Quick, let's go to the clinic

Arrived Nov 18, 2015

Love you more than….

Our uno party last night for P-day eve! Gracias a Emily for passing down the family missionary-set of uno cards

Marisol birthday cake (the one we made on top of the one they made)
and I thought of my mom and her birthday

This week went like this. Weekly planning and baking a birthday cake for the return missionera member Marisol at the church, using the ELECTRIC oven!! 

Chachi making frosting with our old blender, then it flicked up and covered the walls!
I licked it off the table and blender. YUMMM

We went to a pueblo outside of Dajabon and pretty much walked for two hours taught a lesson then walked for two more. At least the night ended with (moms) birthday cake. Our recent convert came with us to teach a menos activo and also our investigator Yefri. Yefri told us that he knows this is true and he wants to be baptized, it’s just only a matter of time. I’m trying to learn patience and also hope that he feels ready for our goal of the 28th or at least within this transfer. We have had some confusion with some of the members and investigators and inactives, bless their hearts they get upset when we don’t visit them, when they want us to and when they didn’t use their telephones to call us. 

The people here have a strong connection with the missionaries. Our 10-yea-old investigator Yamile is amazing. We had a cosecha or harvest with the ward and though it was nice finding inactives. We had been hoping for investigators. Marisol is using her return missionary experience and mexican accent to help us. She came with us to teach lessons and everything fell through. It’s the infamous missionary curse, happens every time you work with members or are on intercambios with the zone leaders. It was hard, but we finally made it to a dinner with our  missionary leader. We then went and got brownies but were followed by the other companionship and so we humbly shared our amaaaaazing brownies. Marisol brought Yamile, our 10 year old investigator to church and we brought Yeffri and it was and amazing Sunday. We had a charla foganera that night, which is a fireside and even though it was supposed to have a outcome of possible investigators, it was still a good time. We finally had our zone reunion, they have been decreased, so we hardly ever get our mail and see our zone, but that’s okay. We watched the Joseph Smith restoration video with Hermana Morena for a noche de hogar or family night and I love that video so much. 

This made me laugh. It is so true! And I promise i'll do better with letters.
I'll respond to every email I get. PROMISE!

That is pretty much it, but a really funny thing happened. The other day we were sharing a lesson and as we go to pray I get this tiny nose bleed of like four drops and the lady freaks out and is like “quick lets go to the clinic” also known as the house across the street that is apparently a clinic. Our house is more of a clinic than that. Anyway, the people are making me sit there in the house all the while Elder Dickson is just chuckling and we are trying to avoid all the “HIV test” and “importance of birth control” posters. The nurse and doctor, I think, in street clothes gave me a orientation and diagnostic that I would need a blood test and they shoved paper towels up my nose. It was the smallest bloody nose, but it turned into a big deal, especially when Elder Dickson is laughing and the nurse says stop making fun of your comp and our menos activa is fussing over me trying to get me to tilt my head back. I was supposed to go to the university’s lab today and get a blood test, but as soon as we left the clinic, I ripped the non-bloody towels out of my nose and set-up my mind not to go. We spent the next ten minutes laughing about how happy we are for American doctors and singing Godbless the USA and then played basketball this morning instead of the blood test. Keep quiet though so the clinic doesn’t come looking for me. 

Scripture mastery. Genesis 2:24 Man and wife shall cleave unto each other. I can’t express how much the D.R. needs strong families and simple family help with school and growing up. The country has so much potential, but is stuck in like an awkward teenage stage because they don’t know where they are going for sure. The eternities are built upon the principle that families are forever. The stronger a family is the more growth and the greater the blessings. The gospel is true and families is one of the greatest principles of forever. 

Cuídate! Con amor Elder sHEFFIELD

--

Elder Andrew W. Sheffield

I learned to make Tambarino juice

Arrived Nov 11, 2015

Love you more than… Pat pat hugs and "hammer hammer shake shake theres a fly in your eye"!! Happy (Late) Birthday Mom!!! Thanks for never giving up on me after all these years of being grumpy and stubborn. You are the greatest mom in the whole world. For your present you get the hugs and handshake but you’ll have to wait till a lil’ while for them.

