¡Hola Familia! - Monday, December 3, 2012

First off. I miss you all. A LOT. 

Second off... This week rocked. Ha. I am sure you're all sick of hearing it, but I truly cannot believe how quickly these weeks are going by. It was like a couple minutes ago I was writing you last week's letter, and suddenly, time grew some wings, and now I'm back in this chair staring at a computer screen again. Ha.

Also, in the background of said computer screen, Total Eclipse of the Heart is playing IN SPANISH! ha. I vote you all look it up, cuz it's HILARIOUS! Though you won't get the Dominican, Internet Center guy singing along with it.... lol. Just not the same. I think the Dominicans could give the Taiwanese a run for their money in Tone-Deafness. ha. 

Anyway. Last Monday right after updating you all on my dominican doings, we went down to La Barra (a neighborhood in our area) and had a Noche de Hogar with the youth, and our missionary mom, Juana. Ha. Well, seeing that I'm not in the capital anymore, light (electricity) comes and goes when it pleases... So we had a super great lesson on agency by Mama Juana, and then we played night games by the light of the moon. Ha. I actually kind of love it when the light leaves; it's like we're camping, and seeing that we live in a green, little valley, it's basically like being back home in the Wasatch Mountains. 'Cept I really think God likes this place more, cuz the stars and the moon and the clouds and just everything is more beautiful here. Ha. 

Tuesday was great. We had a district meeting (the usual reports on our investigators, and a spiritual pep talk from my comp (our district leader), then I headed up to Sábana Larga with Elder Mendosa (6'1" 175 lbs, from Nicaragua) for a hard core intercambio. He is a working machine. We had out of control numbers in the 24 hours I was with him. I was sort of blown away, but at the same time I realized how important it is to actually spend time with your investigators, and teach to their needs. Elder Mendosa and I got A LOT of lessons in, but I felt like a robot the whole time. It was a good learning experience, and I have made a goal to talk about something outside the missionary lessons in all my lessons. Half of my calling as a missionary is to love these people as Christ would. You can't love someone you don't know.

Also, during said Intercambio (I dunno for sure, cuz I've never actually looked it up, but Intercambio means Exchange in Spanish... Which in missionary lingo is basically a required sleepover with another missionary in your district for learning purposes and such) I made dinner (your regular Dominican style boiled green bananas with fried eggs and sauteed onions) with Bananas picked from the back yard. Ha. The missionary house up in Sábana Larga is basically on a farm. Ha. There are Banana, Plantain, Papaya, Avocado, Lime, and Mandarin Orange trees in the back yard, and on the side of the house there are Yucca (I believe it's tapioca in English... But not sure, It's a root that they eat/prepare like a potato) and Yam plants. HA; As in HOW AWESOME!!!

Also, I woke up to a rooster crowing, and cows mooing in the morning. That was unexpected. Ha. I doubt I will ever chose to live on a farm... Just sayin'. 

Ha. Another funny thing... I (even though it's only been a 2 weeks) have become a spoiled missionary... I woke up on Wednesday to the roosters, and realized how freezing it was (in reality it was like 65 degrees, but I am currently accustomed to anywhere between 80 and 100, so burrrrrr)... Sábana Larga is even higher in altitude than Ocoa... But regardless of the temperature, Mendosa got up and took his regular old bucket shower from the Tinaco (the tank on the roof)... Ha, I was not having that. I am way too used to my water heater in Ocoa. So I boiled a big pot of water and dumped it in my bucket to mix with the FREEZING water before throwing it on my shivering body. lol.

On Wednesday after we came back to the Village, I helped Elder Tuanama cook some hard core Peruvian food. I don't know if I told you last week, but I currently live with my comp (American), Elder Tuanama (Peruvian), and Elder Leyva (Mexican). So I speak lots of Spanish and eat LOTS of delicious food. :)

Then we went out to work, and while we were down in La Barra we taught a lesson in Mama Juana's house, and afterwards she brought us some Beet, Carrot juice. Ha. I didn't think it was all that bad... But oh my... My companion had the hardest time gagging that stuff down! Ha. He would take a swallow and say something out the side of his mouth like "holy crap I think she just gave us horse pee," lol. Obviously in English, but then he would turn, smile all big and tell Juana how "rico" (rich or delicious) her juice was. HA!!! I was cracking up! 

Thursday.... The Browns (our Fairly God Parents out here in the South; lol they make weekly trips to the capital and bring us our mail, and other stuff we need) stopped by and dropped off the CONFERENCE EDITION of the Liahona!!!! I was so happy. Ha. They even brought us a copy in English!!! I went straight to my room and read a couple of talks. lol. What a geeky missionary. But it was actually really cool, I would highly suggest that you all reread them. Seeing that the first time I heard them they were in a foreign language, I definitely have gotten a lot more out of them this time! 

One of the first talks on there was by Elder Cook. He related a story about a trip he and Elder Uchtdorf (if I remember right) took to the Amazon. He said how shocked he was at the fact that the people were living in shacks, but on top of their thatched roofs was a Satellite Dish... He went on to explain how far reaching the Internet and technology is, and because of it, Satan is destroy so many families... It hit me pretty hard. I can definitely relate... Here is the exact same way. These people live in cinder block or sheet metal houses with cement or dirt floors. They rarely have more than 3 rooms in their house, and it is a luxury to have a bathroom... But some how, some way, every single house we enter has a TV or a computer with some sort of Internet access. It is crazy to me how many people Satan has access to... Pornography is LITERALLY everywhere. Satan attacks the family through sex and lust. He more than attacks... He destroys. It is crazy to me how much power he has, and how young he starts... The second a child turns 8 (and sometimes even before that) he comes at them with EVERYTHING he's got. For instance... We are currently teaching a Mother and Daughter, and said daughter is 16 years old and already has a one year old child... Do the math... Satan knows that these generations being born in the fullness of times are truly the Loyal and Great ones. He wants to make sure that they, especially, are miserable just like him. TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN!!! It doesn't matter if they are 6, 9, or 17... I guarantee that they have already come in contact in some form or some way with Satan's Grime... 

Anyway... Good news; said mom and daughter have both accepted baptismal dates for the 22nd of this month. :) They are both great and working hard to fix their lives, and prepare to be baptized!! We are stoked for them!!! 

