Pictures!!!!

I've decided to make up for the shortness of last week's letter with a SUPER LETTER... complete with pictures, videos and stories of life here thus far. Sound good? good.

first the pictures

photo 719: I'm eating fine! I made french toast the other day. It was like a little taste of your cooking momma only not near as good.

photo 717: it's a metaphor of time in the mission.. elder carpenter and I.

photo 731: before you judge, it was right before a baptism and the water was just filthy so we had to refill it. I didn't want to get in the water so what you see was the most effective means of getting the drain undone.

photo 747: wow.. pic # 747 this would make carpenter really trunky haha. But yeah, you never know where you'll find yourself tracting here in the campo (spanish equivalent for country)

photo 770: carnaval is a really terrifying holiday.

photo 738: I tried sugar cane for the first time. It's amazing.. You cut off the bark with a machete and eat the sweet, sugary juicy inner part. We'll def get one when you're here.

I think that's all the photos for now. Next up.. videos. :)

3-9-11 Por FIN

So i´m sorry this got there so late today. I got back from Santiago really late today and I got a ton done.. just not emailing. So tailoring is really cheap in this country.. and for about 20 bucks I got a pair of custom made dress pants and for about 15 bucks I am getting a pair of golfer´s pants made. they´re cool.. i´ll send pictures. But for now I´ll just tell you about my week.

really the most notable thing was last night I had a lesson our progressing investigator family. they´re really awesome, especially the twins. They´re 13 years old and really excited about the church right now. They go every week and can already be baptized, but we just need to teach them everything. Anyway last night one of the twins had an amazing experience. We were finishing up the plan of salvation and at the very end of the lesson he raised his hand and wanted to say something. He explained that he had prayed about an hour and a half ago, asking god if the things we were teaching were really true. He got his answer. He said that it was right because God really did confirm his answer. It is true. It´s because this church has all of the commandments restored. It really is a miracle. It doesn´t sound like much.. he just did what we left him to do. Simple.. just pray. But sometimes we promise these things so much to so many different people without them acting it starts to feel like it´s less meaningful.. but it really is powerful. It´s true. The promise is there for everyone. The heavens really are opened. God wants to speak to his children.

That was the cool experience of this week. That and I had a mcflurry in santiago. It was incredible. Absolutely mindblowingly incredible. Especially because it ended a fast.

What more.. So you´re going to germany huh? well well say hi to tanja. And also.. tell her thanks so so so much for me. I never sent her an email that I even got her package. I am terrible. I feel terrible. But i will feel somewhat justified if she knows I still remember. I really did appreciate that a ton.

I got that package from brother ludlow this last week. It was FREAKING AWESOME. I don´t have time to write him this week but it was much appreciated like all packages. I am a little spoiled.. but it´s just incredibly nice to get a package every week. Especially with jerky.. and gel pens.. it´s amazing.

Anyway i want to write more. I don´t have time.. i feel terrible. I promise I will write more next week when I dont´ go to santiago.

I love you guys so much. I love your letters more than you know. Momma and dad, keep them good and long.. it´s so great to get one every week.

The work of the lord will continue here in fantino, and I am lucky enough to be a part of it.

Till next week, not a second wasted,

elder c. rufus sweeney

p.s. CAMERON IS GOING SPANISH SPEAKING: YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! best news of the week by far.

tell him i said buenas suertes and give him a hug for him.

3-2-11 #2

The other day we went over to that ideal family. They had their usual good questions but one really weird one. He asked why we give a tenth of our income for tithing even though it says in the bible that we are supposed to give 10 pesos.. or dollars... which makes absolutely no sense except in the bible it doesn't explicitally say 1/10. But we couldn't seem to make it clear enough for him.. he just would not accept that we pay 1/10 of our income to the kingdom of God. So finally elder carpenter looks at the bible that he had, notices it's one of those "new translated" versions that's super simplified for people, and that was the bible Carpenter used to prove our point. It actually said 1/10... So my companion used an apostasy bible to prove our point.

So I think that's all for this week. Here's a couple pictures, i don't have my camera with me this week :/

I love you both. I am so happy I get to stay in Fantino and see the progression of the people I've worked so hard to maintain. I love the work, love the people, love the scriptures and love the Lord.

