¡Feliz P-Day! - Monday, January 28, 2013

Hey guys!!!

Well, Taylor wrote a novel… Seeing that I wasn’t recently released from a restrictive index finger cast, I hope you will all be content with a normal length, normal quality letter from Elder Mooney. Ha.

This week was full of work, fun, and of course, miracles.

On Monday, right after sending my email off, we went to the park to check out Los Patronales (the biggest party in the country). It was originally a catholic holiday, devoted to the Virgin Altagracia, but Dominicans take it to a whole new level. Haha. Tons of people drinking, and smoking, and dancing; ALL KINDS of music from different parts of the park, we stood in front of a decked out speaker system mini van (see picture), and I thought for sure I was gonna fall over. Ha. It was UNREAL!!! My ENTIRE body, entrails included, was vibrating! On top of the music and the boos, there’s TONS and TONS of people selling stuff on the street! People come from all over the world (we met people from Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala, and a couple other countries) to sell cool stuff. Also, the Dominican street food stands multiply by like 1000% when the Patronales are going on. SOOO good!

Hard core hot dogs 1/21/13

  

Street food!!!!

And those blue tents are temporary bars and or drink mixing stands.

The motorcycle I'm buying when I get home.

Talk about speaker systems.

Jewelry stand

Bar on wheels.

Free concert in the park after the party. ha. These people know what's up.

After our park party exploration, we went over to Milagros’ house for a Noche de Hogar. We talked about listening to the voice of the Lord, and being willing to do as He says no matter what, cuz He knows what’s best for us. We used the lost 116 pages as an example, and then just discussed the subject for a while. It was cool, and afterward Elder Leyva told me that it was an answer to his prayers. His girlfriend is on the verge of Dear Johning him, and he has been pretty beat up about it, but he said that our discussion helped him realize that it doesn’t matter what happens with her, he is a missionary, and if she isn’t the one for him, God will put the right one in his path when he gets home. He just needs to have faith. It was super cool to hear his testimony in such a personal setting, and being able to see how his testimony grew from this hard time with the GF and a well timed discussion on the will of the Lord. 

I hope we all realize that if we trust in the Lord, and obey His commandments with faith, we will be blessed. He will take care of us 100%. Perhaps it won't be exactly like WE planned, but it will be what’s ABSOLUTELY best for us! I know that to be true! God will never let us fall!

The people gearing up for the Escojido Champion caravan 1/27

On top of the Patronales, the Escojidos (one of the DR’s 5 big league baseball teams) won the Championship. They had to play a ridiculous amount of games to get 3 of the 5 teams eliminated, and then the Escojidos and the Aguilas (the two remaining teams) had to play best out of 9 games. Ha. The Escojidos shut them out, and won 5 games to 0. So as soon as the game finished (at like 11 at night, which is past my bedtime), EVERYONE in the pueblo rode around on their motors in a HUGE caravan making all kinds of noise. Ha. And they did it like 3 more times during the week! SO many hard core baseball fans! Now it’s calmed down, and everyone is gearing up for the US Major League Baseball season. Ha.  

As for the missionary work:

We’ve been working a lot lately in two separate parts of our area, and have found quite a few new investigators, on top of the solid ones we’ve been working with since my time with Logue.

One of the newer ones is named Carmen. She is the mom of 4 boys, 3 of which are members. So we’ve been working with her (and the rest of our investigators) to come to church. This week she was 100% set on getting to church, and NOTHING was gonna sway her (same goes for like 5 other investigators), but then the senator of this province, who’s on his way out of office, pulled one of his “lame duck session” actions, and gave all the kids in the area free toys. Great idea right?? The kids were SO happy! But he gave everyone tickets (to make sure you actually had kids, and to make sure each kid only got one) on Saturday night, then everyone had to go pick out their toys at 9 am on Sunday morning… RIGHT WHEN MY SACRAMENT MEETING STARTS!!! NO ONE was in church. Juana (Rosanna’s mom) came for the third hour, but other than that not a single one of our investigators came…

Apart from that bump in the road, our week was awesome as far as investigators go. Gregorina (the drunk contact) still hasn’t touched alcohol since that first night, and is still going strong preparing for her baptism on the 9^th of February. She reads everything we leave with her, and always has AWESOME questions for us in our lessons with her.

