw a cock fight in somebody´s front yard two days ago. I saw crowds packed around a small TV watching the first game of the World Series. Imagine that street, with thousand of dirt bikes whizzing past you. Everybody here has motorcycles. I´m talking crappy, old, motorcycles. Wild, wild stuff. Anyways, I bought 5 butt ugly compo ties for 100 pesos. Little under 3 bucks.
I love the people around here. Everyone is so happy and accepting. Teaching the deacons and teachers is the best part of my day. There are 3 or 4 that hang out with us a ton. I practice my Spanish with them. I´ll end with a good spiritual experience. We were teaching a family outside at night time. (A good portion of our lessons are taught outside.) But I remember looking up and seeing more stars in the sky than I had ever seen in my life. The entire sky was lit up! The works of God are endless, and even though I´m on the other side of the world, with people who have nothing, we´re all children of God with the potential to return and live with him again, as long as we keep the commandments. All people have this opportunity. And I´m grateful to be here and share this message with the people here.
Love,
Elder LeCheminant
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