Estoy en Officina y Garzcue

Hermana Lawrence y Hermana Ferrer (front)

Hermana Silva Y Hermana Morales (back)

Wow! Lets just say a LOT has changed in this past week. I currently have 3 companions: Hermana Ferrer is my main companion. She is part Puerto Rican and part Chilean, but she speaks english perfectly! Hermana Silva is from Brasil and Hermana Morales is from Nicaragua. The two of them have health problems, so they can't proselyte but they are training Hna Ferrer and I in the office. They are ending their mission in two weeks and then it will just be hermana ferrer and I as hnas in the office. We work in the office 9am-5pm and then we proselyte from 5-9. We have been SUPER busy in the office this week! The whole mission is getting new phones and the phone companies messed up so we've been figuring that all out! So I'm not in the real jungle right now, but everyone is calling the office "the jungle" so you could say that I am still in one! haha 

Hna Ferrer and I have been  a little stressed because we're white washing the area, it's a super difficult area, we're both new hermana leaders, we're both new to the office and everything. Balancing between proselyting (we're still expected to have a normal amount of baptisms) and the office is still taking an adjustment. But all is good! I am excited to be here, and we are still able to see miracles. But it's true, being in Gazcue is a lot different than Yamasa! But I am still going to enjoy it!

I love you all! I love being a missionary and being able to share the wonderful message of the restoration with everyone! You all can be missionaries too!

Hermana Lawrence

Translados

I love Yamasa!

Transfers! I have actually known my transfer (kind of) for like 3 weeks now.

I´m going to the mission office to be an Office Hermana. I´ve known that for a while, but on Saturday night President Corbitt called (always a heart attack when you see his name on the phone) and told me I´m also going to be an Hermana Leader. Hna Jones is staying here in Yamasa as an Hermana Leader too!

Yesterday I bore my testimony in Sacrament meeting and I started crying. Like I always do. And then later in the afternoon we had consejo de Rama and the President of the Rama asked if I was sad. I said yes, and that Yamasa will always have a little piece of my heart. They all got a good kick out of me saying that...haha

I have a really big announcement! After 4ish weeks without normal functioning water in our house...WE HAVE WATER! A guy finally came and fixed it! haha

The Family De Leon are doing really well! They are progressing so well! We moved their baptismal date to June so they can get married and everything, but they are reading their books of mormon and going to church! We love them with all of our hearts. They are the sweetest people ever! 

Bartolina (the one from last week with the broken arm) and Yoly (her daughter) are doing so well! Yoly came to church with us yesterday and LOVED it! Whoo!

Well, I am super sad to leave Yamasa and the jungle, but I am excited for a new adventure in the office.

Love you all!

Hermana Lawrence

The missionary apartment in Yamasa

My area in Yamasa

My area in Yamasa

Baptisms!

Hermana Lawrence, Hermana Jones, Jenny and Franchesca

A great week! Jenny and Franchesca finally got baptized! On Wednesday they had their interviews. The Elder told us that they were the best interviews that he has ever done! That they knew so much and the spirit was so stong! That´s always good to hear about your converts :) Then on Saturday the baptism was supposed to start at 6:00, so we got there at 5:30 to set up and make sure all was good. The two of them were already at the church ready to go! We helped them change into their white jumpsuits and they ¨loved¨them haha. They did a little fashion show for us. We didn´t start the baptism until 7:15 because, lets be real, we´re in the Dominican

Republic. But it was so good! We sang Jenny´s favorite hymn to start (48-Divina Luz)(The song we sang in her first lesson) Franchesca was baptized first and when she was leaving the font she yelled ¨Me siente bien!¨ and then Jenny was baptized and she didn´t want to leave the water! She started swimming around a bit before all the water drained. We ended with Franchesca´s favorite hymn (100-Dios Bendícenos) Then Sunday they were both confirmed! It was also fast and testimony meeting so they both got up and shared their testimonies about their baptisms. They both said it was the best day of their lives and they are sooooo excited to be members :) I know that they are going to be members firmes for their whole lives! They´re already being major influences in the conversions of other people.