Ha. Thursday continued... we went down to a Haitian Market to check out some Jerseys that my comp wanted to buy and to see if I could find some cheap shoes... Ha. Sadly NO ONE in this country sells my size. 

Anyway, on our walk back the assistants called us and told us they were on their way to our house for a surprise intercambio... (We found out later that they did the intercambio cuz our district has the best numbers in the mission; probably Mendosa's fault, but we felt good about ourselves) Ha. As much as I love authority breathing down my neck while I work, I wasn't too thrilled. lol. Well, they showed up and Elder Kirk (the American) came with my comp and I, and we sent Elder Luzón (Spaniard) up to be with Mendosa and Alfonseca (Dominican) in Sábana Larga.

The afternoon went well with Kirk. We taught a couple good lessons and then started contacting... While we were contacting we got HAMMERED with an Ocoa style tropical storm... It POURED. And we were contacting... with an Assistant... So we gritted our little teeth and we got wet... SUPER wet. Ha. We continued like that for about an hour, then took the 45 minute hike to the other side of our area... Still pouring rain. I have never been so wet.... Ha. Finally we got down to La Barra, and all of our appointments failed us... So we told Kirk we were calling it a day. Ha. Luckily he agreed and we waded back home. 

We had a solid planning session with the AP, and then at like 8:30 we got a call from Elder Tuanama and Elder Leyva. They were stuck up in Parra (a part of Ocoa that you have to wade through a river, and hike up a mountain to get to), and the river had grown so much with the rain that they couldn't pass it... Ha. So what do we do? go for a rescue mission in the AP's truck obviously! lol. Dumb kids. We down to La Barra where the river was a bit less full, and Kirk attempted to drive the 2 wheel drive, Toyota Tacoma through the river... Ha. Yup, we got stuck. Up to our axles. lol. An hour and a half of digging and pushing with all the willing villagers, we finally gave up and had a guy call a guy to bring his hard core truck in to pull us out. lol. It was an adventure... We dubbed the river impassable, and gave up on our rescue effort. The other two Elders ended up sleeping on the floor of an investigator's house and came back down through the river the next day when the sun had come out and the river had gone back down. How AWESOME. lol. 

Friday after a long day of proselyting we caught a ride up to Sabana Larga, snuck into Mendosa/Alfonseca's house, and decorated while Alfonseca stalled. Ha. Then we hid and when Mendosa walked in we all screamed "¡¡Feliz Cumple AÑO!!" ha. It was his year mark, so we had a party. We stayed up late, and Tuanama and I cooked Spaguetti with fried Plantains. Then slept over. Ha. By slept I mean rolled around freezing on the cement floor for 7 hours. But it was worth it. Mendosa was happy. :)

On Saturday evening I met Milagros. Ha. I have heard SO much about her. I even knew about her before coming to Ocoa. She is the all time greatest missionary mom ever. She is awesome! And Hilarious! She is sorta like a Dominican version of Favorite Aunt Shari and Uncle Awesome meshed together. HA! Also, her husband works for a cable company, so they have some hard core computer tech stuff, and more than likely we will be skyping from their house, so you guys might even get to meet her!! :) 

Yesterday was chill. We had a combined meeting block with Sabana Larga, and Parra (they brought all the members down on buses), and I taught a hard core lesson in Sunday school on temple work and family history. Ha. I hope you are all still attending the temple regularly, and constantly searching for missionary experiences here as well as beyond the veil.

I love and miss you all. My time is again far spent. Ha. And I mean REALLY far spent. But hey, updates are crucial, right? ;)

Keep the faith! God is good! 

Love, 

Elder Mooney

Hola from Ocoa! - Monday, November 26, 2012

Well, I don't have a ton of time today, but I figured I should write and let you all know that I have been exalted. Ha.

I thought my last area was paradise... And if that's the case, I must have just been introduced to paradisaical glory. Ha. Who knew, it's just a three hour bus ride away from Santo Domingo.

Ocoa is INCREDIBLE! I wake up every morning and literally cannot believe my eyes. We live in a little bowl-like valley up in the mountains, EVERYTHING is green and gorgeous, the temperature gets up to about 80 during the day, and drops down to about 65 at night. Ha. Our house is Ginormous. We live with two other elders at the moment, but they might put another companionship in with the huge flow of incoming 18 year-olds. We have three king size bedrooms, and each one has an attached king size bathroom, not to mention our entryway, dining room, and kitchen areas. Ha. Also, we have a hot water heater.... My life just got SO much better! I had no idea how much I missed warm showers!!! It is HEAVENLY!

My new companion is the shiz. His name is Elder Jonathan Griffith Logue, from Ogden Utah. He was raised Catholic and was studying to be a Priest (Father) when he met the missionaries at age 17. He played football and basketball his whole life, he is also a certified skydiver, scuba diver, and he has a Ghost Hunting Licence. Ha. He's hilarious. He and I get along SUPER well. I hopped off the bus where he was waiting to pick me up, and instantaneously we started laughing, and haven't stopped since! We have had an incredible first week together, and I'm only looking forward to more fun and more success!

The people of my old area will be sorely missed, but I am already in love with the people here! I found yet another new home, and already have two Ocoan Moms. Ha. I think I explained it best in an email I just sent to a friend: "I just had my heart ripped from my chest... But just like you explained, I arrived here in Ocoa with a fantastic companion and a team of incredibly Hermoso miembros waiting to put me back together again. :) and just like that, I'm in love with this place! I can hardly believe that I'm still on earth... This place is incredible, and the people are even more loving and accepting than my family in Independencia. Ha. I love Horcruxes." Ha. The Horcruxes (Harry Potter) reference was because of a previous email in which transfers had been explained as such: "when you leave an area it sometimes hurts, but it doesn´t mean you have to take your heart away from there. It just means you have to open your heart up a bit more to let more lovins in! A big chunk of my heart is at home, and another in my first area. Kind of like horcruxes I guess. ;)"

Anyway. This week was great!

Funny story: We were in Mama Juana's house helping her teach Seminary on Thursday night, and one of the kids bumped the wall he was leaning against, and out popped a Tarántula... It fell out of the space between the wall and the cement floor, and landed on it's back; black, hairy legs flailing and all. ha. It was HUGE! At least 4 times the size of the one I had back at home. It was definitely unexpected. lol. But the kids in the class acted like it was nothing. One of them grabbed the nearest broom, and swept it out the front door, then another one grabbed a rock off the dirt road and smashed it. I was blown away. Ha. It was so cool! These people rock! 

