Zone Conference with the Smiths

It has been a good week! We had zone conference for the first time with the Smith´s! It was good, definitley different, but still super good! They really show how much the love us and it is amazing. I love them! And after the conference Hna Smith taught all of us hermanas Pilates! It was INTENSE and so fun! She told us she started doing pilates because she just decided she wasn´t getting old. haha I was pretty sore the next couple days!

Fania accepted to be baptized! She is so cute! When we invited her to be baptized for the 29th, before she said "yes" she asked us at what time. haha Even though it is hard to communicate with her (she's haitian) we find creative ways to teach! We have her a Book of Mormon in Creole and so when we need to know how to explain things we find what we want in spanish and then show it to her in Creole. We also have Creole speaking members, so we bring them too :) It has been a really cool experience teaching her. I remember when I couldn't understand even a little bit of spanish...never want to go back there again. that was HARD.

Juan is doing well. I'm not sure if he will be getting baptized this saturday because he came up to us at church yesterday and he told us he needed more time. We assured him that he was ready (he is) but only Heavenly Father  can give him the answer to be baptized this satruday or not. We are going to go teach him tonight, so hopefully he prayed and we'll see what his answer was. He is just nervous that he will fall back into the things he left...like his bad friends and things like that. But he's a strong guy. He'll make it through!

It was Estela's birthday this past week. We planned for a lesson with her that day, but we showed up and her family had a suprise  party planned, so we ate some cake and wished her a feliz cumpleaños! We're still waiting and praying for her to make a decision. Something that has been difficult lately is dealing with people's agency. I am so grateful we have agency, though. What a great gift!

Being here in Gazcue, so close to the office, we kind of get abused...haha hermanas are always staying with us, we do crazy last-minute intercambios because hermanas are in the hospital, last night I had to wake up at 12, and two in the morning to make sure that a hermana made it to the airport..etc. But I am grateful we can help. So yes. We're having a "special transfer" Hermana Ferrer and I are being separated. We had a zone activity today (our chapel is the stake center and also where the office is located, so we were there for the activity) and towards the end President Smith came up and told us that he wanted to talk to us when we were done. We went down to his office. I talked to him first and he told me that I am getting a new companion here in Gazcue. Her name is Hna Arciniega from Mexico. President told me that she wants to go home. She dosn't like to leave the house to go proselyte right now, she always says she's sick, even though she is not. He told me that this is a "special assignment" that I am going to get her to stay and enjoy it. I feel a lot of pressure right now. I am also very nervous. I hope I can live up to their expectations. But I am grateful that I can have this opportunity to grow and learn from this hermana! I am super sad that Hna Ferrer is leaving :( Love that girl so much. It'll be way different with her gone!

One gross/funny thing that happened last night: We got home for the night and hna ferrer went to go shower. I started writing in my journal and I hear a scream from the bathroom. Then she comes out wrapped in her towel, the water in the shower is still running and she's crying. There was a spider as big as my hand on the inside of the shower curtain! I can kill small spiders, but this one was a little too big for me to handle, so I thought of other people who could kill it....We have a "wachiman" guard that is always oustide our apartment because the DR President's niece or something like that lives above us. We called our district leader for permission for him to enter our house to kill the spider (at this point we were outside our apartment in pj's because it was a BIG spider...ew....) then we tried calling the zone leaders then the assistants. NO ONE would answer. So we finally called Hna Smith. She gave us permission (she was laughing haha) so he entered our house and killed the dang spider. Ew. I hate bugs. 

But, I love you all so much! I hope that you have the BEST week ever!!

LES QUIERO!

Hermana Lawrence

Hermana Lawrence loves mangos!!!

Pilates with the Hermanas in the zone

Jopones! (Japanese!)

This week was a good one....just like all the other ones! We're definitley seeing opposition, but we're always taught that just past the opposition are the miracles, so I'm ready! haha

On Monday night we found a 25 year old guy from Japan who is interested in learing more about the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was interesting teaching him because he didn't even know who God is or what religion even is. The DR is a VERY believing country. I've met one or two atheists on my mission and that is it. Everyone always goes on FOREVER about how they love God and Jesus, so going to the complete opposite is intresting. I'm excited to continue to teach him. His name is Kota Ito.

We had a "cosecha" (harvest...?) on Thursday in Villa Juana, an elder's area on Thursday. That's where all the missionaries in the zone go and work in one area. Hna Ferrer and I split up (we're the only two hnas in the whole zone...), I went with the relief society president and Hna Ferrer went with the Young Women's president. We both had experiences where we visited people and they were SO excited to see sister missionaries! I went and visited a menos activo and she started crying when I walked into her house. She told me her original missionaries that baptized her were hermanas. This area has had Elders for a very long time and they miss us hermanas :) We both felt really loved when we got back to the house that night!

Saturday we ate a LUNCH. The member brought us out chicken, pastelon (like a plaintain lasagna), potato salad, rice, and homemade cherry juice! So good. The funny part is that she put 3 slices of the pastelon on my plate to start out with and then before I even finished one piece she put TWO more

slices! And then she wouldn't stop putting chicken on my plate. I was kind of full after....like REALLY. So don't worry...I'm not starving! Here in Gazcue we actually eat with members a lot (it's a richer area..

