Week 41

Hi Everyone!

Well just like that and we are on the last week of the transfer! It has really flown by!! This week started out kind of tough. We had 3 straight days of contacting because every lesson we had scheduled fell through. Even with Vaquero! We were really struggling to keep motivated but we were able to stick to it and when Wednesday rolled around we started to have some lessons and actually made a few really good contacts. Then Thursday we went out to Vaquero's house again to see what the heck was going on with him (remember he is progressing but didn't come to church last Sunday and was nowhere to be found when we went to our scheduled lesson with him.) So he opened the door and he was SUUUPER sick!! He has Chikungunya. I have no idea how to spell that but it’s a disease very common in the DR from mosquitoes but it’s not that common here. You start out with flu like symptoms and a really high fever for a few days, then you are just drained and when you are almost healed your body breaks out into a rash and all your joints ache. The pain in your joints comes and goes for the next 2-3 years!  So the poor guy had that but he told us that he wants us to come by tomorrow. So we went to his house and we had a little lesson with him and after he started telling us how grateful he was for us. He said that he knows this is right and he isn't going to let any of these challenges (like getting stabbed with a rusty nail, or getting Chikungunya) stop him from doing what he knows is right. He said he had been reading a lot lately because he doesn't have much else to do and he knows that this is the true church. We then shared our testimonies with him and the spirit was so strong and it was much needed after the beginning of the week we had. Who would have known an answer to a prayer would have come from a special investigator. He came to church this week too even with his sickness!  Don't worry its not contagious but he really is a great guy! I wish you could meet him/communicate with him

It’s interesting that the First Presidency is emphasizing Sabbath day observance because that is needed out here BIG TIME. The small branches just don't quite know what they are doing and sometimes they are off the mark a little. In my branch in the DR I had to explain to the Branch President and the rest of the leaders that the sacrament is an ordinance and that the words needed to be said correctly, not "close enough" Then I had to go and explain to them what an ordinance was. It’s kinda weird how we take the strong leadership (like you, dad) for granted back home. This week my branch president and his wife had questions about the plan of salvation because they weren't sure if we were resurrected and also weren't sure about some things about the spirit world. We explained it to them and then I gave them a big list a scriptures that talk about the different resurrections and stuff and told her to read Alma 40 and it’s just kinda crazy to me how different the church is here! But this branch is awesome and it is working very hard! Hope the 25th ward is doing well too!

Also Papiamento is coming along, but it’s a weird language!!

Love,

Elder Harsh