Also, on Saturday I had my first baptism here in Ocoa. His name is Ivan. We've been teaching him nightly since I arrived, and he was GOLDEN! He is already preparing to serve a mission, and we just ordered him his very own Preach My Gospel and a copy of the Mission Manual. We're gonna start teaching him the lessons out of PMG, and then have him go on splits with us a bunch so that when his year mark hits, he will be 100% ready and prepared to serve the Lord full time! I'm so excited for him! Also, our branch president invited Elder Logue and I to participate in his Confirmation! It was an awesome experience! I don't think there's a better phrase than "receive the Holy Ghost" stated with the proper power and authority! This church is so flippin TRUE!

Sorry, I know I promised photos this week, and I promise I took a MILLION. But the computer is being temperamental, and I don't have time to figure it out. Ha.

I love you all! I hope all is well, and I hope you all had an incredible Thanksgiving! Keep working on those Gratitude Journals! And if you want to, feel free to send me 3 or 4 Gratitude entries in your weekly emails!

Much Love,

Elder Cade Mooney

¡¡¡Ya me VOY!!! - Monday, November 19, 2012

This week has been another incredible one. Ha. You would think the miracles and the spiritual experiences would eventually run out... but they just keep coming!!! 

Last Monday, right after I finished writing all of you, we went to a member's house for a Noche de Hogar. Miletis (the mom), lives with her brother who is not a member, so he participated, and also Alexa (one of her daughters) invited her best friend, who is also a non member! It was small and simple, but really really great!
Then right afterwards, Miletis asked us for a blessing of health. Obv, we said yes. And again, I just couldn't get over how powerful the feelings were while I had my hands placed on her head! Nothing but PURE love! I love the priesthood!!!

Then on Tuesday, we had one of the best lessons I've had thus far. It was amazing. We were teaching Carlos; he's a joven that was invited to church a couple months ago by some of our young women, and has been coming off and on ever since. Up until now we've been on a hit and miss pattern with him (i.e. we'd plan a lesson, and he wouldn't be reachable when we called to confirm or when we passed by). Well, two weeks ago we pinned down a lesson with him, and got started teaching. So this last Tuesday was our second lesson with him, and we talked about the restoration and then followed up on our invitation to pray for an answer about the veracidad of this church. Turns out, he prayed. He described his feelings as "full where he didn't realize there was an emptiness," "happy," "more sure of himself," "warm," etc. It was a perfect description of a spiritual witness. He knows it's true! After that we went on to explain the importance of following that confirmation, and how strongly Satan is about to attack him. We promised that if he will do everything in his power to follow his heart and to do what he knows is right, God (and us missionaries) will be there with him every step of the way. I proceeded with the baptismal invitation, and he accepted a baptismal date for the 5th of January! The spirit was so strong! We finished with a prayer and he had tears streaming down his face after we all said "Amen." I love being a missionary!!! God is good!

Wednesday: Exercising priesthood power round two. We met up with Elder Domine and Elder Alba at the chapel so that my companion could give him a baptismal interview, and while we were waiting Kenia (recent convert, the mother of Juan Carlos and Evans) came and asked us if we would give her husband and her blessings. So Elder Domine and I went with them. Wow. I cant get over it. The second the blessing is sealed there is nothing but waves of electric, celestial love surging through my body. I LOVE IT! I know that the power of the priesthood is real! It was amazing!

After I finished Juan Carlos Sr.'s blessing he got up and gave me a huge hug! Ha. That's never happened before! And then he told me that he has decided that he wants to be baptized and that he's willing to do anything it takes to join his family as a member of the church. I about peed. I was SO happy! Since before the baptism of Kenia and he boys, we've been pestering him, and trying to get him to take the lessons from us. But I guess he just wasn't ready! Now he is! He is meeting with us to receive the lessons, and he came to church yesterday and participated in all three hours!! I love seeing the effect this gospel has on people!

Friday we had round two of our end of transfer intercambios with the CCM. It went way better! The Elder that went out with me was much happier, and we had some really great lessons! One of which was a lesson with Amelia (our favorite menos activa) on the atonement. Our FHE with her and the Flia Carazco last week sparked some questions, so we had a 45 minute discussion on the atonement! So amazing! This church is true!!

Saturday was solid. We started off the day with a goodbye lunch for Elder Alba hosted by Josefa. SO good! We ate chen chen (like oatmeal but made out of crushed corn, and it's salty not sweet) with rice, beans, chicken and salad. Then we spent the day preaching with baby bumps cuz we ate so much. haha.
Then Saturday evening we had Mulk's baptism! I dunno if you guys remember him, but he is the brother of a recently returned missionary in our ward, that Elder Alba and I started teaching like our first week together. It was SO cool to see him be baptized, and Elder Alba got to do it! :) It was the perfect end for his mission!

Sunday was awesome. I love the ward of Independencia with all of my heart. We had our primary program and I just got all kinds of trunky. Ha. Little kids just make me thing of home. It was SO ADORABLE. They did such a good job!
Then in Elder's quorum we talked about the power of kindness, and one of the guys got up and shared a really cool thought. He started by telling us that this principle of the gospel applies perfectly to baseball.... Ha. We were kinda confused... Then he asked if we had to choose, would we rather be a bat or a glove...? Ha. Super confused at this point. Well, he went on to explain that if you chose to be a bat, when a ball (or a non member/less active) comes flying your way, you have to hit it. But if you are a glove, you can receive it, and guard it, and then throw it to another glove for safe keeping. Ha. I thought it was a cool thought. We should all chose to be gloves. If we are kind and open, people will notice and they will want to be "received" by us. Kindness is the only way to go diría yo!
We spent the day visiting some new investigators, contacting some new people in the section we are focusing on right now, and then we visited with some members in the surrounding area. SO great. :)

Then.... After we came home, and sent Elder Alba off with the office Elders, our transfer calls came... And, as always, nothing went as expected. Ha. I AM LEAVING MY FIRST AREA! I am currently on an emotional roller coaster. Ha. I don't even know what to think. Ha. My new companion is named Elder Logue. I have only every heard good things about him. And my new area is basically the Jewel of the West mission. :) It's called Ocoa, and it's as far north as you can go in our mission. From what I've been told, there is a hot water heater cuz it's a necessity, because it actually gets cold up there. :) Also, it's in the mountains, and it's BEAUTIFUL! I am super excited, but also ridiculously sad to leave my home here in Independencia...

