Bumble Bees and Banana Trees -- Monday, August 26, 2013

Hey fam badam bam!

Beautiful views in Tamayo 8/21/2013

This week we had an intercambio with the Elders from Tamayo! It was legit! Tamayo is a little community about an hour outside of Barahona. There are two Elders out there and four sisters in the neighboring town of Vicente Noble. Tamayo and Vicente Noble are both farming towns know for their Yucca, Platanos, and BANANAS! It is ridiculously beautiful there! There are banana and platano fields (orchards? whatever) in every direction, as far as the eye can see, and Palm trees stand as would-be watch towers on the edges of each field. 

Houses in Tamayo 8/21/2013

A cool river picture also in Tamayo 8/21/2013

Banana orchards! 8/22/2013

For this exchange it was my turn to spend the night away from home, so I went out with Elder De La Cruz (Dominican) and my companion stayed in our area with Elder Roca (Peruvian). Now get this! As Elder De La Cruz and I hopped off the bus in Tamayo, I got attacked by a swarm of bees! ha. I have no idea what I did to piss them off, but they came out of nowhere! I looked like a crazy person running away and swatting at the air as I went. haha. One of them got me on the arm, and another one stung me right on the nose! lol. Luckily, I had a credit card on me and got the stingers out really quick, my arm still swelled up a bit and was itching and stinging for a the rest of the day but nothing serious. ha. The funny thing is that they left Elder De La Cruz alone! After I got the stingers out he turned to me and said "Bien venidos al Infierno." hahaha! He's not a bug fan. And from what he tells me the bugs out there are pretty ruthless. A few nights ago he found a tarantula in his bed. lol. The poor kid. Luckily I just had to stay for one night. And then I got to come back to my second-story safe house by the beach. :)

My fresh papaya breakfast 8/22/2013

Apart from the bees, the exchange was great. Elder De La Cruz is an awesome kid. He's currently serving as the district leader in their district, and he has SO much patience. He has four sister missionaries to worry about, and he makes it look easy! And trust me, it's not. ha. No offence ladies. Apart from his patience and charity, he's also a chef! His mom was always working so he and his sisters were in charge of cooking for the family. When we got home after work, he made German Pancakes. They were BOMB! Almost as good as the ones Aunt Wendy makes! I feel so blessed to be here in Barahona with the opportunity to rub shoulders with all these Elders and Sisters. Also exchanges are a huge blessing for me! I get to meet all kinds of new people and see all there is to see out here in the South. I honestly got called to the best Zone in the best mission in the whole world!! :) I couldn't be happier. :) This is where I need to be. :)

Elder De La Cruz and I 8/22/2013

Pollo a la Microondas. hahahaha 8/22/2013

Hammock in the shade. :) 8/22/2013

The Palm trees in front of my house by day and by night 8/23/2013

"Jesus is coming" clouds. haha 8/24/2013

Saying goodbye to José and Rosaira 8/25/2013

 Sad news of the week... José and Rosaira went back to Venezuela today. :( We said our last goodbyes at church yesterday. I will miss them! But they told me that I was more than welcome to visit anytime I want. ha. Anyone want to check out Venezuela with me next summer?! haha. 

On a happier note, lately we've been blessed with lots of new investigators! We've been working hard to organize our area better, so we can use less time walking and more time in people's houses. Whenever we have a spare moment we knock doors, and if the person is home and has a minute, we visit with them right then and there. For example, on Saturday night we were contacting, and met a lady named "La Buena." When we yelled "Saludos!" outside her gate, she came out with the keys and invited us in before we could even tell her what church we're from! We sat down with her and talked a little bit about her life. She's a middle aged woman with two 21ish year old kids, and she's fed up with the worldly lifestyle. Her husband left her for another woman, and she feels like it's time for a radical change. It just so happens that we teach people how to make radical changes! We had a great intro to the Plan of Salvation lesson with her, and she committed to come to church with us. I wasn't really expecting her to come to church, cuz people tell us that a lot and never come, but she actually showed up yesterday and openly participated in all the classes! It was awesome! Plus, she works with the relief society president so we're gonna take her with us to our lesson with La Buena on Wednesday! 

Also, this last week we met an awesome little family; Jonathan, his wife Patricia, and their baby. His parents and older siblings were all baptized in the LDS church when he was 6, but they fell away and since then he's kinda just been in religious limbo land. A couple nights ago we had a really great one on one lesson with him and talked about the happiness and love that he will feel if he chooses to accept Christ and make the changes he needs to to live the Gospel. The Spirit testified of our words as we talked of God's love, and compared the commandments to the "rules of the house." Growing up I always felt like my parents were making rules up just to make my life harder, and to punish me for stuff I didn't even do. But now I realize that all those stupid rules were there to protect me. And that's exactly what the commandments are for. Living a worldly lifestyle is tempting, and Satan makes it look SO fun. It appears to be complete freedom and happiness, and it is! But only for a short time. One day, we'll look back on our lives and say "man, remember when we thought the commandments were stupid and just there to control us? Well thanks to them, we have good, happy lives, free from addiction and all other consequences of sin." I know God is there. I know He loves us. As a missionary I have the opportunity to feel that love for the people of Barahona every single day! He has given us the Gospel to bless us and protect us, and He sent His only begotten son to show us how to live it. If we will just humble ourselves and accept His will, we will be happy, and we'll avoid SO much heartache and pain. 

Carlos and Karen are still doing great! We talked to the lawyer about Carlos' divorce and he said it will be final on the 4th of September, and then they can get married eight days later. :) They are both SO solid, and SO ready to be baptized! They know the church is true, and they already have a great support system of family and friends here in Rama 2. :) We'll just keep visiting with them and sharing new doctrine til September 4th comes. :)

Our district and the Elders from Tamayo after our soccer game this morning. 8/26/2013

Other than that, we're just working hard and loving everyone we serve! Missionaries and investigators alike. :) I honestly made the best decision of my life when I decided to be a missionary. It's really hard, and some days I just want to give up and hide in my room. But the blessings I've received, and the things I've learned so far are undeniable and irreplaceable. If you're thinking about being a missionary, stop thinking about it and JUST DO IT! 

I love you all! I think of and pray for you often. :)

Love, Your Missionary, 

Elder Cade Mooney