2-16-11

So yeah Carpenter and I are getting along pretty well as of now. He's a good teacher of very simple principles. He knows his doctrine through and through. He may have a few bad habits but the music you sent me should help aleviate some of his... well bad music.

I love that music so much btw. That sufjan stevens is so good. Wow, I really do love listening to compeletely new music. I forgot how good that felt.

The language.. ok so crazy thing happened this last week. Remember how I said at the beginning of the transfer my spanish increased exponentially, then near the middle plateaued, well as of about 5 days about i've been understanding like 80-90% of what is said to me. It feels good. I feel good. It's weird the way it works for me.. maybe it has been gradual and I just haven't noticed, but it seemed like it just all came at once. I can communicate myself with people and have a decent conversation even before the lesson.

Anyway that's freaking wild about the ice and stuff!! wow.. I can't believe they had to borrow power from Mexico.. how embarrassing.

It's really fun here to have tiny adventures on the way to lessons. We teach a lot but we also like to deviate a tiny bit and pick mangos and eat them off the trees. If you can.. why not? It's part of the culture, part of living here, part of being human to stop and smell the roses, even if it is for just a tiny bit. I'll send you a couple pictures of our adventures.

I love you guys. I can't wait till you guys come here and get to see what i've lived in for two years. It's a great life here, but very very different. I loved those two letters.. hahaha it was like reading a small novel.

so yeah that's what's new here on this front. The branch president here is like a dad to the missionaries. I love that guy. I'd do anything for him, presidente guitierrez. Great man, great leader and perhaps future area 70, he's general authority material no doubt. His daughter just came back from her mission this week.. she's an incredible woman. We'll be teaching with her a lot i'm sure.

ok.. yeah i think that's all I want to say. Carnaval is in town in the DR. It's a CRAZY few weeks. Google image it. It's straight from satan.. people whipping each other.. clown costumes... strange masks.. all in the name of religion. It's wild. But.. admittadely, kind of fun.

Again, I love you guys. I love the mission. Every day is similar but so different. Crazy things happen daily here. I was pooped on by a bird the other day.. my toenail fell off.. it's just absolutely nuts the experiences on the mission.

Till next week, not a second wasted

-elder c. rufus. sweeney :)