Elder Andrew Sheffield: Easter Eggs

Arrived 30 Mar, 2016

Love the fam more than… Painting Easter eggs! Elder Bouwhuis and I are keeping up with tradition so we made the best permanent marker and highlighter colored Easter eggs ever. With attempt 1, Elder Bouwhuis cracked the egg and it spilled out onto the table because he didn’t hard boil it or anything haha.

This week started out as one of the greatest weeks.

With Cristian we asked him what he felt about baptism and he kinda gave us a guilty sheepish grin and kinda avoided the question. Isabel his wife accused him for knowing its true and that it isn’t his catholic mother holding him back but his fear of falling back after getting baptized. We asked him if he felt ready if he would be baptized and he said yes. Anyway we have already taught the family just about everything so we had to teach either law of chastity, tithing or word of wisdom. Half an hour before our lesson on the law of chastity we talked with Hermano Infante, their dad and he broke the news to us that the aren’t married! Well flip elder! This is a common thing, but feeling like impossible to fix, if they are living together they are breaking the law of chastity and can’t get baptized, but getting married is expensive. Anyways after that ruining the day, we still taught the family the law of chastity and it wasn’t that great. It was a little tense and upsetting, how there is this big obstacle. They also didn’t come to church.

One of my favorite pictures, Elder Bouwhis with Cristian and his sports bag,
and Isabel and their little boy walking to the river near their house

Heydi still wants to be baptized though and Isabel actually keeps coming when she can. We did have an amazing lesson on the word of wisdom the other day though. I was surprised how well it went honestly, I felt like we were in the Preach my Gospel videos or something. I have been getting Elder Bouwhuis to take the lead in all the lessons and planning and stuff, but when we started this lesson I forgot we hadn’t practiced it so he didn’t know, but it went well. We shared the lesson and they were involved and into it. Cristian said ¨Chefld I have a problem with coffee, I drink it about three times a day¨ We talked about how it was an addiction and set goals to overcome it. We wrote down steps to every week decrease one meal with coffee so in three weeks he would be done. He was super excited and joked how that morning cup of coffee will be the tough one. When we went to write down alternatives to drinking coffee he said “no! when I set my mind to something - I do it¨ Even if he can’t get baptized right now he is my greatest convert and one of my best friends.

So on the other side of town, Johan and Elizabeth also aren’t married! Just our luck to now have three part member families that would be ready for baptism, but aren’t married. We found this news out also from other branch members and are still on to teach the gospel with Johan, so we haven’t talked about it yet. But he isn’t as firm in the gospel yet so with him I’m nervous. He agreed to be baptized but still has trouble understanding why he will have to be baptized the right way because when he was a baby it wasn’t.

Crazy experience! We are waiting outside of the chapel to welcome people to church as usual, when suddenly I look up from a handshake to see middle-aged white people and red headed kids walking in the gates of the church boundaries. The Risenmay family came to visit Tamboril from Salt Lake City, Utah. They said hola to Elder Bouwhuis (they thought he was Dominican) but to me they talked in English haha. People never visit the country side little cities here, because there aren’t white sand beaches, so it was strange that they weren’t in the wards in Puerto Plata which always have a few Americans. The dad had served in Tamboril 20 years ago and brought his family to visit. It was great to hear his very gringo sounding Spanish testimony about how even though at first he felt he had failed in Tamboril, because of zero baptisms in 6 months but how the people had taught him so much. He shared stories about the three members here who have been members since forever. It was strange talking in English to somebody besides Dominicans, who had lived in new york, 20 year olds or 60 year old couple missionaries.

The Risenmay family from Utah

Easter here is really just a party or a long procession like a parade overnight, walking miles with candles, depending on how strong of a catholic you are, so it didn’t really feel like the Easters back home (besides our Easter eggs and mashed potatoes dinner). With locos out in the streets, we had an earlier curfew, which we spent journal writing and cake baking.

My 3 eggs I decorated

Elder Bouwhis' first attempt at drawing on the egg, but it cracked and then fell to the table.
We didn't hard boil them, haha

This week I finally got over my cold, which was draining all of my animo y energia (mood and energy). It was terrible to try and be upbeat with a dripping nose and headache. Thank goodness that is over.

Danny and Licey, the people with crazy potential, never have time/allow for time for us to share with them, which has been sad. They are amazingly smart and would be super if they actually went to church or listened. Danny gets talking during the lessons, which is good, but he takes a long time. I still laugh every time that he argues with Licey how certain things about our church are true. Last time he lectured her on how church leaders shouldn’t just preach for hours, but how others should give their testimonies and talks. He would be a good missionary haha.

We have a new family of a member his wife and three kids. The thing is I think it is outside of our area but inside our branch boundaries. I think we will try to get permission to teach them because we are near to them and other missionaries’ aren’t, even though they might not be in our area. P-day was spent cleaning the house and resting, I haven’t had a good nights rest in while sadly.

