Officially called

Arrived Jun 1 2016

Love the family more than Dominican stories! Dominicans love telling stories and shouting and laughing together in a big group. Recently we have been told various stories of people sneaking into the United States through Mexico or other ways. We always laugh, because we can’t believe it, as they explain the whole process and then getting deported or whatever. It is a normal part of life for some but these stories sound like things out of movies.

My two companions this transfers

It was an interesting week even by our new Tierra Alta standards. Thursday we did a service project for a familia whose cement patio was falling down into the river a bit due to the rain. Luis and Yocasta laughed in our faces when we actually showed up to their house in the morning. Luis made a video of us helping out, pointing out the American, Haitian and Dominican teamwork. The Dominican as the boss, the Haitian as the experienced worker, and us as the help. We had an interesting time helping out with a special transfer with my last companion Elder Markham. En pocas palabras su companero, el mini misionero, se lo abandono y por algunas dias el estaba con nosotros en un trio. I started and finished with Elder Markham after a crazy transfer due to other missionaries. For Elder Oldroyd it has been record breaking after having been companions at one time or another (member, missionary etc.) with 14 different people in the past four weeks.

Elder Oldroyd and I went to the Doctor and clinic several times this week for a fungus on his hands so we have been riding in the crazy Ruta cars and waiting around in the air conditioned clinic, trying to avoid the movies being played on the tv’s. I had a virus called sica during the week, which was annoying due to the itchy red dots all over my body keeping me up at night. We are both better now thankfully. 

On Saturday Elder Oldroyd went to visit a few baptisms of investigators he taught in other areas, so I was in our area and baptized a young convert that the sister missionaries had been teaching. 

Transfers were today and neither I or Elder Oldroyd wanted to split up even though I was the quick fix to the missing zone leader position. We were nervous for any of the many possible outcomes. I got a call from president who officially called me to be a Zone Leader! Later the assistants called us announcing the transfers and the good news that I am staying here with Elder Oldroyd. I will spend one year with all American companions and we are already planning a big 4th of July barbeque. 

With our investigators we haven’t had many with steady progression, even with us coming by people about every three days. We have a tiny area, which is weird, and we feel like we don’t have much room for expanding where we work. An interesting guy named Charlie let us come to his house during the week. He spoke English and we had a big talk about what each other believes. He believes in science and energy, nothing about Christ, spirits, life after death, prayer to a God etc. We had a great talk even though he wasn’t to interested in hearing our beliefs. We felt sad for him and I would think he is pretty sad as well. He spends his days painting and occasionally doing tattoos. He has lived all over the world and seen some really sad stuff, which is what I think broke down his childhood faith. Ignacio is progressing but still has not come to church and doesn’t keep all the commitments. He loves to be taught and we were impressed that his wife finally said a prayer! I was happy that they hinted about some thoughts on the stuff they are learning, that they had during the week while we weren’t there. We are in the plan of salvation right now. Every missionary has their teaching strategies and way of teaching, our way is focusing on why it doesn’t make sense that there are so many churches since Christ established only one, his own. It is a little more thought provoking, and factually based which I think can be hard on some of the less educated but it is really clear for those who can understand it, haha I don’t know how to explain what I mean that well.

 

We live on the second floor

Elder Oldroyd and I get along really well and we laugh and joke around a lot, he is a funny guy. We eat a lot of waffles for breakfast (I do it for dinner) and cook really quality Dominican food for lunch. We go on exchanges at least once a week with our district leaders. One of the areas in our zone closed down and we got their cellphone, so until we have to give it up on Friday we each have a cellphone for coordinating with members and missionaries. Dad I think our zone has had six or seven baptism in the past month, split between the 26 missionaries in the zone, the biggest one in the mission.

I was thinking about the natural desire to have hope, to want to believe in God or deity and need for religion among mankind. This week more than usual we have been meeting a variety of different people and learning about their beliefs. I met a few atheists which is rare, a few Jehovah’s witnesses,  some Christians that I’m not sure what they mean specifically, and many Catholics with the traditional belief of the country. With all these different type of people I can’t help but noticing everyone’s desire to believe in something, it is eternally woven into our beings. Elder Oldroyd and I talked about nobody can be purely atheist because of many different reasons but I believe the biggest is that we all have a natural remembrance, in a way, of the spiritual side to things. Like it was stated in general conference, no matter who we are, we are all children of God. We all have the potential to become like our father. In a lesson the other night with a family we had never taught we gave a simple over view of the restoration and it went surprisingly well. We went into it as a last option before going home. I love the honesty of people wanting to become something better and I love and testify that it is one of the greatest truths in the eternities. We are that we might be more, we are that we might have joy. I know we will return to live with Him be following His plan and living His gospel. 

Elder Sheffield

my two companions this transfer

we live on the second floor