Beach service project

This week in a wrap for me, better than expected. So I was super nervous for taking on all the responsibilities that come with being the experienced elder of the area. I was stressing that I’d have to show my new companion Elder Dickson the area and take the lead in lessons and everything, but it turned out great. I think that its good I’m worried about these things and stress a bit, but it’s also good that I get shown that it all works out and goes well. Elder Rojas and I looted all of our old zone leaders stuff that he left behind, I learned how to make Tambarino juice and learned not to pick green mangos.

Tambarino or as I call it  "sausage fruit" is kin of sour but I can't really explain it.
Elder Rojas says that it is pretty common in Mexican culture as well and that they sell powdered versions
in Utah, that he would make all the time. Try and find some and taste it.

Elder Rojas new companion Elder De La Cruz is Dominican and pretty much our personal chef. We have been eating a lot more rice with spaghetti or chicken. We had a branch activity where Elder Dickson showed up all the tigres off the street how we really play ball. He played for Logan High school, and is pretty good. We showed our new companions the mercado and the Haitian border, which both just take a few minutes to walk to from our house. Elder Dickson isn’t helping my temptation to get a, excuse my language, “a stinkin waffle maker”! We’ll see what happens. Elder Dickson has a gift with joking around with the people and making friends with people really fast. I’m excited to learn this from him and get closer with the people, even just on this temporal part of the work. 

Service in Monzenillo

Beach service project

We had a big service project at the beach in Monzenillo with the branches in our zone. It will probably be the last time since there is a new rule that missionaries here can’t go to the beach, except for occasions like this. We met some Americans from Wisconsin there and spent like the whole day there, which was a little frustrating and boring, but it was good. We found a new investigator, the daughter of an inactive who is the smartest ten year-old ever. She pretty much memorized the pamphlet and explained prophets almost better than I can. We hope we can reactivate the family and get her baptized. More of the inactives came to church this week but Jeffri and Andi still haven’t come more than once. They know a lot, but kind’a lack the testimony/desire which is sad and a little frustrating. Elder De La Cruz has spent hours cleaning our front and back yards and one day a lady walked up and asked if we had just bought the abandoned house haha, we are gonna do better with keeping things clean now. The owner of the Colmado that I call the Mormon corner has started asking us to come by and read the Book of Mormon in English with her to help her learn more and get a better accent. It is weird to read out loud and say prayers out loud in English. The other day we had a lot of left over lunch, so Elder Rojas decided to find the nearest Haitians and give them some food. We found some young boys and in the end we got a free shoe shine from it! Elder Dickson and I have gotten really close to the “cement of the branch” family and spent a while laughing and talking with them, they are gonna show us the area more and we are going to make birthday cake for one of them. (I’m really making it for you mom) Today we spent a while cleaning the house and talking of home and sports since Dajabon doesn’t have a lot of things to do. My new camera cord isn’t working today so maybe no pictures for a while, sorry I don’t know what’s up with my camera cord issues. 

Ponderism/scripture mastery. The first one in Genisis. We have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the earth. God created us in his own image. We were physically made for this life. I sometimes use a Elder Sheffield parable of a jeep, jeeps are made to travel off road in hard circumstances. We too were destined for this life. Yes there are hard times but we were made to carry these burdens and not only carry them, but grow stronger. The gospel is for progression and so we get all these burdens to help us, to ask for help and work on our path to become perfect as He is. And the best thing about it is that you don’t have to become perfect quickly, the only way to lose is to give up. We are here to live life, slowly grow through struggles and all we have to do is continue forward until we are perfect! Que maravillosa es nuestro viaje aquí! 

Areas in the mission

Love you. Love my nearly perfect, amazing, one-year-older mother and "that's my mamas cookin’ mm mmm good! Delicious Slurp!" With love

--

Elder Andrew W. Sheffield

Elder Dickson and I eating NOT cheap, but good "Bon Ice Cream"

There is a lot of work to do, but there is potential...

Love you more than…My sour orange jack-o-lantern.

It took me about half an hour to carve the softball sized orange from our tree in the back yard but I finally did and then lit it up using a flashlight.

This crazy week in review. 

