Hi, 

     We had tranfers last week and I now have my first Dominican companion! And she is pretty much like my Dominican twin!=) We get along really well and she brings an amazing spirit into our lessons. Also she just got out of her training, so I'm her first companion after her trainer. I´ve gotten us pretty lost though this week, haha....there are a million roads in La Vega and they all LOOK THE SAME! But it's okay because we get to the houses, just sometimes in ridiculous ways! Also the Lord has been guiding our footsteps in finding houses that I didnt know how to get to when we weren´t even looking! Whoo hoo! Also funny enough is that her name is Hna. Calderon! She will probably be my last companion, so its ironic that my first and last have the same last name. =) 

Love,

Leah

     Hi,

     Well, this was a good week!  Have I ever told you guys that Dominicans are the craziest, funniest and best people in the whole wide world? They are just so energetic all the time and so loud, out going and fun.=) Well they are....=) 

     This week we had Zone Conference and it was great! They are always so inspiring and amazing.  I got to go up and bear my testimony with 5 seconds notice. Hna Douglas talked a lot about how we need to love first, serve second, and preach third. It was really inspired and I love her talks. She is an incredible woman! Also this might have been the last zone conference with them.......that's really sad. 

     Also I look like a tomato today! Whoo Hoo! We went to the beach in Puerta Plata and wow! El sol pica. But it was SO FUN!!!!! Besides my unreasonable fear of sharks and drowning, I really love the ocean! It's BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!! You guys have never seen an ocean so beautiful! It's all different shades of blues and greens. But I even used sunscreen and I'm still burned beyond belief! 

      We set two baptismal dates this week with a family! We had an incredible FHE with them and I felt such a strong impression that THIS WAS THE TIME to invite them to come unto Christ. I love how we are able to be a part of this work.   We are so privileged to act as God´s instruments and help others make sacred covenants.

      I´ve been thinking a lot about the atonement lately and everything that Christ does for us. So many times we feel like He just suffered for our sins and we forget that he suffered for our sicknesses and pains, hurts and sorrows, dashed hopes and broken dreams. He suffered all.  And I think that it is so incredible because in the scriptures it says He did it for our salvation, and because He loves us.  But the phrase that always gets me is that it was to know how to succor His people. (Alma 7. 11to13) It is such a special gift that we have, that He can perfectly understand us. It was one of the many reasons that He had to carry out the atonement. We are so blessed with this gift He has given us. I am so grateful for the atonement in my life and its enabling power. I know that we can trust in it and in His sacrifice and we can have faith in what He did for us and through that we can have the ability to be healed and given strength to keep going.=) I´ve seen that a lot since being here and something that I have learned because I have had to use and experiment and get to know my Savior better through His atonement. I love you all and I know that the church is true!

Love,

Leah