Hi,

    We found this really great new investigator this week! He was a reference of one of our less actives! It's actually really awesome because he has started to help us teach him and he even bore his testimony and brought him to church! YAY! 

     I really love my Dominican companion, she is so darn fun and crazy! She just makes me love the Dominican culture even more! I am really happy and grateful for the opportunity to learn and experience a different culture. It is such a blessing. Also I can see such an advantage in having a Dominican companion because she can instantly understand and connect with our less actives and our investigators because they share the same culture.  There is no switching cultures for the most part.  I now understand why it is so important that people from their own country serve in their own country. They can understand their own people and help them in a way that foreigners can't. It has been really cool to watch and learn from her. And it is funny because she is pretty much my Dominican twin! 

     Also, funny moment, we were walking down a callejon like an alleyway and I hear dogs barking in the opposite direction, so I tense because it sounds like they are running towards us. But it was not dogs! A HORSE comes running from the opposite direction and we just hugged the wall to not get hit.=) haha who would've thought! 

     Also it poured this week, and I really didn't want to get wet that day, so for the first time I got to use my poncho! What made it better was that my companion had one too! We matched! Except it was a hilarious sight because we had to put our bags under too so we had these huge bulges. Haha, we DID NOT GET WET! That is a WIN!

Love you guys!

Hna. Carey

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

     Well, this week was interesting......we were having a lesson with a less active member when her pregnant neighbor faints. They go to help her and then get kicked out of her house. After, as we are about to start the lesson, the same lady who had fainted comes out and and tells us you're not of my religion right? Do you know why I'm doing this?" And I panicked.  So... I wide eyed told her no and then she throws HOLY WATER on us! Yep.....holy water kept in a 7-UP soda bottle. I was terrified. It is a first though.....and on the bright side it was super hot so it was rather refreshing.

      There has been a killer heat wave that has swept the DR.  We are walking in 100 degree weather! Wow....I've never been so hot in my life! We have to use umbrellas to save us from being horribly burnt! IT'S SO HOT HERE!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone is dying of heat and it will just get hotter! Also two days ago my companion and I got two giant water tanks (the blue ones that we use for food storage) and filled them up with a bucket of cold water and got inside. It's that hot! Since we don't really have a bathtub we improvised=)

     Also a few weeks ago Ramon got baptized!!!!! He was an investigator that Hna blanch and I were teaching in Esperanza! I wasn't able to go to it but I'm so happy he got baptized!!! I got to talk to Hna Blanch again this week and she told me that another girl named Winnifer is going to be baptized this Saturday!!!!! We had just started teaching her when I got transferred out. It's sad that I don't get to be there or that I didn't get to finish teaching them but I'm so happy they are getting baptized!!!!!!!!!! So exciting!!!!!!!!  I just don't get to be there for them and that's sad.  I feel like everyone gets baptized after I leave. But I was talking to Hna bates and she told me something really nice.  She said that the Lord doesn't just give the glory to one person.  He brings in and takes out missionaries to remind us that it is His work and not our work. I really think that is true.   If we baptized everyone then we might start to think that it is just us and not Him.=) He´s smart that way=)

    Mom, before I forget! I WANT STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE WHEN I GET HOME!!!!!!!! I'm telling you early so that you can freeze one.  YOU HAVE TOO!!!!!!!!! THAT IS ALL I WANT!!!!!!! They don't freaking do pie here!!!!!!

     Alright so this week....I actually barely remember. It's funny that it is all just a blur. Well I'm still learning my area so that's fun! I'm way better at directions than when I left! I'm still terrible but it is progress! Also a funny moment of the week, I was on exchanges with Hna Bates(who was with me in the CCM) and is now my sister leader so that was SUPER FUN! Okay so we both are new in our areas and her companion was sick and they helped us last week with our numbers when I had dengue so we went out and proselyted in BOTH of our areas. My companion was with Hna Bates´ companion so we went out kind of almost blind. We got lost in both of our areas....But it was really a miracle because as we were lost a lady comes up to us from the US and starts talking to us in English! She just lives here for fun, living off of a budget and doesn't have to work and just lives, enjoys life and tries to be a good christian person. It was so cool! We have an appt. with her for Tues. Then again we were lost and apparently God knew we weren't going to get to the house we were looking for so He sent us a member to help us. We were just walking along and it is one of the few members that I could recognize and helped take us to the house we were looking for.  I learned that even when you have two missionaries walking almost blind, the Lord will still direct your paths and footsteps and send others to help you, because the same thing happened when we  were lost in the area of Hna Bates! The Lord really is so mindful of His missionaries!  

