Rain everyday

Arrived 7 Nov 2016

Love the family more than navigating Bonao streets like a water maze. We joke about the “Elder Sheffield” curse because whenever I am in the area it rains. We have had rain everyday except for one day when I had intercambios with a district leader. The water comes down suddenly and floods all the streets! We leave on a small fan at night to dry the shoes.

Well, once again we got late to the internet center so I don’t have much time to write, sorry. But I do have a few highlights to this week.

We met this really cool young man who will probably pitch for the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team in the near future. I think he really wanted us as friends because it’s a little lonely living here alone. We got invited to the movie theater. I really love my really nice rain jacket but my companion doesn’t have anything, so I decided for now I’ll just keep it in the house. I made Dominican hot chocolate a few times this week, they put clove in it which gives it this Dominican taste yum.

I have been feeling a little bit like I haven’t been a very good companion lately and like we haven’t had a lot of results so that is something I am really trying to be better at. I really like the Liahona this month. I am really studying prayer, love, faith and charity and hope. And I have been really improving with my piano lately.

We had two members go with us this week, its really hard for us to get members right now, in the rain. For the people it’s like walking the plank to have to go out in the rain. It made our day to see a member pull up on his moped.

A member and I joked about Johnny Lingo the other day. Good old times. “Ocho vaca esposa, majana tu fea, Mr. Harris”

We had a few service projects for the day of service, but we had an intercambio so it wasn’t long for us. We got forced into a baby shower at the chapel. We sang and I gave a message about families.

Nobody came to church and things have been going a little slow. We have a few amazing people but they are just kinda learning, we are hoping for conversion. They ask some great questions which is a good sign and two families have come to church before, but we are really focusing on baptizing. That is a mission goal, to challenge everyone to baptism and to always be thinking about baptism.

I heard that in my old area things are going really great. Paulino still goes to church, and so does De Luna even though he has problems which prevent him from being baptized. Two of my investigators got baptized a little while ago and the young girl bore her testimony about us (the elders that taught her) I guess. I sometimes think I’m bad luck or that I’m just destined to not see some of these people get baptized, but it is good to be here and things are going well.

I really like a scripture in Moises 6. Enoch is told to go, to go and do, and preach. The Lord says go and I will justify your words, and I will be with you and you will be with me and we will walk together. How great would that be to have such great faith and hope that not only mountains flee from you but it is as if you were walking with The Father himself. The branch president in his testimony posed the idea at what it was like when Heavenly Father asked “Who shall I send?” What was it that we said? Oh how I believe we reverently sustained our Savior to be Jesus Christ. I want to be everyday more valiant in my love and faith that I may walk with Him who was chosen from the beginning. We need him. I pray that everyone of us can have the faith to love others as He loves them.

Elder A Sheffield

P-day at Campamento

Arrived 31 Oct 2016

I have no time but we had a good p-day and a good week. Today we went to Campamento or the church campgrounds and had fun.

Two people came to church and we have some very good investigators right now. Haley and Carolina came to church but before I could get to them from I was at the piano, they escaped. I feel like my companion, and I, could have done more by helping them during the sacrament but we gave them a chance right?

Sorry Bonao has tons of traffic for flooding and we had a late trip back from our p-day activity.

This week I was thinking a lot about love and charity. I think sometimes we forget how important charity is. Not in action as much as in thought. Sometimes I get a little unsettled when people in their laziness cause problems or in their ignorance, make a mess. I think we often start thinking to ourselves how ridiculous somethings or people are when in reality it seems okay for that person and it isn’t a big deal to them at all. I love the way Moroni writes about it in Moroni 7. Love and charity are patient, and longsuffering. I think sometimes we must suffer ourselves to abandon our negative thoughts to be charitable.

Love Elder Sheffield

Focused on 2nd lessons

Arrived 24 Oct 2016

Love the family more than letters from home! I love letters and things from home. Thanks for the handwritten letter in the things Dad brought me. It was fun to hear from Mom Dad and the boys. Haha I laugh at what people think I’m going through because of things I said, they read or heard. We are fine from the hurricane and I’m doing fine here, I like my new area.  

Thanks for the package! I felt really spoiled with the new backpack and duffel bag! They are so nice! I’m really happy with them, at transfers and on exchanges it’s always a hassle with us carrying around garbage bags so we don’t leave things behind.

