Flooded Streets and P-day Adventure!

A good, cool week here in La Romana!  Finally!  It has rained a little on a off, so it has been humid but the sun hasn't been killing us this week! Yay!

On Tuesday it rained quite a bit and the streets started to flood so we were walking in the water, well trying to avoid it as best as possible.  But I just kept laughing, I thought it was just a funny thing.  We were hugging walls to support us as we tried to go around the water!

Here in Villa Verde we are starting to work with the members more and more as they are such an important part of mission work, especially the retention.  We have quite a few members that go with us to lessons so that is so helpful and helps our investigators to feel more comfortable.

My and my companion

I had my first batida de mango this week and it was oh so divine.  It is mango, carnation, vanilla, sugar, and ice.  Everyone raved about them and I finally got to taste the magic.  There are so many mango trees here and the mangos are starting to ripen so we will be eating lots of mango!  I didn't really know how to eat one so it was really funny the first time!  Picture attached.

We are currently working with a young man named Yuni.  He is the best.  He is 13 years old and lives close to a couple of members.  He has received an answer that this church is true, but he won't accept a baptismal date.  I think some things with being young worry him.  But he was so cute he kept asking us in our last lesson about our baptism and our feelings so that was a fun spiritual moment!  He has such a good heart and will be a great member.  We continue to work with him and help him be ready to make a covenant with God.

Tomorrow we have zone conference in the capital and President asked each area if they had recent converts that could come.  We have one named Mauricio that is complete gold.  So loyal and knowledgeable and is preparing for a mission.  He is 16 and when we asked him to come he gladly accepted and said he won't be able to sleep the night before because he is so excited!  I just smiled at that!

Us with our thumbs down when our p-day attraction was closed.

As for P-day today we planned something super fun and in nature.  We called a taxi and we had some problems with him finding where we were so that took a while.  Then when we got in the taxi and said where we wanted to go he asked us if we had $25 and our passports because that is what we needed to get to this place.  We all said no and asked if there was another place.  He offered a suggestion and we called the assistants to ask permission.  They said yes and off we went.  Well on our way there was a dog in the street and he hit it.  It was horrible!  Then we got to the place and it was closed.  What a great p-day.  When I try to do something bad things happen!  haha.  But we were just in the back of the car laughing at what was happening!  But hopefully next p-day is better!  But poor dog!

Well that was my week in a nutshell.  We have been working really hard and see miracles everyday. It is the Lords work and he gets it done in his way in his time!  Thank you all for your love and support! Have a great week!

Love,
Hermana Steed

My companion and I with other sisters in our zone at the mission office.

The sunrise outside of my window

My companion and I,

7 months and New Area!

Another week has come and gone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday and had time to think about our Savior Jesus Christ, that He lives!  What wonderful knowlege that is!

People dont really celebrate Easter that big here, just Holy Week in general.  So I saw lots of people in swimming pools in the streets spending time with their families.  Also a tradition here is that they make habichuelas con dulce.  Sweet beans!  It sounds so weird but they are so good.  But one day we had 3 people offer them so I was really sweet and plump that day!

We had transfers so I am now in my new area with my new companion.  I am still in Villa Verde just the other part of the ward boundry  so it was a weird change.  It didnt really feel like a change but yet it did because all the people changed.

My companion Hermana Lana is from Minas, Gerais Brazil.  It is central Brazil is what she told me.  She is 19 and the youngest of 6 in her family.  We are getting along well and working together.

We have quite a few investigators I am still working on getting to know them all and understanding each of their situations.  We had a lesson with one of our investigators named Miguel.  He is about 30 years old and lives by himself.  We taught him about the Book of Mormon and he accepted a baptismal date for next month so that was exciting!  We also are teaching a family.  A couple and 2 little children.  They are really interested and want to come to church!  Yay!  I am excited to see what this transfer holds, good things!

I had a few mouse and rat situations this week.  One day we were sitting outside with a recent convert and someone came out of their house smacking a broom on the ground then I saw it!  I nice mouse!  I jumped up knocking my chair over and gave a little scream.  As did everyone else around me!  It was funny.  Also we were walking the other day in the street and my companion just stopped and gave a wail.  then I saw it.  I nice huge flattened rat in the road that had been run over.  It was huge!  Ew, yes ew!