I'll see you guys in 1 year and 7 months,

but till next week, not a second wasted,

elder c. rufus sweeney

3-2-11

I actually don't know if that's how you spell Mamasita.. hmmm.. i'll look that up later.

Anyway month 4 of the mission was incredible, and something about this last week was different.. I think you're right.. I'm getting it. I know what's going on. I know the language better. I know what people are saying. I know what is expected of me and I know what I should expect of others. I have never felt more comfortable on the mission. I know this is where I'm supposed to be.

Not that I ever questioned that, but it's a little different feeling when you don't understand anyone and you can't make what you want to say very clear. This last week I even taught gospel principles, held a good hour long conversation with a young man I just baptized and was able to understand just about everyone. It's still coming and going, but i really don't need to update you on the language anymore because, like you said, I'm "getting it". It's a good feeling. I now have two groups of missionaries that are younger than me. I am no longer the "greenie", just a newer missionary. I actually do want a spanish speaking comp, a dominican or a mexican.. maybe that one chilean in the mission, just to perfect the old spanish.

Ok, now for updates on transfers.. sorry this wasn't first i sort of forgot. As you might imagine (because I forgot to put it in) nothing changed. I am still with carpenter and everyone in the house stayed. It's amazing but really awesome. I get along really well with everyone and we all seem to mesh really well with each other. My comp is a little cynical sometimes about the people here but that's because he has reason to be.. he has had some awful dominican comps that have burned him out. Also, they are really bad about following through with committments and being on time to things. It's sort of hard to not pick up.. because if you show up to an appointment on time they almost assuradly won't be there.. you have to adopt their attitude or else you never teach.

This last week carnaval ended and it was also independence day here. It fell on the same day.. it was... absolutely out of control. If people drank and partied before they took it to a whole new level that day. We were thinking about not leaving.. but we did. It was an exchange and I got to be in the other area for a day. We had 4 solid lessons.. pretty amazing since the other side had 1 lesson and usually that's the good side. Elder De Leon and I did really good work, i want to exchange with him more often. We taught really well together and worked hard.

But, since independence day and carnaval fell on the same day we only had 3 investigators at church.. But, when I really thought about it, really it's amazing we had anyone there. I was grateful for what we had but next week will be better.

I actually think a lot about the missionary work in Ada in Fantino because Fantino reminds me so much of Ada. I thought about cameron going spanish speaking and he and i going out with the missionaries a lot when I get back and converting all the mexicans in Ada.

I still love the mission. It's amazing that it's passed so fast. I think about my time... 5 months. That's something that actually sounds considerable. It's only about a year and a half till you come and vacation here with me. I may sleep a lot.. just a heads up.. But i'll have my fun too. You and mom will love it here, i can promise you that. It's a beautiful country and I will be able to get us around cheaply since I speak spanish.. as far as vans and taxis go. I love you momma, and dad, and i got joy's letter in the email but i'm saving it for when I have the hard copy in the mail, it's better that way.

One more email coming with a few experiences.. hang tight

2-23-11

So yeah I'm almost 6 months into the mission. I feel good. Really
good. I must say the days are long but the weeks are short, the weeks
are long but the months are short, the months are long but the years
are.. .well i haven't hit a year so I wouldn't know. But they're still
pretty long.

One thing that makes the days go by fast is a baptism. We had another
one this saturday, carpenter and I. His name is Oliver, he's another
studly young man that wants to serve a mission. What was really neat
was the lesson we had the other night with his mother. She is a really
kind catholic woman who had a huge smile and a humble home. She has
never been interested in our message but after her son's baptism she
has really warmed up. The lesson the other night was evidence to just
how powerful the spirit is. I bore my testimony, simple (because i
can't bear it too complexly in spanish) yet sincere, and asked her if
she had any questions or needed anything. That is something we always
ask, but it took her a little while to answer. Elder carpenter and I
realized it was because she was crying. Crying because she had felt
something she felt at the baptism, and quite possibly her tears were
tears of recognition that what she felt was not a coincidence, but a
testament from the Holy Ghost that everything is true. She will be
baptized. She knows it, I know it, and most of all God knows it, but
it's always her choice. I hope she follows through with her powerful
witness, but everyone has their agency, so in the end it's up to her.

