Transferred. 18 weeks in Cristo Rey flew by and I am now stationed in Los Alcarrizos with Elder Sams from Oklahoma. Change always hurts, but new experiences are great opportunities for growth, both personally and spiritually.
Los Alcarrizos is an area that was described to me as
half-city, half-campo. I didn't quite understand that until I got here.
We live in the city, a bustling town with a main street called the
Duarte running through it. We walk up and down this road to get around
the majority of our over sized area and step down into alleys that
branch off the main street where many of our investigators live. The
further in we go, the deeper we get into the jungles of the DR. Some
streets simply fade to dirt roads that turn to mud after the daily rain
showers pass through, while others literally drop off into rivers or
thick foliage. One portion of our area called the Tamarindo is a maze
of makeshift wooden and tin huts and which, interestingly enough, houses the
majority of our progressing investigators. In a single day we work in
the up-skirts of town to the edges of the thick Caribbean jungle and I
absolutely love it.
Our house, unfortunately, is a downgrade. Ive had to accustom myself once again to freezing cold
bucket showers and inconsistent light schedules. Its strange, but somehow I did kind of miss the hum of
the electricity leaving and the sound of mosquitoes buzzing around my
mosquito net. Its disturbing and soothing all at once. We live in a
four man house including myself, Elder Sams, Elder Meek (Idaho Falls),
and Elder Peralta (Puerto Plata - DR). I will be the district leader
this transfer and we have a few prospective baptisms we are looking
forward to.
Our current progressing investigators are of all
varieties. We have a baptismal goal set with an 80 year old woman who
can hardly remember anything she reads nor walk to church by herself.
She progresses wonderfully, however, so we will have to give her some
time and see if she can really continue to attend church consistently
and understand the covenants she will be making. I'm just afraid that
she will keel over before we can even fill up the font. We are also
teaching various children who will have to really show some dedication
if they want me to baptize them. Children go inactive much too easily
and I am not about to add another tally mark to the less less active
count in this country. Among other promising investigators we have the
Eriberto Family who are possibly the most golden investigator family I
have ever met. Contacted a year ago by one of my good friends in the
mission, they have attended church faithfully and have been taught by
the missionaries as they try to get married. We can hardly even teach
them because they respond to our questions with such knowledge and
detail that they hardly leave us with any material left to cover. Their
plans are to get married in this coming month so I may be a part in
their baptism.
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