Juana and Rosanna are doing really well! We had an awesome lesson with them last night, and it turns out, that Rosanna is following the law of Chastity to a T, and Juana hasn’t smoked a cigarette in like 5 days!! We gave her some gum to use instead of cigarettes, and we are making her a count down to her baptism calendar so she can cross out everyday that she doesn’t smoke. J She can do it!! We set an ultimatum date with both of them last night for the 23^rd of February. I told them that if they hold out strong, and keep preparing for this baptism, I will personally boil cauldrons of water to dump in the font so they don’t have to get dunked in cold water. Ha. I will let you know what happens.

Also, yesterday was Elder Logue’s, as well as Elder Maner’s 18 month mark. So I called them up to congratulate them, and while I was at it I got an update from Elder Maner on good ol’ Independencia. Turns out, Josefa (mother of Kimberly, the one that fed us chacá, and other cool stuff) got baptized!!! Elder Alba and I contacted her over 5 months ago, and she finally took the plunge!! I was SO happy! Also, Carlos (the one that described his experience with the church as “being full where he didn’t know there was an emptiness”) is getting baptized this coming Saturday!! HOW AWESOME!!! I am SO happy for them! Josefa will be the next Relief Society Pres, and Carlos will probably go out on a mission the day he completes a year as a member of the church!

Oliva (the lady Pemberton and I contacted into oh so long ago), is still working hard on getting her papers figured out so she can get married. She goes to church on a weekly basis, usually accompanied by her 2 grandkids. She is SO faithful, and fighting against Satan’s storms SO valiantly! I know that for her faith she will be blesses, and in the Lord's time, she will receive the blessings of baptism!

Anyway. That’s all I’ve got for this week. I honestly am doing so well. I love being a missionary, and I love every part about this work. I know I’m where I need to be. I know this Church is the one and only true Church of Jesus Christ. I know that the Gospel I teach everyday, truly brings happiness. I hope you are all doing your best to be obedient, and relying on the Lord ALWAYS!

I love you all! Keep the Faith!

-Elder Cade Mooney  

Cool pic 1/24/12

Can you spot the tree frog on the rock?
 It totally changes colors to camouflage itself!  1/26/13

Tree frog

The four of us in our cut off jeans. ha. 1/26/13

Cool cloud pics. 1/26/13

Me with GIANT pigs.

Hello from Ocoa! - Monday, January 21, 2013

Hey Family!! 

Another week gone… Holy cow. Time flies!

Just like all the weeks in the past… this one ROCKED! Ha. 

Tuesday, we got up and went on another house cleaning, service expedition. A lady in our ward was in a motorcycle accident with her husband (nothing super serious, but enough to kink her back and make housework a little difficult), so we went and mopped her floor, did the dishes, swept the patio, and dusted everything! It was solid, and she appreciated it. :) Then we went home, and seeing that we had no gas to cook with, and we had a counter overflowing with avocados, I improvised and made some sandwiches with an avocado-mayonnaise spread, fresh onions, peppers, tomatoes, salami, and cheese! SO good! I would suggest that you all try it out! 

Shortly after lunch, our new ACTIVE (I’ve never seen our last one at church) ward mission leader, Erik, came by and took our gas tank to the natural gas station for us, then brought it back and we fed him a sandwich while we had a meeting and talked about our investigators! We are SO pumped to have someone to work with in the ward!! Erik is the bomb, and has tons of animo to work hard, and see growth in the ward!

Wednesday we had “surprise” interviews with Pres. I say “surprise” because the Zone Leaders announced them for the 26^th, which was passed out as a misprint in the monthly mission newsletter. Ha. So they called us on Tuesday night, and told us it was really on the 16^th, and to change the appointments we needed to, so we could be there. Ha. Although it was unexpected, it went really well. Pres is a cool guy, and it’s good to talk to him and hear his opinion on what I can do better as a missionary. 

Also, while we all wait for our turn to be interviewed, Hermana Rodriguez gives us a schpeel on heath and cleanliness, and then a training session on something or other before she takes our weight and blood pressure. This round’s training session was on the Area book, and while we were talking about contacting (tracting), and new contacts, she shared the conversion story of President Rodriguez. Turns out, the missionaries knocked on his door and his older brother accepted a return appointment. But when the Elders went back to teach him, he wasn’t home. Instead of being discouraged, saying “well, can you tell him we passed by,” and then calling it good, they asked if they could share a short message with the people that WERE home -- President Rodriguez and his mom. They both got baptized, and within a year or two, one by one the rest of the family did as well, except the brother that was originally contacted. 26 years, and thousands of prayers and invitations later, he was baptized. But had those missionaries not taught the people they could, the whole family would probably still be right where they were 26 years ago. SO cool! It was a testimony to me that really we need to be teaching EVERYONE we see. Even if the person we contact isn’t home when we return, we need to be listening to the Spirit, so that if another member of that family is prepared to receive the gospel, we can be there for them. 