We spent the day today visiting with members and investigators. We went up to café and had a last lesson with Oliva. We both just balled. Ha. I love that lady. I know without a doubt that she will be baptized in the near future, and she will be an incredible leader here in Café. Probably the first Relief Society president in the new Branch of Café!! :)

Anyway. I gotta go. I gotta go say some more good byes.

I love and miss you all.
Be good. This church is true!!!

Love,

Elder Mooney

Hey Guys! - Monday, November 12, 2012

Wow! I love P-Day! Ha.

This week has been another good one! Lots of fun and lots of miracles!

On Tuesday night we had a super great Noche de Hogar with the Vargas Family. They are a less active family in our ward, and their home teacher Hermano Natera (Also, he's a former-stake president, and a double former-bishop. Just an awesome guy. Basically Grandad, but black, and doesn't speak English. lol) asked us if we would get involved with the reactivation effort, cuz their youngest son Guely is not baptized yet. So we're gonna see if we can get the whole family on the "get Guely baptized train" and by doing so, reactivate the family.

Anyway, we had a Noche de Hogar, and my companion whipped out an incredible lesson about the 2000 Stripling warriors. We read Alma 57:19-21, 25, and 27 and talked about the things those young men did to keep themselves strong, and how through their faith they were able to defeat their enemigos, and overcome the challenge placed before them without losing a single soul. Caridad (Hermana Vargas) was a huge fan of the fact that they were obedient with exactitude to the things their mothers taught them. haha. And the boys were in awe at the story. It was solid.

Then to finish it off we ate Tuna Fish sandwiches, that had been made from fresh Tuna that the boys caught with their dad the day before. Ha. They are avid fishermen, and they take their yacht out every Sunday and fish about 50 miles off shore (cuz the water close by is gross, and the fish don't live there anymore) and just fish ALL day long. Ha. That would be the life!
 

Breidy (left) and Jerry (right) eating tuna fish (caught from
50 miles off the DR coast the day before) sandwiches.  11/6/12

 

My comp and I with the Vargas Family. Ha. little people... 11/6/12

  

The Vargas Family with Hermano and Hermana Natera 11/6/12



Wednesday was all right. My comp had a surprise District leader training meeting ALL day long. So we were at the San Geronimo chapel from 2:30 til about 8.... I spent the day with the other Companions of the district leaders. One of the kids I talked to was a hater.... He had a bad attitude about everything in this country. I mean yeah, we have our fair share of trials, but he was just plain cranky. It fortified my previous mindset on attitude. I firmly believe that my attitude is my decision, and that I can choose to be happy. I know that when I am happy, it's easier for those around me to be happy as well. So that's what I'm attempting to do. Chose to be HAPPY! :)



Elder Fassett and I... Boy have we changed. lol. 11/7/12



The lunch that Amelia made for us! 11/8/12



Thursday was a food day... Ha. We were invited to Amelia's (our menos activa that had a tumor in her jaw bone) house for lunch. She made us a morro of rice and guandules (I think they're called pigeon peas in English...), Yuca (tapioca in English- it's a root that they boil, kind of like a potato), Meat balls, Dominican Potato salad (boiled, chopped potatoes and carrots, minced onions, all covered in mayonnaise), with fresh avocado on the side (she coated it in lime juice and salt), and a fresh banana for dessert! SO yummy!

After we shared a message with her, we went and preached with SUPER full bellies. And while we were at Josefa's house, she surprised us with grilled cheese sandwiches, and juice, and then immediately after that we went to our dinner appointment with Hermana Zunilda. Ha.

Hna Zunilda made us Mashed Yuca, with Eggs, diced peppers, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro on top. Fried cheese and avocado on the side, and fresh Cherry juice to drink! WOW! I think I died and went to heaven. ha. We were SO full!!

                         My comp and I eating at Amelia's. 11/8/12

Friday we had intercambios with the CCM missionaries again. Ha. My companion's name was Elder Diaz. He is from Guatamala, and he's headed for the East mission. We had a solid day. But about half way through our allotted time to contact for the day, he asked if we could stop... lol. I guess in Guatamala they don't contact because the members just give them references... Well. That's not how it is here. I suppose he will have a rough couple of months until he realizes that his mission is not gonna be like those of the missionaries in his country. haha. I was just kinda sad that I was the one that had to expose him to the real world... I guess it is kind of a rude awakening.

Saturday was norm.

Yesterday was BOMB TOWN. We had a lesson with Rosalena, the mother of Angel (our investigator that has a heart attack a while back). The whole day we spent having doors slammed in our faces, and having people fail us. We showed up at her house expecting to teach Angel, but he also decided to fail us... I was bummed. Anyway, as God always seems to do when I'm discouraged, He inspired someone to change my attitude. Rosalena shared her conversion story with us, and it was incredible! She told us about the day the missionaries first knocked on her door, and how weird it was that they happened to find her at her house when they did. She said that God had to have had a hand in it, cuz with her work schedule at the time, she was rarely home. Anyway, she accepted the discussions, and was eventually baptized. Since then, she's had a couple of operations on her eye, and had some rough financial difficulties and the church has helped her with all of it. She says that the Church has been the greatest blessing in her life, and that she is eternally grateful for that happenstance meeting when the missionaries contacted her. Missionary work is real! I have the power to change lives, and to bring people the fullness of the restored gospel! I just have to keep knocking doors, and seeking our the ones who are ready to listen!
Then, last night, we went to La Familia Carazco's house (Anamaria and Anamercedes + kids) and brought Amelia (menos activa) with us for a super great FHE. We had an awesome lesson about Testimonies! We read part of an article from the July Liahona that told us the definition of a testimony, and explained the gaining of a testimony like putting together the pieces of a puzzle. Then we all found scriptures (that had been previously selected), and Identified the words "I know," "I believe," and other such phases that indicated "pure testimony" (Alma 4:19). Then we discussed which "part of the testimony puzzle" was being expressed by the prophet, and then we each had a turn to bear our testimony and share how the testimonies from the scriptures have strengthened our personal testimonies. :) It was super fun! I learned a lot, and I realized how much power even the simplest testimony can have. Bear your testimonies! They have true power! And every time we share them, they grow! If you don't want to get up in church and do it (which I completely understand cuz it's terribly nerve wracking), share it with a friend, or with your kids, or with your spouse. It doesn't matter who it's to, as long as you share your testimony of the simple truths that you know to be true, your faith and the faith of those who hear it will be strengthened!