And the treats! Wow I never liked cookie butter that much but now I eat it straight out of the jar. I was genuinely shocked how good that stuff tastes, it tastes like american stuff haha. I’m gonna save the candy for halloween. Nobody really celebrates it here too much, all the Christmas lights are up, but I’m excited. I am using my rain jacket today as well, it is sooooo nice and perfect. Hope your guys enjoy all the food and things dad and I got you.

I was thinking how weird it was that Dad was coming to this country and to my mission this week. This whole week I was trying my best not to think of dad  and home to much and I did pretty well. It was stressful when the assistants kept asking me what dads plans were, so they could maybe say hi to him, and when my package for Dad got lost in the mail to the office, we were frantic to figure things out and I didn’t even know what dads plans were to specifically because I wasn’t going to see him anyway! Haha I had a heart attack when the assistants ended up saying ¨we will just call your family really fast and figure it out¨  haha. Apparently Josh sounds really grown up and official because I was told they thought he was Dad’s secretary! But it all worked out well and everything. I was thinking about it and I shouldn’t be an exception to things, how many dominican missionaries live close to their families, but don’t see their parents either?

This week we focused on having second lessons with our new investigators. Finding people is okay but you gotta keep them going! It’s been crazy, all over the area and not to many set things but I’m learning the area a lot better and feeling some of the simple tender mercies of just finding someone kind in the street to share with. These are some of the most appreciated miracles sometimes even when they don’t progress.

Yefferson was a contact and he seems genuinely committed to learning more and reading the Book of Mormon. He has a nicer house which intimidates me. I’m used to “poor houses” and jerga Spanish, not middle class stuff and nothing upper class! Haha I was thinking how we probably teach some sketchy gangster style people sometimes, but we don’t realize it is scary. he only wants to share every Wednesday for now but I think we could get him to commit to the usual 2 or 3 times a week.

Omar is another contact we made, who hasn’t really read, but understands everything very easily and wants to share a lot. He is in his twenty and lives with his family. He is funny and kind. A really promising investigator.

Juan or Jeily (pronounced Haley- as his friends call him) isn’t to eager to commit but he understands pretty well that the church fell and the chain of authority broke. The problem, with most people to, is that they have this weird belief that because all churches have the same final goal it’s okay to be part of whichever one, but at the same time they always are gossiping and contending about why one is better or another one is corrupt. We try really hard to help them realize that if all churches say they are the best, then somebody has to be a little off. He did say that if this was the true gospel bearing church then it should be told to everyone and wondered why he hadn’t heard of it before.

We had another exchange this week but for the first time I stayed in the area. Haha I got lost a few times, it is weird that our area is literally a circle which blows my mind, but it worked out. I impress all the missionaries with my cooking, but I’m still working on my companion, Im gonna cook him something crazy good sometime!

Some exciting things this week we’re again going to the camping ground slash dominican Aspen Grove in our area. We have about 7 people in the beginnings of a branch which is something we are working on. The senior couples here are amazing! The Decker couple are from Florida and Honduras and then the Gomez are in charge of the campamento and are from Puerto Rico. Elder Gomez is a super cool guy! He loves horses, Harleys and is ex-police and security for church leaders. He has a daughter living in and going to school at Weber State. She is studying forensics at McKay Dee I think, or at least a hospital in Ogden. She also goes to the singles ward there so I think she knows the Hauns and is friends with Reese Schumacher. It’s a small world. the Gomez live at the Campamento and it’s like a hotel! They even have a swimming pool, which made my companion and I get a little trunky.

We had two investigators at church for their first time. Gustavo and Juana. The second time is really the hardest, but they really enjoyed the first time and are flojo committed to come this next week.

My spiritual thought comes from the Pearl of Great Price.

In the book of Moses, Father is crying and Enoch asks why in Moses 7:28-29 and 37-39

I Love how sincere it is. God really cares for everyone of us individually. Christ to pay individually for the whole of us. Why woudln’t they cry when we continually fall short and occasionally refuse their healing salve. But we, as Enoch and the Lord, have to have reason to be happy. Our Savior has overcome the world. As we realize the hopelessness of our own efforts we to can come to realize  the hope and joy bringing efforts and success of Him. He lives, and as we cry He does and as we rejoice He does. I hope we all can come to grow close to him. That Him and I, you and Him might rejoice always and be made one in carrying the burdens while being happy.

Love Elder Sheffield