Thursday was great! My companion and I fasted for Juana (the long time investigator, that is still having problems with smoking), and we just felt like we were on cloud nine all day! In the evening, we swung by Gregorina’s (the drunk girl from a while back) house. She was sick with a fever, and had zero energy, but she wanted to share with us anyway. It was AWESOME! We had an improv Atonement lesson with her. Christ knows EXACTLY how she feels, and has already suffered everything for her! SO cool! How great is it that we know that!!?

Friday, we broke our fast at noon with some arroz con leche that Mavel sent us home with Thursday night. Ha. But… While I was pulling it out of the fridge, I dropped it and the glass bowl broke… Ha. Well, we couldn’t just waste it… So we ate slowly and pulled the glass out of our mouths as we found it. Haha. Then in the evening we got round two of arroz con leche at Nermis’ house! SO good! We ate SO much!! Don’t be too jealous, GrandDad! Ha. 

Saturday was normal. 'Cept for all the noise! Haha. Right now it is “patronales” here in Ocoa. Which is like a week and a half long celebration for the Virgin Altagracia. But it is far from religious. There is just TONS of alcohol, and tons of people, and TONS of super loud music! Ha. And its going on 24-7!! These people really know how to party!! 

Yesterday was hilarious. Lol. We went to church, which was supposed to be an area conference via satellite, but they couldn’t get it to work… So we all just went home. Haha. Only in the DR.

Then in one of our lessons with a family of all girls (Angi and Sesarina with their mom Maris), somebody ripped one… haha. Their cousin was the culprit for sure. She walked out of the tiny, one room house right before it started to stink! Haha! Then she came back in and spent 10 minutes denying it was her!!! It was SO funny!!!! I have never laughed so hard!! 

Then we got more avocados from Gladis and Anairis! Ha. I have avocados growing out of my ears!!! We eat them EVERYDAY!!!  I wish I could send you all some!!! 

Anyway. The internet guy wants me out of here due to the holiday…

I love you all! Keep the faith!

-Elder Mooney  

My comp and I with Gabriel - one of our favorite colmado guys. 1/15/13

Cool views. (photos snapped from the back of a truck, ha.) 1/16/13

Our ride (hitch hiking) back from Bani. 1/16/13

                                     More cool views

A Guanavana on the tree in Mama Juana's backyard.  1/17/13

Abel (our other favorite colmado guy) and I.1/18/13

Arroz con Leche at Nermis and Diana's house! 1/18/13

A dead, dried up lizard I found while cleaning today. haha.1/21/13

What's up! From Frio Ocoa! - Monday, January 14, 2013

Hello Family!!!

This week was another incredible one! Although, I have to admit, I've seen my breath more than once this week. Ha. Unexpected. 

On Monday night, we left from emailing all of you and went over to Milagros’ house. We had an AWESOME Noche de Hogar with them. We talked about the statement “you are never alone.” It was cool to have all members and missionaries there. We all had something to contribute; from Job, to Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail and everything in between. It was inspiring. I would suggest you all read D&C 122:9, and then Helaman 5:12. We are truly never alone. Christ has suffered EVERYTHING for us. He knows exactly how we feel, and exactly what we are going through. He is the best friend anyone could ask for. He is our ROCK, and if we rely on Him, we will never fall.

Our intercambio with Ivan and Huesker 1/8/13

On Tuesday, we had an awesome intercambio with Ivan (my recent convert from a couple months back), and Huesker (other recent convert/Ivan’s best friend). We had them come sleep at our house on Monday night, and then we woke up on Tuesday morning at 6:30 a.m., ran them through Ab Ripper X from P90X, fed them pancakes, and then we split off into companionships and studied. I was with Ivan. We had one of the coolest study sessions I’ve had thus far. We talked about our purpose as missionaries, and we tied it in to some of the questions he had about Lehi’s dream. Our job is to INVITE others to come eat of the fruit of the tree, not force the issue. Also, we invite them by helping them with basic gospel principles (Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Reception of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End) and then we watch them learn, grow and progress in both their physical and their spiritual lives. 