One day this week in my personal study I studied about adversity.  In True to the Faith it gives the example found in 1 Nephi 16:15-32 when the bows of Nephi, laman, and Lemuel break.  it talks about how we can deal with adversity.  We can either complain and ask why is this happening to me or we can ask ourselves what can I learn, what does the Lord want me to learn, whom can I help?  I really enjoyed this perspective and example in the scriptures.  What an amazing gift the Book of Mormon is and scripture in general.  We can learn so much and be given so much strength if we read every day.  I challenge you all to read and pray everyday and I promise you will receive a new light in your life and more blessings.  God always wants to bless us, but we must first keep His commandments!

Well I hope you all had a great week and have another great week!  Enjoy it!

Love,
Hermana Steed

Companion Exchange after Companion Exchange!

Hermana Howard, she is from my
MTC group and I at the immigration
office!

Hello Family and friends,

This week was an interesting one.  As a result of my companion going home tomorrow she had so many meetings and things to go to this week that I had so many companion exchanges.  Also I had to go to the capital on Wednesday night to be ready to go to the immigration office for my visa.  So I really was not in my area much this week.  But I got to come to Higuey another part of the country so that was fun to get to know another area a little bit!

My district!

As for transfers I will be finishing Hermana Lana´s training and will be switching areas.  It is pretty funny actually.  So for the past six weeks I was in the area Villa Verde A.  In my house lives 4 sisters: us and the sisters from Villa Verde B.  I will be switching areas to Villa Verde B.  So just the other half of the city!  I will be moving my stuff from one room to the other in our house!  But yes I will be finishing training.  Hermana Lana is from Brazil.  I am excited I think it will be a great fun experience.  It is really cool because we already know each other a little bit, but now I can learn more about her!  She is great and has a wonderful sweet spirit!  But yes they will be white washing my area that I have been in. 

Lots of changes but I am excited to start this transfer off with lots of energy and find those people prepared to come unto Christ!  Yesterday we received 2 references from a member!  Pure gold in a missionaries eyes!  Sadly I will be leaving the area, but what a great way to start off for the new missionaries!

Well I will let you know how it all goes next week! Thank you all for your love and support!  I encourage you alll to read the Book of Mormon and learn more about its truthfulness everyday, what a wonderful gift it is!

Love,

Hermana Steed

A cruise ship that docked in Higuey

A cathedral that is a tourist spot

Another bug that likes to come into our house

 

What an amazing General Conference!!!

Dear Family and Friends,

Some of the sisters when we had a conference
with Elder Andersen.

What a great General Conference weekend we had!  We were blessed to hear from the Lords apostles and prophet.  The themes that stood out to me were those of Faith and listening to the Holy Ghost.  We can accomplish so much by our Faith in our Savior Jesus Christ.  Faith truly is a principle of power and the Holy Ghost plays such an important role in each of our lives and is such a special gift as we remain worthy of it.  And of course I think one of the favorite talks of every missionary was one of a seventy when he invited all investigators to be baptized as it will change their lives forever.  So powerful!  I was blessed to watch the conference in English with other missionaries so that was really nice!  We are so blessed to be able to hear the actual voices of the apostles and prophets, something I always took for granted!  But I hope you all enjoyed General Conference and had the opportunity to watch or read all the talks.  I hope you all took some things and will apply them to your life so that we can all progress and become better people through our Savior Jesus Christ.

One thing this week was as we passed by members I love asking them how they came to know the church and eventually become a member.  I love hearing their sweet stories of opposition and pure joy as well as they come unto Christ and find the truth in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, truly the Church of our Savior Jesus Christ.

The ocean is so blue here

This week when we had our district meeting I saw the Branch President from Yamasa.  President Ramirez and he updated me a bit on Franchesca, one of my sweet investigators there!  They have been working with her family to receive permission for her to be baptized and have been making some progress.  I called my old companion who still is in Yamasa and she said that they made progress in one direction, but now another member of the family doesn’t want to give permission.  I love her so much and I know that she will be baptized in the time that the Lord wants her to be.  She is so special to me and I know the Lord is watching over her.  She is so strong and such a great example.  But it was a great highlight of my week to hear about the progress that is happening with her!

Something funny this week was in between the sessions of conference on Sunday we were eating with a member and she asked if I had tried pata de pollo before.  Well those of you who know Spanish know that this is chicken feet.  People love it here, not all but many.  Well I tried chicken feet!  I wouldn’t say that I would never eat it again, but also I would never say that I would crave chicken feet.  It doesn’t have any meet really so I am not sure what I was eating, but I am living and it was a fun experience!

We have found more people to teach this week and are trying to work with more youth so it should be a good busy week!  

Hopefully there will be more to report next week!

Have a wonderful first week of April!

Love,

Hermana Steed

Zapote is a weird fruit here that is delicious and
makes great batidas (smoothie, shake things)