Hello Everyone.

Whats up everyone,

Im still safe and sound here even though there has been a couple shootings from gangs here. hahah Nothing to worry about. It is in another area. HAHAHA. Well Im doing great here, were are still working hard aand having sucess. This saturday we are going to have 3 baptisms. We felt that one guy wasnt ready yet. So We are thinking next week. We are also going to be having transfers this week. I dont know whats going to happen. It depends on if Elder Russell leaves. If he doesnt he will spend 5 transfers in this area to finish his mission. So I hoping he will leave because trust me he will loose all his desire to work. But it is in the lords hands. I know that for sure. Well I ate great this week. Elder Russell and I made super think Rice Krispie treats, Brownies with peanut butter on top, and Today I finished it off with a 2 dollar california steak. WOOOhOOOO. I love the Capital. We are also having much fun with the other elders in our zone. We have P'Day eve and sleep over at the Zone Leaders house with the other 2 missionaries too that live there. I really am making some great friends here. We also have sweet activities that the zone puts on. The work is aweosome here. We are contacting and then getting rid of the weak people. But we really are finding hidden gems. We found a 22 year old man contacting the other week. His name is Elvis. He was taught by the missionaries over 2 years ago but was lost when transfers came and the area was whitewashed. He is awesome and loves the gospel. Well today is a thing called Carnival. It means everyone goes to the center of the capital or the campo for 3 days and get drunk. They all dress up it costumes. It is very similar to halloween but without candy. It is going to be a huge party. Well thats about it. Im really excited for Drew nad for Terese and I wish them the best of luck in there marriage.

Peace Out,

Elder Spud

Hello Everyone.

Whats up everyone,

Im still safe and sound here even though there has been a couple shootings from gangs here. hahah Nothing to worry about. It is in another area. HAHAHA. Well Im doing great here, were are still working hard aand having sucess. This saturday we are going to have 3 baptisms. We felt that one guy wasnt ready yet. So We are thinking next week. We are also going to be having transfers this week. I dont know whats going to happen. It depends on if Elder Russell leaves. If he doesnt he will spend 5 transfers in this area to finish his mission. So I hoping he will leave because trust me he will loose all his desire to work. But it is in the lords hands. I know that for sure. Well I ate great this week. Elder Russell and I made super think Rice Krispie treats, Brownies with peanut butter on top, and Today I finished it off with a 2 dollar california steak. WOOOhOOOO. I love the Capital. We are also having much fun with the other elders in our zone. We have P'Day eve and sleep over at the Zone Leaders house with the other 2 missionaries too that live there. I really am making some great friends here. We also have sweet activities that the zone puts on. The work is aweosome here. We are contacting and then getting rid of the weak people. But we really are finding hidden gems. We found a 22 year old man contacting the other week. His name is Elvis. He was taught by the missionaries over 2 years ago but was lost when transfers came and the area was whitewashed. He is awesome and loves the gospel. Well today is a thing called Carnival. It means everyone goes to the center of the capital or the campo for 3 days and get drunk. They all dress up it costumes. It is very similar to halloween but without candy. It is going to be a huge party. Well thats about it. Im really excited for Drew nad for Terese and I wish them the best of luck in there marriage.

Peace Out,

Elder Spud

I love my Life!

Well everything is great here in the Ghetto of Santo Domingo. My area is very nice compared to the others in the Zone. Elder Russell and I are still continuing to meet our goals. We now have 6 baptismal dates. 4 on the 1st of March the same Day as Andrew´s wedding. And we also have dates for the 15 and 29 of March. We are really seeing the fruits of working hard. We are working hard trying to get members in our lessons and it has paid off. Those people are way more prepared. I also have a story that I would love to share with you all: A little bit over a week ago we were walking down a street and a guy stoped us and said in English ¨Why dont you guys ever stop here and talk to us¨, and then my companion said because we have never been invited. We talked with him and learned that the place we were in was a home or clinic for drug addicts. They go there for help and live there. The man we talked to was Nestor. We is the oldest one there and is the leader of them all. He is pretty much a staff member. We talked to him about what we do and he loved it. So he invited us to teach everyone the next saturday. So this last saturday we went adn taught an awesome lesson with them. It was one of the better times I really felt the spirit in my mission. It was quiet and all eyes adn ears were focus. THey want something to hold on too and Jesus Christ is the key. He will never leave us and he is our biggest suppot. We had grerat interactions with them and they help us teach the lesson. Because they learn more if the teach themselves. THey all shared their feelings on hte matter and we really began to understand the importance of Prophets and how badly needed was a restoration of the Gospel. Being filled with the spirit I bore my testimony of Jospeh Smith and how this is the church of Jesus Christ. I could feel the power and the influance of the Holy Ghost as I fought away tears and bore my Testimony to 19 drug addicts whos lives are in a despret need of repair. I was really humbled for the good choices I had made in my life before my mission. I am so thankful for all my Family, teachers and Friends that helped me stay on the right path. This is such a beautiful Gospel. I know I need to appreciate it more adn wok harder to bring others to the Gospel. We will continue to work with those men adn try to put them on the right path. This is such a beautiful message and I am so deeply grateful to my Heavenly Father for the opportunity to be here in the Dominican Republic. We have awesome investigators who really are understanding the importance of the restoration. We are teaching to young men who can teach us the lessons better than we can. The really remember everything and are excited to be baptized. Also We are working with an older Lady of about 55 years old. She had been with many missionaries before and never commited to baptism. She now has commited adn we are trying to help her see the blessings of being a member. She cant help but smile. This last week we have found some great futre investigators. I really learned the importance of following the spirit. And following my feelings. We meet to wonderful families because I had stoped and said ¨Lets go back behind here¨ It really is amazing how just going a little fathre or backtracting a couple of steps we can find hidden treasures. We found a family of a husband and wife and a 20 year old son. THe son had been with the missionaries before but the area was white washed and he was lost because no records were kept. We told us he loved the visits and had read teh Book of Mormon. He really has excitment to hear from us again. We also found a nice beatiful big family behind some bigger houses. This house is halfe underground adn half above. The fatehr was very inteested in the family adn about this special message. This has been a great week and we are hoping to keep up the good work.