Anyway, we are also teaching a perfect family. We took the branch
president to their house the other day and he was really pleased with
what he saw. They are progressing really well, I just hope they go to
church. I would love to marry and baptise a family, that's something I
haven't done yet and i hope to do before my time is up here in
fantino.

Speaking of marrying a family, we have a marriage date for a couple,
Mela and Momo for the 5th of March. They are awesome, especially him.
He has a testimony of everything, and if they are going to follow
through with it it will be his doing. I hope i stay for one more
transfer here, but at the same time I really do want other elders to
be blessed with the opportunity to be in this area. It's an amazing
area, the members are excited, the branch president and second
counselor both leave with us, and I stil feel big things happening
here. It's an amazing work here. I thank God every day for all of our
investigators.

That's a sufficient update on the work.. let's see.. Oh tomorrow we
travel to Bonao for a capacitation from the assistants. I love fantino
but it's always fun to leave the area for a bit and spread the
figurative wings for a bit.

My comp and I are still getting along. We actually cook quite a bit
together. We cooked scrambled eggs, sausage and peppers and onions
last night. It was fantastic! Especially the cheese we threw in there
at the end. I'm trying to make you jealous with the food I ate but i
just failed miserably.. haha you do it to me every week (secretly I
like it a little bit but it's cruel). I love to remember the different
foods I used to eat, it gives me something to look forward to when I
get back.

I love the mission. I wrote that melisa again today. She's fun to
write.. actually like more fun than rachelle. haha she's witty and
keeps up with my humor, i like it. Not to mention she's really
attractive.. we'll see what happens, but i'm just having fun for now.

Let's see.. oh I have some good pictures for you all. We had some
p-day fun today in a random field. Also, there's some videos i want to
send of my toenail and a man that's training his rooster for a cock
fight. Classic DR stuff.

Love you all. Take care of yourselves, especially momma. Catch up on
the sleep and don't be ashamed, you need it. I'll see you in just over
a year and a half.

till next week, not a second wasted here in fantino,

Elder C. Rufus Sweeney

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 :)

2-16-11

Here again in Fantino. It's been a really, really short week. They just keep getting shorter. I think as you work and forget about everything from home and focus on every one of your investigators the days are pretty much all just the same. It's really cool to experience the thing that all the R.M.'s talk about. The best two years. It's true.

So yesterday I had a really interesting experience with following the spirit. We were done with our two morning lessons and headed to lunch a little early, but I told my comp that I wanted to walk the other way and make a small loop. It wasn't long before we figured out exactly why. One of the two recent converts of walker and I, juleysis, had been a little cold on us missionaries of late, specifically my comp. We don't know why, but we figured it was because she really loved walker and was still recovering from the loss of him being gone. We still don't know why, but as of yesterday she has opened up to us. On the way to lunch we gave her a short yes powerful lesson on prayer, and she and elder carpenter were laughing together. I actually haven't seen that very much from him. Anyway, after that I have decided that

1. I will NEVER, EVER reject a spiritual impression. In any circumstance. They are powerful and real.

2. I will always qualify for the spirit to be with me so I can follow it's impressions.

I love the mission. Carpenter and I have 8 baptismal dates, and one this saturday. I am so happy. The young man that we are baptizing just got permission from his father. The timing was really strange and yet again strengthened my testimony of the fast. We began our fast for our investigators who had been impeded by their parents from being baptized, and that day oliver told us his dad gave him permission. Coincidence? Idk, but as I've said even before my mission I just don't believe in coincidence. Everything happens, great and insignificant, necessary and profuse, absolute and relative, for a reason. A very specific reason. We are part of a very intelligent plan of a creator of many worlds, and, as Elder Richard G. Scott says, we as human beings can communicate with the God.

I am always tired. Like you said, it's just perpetual. Such is the mission. Never a day goes by that I don't think about cuddling with holly on my warm, somewhat stinky bed. (she made it that way.... not me............ i think)

I got that package! I love it. Man I really love it. Especially the calender. Shutterfly has an incredible business. I totally forgot about the picture of me with the american flag shirt and the american flag. That's from P.C. How's he doing anyway? Still bp right?

More on the way, I have to look at the questions right quick that you sent me... hold on.