For example, Jenny told us that she had a reference for us: one of her friends named Ray Joemi. We met him and she asked when he could be baptized. We put the fecha with him right there. And then she was explaining the book of mormon to him and everything. EVERYTHING. It might have been a little overwhelming to him how much info Jenny was giving to him. haha So he now has a baptismal date for the 3rd of June! He was in church yesterday and loved it!

On Friday morning we were walking to go to a cita when we passed by a woman carrying some groceries. She had a broken arm. I had the distinct thought ¨help her¨ but we were already late to the cita so I brushed it off.(stupid hermana lawrence...) (later Hna Jones and I were talking and she had the same feeling) We passed by only saying hello, but then she asked us for help. I was embarassed that she had to ask, but all turned out well. We went to her house with her and we got talking to her and it turns out her son, who died four years ago, was a member! And her daughter wants to get baptized! And so many miracles! I´m still learning everyday to follow the promptings of the spirit haha

Well, love you all so much! Hope you all have the best weeeek evvveeerr!

Hermana Lawrence

Que passo con la lluvia?! (What happened to the rain?)

Hermana Jones y Hermana Lawrence

I want the rain back...now it is really hot...Count your many blessings! Haha

We had a misión activity on Friday night. We played games and had food. There were like 15ish investigators there! Really, really good turn out! The familia De León was there and they loved it! The food was weird. We planned with our misión leader that we would have pizza, but for some reason that fell through (probably because the pizza had to come from the capital because there are no pizza places in Yamasa) but we had hot dogs with cabbage on top and a cheese sauce....I have to admit that I didn´t try it..but yeah. I did try Malta Morena this week for the first time. It´s a super popular Dominican drink...IT IS DISGUSTING. I wanted to throw up. But I couldn´t say I didn´t like it because people were watching me...

We´ve been working with Antony, Jenny and Alejandro´s cousin and this week his whole family accepted to be baptized on the 3rd of June! It´s a mom, and three kids. They´re super cute!

We had stake conference yesterday and it was soooo great! The speakers were President Corbitt and his wife, The Temple president and his wife, and Elder Martínez (Area president or something like that I think...) and his wife. SOOOOOO goooooood.

Jenny and Franchesca are getting BAPTIZED this week! I am so excited and they are so ready. They already have a count down of days until their baptism and they tell us every time we see them! I love them so much!

We had a zone activity today in the Parque Mirador Norte. I think its like a national park or something...It was pretty. But I live in the jungle...so It was about the same haha

Love you all so much! I´m sorry my emails are terrible. Maybe someday I´ll try to improve haha

Hermana Lawrence  

Still raining...

Jostin, Alejando, and Hermana Lawrence

Hermana Jones, Hermana Lawrence, Jenny and Franchesca

Yep. Still raining. Yesterday we went to go visit investigators where you have to cross a bridge...the bridge was GONE because the river was so full and then it got washed away...haha we found a way across, though :)

We had conferencia de zona. IT WAS SOOO GREAT. I´m going to miss Pte Corbitt and Hna Corbitt so much! They´re the best! That day was quite the adventure, though. We left the house at 6:00 in the moring to get to the office on time and then we didn´t get back to the house until 9:30, but we arrived safely and that´s all that matters haha

I lost our phone. I don´t know how. But Hna Jones and I have heard stories about hnas that didn´t call their district leader and then president went to their house to find them. We didn´t want that to happen, so after an hour trying to find someone´s phone number from the mission to call (how do we not have anything written down..?) we were able to call and we have a phone that we´re borrowing.

WE FOUND A FAMILY THIS WEEK AND THEY ALL ACCEPTED TO GET BAPTIZED. They Familia D´Leon. It´s a mom, dad, and 3 girls 8, 10, and 13 years old. They all came to church yesterday, loved it and then we went to go teach them yesterday night and they accepted to be baptized the 27th of May! They are the cutest family and I am so excited for them! They´re going to be sealed together someday!!!

