Progression is the Key . . .

March 17, 2014

Dear Family, 

I am so glad that all of you have been doing so well lately!!!  Sounds like you are all staying super busy with good things!!!  That is cool that you got to go to the Schmidt´s homecoming.  They really are amazing people!!! St. Patrick’s  day is just like a normal day, except we went and bought food at the store!!

I am sorry to hear that about Chuuk...!  That is a very sad thing!!  They need to make sure that every single one of those missionaries know exactly that they are not to be climbing trees ever!!  I am very sorry to hear that elder toa passed away... I know he was a dear friend to Sean. I know what it is like to be in a different world though and you do service by helping the natives with the things they need in their world. I fell off a wall with a machete in my first area cutting vines because the wall broke!!  

Manual's Baptism on March 8, 2014
with Elder Fallentine

So this last week was a super busy week!!!  We had a Zone Conference, and learned lots!!!  We had to all prepare a talk on faith, and then the President called on people at random to give their talks!!  I did not have to speak, so that was good!!!  I got to talk to a bunch of people from my same group, and meet a lot of new people as well!!  So they fed us after the conference, and I was sitting at the end of the table. Elder Chunga invited me to sit by him, so I picked my plate up to move...  the plate broke in my hand and spilled all over the floor.  I kind of just stood there in shock, then me and Elder Chunga and Elder Paulino cleaned it up, and I got more food!! I was semi embarrassed hahahaha!!!  After the conference was one hundred percent done, we went to a place called Helado Bon, an ice cream shop similar to Cold Stone!! It was so good!!!

We are still doing our english class, and it is going well.  We have 10 students right now, with the ages ranging between 14 and 29.  They are taking it really seriously, and Elder Sanchez knows how to present himself and tell you a few basic things that he likes to do!!  We are working really hard with all of that!!

So now the investigators...  Dari is doing well.  Her and David are having a hard time, and they separated...  That made me really sad, but it was their decision.  She has accepted a baptismal date for March 29, so that will be a really fun thing!"!!  She is attending the english class, and already knows a ton of english!!  She is pretty much for sure going to be baptized march 29, she just needs to be taugh like 2 more things!!!

Beyilin.... Still waiting to finish the course, but we finished teaching all the lessons, finishing with the law of Tithing!!!  She is doing well, and hopefully will be baptized the first week of May!!!

Ariela....  This is a reference that we recieved from another zone.  She moved into our area, and has a baptismal fecha for the 29 of march as well!!  We still need to get in touch with her, but hopefully we can do that tomorrow!!

Alex and Yackeline....  This is a couple that has had a really hard time in life.  The husband, Alex, got shot a little while back.  While he was healing, his son got shot.  They both healed, but another son just got shot in the neck, and it paralyzed him.  He can not move, and so it is hard for Yackeline to leave the house.  However, Alex did come to church on sunday, so that is cool!!  The only thing is that they are moving soon, so we will be giving a really good refence to someone, not sure who yet!!

So now on to just some fun things we did...   On Saturday, I made scones and home made syrup!!  It was super easy, and turned out really well!!  The syrup was banana cream!!  We also went to a little chinese store, where everything was supposedly original, but it wasn´t!!  I bought some adidas cologne, but the label said ´´Adidoss´´.   They did not have the box to put it in, so they put it in another box that was supposedly Ralph Lauren, but it said ´´Raern Laupern´´.  SO funny!!!  I finally also bought some bitillas, the little capts that they play baseball with, and I think that we are going to be playing soon!!  We also have a ward mission activity every wednesday, so that is fun!!

Well, That has been the week!!!  Love you all!!!

Love,
Elder Garrett McEwan

P.S.  Dad, what is Nature´s Sunshine called here in the DR?  I just bought a product at the store that says ´´Vida Natural´´, but it has the logo of Nature´s Sunshine!! !!  It is just a soy product, to get more vitamins!!  I don´t want to get sick like lots of missionaries do from the lack of vitamins!!  It only cost me 165 pesos!!