     Also we had interviews this week! It is my last interview with Pres. Douglas! I'll have a new president for my last transfer of my mission. But it was really incredible to talk to him and I told him that I only have 3 transfers left including this one. And he goes what? It seems like it was just only a couple months ago that you were crying in my office! And it was so funny because it feels like an eternity for me. Well it depends... it kind of also feels like I've always been a missionary and I always will be! Which I guess that is true.... it really doesn't end.=) a

    

 President said I got more difficult companions now because and he told me that I can do it and that he believes in me. Yeah......I think it's because I'm rather mellow.....and yes it will be very difficult to see him go. He has done a lot of good in this mission and Hna Douglas has saved the sisters of the mission. He actually told me that it is common for sisters to go home in other missions but not in ours and he thinks that it is because of Hna Douglas. I think so too! She is amazing!

     Today we had a super soak capture the flag P day and it was super fun, but I was soaked before we even started the game.....I started it but the elders sure did finish it and yes....I was very wet......

So.......want to know something funny? My companion asked Pres for permission to have a pet turtle......we now have a pet turtle.......also there are a zillion cockroaches in my kitchen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is NOT OKAY.   But that's pretty much it for the week!=) I love you guys! =)

Mom,

Hey guess what happened to me this week! You really do have to guess!

I HAD FREAKING DENGUE FEVER THIS WEEK. THAT SUCKED! I got a light version but I had this huge rash all over my body and I had no idea what was going on. 

     YEP!  Sorry mom..... I know that normal missionaries get things like a cold or a sore throat but I'm just a little more special. I had the craziest rash! It was so weird! I also had a fever and body and eye pain....I was in the house for three days......so that was an adventure.....the rash was just freaky. I looked like a Dalmatian. But I had a light version because you can get it worse. And I was put on the dengue fever list that the Mission has of missionaries who have had it once.  On the bright side I'm really great friends with the mission nurse.=) I'm doing good now. I just had to stay in the house for three days and my fever didn't even get that high and for that I was very grateful.  But my sister leaders made me guyaba juice. One of my sister leaders is Sister Bates who is in my group! She was in the CCM with me! That is so fun!

    I bought eyeliner and mascara today..... it made me very happy.  I miss all of my makeup a lot but I don't want to buy any more here in case it gets infected. I really just miss being able to wash my face with sink water. I also bought paper, colored pencils and pens! We did crafts today for p day! It was so fun!!!!!!!! I miss being creative and having time for that too!

     My companion last week (after we left the Internet center) called the President to have a change in companions.  She was only with me for 6 freaking hours! But President said no =) It was funny though because she told President that I was too flechona - which means like a straight arrow.  So yes, she really did call President to complain that I was TOO obedient and she just wasn't accustomed to that.  I thought it was really funny and I took it as a compliment.=) She also said she wanted another companion who had  served as long as I have...just someone different than me.   And so far....she also likes to ditch me, like my last companion did.

     But.... I just don't know what the heck to do with her. If I mention a rule or anything to her she says that I'm forcing it upon her. But I don't mention anything when she's just personally disobedient.  I only mention it when it affects my obedience too.. (like proselyting in the mornings) so I don't know what to do.  I think I just have to learn to work with limitations and be as obedient as I can with these limitations that I have. And I'll just get to know my scriptures better in all that extra time.  Also I found the cutest thing for you!

MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM

                                                      HI=) 

Love you,

Leah

   Mom,

  Good news......I found Dad a nice t-shirt to bring home, I bought Chinese food and I had some really good grape juice! And General Conference was amazing! I loved it! I got to watch it in English with one of my CCM companions Hna Bowen! It was way fun!  
     Alright, so the regular news of the week. My third area lasted all of three weeks. Transfers came and I'm in La Vega now.  Oh yeah I think this will be my last area.  I've heard all good things. Everyone wants to go to La Vega. It's a city but it's a poor city.  So I've been told to not walk around with a lot of jewelry on. That's funny, I sure do stick out. With the transfer I got a new companion.  When I left my old companion Hna Santiago this morning she was almost in tears and she thanked me and told me that I was a good companion to her and that she knows her weaknesses but that she learned a lot and that I helped her and she loved me. It really made me think and surprised me. It's really a tender mercy that she actually noticed that I really did try. Fasting, praying and everything.  I love her too..... just from a distance.
     My new companion (as of this morning) flat out told me that she won't leave to proselyte in the morning with me and that if I wanted to go out in the morning I could find someone else to do it with. I just looked at her and went, well, we are going to have problems then. It'll be interesting.....I think President and God are picking on me...=) This is ridiculous.=)   I think she is testing to see how far she can push me. But I've learned a lot of things in my mission and I don't budge so easily anymore about those things.  I have learned a lot about the first two commandments. Love God and love your neighbor but never get the order switched around. Anyways I love you!

Love,

Leah