I love you all! I hope you are all doing well! Choose to be happy, and bear your testimonies!

Love,

Elder Cade Mooney





Happy P-Day! - Monday, November 5, 2012

 Hello fantastic family and friends,

It’s getting harder and harder to believe how quickly these weeks are flying by. This last one was great!

Tuesday was a discouraging day… All of our appointments failed us, so we did a TON of contacting, and even that just felt ineffective. Then 7 pm rolled around, and we had already exhausted our plans AND backup plans for the evening… So we decided to visit a member’s house. It came down to the two closest members (La Familia Carazco or La Familia Guzman), and we ended up opting for La Familia Guzman. We walked up the hill to their house, and as always were welcomed as family. Then Hna Guzman sat us down and told us that God had heard her prayers and that He had sent us. I guess she has been having a lot of headaches as of late, and it was worse than usual on Tuesday.

Anyway, she had received a blessing of comfort from her son Agustin, but because there aren’t two priesthood holders in the house, she hadn’t had a blessing for the sick yet. She said that a little while before we showed up she was telling Amelia (her daughter) that she needed help remembering to call the missionaries later to ask us for a blessing. Well, it slipped her mind, but it sure as heck didn’t slip Heavenly Father’s. So we all huddled in their front room, and we gave her a blessing. It was INCREDIBLE! I can’t even explain the Spirit that was felt during that blessing. It was like being able to feel a fraction of the love that Heavenly Father has for Hermana Guzman coursing through my body in waves from head to toe. It was so cool. After the blessing we all sat down and we shared a spiritual thought. My companion shared from Alma 7:11-12, and we had a small testimony meeting about the power of the Atonement, and the love that God has for us. We all cried. And then as we finished up our testimonies, Hna Guzman stopped us, and said “Elders, I don’t feel a thing. The pain in my head is completely gone.”

I am SO grateful to be here as a missionary, as a tool in the Master´s hands. I know that Heavenly Father cares for each and every one of His children more than we can even imagine. He knew that Hna Guzman needed a blessing and the chance to exercise her faith to be healed, and He knew that that experience was exactly what I needed to turn a discouraging day into an incredible one! He is so merciful, and I am so grateful for the constant help and support that I receive from Him. 

Wednesday was Halloween. So naturally we got all dressed up in our missionary costumes and went to knock on some doors. Lol. Sadly, no one really celebrates Halloween, so we didn’t get candy. But as usual, we got miracles. We received a reference on Sunday to go start teaching a lady named Ana, so we got her address, and then on Wednesday night we embarked on the house hunt. As it usually is, I was expecting to get to the street and then just ask around for an hour or so until we found her (addresses do nothing for you in this country…. NO organization) or give up.

So we started in on that, and as we were making our way up the street, Shirley, a lady from our ward, stopped us in the street, and said “are you looking for Ana?” Ha. We were actually looking for Alourcin Charles, and not having any luck… Turns out she goes by Ana, and she happens to be Shirley’s sister-in-law. So she led us through a maze behind some houses to Ana. Ha. It was a HUGE tender mercy of the Lord. We could’ve spent hours looking for her and never would have found her in that back ally!

Then, that same night, we stopped at the Grocery Store and picked up a pumpkin. Lol. We brought it home, cleaned it out, and then carved it into a Missionary. Ha. Then we took a bunch of pictures with it while we ate chocolate and talked on the roof. It was basically an American Halloween! So fun! 

We carved a missionary. 10/31/12





Pumpkin carving fun



We ate chocolate on our roof. With our pumpkin. 10/31/12

Halloween party

 spooky moon



cool night shot of the city 10/31/12

On Friday we were teaching Amelia (one of our new investigators) and got to talking about her family. Turns out, she is Josefa’s (one of our progressing investigators) sister! Ha. It is a small world… We had no idea they were related, but I’m super excited about it! They are both progressing really well, and now they will both have a buddy to investigate the church with! God is good!

On Saturday morning my companion and I looked at our pumpkin, which was beginning to decay, and received some inspiration from the spirit of fun. Haha. We decided to run down to the beach for exercise, and take it with us. We picked a good spot on the Molicon and Elder Maner hucked it out into the sea. He told me it would sink, and I told him if it floated he owed me a peso. Yep, it floats. Ha. Then we yelled “Wilson!!!” a bunch of times in the best Tom Hanks voices we could muster. Definitely an inspired activity.

My comp with the pumpkin. 11/3/12

the pumpkin in the ocean.

Last night we had an AMAZING family home evening with Josefa and Kimberly. We invited Hna Guzman to come with us, and I’m SO glad we did! We also invited Amelia (Josefa’s sister/our investigator), and some young women from the ward. So while we were waiting for the other people to show up, Hna Guzman and Josefa got to talking, and somehow Hna Guzman’s conversion story came up; so she recounted it. It was PERFECT!! She talked about her challenge with giving up Coffee. It was a weird coincidence… We didn’t know that that had been a challenge for her, but it was exactly what Josefa needed to hear! That is the one and only thing in her life that she needs to change before she can be baptized! I was SO grateful for Hna Guzman and the guidance of the Spirit! I know it strengthened Josefa’s testimony of the Word of Wisdom, cuz it strengthened mine FOR SURE!
Well, the young women never showed up, and Amelia called and bailed, so we had a little Noche de Hogar just the four of us. We watched the Joseph Smith movie, and then ate Chaca (Pronounced Cha-ká). Ha. It was awesome.