So the picture of the phone may not seem much to you all, but to me, It is everything. I´ve literally read the message 30 times. It´s what Franchesca sent President (of the rama) the morning her dad signed the paper. Maybe you can´t understand it....but it´s probably my favorite picture :)

Jenny is doing absolutely fantastic as well! She´s more a member than people that are already baptized. Her and Franchesca are super exctited. Really they could be baptized right now, but just for scheduling conflicts, we are waiting until the 13th :)

Love you all so much! 

Hermana Lawrence

This is a bridge we have to climb over to proselyte

I bought scripure cases! I LOVE THEM,

except I asked for the Ogden temple and if you look closely, it says Oquir Mountain temple...oh well.

A week full of rain, animals, and miracles

It has been raining one whole week straight.....Hna Jones and I are wondering how the clouds have so much wáter! To get to a couple of our investigators we have to cross a river (with a bridge of couse..) and when we went the river was FLOODED. See the picture. We couldn't cross to go teach her! Satan Works in weird ways, right? I also left my umbrela on the guagua the other day...so that's good haha

But other than continually being soaked, this was a very, very, good week! Yesterday we had 8 investigators in church and 8 menos activos and then a bunch of recent converts! We are being sooo blessed here in Yamasa. We are working with really good investigators right now, a lot with fecha bautismales. It is really good to see some miracles :)

Franchesca's Dad is going to sign her Registro Bautismal!!! When she told us yesterday I literally shouted and started jumping for joy! Her mom still hasn't given her permission, but her dad is going to sign it, and she dosn't even live with her mom...So she can get baptized this week, but she wants to get baptized with Jenny on the 13th of May because they've become really good friends!

Jenny is progressing very well! She's going to seminary, Reading her Libro de Mormon and always shares with us what she read and learned!

Fraili is being a Little punk. The other day we had a cita with him and he didn't want to go because it was raining. I gave him my umbrela (this was before I lost it) and stood out in the rain until he came. Maybe that was bad of me, but you got to do what you got to do.

One night we were cutting it close to being home on time, so we were running back to the house in the rain with the echos of all the frecos yelling "gringas! Wait for us!" haha

Well, sooooo goood. Love this work and love this place. These are the best people in the world.

Love you alll!

Hermana Lawrence

Feliz Semana Santa! (Happy Easter!)

Feliz Semana Santa! It was a good week! Lots of good things happening! It's been so much fun and so great with Hna Jones! It's so crazy we're companions :)

We Invited Jenny, Alejandro's sister to be baptized this week and she said yes! We put her fecha for the 13th of May! She's so excited! Yesterday she was telling us that she wants to be a missionary! haha

So normally we have lizards, spiders and other bugs in the house, right? But this week we had a new visitor: a FROG. Yep. we chased him around the house for the longest time, but finally got him out...haha

We called Franchesca's mom yesterday to get permission for her to be baptized. Her mom rudely said no and didn't listen to anything we had to say. Franchesca started crying (so of course I started crying too). She has such a desire to be baptized, but so many things are just roadblocking us. She told us that if she has to, she'll wait until she is 18 and dosn't need permisson. I am still praying so hard, but I know that everything is in the timing of God and if it's his will, it will be done. But it's still difficult..

We had a "spiritual breakfast" on Friday. You'll all be interested to hear what the breakfast was...Two pieces of bread with butter and cheese in the middle and hot chocolate. That's a normal thing. yeah.

So a big tradition here for Semana Santa is Habichuelas con Dulce. So on Friday we had everyone giving us H. con D. It's pretty good. Kind of weird...

Hermana Jones and Hermana Lawrence

Hna Jones and I celebrated 7 months on the misión by blowing out candles in mangos :) I LOVE MANGOSSS

Well, Love all of you and hope you have the best week evveerrr!

Hermana Lawrence