Started out with more Habichuelas Con Dulce. A nice old lady member, who talks like some language I’ve never heard (they say she speaks Spanish), invited us over to eat it. It was cold this time and made from black beans, but still delicioso. Carbonera is still Carbonera. I learned about Elder Coombs mission life/back story and I feel sorry for him. His trainer didn’t speak any English and elder coombs took a long time to speak Spanish. Although they are both great they didn’t get along to well because of the language barrier. Elder Coombs had a really hard time feeling like he was progressing and the area was failing, so it was going to be closed and his companion was loosing the will to work as hard and so everything just added up making it really rough. Elder Coombs step-dad/second companion was really loose with the rules and though they both spoke English, Elder Coombs had problems with getting his comp to leave with him to work. All in all, Elder Coombs had a rough time and we have kinda been learning how to teach and become missionaries together.

 

Trimming Elder Coombs hair

"Ginger" Elder Coombs a.k.a. Syndrome (No, not Vyronic) from "Incredibles"

We went to the Mercado again where I got even better at haggling and got five ties for fifty pesos or a dollar. I had also lost my camera cord for computers so I got a new one. Our 18 year-old guy investigator named Anderson is turning into a golden investigator! He has questions about demons and the power of la palabra de dios, but it just makes him so curious to learn and ask questions and read our pamphlet and everything. Elder Coombs and I started teaching exactly like how “Preach My Gospel” says to, and it has helped us get really great lessons. We had a branch lunch/feast of spaghetti and arroz amarillo and then started a branch fast right after on Saturday afternoon. I had a great spiritual experience with a menos activo named Bolivar. We were teaching him about being an example to his kids, and I shared with him that in my life I’ve come to look up to my parents example for me as I’ve grown. Sometimes us kids are tigres (rascals) but having a good example from parents is priceless. Thanks fam for helping teach lessons with me ;) On Sunday our Carbonera menos activo came to church for his second consecutive time and passed the sacrament!! That family is turning into one of our favorites and coming back into the gospel more.

 

Lunch at the Branch before our Sunday Fast

Sunday started our saying goodbye to people since we have our three areas and we wouldn’t find out who leaves till Tuesday. It was weird having both Elder Coombs and I saying goodbye in case the other left. We got boxing lessons for a few minutes from Nerieda’s daughter who kick boxes/karate/I’m not sure. Tia Tati made us Sancocho as a goodbye meal, and promised that whoever stays would get Boruga, I’m not sure what that is. 

Boxing lessons

Great last lessons with Jeffri and Maria and Frammi and took pictures with them. Hermana Alcantara invited us over to dinner to eat spagetti and enjoy her Chrismas decorations and be tempted by her constantly running tv of disney and american movies. 

Christmas Tree at Hermana Illuminada

 Big news. Elder Coombs se va para Santiago en los Jardines parra ser un Lider de Zona. (Is leaving for Santiago to be zone leader). He was a little upset and really nervous, but it’ll be good growth for him. This position I think is more a benefit for him than the zone for the next few months. Elder Rojas and I are both staying in Dajabon. We will be together for almost six months when this transfer ends. I got my step dad/second companion today who is named Elder Dickson from Logan, Utah. I’m super excited that I don’t have to worry about a langauge barrier and that he is super nice and speaks super Spanish. I am a little nervous that I am probably getting transferred away in six weeks, the week before Christmas. With so many good companions I feel like I’m building up for a good challenge. Anyways my training and last days with Elder Coombs ended with more goodbyes to people, eating out and nervousness for both of us. Today Elder Rojas and I got our new companions. I got Elder  Dickson and Elder Rojas got a dominican named Elder De La Cruz. Elder Rojas deserves a good good companion, so I hope they get along well even if Elder Rojas cant speak English with his comp. 

 

Greasy chicken foot to help my acne and healthy eating

So, I’m staying here and there is a lot of work to do, but there is potential in me and the area so what more could I ask for. 

Ponderism: Scripture mastery Moses 7:18 The Lord called his people Zion porque (because) they were of uno corazon (one heart) and mind and the dwelt in rectitude (righteousness). Something like that ;) In all of history and the future, the greatest achievements, have been done by those that worked together with a single purpose or one heart. In the mission the goal is to be of one heart and mind, with your companion, then there is tremendous success. Areas and missions don’t determine success, its the ability and dedication of the missionaries working together. In life our goal should forever be to be called one of the Lord’s people, focusing on aligning ourselves more perfectly every day with the Lord’s plan.

 

Last District photo

Sorry I’m out of time- like always, but love you so much, family, friends, siblings and children of our amazing Father in Heaven.  

--

Elder Andrew W. Sheffield