Eating Chaca (pronounced Cha-ká) It's a pudding like substance that they make out of corn. They take corn (that has been dried and smashed up) boil it for a couple hours, then put in milk, raisins, cinnamon, and lots of sugar. I think it's what Nana valiantly attempted to make for my missionary dinner. But they serve it hot, and they make it out of that special corn that is probably only sold here in the DR. 11/4/12

This morning was a little crazy. We cleaned our house, and then headed for the Zone activity. We called a taxi to take us, but about half way there the car broke down. Ha. It’s actually not all that abnormal… We got out and pushed it to see if we could get it push started, but it didn’t work… But there happened to be two other taxi’s sitting on the side of the road. So we just hopped in another one. But as we were pulling away Elder Alba realized that his wallet was missing… So we all got out and searched the road for it… but no luck. Well, while we were pushing the first taxi he had it in his hand so it had to be close by, but then we realized that the third taxi wasn’t there anymore and neither was the wallet… So we went on a wild goose chase to see if we could find the taxi driver that took it… All we had to go on was the name of his taxi company. Lol. It was hopeless. But it was an adventure. I just feel bad for Elder Alba… His WHOLE identity was in his wallet, and a bunch of money as well. And he only has 2 weeks left in the mission… I guess it’s just the final trial… Anyway. Pray for him.

Elder Domine, My comp and I at the Apolo Taxi office... Elder Alba got his wallet stolen by a taxi driver, so we went to see if we could identify him and get it back. No luck. 11/5/12 

My comp at the place where Elder Ballard dedicated this contry for the preaching of the gospel. 11/5/12 

I love and miss you all! I hope you’re all doing well, reading your scriptures and praying always! Keep the faith!

Love, Elder Cade Mooney



I Used to Think of a Bleach-Blonde, Babe from Grease When I Heard the Name Sandy.... - Monday, October 29, 2012

Hey family! 

We are well and whole! A little wet, but still happy and healthy!

Hurricane Sandy hit us pretty hard on Tuesday evening. Then the rain and the wind continued til Friday... Ha. But apparently Hurricane Issac was more serious, cuz we were never told to stay in the house, so we just ran from house to house through the rain. It was probably the most rain I have ever seen in my entire life. We would be walking in a slight drizzle, and then within a split second it would be POURING BUCKETS. So we would have to run and hide under awnings to keep from being drenched to the bone. Ha.

Apart from the rain, and/or because of the rain, this week has been one of miracles for sure! We were invited into peoples houses that probably never would've accepted us if we hadn't have looked so cold and wet. Ha. So maybe our miserable state of being was a blessing after all. And we had some really cool lessons and found some really great people this week! Elder Maner is still my hero. Ha. He and I are working super hard, and having a blast! I'm so grateful for him as a companion!

 

My companion and I hiding from the rain 10/24/12


One of the cool lessons we taught was to Josefa, one of our progressing investigators, and because of the rain there was no power, so we taught the whole lesson in the dark... Ha. Then she invited us to stay for dinner, and started cooking by candle light. lol. I was kinda looking forward to telling the story of that one time I ate a candle lit dinner with an investigator, but right as she set the plates on the table, the power came back. Ha.

People we found:

Jonas. He is a 22 year old kid that we met playing basketball last Monday. Then Monday night we ran into him in the street (with our tracting clothes on again) and he was like "oh! You're Mormons!" ha. Then he asked us when we could pass by. So on Wednesday we started teaching him, and it turns out that he grew up with and is still close friends with several of the members of our ward. He is already reading and praying about everything we leave with him, and he's always hungry for more. Ha. He asked us when he could have a Book of Mormon in the second lesson! I am excited to watch him learn and grow!

Angel and Diana. They are the son and daughter-in-law of a member in our ward. Diana has had all the lessons from the missionaries, but up until a heart attack he suffered a few weeks ago, Angel didn't want anything to do with the church. Ha. It is so cool to me how God works! The doctors say it's a miracle that Angel is even alive today. But I know that God has a plan for him, and that he just needed a little nudge to get him back on track. Ha. Now Angel is SO open and willing to listen and learn from the missionaries. He knows he needs God in his life, and he knows that this is what's best for his family! Yet again, I feel so blessed to be one of the missionaries that teaches him, and to be able to watch him progress and change!

Also, yesterday we had a great lesson in Elders Quorum about the Sacrament, and the Atonement. Edgar (the teacher) talked about how we should be bettering ourselves everyday, and making an effort to utilize the power of the Atonement and the Sacrament in our daily/weekly lives. He said we should always have a motto of "Today I am better than Yesterday, and I am Worse than Tomorrow." I thought it was a cool way to look at it. We should always be able to look back and see how far we've come, but we should also be continually looking forward and focus on the things we can change to be more like our Savior Jesus Christ.

I am eternally grateful for the power and effects of the Atonement in my life. I have seen so many changes and so much progression. I am grateful that I always have the Sacrament to start every week off with a clean slate, and to always be able to say "today I am better than I was yesterday, and worse than I will be tomorrow."

I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know without a doubt that He suffered and died for our sins, and that through that same Atonement, we can all be clean. We can stand up and shake off the pain and the guilt, and through Him we can become whole.

I love you all! I hope and pray that you all have a fantastic week!

Love,

Elder Cade Mooney



Cool Car 10/25/12



Cool Views 10/27/12



This Week Has Been Another Good One! - Monday, October 22, 2012

Hey guys!

This week has been another good one!

First exciting tid bit of news…. Our kitchen sink has been fixed!!! We talked to the owner of our apartment a couple weeks ago, and he finally came through! He sent a plumber on Tuesday, and that poor plumber had to take the lid off the cement box out back (the Dominican version of a grease trap), and he removed two HUGE garbage bags full of the most disgusting smelling kitchen sink residue that has ever existed. But now, OUR SINK WORKS!!! I have never been so happy in my whole life! Ha. We can now do dishes in our sink, and not have to worry about nasty water coming back up through the pipes!
 

The aftermath of the plummer... 10/16/12


 

Also on Tuesday, my companion (our district leader) had a leadership meeting with the Zone Leaders and in said meeting they told everyone about a new goal that our president has set for our mission… He wants every companionship to baptize an investigator every week, and to baptize a whole family once a month. Ha… I don’t know about other missions in the world, but here in the DR that is a pretty high mark. But our response, “ Challenge Accepted!” We know it is gonna take time, and it’s not going to be easy, but it is definitely possible! So at the moment we are still working hard on contacting to get our investigator pool to a point in which we can accomplish the goal of a weekly baptism. I am definitely a fan of goals. Ha. I realize that this goal might not be achieved in my time here in Independencia, but that’s not important. The goal has raised the bar, and has given me a new determination to find and baptize EVERY prepared person in our area boundaries!