Have a great week

Elder Spud

Hey Everyone

Hey Everyone,

 

Im writing today because we had p day today instead of tommorow. Tommorow are interviews with the President. Im really excited. I always love to take to the President and have a little more excitment to go work a littler harder and a little longer. Right now I love my area. Elder Russell is really coming around. I heard from the assistants that the President was scared putting me with him but that I could also help him turn around. I think the latter is working. This week we taught the most lessons I have taught in my mission and we put 2 baptismals dates. My legs are starting to get weary but I know that the Lord will give me stregnth. He always does. Elder Russell and I are really working well together though, we love to talk and joke around with eachother but we know when its time to be serious. I think thats why we are working well together because we are having fun and also becoming sucessfull. Today we played a little basketball and talk with the Zone to get a little more united. There are 3 of the 5 elders in my group that are in my zone. I think thats really cool that they can be with me and we can share stories and sucess. Also my old Zone Leader is in the Zone. I really look up to him and I learned tons from him. Well we watched the World Wide Leadership broadcast and I learned tons. I learned of many things that I can use about the family. The Family rarely exists. Usually it is unmarried couples with children or no man at all. It is hard for the work to progress because we need men to be holders of the priesthood and also for them to be married by the law. Their is something here that they call " Married by the Window" this means that they are Husband and Wife but with out the civil papers. So technecally they arent married and so this is a goal for many families to get married.  This next week we are going to try and have 3 more baptismal dates. Well I love spanish and love the people. I can talk with anyone now and have got nice compliments. Actually people have said that I have better spanish then Elder Russell, but I dont think so. I still have tons to learn. I love reading the scriptures. Especially the Book of Mormon. It really is beautiful and I find new things every time that I read it. Well I what you all to know that We are working hard here and we are trying hard to reach our goals. I hope you all have a nice week.

 

 

Elder Spudwick

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Hola.

Well everything Is great here. Im having an excellent time here in my mission. The work is a little slow here but we are working hard to speed it up. We have 1 baptismal date right now and we are going to try to get 3 more this week. We also had 8 investigators in church. Whooooohoooo. Well thats the hardest thing in the mission, getting people in the church. But we are working hard. A lot harder then he has. He's used to all day p-days and all day no work sundays. Thats not going to fly under my watch. HE is very cool though i think im having the most fun with him. He is a psyco though. He is super hyper and is exactly like Jim Carrey the actor. hahaha. Today for pday we went to the zoo. Lets just say I went inside the rinocerous pit and took a picture. Ill show you. Dont worry im ok./ Im just being me. I also got a rock thrown at me by a chimpanse named Toby. This monkey also does bacd stuff with his hand and it starts with an M. It was funny. I also played tug of war with a Jaguar. That also I have pictures. hahahah. Dont woory im still have all my limbs. But I also 170 pounds of pure muscle. Im gaining a little. I think Ill gain more in hte capital too because they actually have things to buy. I do mis the good old Nizao though. I was talking to Elder Gonzalez last night and they are going to baptize 2 people on the 9th that we were teaching. So that is cool. I love everyday of my mission and am really seeing how the lord blesses us. It is awesome if we can just think of the little things. Im also learning of how hte lord works in mysterious ways. I love you all and I hope i can get some pictures up soon.

Elder Anderson