This week we sang “Quedate comigo Senor”, abide with me tis eventide, which got me thinking. I love the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus and I taped a picture of in on my planner. I love the song and story so much. I was thinking about how sometimes we don’t recognize that Christ is not only next to us but talking with us. How sad it is that we often don’t recognize that burning in our chests telling us that He is there. Christ was resurrected to walk along side us through thick and thin. I think something we can always improve on is how we pay attention to the promptings we get. We always ask for answers but we also need to look for them. With conference coming up, seek for the ability to find council not just hear what is said.

Elder “Chefld”

Arrived Mar 23 2016

Love the fam more than…. Mission family reunions!

We had a big zones conference with area president Elder Cornish and we got to see my trainer ELder Coombs (dad), Elder Jeppesen (stepson) and Jeppesens trainer/Coombs current companion Elder Tippits. It is a complicated family, but a great reunion.

This week seemed like several weeks in one, packed full.

Elder Cornish of the 70 came and we had an amazing zone conference. We were taught how to be more effectively, not just work hard, but work wisely. I loved how he emphasized how we are responsible for our work and our stewardship. We may not get to control what we receive but we can control how we receive it. We all stood up at one point and sang the primary song “I will go I will do” in Spanish which is super good!

We are making good progress with my favorite family- finally. They just moved to another part of our area but we found it and the dad named Cristian was surprised.

Determined missionaries can usually find just about anybody, the gift of tracking down/search and rescue. We had an amazing lesson on the scriptures and we committed the family to come to church. They gave us a mediocre yes, and a firm ¨God willing¨ we told them we were going to remind them the next morning so they would wake up in time for church. We secretly went to their house Sunday morning and surprised them with company as we walked to church. They moved right next to a stream shaded by a huge tree. I love the picture of Elder Bouwhuis walking with Cristian in his baseball uniform with Isabel and junior leading the way. Cristian could only come to sacrament meeting because of a baseball game his team had so we are working on the Sabbath day with him.

Monday we did amazing with our goal of contacting. We normally push for ten new contacts every day but as things fell through it turned into hours and 15 contacts. We had a crazy lesson with some tigres (delinquents) later. They called over their friend because of ¨all your sins¨ and to here ¨the blond American with pretty blue eyes¨ Elder Bouwhuis and I didn’t know what to do so we just laughed as they invited us to go clubbin, go get some wine, talked about pretty women and one asked if Emily could come visit/get married haha. It was fun but consistency with our investigators is frustrating sometimes.

Yesterday we had exchanges again!! I don’t know why or which of the zone leaders and district leader wants to have me do so many. We have had two these first two weeks of the transfer, and it kind of throws of the pattern of study. Also normally every lesson falls through when there are exchanges, its like the plague. It actually turned out well, I got la gripe but we had a decent amount of lessons and we made some good progress with some investigators. Cristofer finally feels ready for baptism, Licey and Danny our super potential investigators set a lesson with us and we set a baptismal date with the husband of an inactive.

Johan and ELizabeth, and their daughter Wesley, have been having lessons with us for a few weeks now. Johan is a really cool guy who loves talking about movies with us. Lately in the lessons he has been teary eyed as we teach. Elder Hola and I showed the finding Faith in Christ video and talked about how Christ is the path to life eternal. He was teary eyed as we set a date for the 16th of April. He hasn’t come to church yet but he has been reading lately and the wife told us/voluntarily said ¨we need to/we are going to church this week¨

Elder Hola apparently also had a gamecube at home so we talked about mariocart double dash, harry potter, star fox and monkey ball. We also talked about musicals and his girl troubles haha, mission life is interesting. It has shocked me how similar everybody from Utah is with the same slang, favorite church music, memories etc.

Today we had a real p day with basketball and volleyball. I was a little rusty but once we got going we did well. We surprised the tigres playing on the other half of the court. We made banana pancakes with Elder Hola and Green for lunch.

It has been strange to think this is Easter this week due to the difference in culture. Being a largely catholic country the DR celebrates La Semana Santa with three special occasions and also the bean hot chocolate called habichuelas con dulce. Elder Bouwhuis is scared to try it for fear of being stuck in the bathroom for a long time. We keep working hard even when people are await for the holiday and having parties.

I am really proud of the hope we have and express as we celebrate this sacred holiday. Yes Christ did pass away, suffering all manner of afflictions, but that is not the end of it. He was resurrected. He lives. He is the savior and redeemer of our souls because of the greatest victory of all time. I think we could all do well to often go to Gethsemane with Christ to feel of his love, yet always remember of that morning he rose. I hope we don’t seek the living savior among the dead. I know he is beside us lifting our burdens because of the atonement.

Elder Sheffield