As for my fun food experiences this week:
On Wednesday afternoon Elder Domine cooked up some fish meatballs that he and Elder Alba received as a gift from their investigator Prenda. Ha. Sounds weird, but they were actually really tasty. Then on Wednesday night my companion and I went to the Guzman’s house and taught Amelia and her mom how to make No Bake Cookies! So fun! And then they sent us home with your standard meal of rice and beans topped with scrambled eggs for dinner. They are the greatest!

On Thursday for lunch the four of us crammed in our tiny kitchen and made Fritos (Fried plantains, kinda taste like french fries), and then Elder Domine whipped out some of the most delicious Dominican “espagueti blanca” that I have ever had. Definitely one of the better missionary made meals I’ve eaten so far. Also, that same afternoon while we were hunting for the plantains we were gonna fry, we came across a truck selling bunches of green banana’s for 20 pesos each! So we bought about 20 bananas for the equivalent of one U.S. dollar. Now we just have to wait a few days for them to mature, and shortly thereafter we will be in a sweet, yellow version of heaven!
Then yesterday, Wilfredo’s (one of our investigators) mom gave us the biggest avocado I have ever seen. But it is also still unripe… So I guess you’ll have to wait until next week to find out how fantastic it tastes. Ha.
I think, just based off the climate and the food here, I live in Paradise. And that’s not even including the Dominican people! This island, especially this area is gonna be a tough one to leave!

Spiritual thought for the week:
On Thursday morning I had an incredible scripture study. Thanks to a suggestion from Elder Domine, which he received from Elder Bednar last time he was in the Caribbean, I have started my own set of “small plates.” Elder Bednar explained it with the story of Nephi, and how he kept the large plates as a record/history of his people, but he also kept a set of small plates to record his spiritual experiences and the inspiration he received from his personal scripture study, and his personal prayers.

Anyway, in this particular entry in my small plates, I learned a lot about the importance of scripture study. I read in Jacob 7:23 and saw how peace and happiness was directly related to the study of the scriptures. Then two verses later in 25 it talks about how the people of Nephi prepared themselves for war by fortifying themselves to be conquerors of their enemies, and I applied it to myself in that every time a study from the scriptures I am building up my spiritual armor to be a conqueror of the devil and his angels.

Then the miracle:
Our afternoon on Thursday was HARD… We had a ridiculous amount of first lessons planned, and they ALL failed us. So we contacted, but we were not well received. We contacted for 3 hours, and only got a few solid appointments planned for the following day. Tos ay the least, I was discouraged. But then 6 o’clock came around and we went to our appointment with Amelia. Amelia is an inactive member that went inactive a few years back of her own accord, but now she is accepting, and wants to come back to church, but she is on house arrest due to a recent surgery her had to remove a tumor in her jaw bone. They ended up having to take out the whole left side of her jaw, and most of the surrounding tissue as well. So now she just has a piece of metal in there, and she cant use that side of her face. Anyway, we took her a Book of Mormon, and we talked with her about scripture study. My discovery from earlier that morning fit perfectly with our lesson and she loved it! We talked about the importance of scripture study, and how much it will bless her life. She committed to read from the Book of Mormon EVERYDAY starting that night, and she was SUPER happy about it! She just hugged the book! Ha. With this whole house arrest thing she has A LOT of down time, and she told us how grateful for us she was, and how much of a difference we have made for her! It was exactly what I needed to hear after the long afternoon of rejection.
 
Then that same night, we visited the Gils, a part family (the dad is a member, but the mom and the girls are not, and neither his mother who lives with them) in our ward. It was an unplanned lesson (we had planned to just stop by and put an appointment with them for another day, but they invited us in to share a message right there on the spot), so we didn’t have anything in particular that we wanted to teach. Well, as missionaries usually do in such situations, I defaulted to my personal study from that morning. It was AMAZING! The spirit took over and we ended up discussing how important not only fortifying ourselves with scripture study is, but also how important it is to be united and fortified as a FAMILY: Brother Gil was SO excited about it! The whole family accepted our challenge to study from the scriptures, even just a few verses, every single day. I felt the spirit confirm my words as I promised them of the blessings they would receive if they would keep their commitment and READ!

I would like to extend that same challenge to all of you. If you aren’t already, make the effort to crack open the scriptures, even for just a few minutes, EVERYDAY. Not only personally, but also as a family. I know that scriptures contain power. I don’t know how to explain it, but I have witnessed it in my life and in the lives of the people I teach. I know without a doubt that if each of you search the scriptures daily, personally and as families, you will be blessed. You will be guided by the spirit in all that you do, you will have a better attitude, and a happier outlook on life, and you family will be closer and more united. The blessings of “The Little Things” are the greatest by far!

I love an miss you all!

Keep on keepin’ on! This Church is true!

Love,

Elder Cade Mooney

Making Piña batidas 10/15/12

What a Week!!! - Monday, October 15, 2012

Hello Familia!!

This week has been SO busy, but somehow it still feels like I just blinked and it was over!


My new companion Elder Maner and I 10/9/12



Tuesday morning we got up and headed to the transfer chapel to pick up our new companions. Elder Alba’s phonics was spot on… My new companion's name is indeed Elder Maner (pronounced May-ner), Jacob Tyler Maner to be more specific. He is 6’3”, 180 lbs, from Heber, Arizona, SUPER chill, and speaks Spanish like a Dominican. Ha. He has 14 months in the mission, and he’s ON FIRE! We have seen SO MANY MIRACLES in this first week together, and we’ve had SO MUCH FUN! And I highly doubt things can go anywhere but up from here!

On Tuesday afternoon when we got home, Elder Maner didn’t even take the time to unpack. He found his scriptures in his suitcase, and then was ready to go! Talk about hitting the ground running! We started the day off with a ridiculous amount of contacts, cuz we ended up on the east side of the area, and we only have a couple progressing investigators over here (cuz we were focusing more on the Barrio of Café).