Yorleidi got baptized on Saturday! She was so cute in her little white jumper. She was soooo excitedWe got to sing "a child's prayer" with her cute primary friends. It was adorable. Then she was confirmed sunday! 

We taught Juan last night. He's excited for his baptism this month! 

I LOVE YOU ALL!  I know that the gospel of Jesus Chris is true and that Heavenly Father is always watching out for us!  Have the best weekkk evvveeerrr!

Hermana Lawrence

Hace CALOR!

La familia Acosta

So many great things happened this week! Heavenly Father is blessing us here in Gazcue! 

Something that we have started as a mission is that the word Meta (goal) doesnt exist. We don´t have goals for how many baptisms and reactivations wer are going to have. They are now PROMISES. So as companionships we pray and ask how many baptisms and reactivations we are going to have. Goals sometimes are accomplished, but Promises from Heavenly Father are always accomplished.

Yorleidi and I had the same Crocs!

Hermana Ferrer and I recieved our promise and went out to WORK. (lemme tell ya, this week I was swetting a lot...) We put a baptismal date with Yorleidi! Her mom is a menos activo that will be reactivated the sunday that Yorleidi is confirmed! (this sunday) Yorleidi is the cutest girl. She´s 9 years old and SOOOO excited to be baptized! We´ve been working with her for a couple of weeks now, so we´re excited for her baptism this saturday! 

We also put a fecha with Marleny for the 29th of this month! We taught her Plan of Salvation and the spirit was so strong! She´s super great! We also put a fecha with Juan for the 29th as well! We went with Estela and we knelt down with her and she said the prayer. She´s still not sure. But I KNOW she will be baptized soon!

On Wednesday we went to the driving place because before President Corbitt left he told the Elders he wanted me to have a liscence, so they finally got around to it (now that i´m not even in the office haha) and we went! My good conduct thingy was expired, so I have to take the driving test this week. Wish me luck! 

We had interviews with President Smith on Friday! They were great! I got talking to Hna Smith

about hiking and other cool things like that. They´ve hiked Everest :) Pte Smith is also super great! He´s definitly the guy 

LOVE YOU ALL SOOOOO MUCH! Heavenly Father is always watching over us! 

Hermana Lawrence

Consejo de Lideres ( Council leaders)

Adios y Bienvenido

President y Hermana Corbitt y missionaries

I had some of the craziest, coolest experiences this week. A lot of changes, but it´s been good. We had an office meeting and President Corbitt told us that he was reading in the Mission President Handbook and it says that ¨young single sisters don´t work in the office¨ so he took us out and now we are just normal proselyting hermanas. But we have still been doing some jobs in the office. Like translating every single letter that Pres Corbitt wrote every monday to the missionaries (3 years worth of letters...) It took forever (and a couple LONG nights) to do it, but I learned a lot! The mission changed a lot in the time that he was the mission president! He is a great man and Hermana Corbitt is a great woman! They will be greatly missed!

We went to the temple with them for the last time on Tuesday. It was absolutely amazing. I recieved a lot of revelation and a lot of answers to prayers :) Hna Ferrer and I got to get all the temple clothes ready for all the missionaries (sizes, and what not) so we got to spend some extra in the temple dressed in white! The greatest! The temple is the best place!

Our mission collects the bottle caps from all the waterbottles we drink and then we send them to Puerto Rico and they donate money to cure cancer. Hna Ferrer and I had the assignment to take them to the CCM to get them sent to Puerto Rico, we knocked on the Area Presidency´s door and ELDER ZIVIC opened the door. It was kind of a shock haha We were just like ¨will you take these bottle caps...¨ haha It´s always cool to bump shoulders with General Authorities

Pres. y Hermana Smith   Pres. y Hermana Corbitt

Friday morning we arrived to the office early and made sure the office was SPICK and SPAN! We all were going crazy waiting for the Corbitt´s and Smith´s to arrive. They are all the coolest people. I love them already! When Pte Corbitt was introducing Pte Smith to us, they both started crying. It was so tender! I was the first Hna in the mission to give Hna Smith a hug :) That is cool haha The second thing she asked me was if I knew where to buy heated hair curlers...I think we´re going to get along! haha We also boxed a bunch of stuff up for the Corbitt´s and put their address on it to send it to them. They live on McKinley Avenue! YES! haha

As far as proselyting goes, we will have a HECK of a lot more time to proselyte now! I´m super excited! Estela is doing well, she told us that she can´t stop thinking about if she should get baptized, so I think this week is going to be the turing point and she will finally get her confirmation! Myson is being a punk. He hasn´t come to church the past two weeks, so his baptismal date has to be pushed back and back. It´s kind of confusing how he is so excited to be baptized but then won´t come to church. His excuses are pretty weak too. Like it was raining. But he is reading the Book of Mormon, so that is good :) We also met Juan yesterday at church. A member brought him. He´s 27 years old. Then we went and taught him at the members house in the night. He accepted to be baptized! We didn´t but a date, but he is super excited and he loved everything we taught him. 

I love this gospel! I love being a missionary! I LOVE YOU ALL!

Hermana Lawrence​​