11-4-10

YES! that's awesome. I'm so glad to hear that. Good ole Glenn Beck's
influence I think, well that and common sense. I'm in a different
country now you'll have to tell me how the economy is there.


SO much to say. wow. Ok i'll tell you more about my arrival. I came
into the airport at about 9:00 last thursday (which feels like an
eternity ago now) and there were like 600 people held off by a
guardrail right outside security. It was then when I realized... I am
NOT in Kansas anymore. It was a madhouse, and I could pick out in the
middle of the sloppy spanish "missioneros" and "Mormonis". It just
made me smile. I love it here. It's really different, and the MTC is
really small, but the temple is RIGHT THERE and it's beautiful. I need
to take advantage of my time at the temple because we don't get to go
there once I'm on the mission. Santo Domingo east and west do
though... Oh well. I'm happy to make the adjustment to foreign food
ok. Every day, EVERY DAY we have the same thing for lunch. They call
it la bandera, or the flag, because it's the staple here. It consists
of arroz (rice), habicheulas (local term for beans) and some sort of
carne (meat). It's really delicious (fortunately, if it wasn't I
wouldn't survive).


All the teachers here in the Dominican are native, so they know how
people think here. I'm glad, because they explain cultural things
here, and some things are NOT ok. For instance, "calla se la boca"
(close your mouth) is usually ok, but here thems is fightin' words.
It's nice to know what NOT to say. But they also tell us what to say
to be able to share the gospel.


I have new companions, Elder Zelasko and Elder Lowe. They're really
cool, especially zelasko who reminds me of Nathan Keesling, so you
know he's cool.

I am getting way more comfortable with Spanish some days, then others
it feels like I'm trying to talk with rocks in my mouth. It's
frustrating because I know the words it just takes me SO LONG to say
them. But, I understand my teachers when they speak about 3/4 speed
completely. It's when they start talking... well Dominican that I get
lost. I asked my teacher why I couldn't understand her all of the
sudden when another teacher walked in and they were talking, and she
said "because that was slang". Sounds like that's what I'm gonna be
learning here. A TON of slang. So I'll know 2 forms of Spanish, formal
missionary spanish and Dominican Spanish.

Also, Monday we had the opportunity to go to the University to make
contacts. Right before we left the teacher that was our guide told us
about an alternate plan, instead of making contacts with random
strangers we would be talking to people from an English class. My
companions and I were assigned to Juan and Jessica, who spoke super
broken english that was slightly better than my spanish. So, it was
fun trying to communicate for sure. But he was so nice, had a wife and
a kid, and wanted to meet with me again. Next time I'll let him know
exactly why I'm here. Awwwww yeeeeah converted. :) broma (joke)


I think each week I'm going to try and speak a little spanish near the
end of my letters to see how my espanol is progressing.
Entonces, yo se que El Senor ha bendecido my vida con muchas cosas,
includamente me familia, mis companeros, mi mision, etc. Todas las
cosas son diferente en La Republica Dominicana, pero con la ayuda del
Senor puedo aprender el Evangelio y la idioma, y puedo compartir el
mensaje de Jesucristo con esta pais.


Hasta la proxima semana,

I love you guys so much, momma and dad. I can't wait to talk to you
again at christmas in slightly better spirits than in the airport.

Tell the family I love them, and rachelle I love her,and cameron too,
and let them know I think of them often.