The car our deaf friend painted



Anyway, while we were contacting we walked up to this guy that was prepping a car to be painted (i.e. he was taping the lights and mirrors, and covering the windows in newspaper), and said “Buenas” ha… He must have seen our feet out of the corner of his eye, cuz he stood up and said in AMERICAN sign language “I’m deaf.” Ha. It was SO unexpected. So we talked a little bit with what sign language I could remember (side note; he finger spells in Spanish. Ha. So the things I was saying I had to translate from Spanish to sign instead of from English to sign… It was SO cool!). We found out that he lives in the apartment complex we were contacting, and that he is a Jehovah’s Witness, because they have a deaf church in our area. We couldn’t really make an appointment with him, because teaching would just be ineffective, but now every time we see him in the street he smiles really big and waves, and usually gives us candy! Lol. Also, he is a legitimate car painter. He finished the car he was prepping that same day, and we got to see the whole process as we walked passed various times throughout the day. Ha. 

On Wednesday we had a day full of first appointments and contacts, and then in the evening we met up with Victor at the church for his baptismal interview. When we walked into the church he greeted us, and he told us that he wanted to move his baptismal date… to JANUARY! I don’t know if you guys remember Victor from back in July, but he had his first baptismal interview with Elder Brezack, but he failed it and had to wait three months for his baptism… We have been teaching him twice a week for the last three months, full speed ahead to have him ready for the 13th of October. So when he said he wanted to postpone it THREE more months, you can only imagine how I felt. Anyway, the bishop was still in an interview, and our district leader hadn’t shown up yet, so we called an audible, grabbed the nearest return missionary, and headed into the nursery room for an emergency, resolve some doubts lesson. Turns out, he was worried about not being able to be at church EVERY Sunday, cuz of his work schedule, and he wanted to wait until work slowed down so he could be 100% devoted. So we shared with him 1 Nephi 3:7 and talked about how if he will pray with real intent, and if it truly is his desire to be at church every Sunday, God will prepare him the way to be there EVERY Sunday. Then we wrapped it up real quick cuz the Bishop was ready to interview him. We still didn’t know how he felt about actually going through with his baptism, but I said a quick prayer that the bishop would know how to help him, and he did just that! Victor came out of his interview and said that he knew he needed to have faith and that he just needed to take that step and be baptized! So Elder Ramos did a quick interview, which he passed with flying colors, and then we planned a baptism!

Then on Thursday night, the Zone Leaders called us and told us that we needed to be at the temple at 8:30 Friday morning for our Zone Temple trip. Yeah, we were pretty stoked! A little surprised, but SO excited! So Friday morning we got up, got ready, and took a public car to the WAS, then walked up through campus to the temple! It was INCREDIBLE! I had NO idea how much I was missing the temple! I can't even explain the amount of energy and the sense of renovation and rejuvenation I felt from that session! I LOVE THE TEMPLE! I hope each and every one of you are grateful for and taking advantage of the ease of your temple access! Keep going every week! It is literally the most holy place on the entire earth! It is the House of our Heavenly Father, and you have the chance to visit anytime you want! GO!



Our zone at the temple! 10/12/12



Our beautiful temple!

 

Elder Chlarson, a missionary that I can never remember his name, and I



Elder Zorn, My Companion, Elder Reidhead, and I 10/12/12



My comp and I  10/12/12



Elder Chlarson chillin on a bench 10/12/12



The crew at McDonald's afterwards 10/12/12



After the temple trip, a group of us from La Zona Independencia went to McDonald's. Ha. It was SO good! It’s strange, but American fast food here is a delicacy. Ha. And I swear they do something different to the food here, because it was SO good!



Elder Zorn and I at Micky-D's





















After we came home from our temple trip we went back out to work. The first place we stopped at was Joel’s house. We had had an appointment with him in the morning, but because of the surprise temple trip, we had to fail him. I was worried about it in the morning cuz he said that he wouldn’t be there in the afternoon… But thanks to the tender mercies of the Lord, he was at home when we passed by. We went in, sat down, and proceeded to have the best lesson that either I or Elder Maner have ever had. Joel opened up to us and expressed his situation. He is a recently divorced, single father, raising 3 kids. He is working as a police officer, but doesn’t make nearly enough money to provide for his family. He is an alcoholic and he is addicted to cigarettes. He went on to express to us that he invited us back because he knows he needs God in his life right now. He NEVER thought about God when he and his wife were together, because everything was good. But now that he’s hit rock bottom, he has turned to the Lord and is completely ready to turn his life around. He is SO humble and teachable, and is willing to do anything and everything we ask him to, cuz he knows it will bless his life. I can't even tell you how I felt after that lesson! It was INCREDIBLE! The Spirit was SO strong! And I don’t think I have ever heard the kind of sincerity that he expressed when he said the final kneeling prayer to finish our lesson. I know that the Lord has been preparing Joel to receive the Gospel, and I know that the Gospel will truly be the thing that helps him rise above all that he is experiencing right now! I feel so blessed, and am SO excited to watch him progress! Missionary work is the greatest!!!


Victor's baptism 10/13/12



Then on Saturday we had Victor’s baptism! It was awesome! We had some great talks from a couple members, and a special musical number by the missionaries (we sang Joseph Smith’s First Prayer to the tune of Come Thou Fount. It was SO cool!), and then Raul Sandoval did the baptizing! And to top it all off Victor got up in testimony meeting yesterday and bore an amazing testimony! He will definitely be an incredible leader and testimony builder for all the saints wherever he is!



Anyway. I feel like I could tell you all a GAZILLION things more, but I have again ran out of time… I apologize. I hope this email finds you all well and happy! I know without a doubt that this is the one and only true Church of Jesus Christ, and that if we live according to the will of our Father in Heaven, we will be happy, and will be able to live with our families for time and all eternity!

I love you all! Keep the faith!

Love,

Elder Mooney 

Our "P-Day's Eve" party  10/14/12

 

My comp. Chillin' like a villian.

Dominican Sunrise 10/13/12

Me and a hobo house 10/13/12



Fishermen 10/13/12

Fisher of Men 10/13/12

More pretty pictures 10/13/12

Cool 10/13/12

 A funny bumper sticker. lol. 10/10/12



P.S. My companion and I have started a "P-Day's Eve" (as in the night before P-Day) tradition. We eat dinner and drink banana batidas on the roof of our house! Ha! SO tight! I can't wait to see what this transfer has to bring!