After lunch, we went out and had some awesome lessons, and conveniently, about 85% of them were on the Gospel of Jesus Christ: Just what we studied. :) God is good. Also, seeing that my comp and I split up for the day, and were able to cover twice the area for a FULL day… We got some of the best numbers (not that they matter) that I’ve had in my whole mission. Lol. Nailed it. Then we finished off the night with some Ice Cream, and a short discussion on what we learned. :)

Wednesday was semi normal. We had our first District Meeting with Elder Mendosa as our DL… It went well. We had some good discussions about our investigators, and I learned a lot. Although, like I learned in my previous intercambios with Mendosa, he’s a little overbearing, and SO number driven… So we will see what this transfer has to bring… Maybe a humility/patience lesson for Elder Mooney? Lol

Thursday was bomb town. It was my turn to cook, and as the Dominicans say… I passed myself. Lol. I made fried Chicken, then covered it in hot sauce mixed with brown sugar (JCW’s style mild wing sauce), and cooked up some garlic, cilantro mashed potatoes, and some deep fried, green bananas. SO good. Lol. Obviously stated with all the humility in the world… ha.

Then, on top of our over-full bellies, we had an awesome lesson with Gregorina (our investigator that I contacted while she was drunk that one night), and turns out, she has completely stopped drinking! She is reading EVERYTHING we leave with her, and yesterday was her second time in church already! She is awesome!

And if that wasn’t enough, we finally sat down with Cristian (the daddy of Rosanna’s baby), and Rosanna (our 17 year old investigator with the kid that we’ve been teaching for a while now, but are waiting on baptism 'til we can get things figured out with her “husband”/baby's daddy). It was a great lesson, and I think with the right amount of effort on our part, as well as Rosanna and Cristian’s part, they will be married, baptized and well on their way towards eternal family status.

Friday just got awesomer… (I don’t think awesomer is even a word… but it happened). After our morning routine we went over to Milagros' house and did service, i.e. swept all the leaves up off her patio, scrubbed the rugs, swept and mopped the whole house, cleaned the bathroom, dusted, and then cooked her lunch while she sipped juice on the couch. Ha. Jk. She helped us, and supervised. But it still rocked for everyone involved.

Then that night, we went over to our other missionary mom Nermis’ house, and taught Miacol. He is a 17 year old kid that is trying to get signed as a catcher (pro baseball player) right now. We met him on Christmas Eve, and have been trying to find a time to meet. Welp, we found it, and it was incredible. The Spirit was SO strong! (I realize I use that phrase a lot, but I really don’t know how else to describe it). We had a discussion about our role as missionaries in his conversion, and we talked about the things he will have to do and change as he is converted. We focused on prayer, and the need of a confirmation from the Spirit of God that all the things we teach are true. Then, both my companion and I had the overwhelming prompting to invite Hermana Nermis to share her conversion story. It was perfect. She talked about the hard time she was going through, and the very fervent prayer she offered in search of the truth, and then the almost immediate answer of a knock at the door from two young Americans in white shirts and ties. She followed it up with an undeniable testimony of the power of prayer, and the knowledge of the truthfulness of this Gospel. I know Miacol felt something, and I have high hopes for him as he starts this not-even-slightly-easy conversion process. 

Saturday, was all normal, EXCEPT: We ran into a group of white people…. Non-missionary white people. Lol. They were a youth group (plus leaders) from Toronto Canada here to build a house for a family, and serve in a local orphanage. Ha. It was SO bizarre to see people so white. I realize their houses are buried in snow right now, and they haven’t seen the sun in months, but still. They were like paper compared to the average, caramel colored Dominican… Ha. White people are so weird. It was so strange talking to them and trying to explain what we do as missionaries, IN ENGLISH. It was like the opposite of the culture shock I experienced when I first got here. Ha. I hope you are all not as weird as the Canadians were… Or maybe I’m the weird one… The mixed breed American/Dominican.

Yesterday was chill: normal day at church and a solid bunch of lessons in the afternoon. Then last night, after we came home and changed, we hitch hiked up to Sábana Larga, made fritos with avocado dip for dinner, then slept on the concrete floor so we could get up SUPER early and go on an adventure this morning.

Today, we left the Sábana Larga house at 6 a.m., met up with an Hermana in their ward, and then hitch hiked the hour and a half ride up to Rancho Arriba. It is currently a closed area (about a stones through away from the Santiago Mission border), that we’ve heard whisperings of being opened soon. So, we went to check it out, and along with our exploring of the area, we hiked to a near by waterfall/bathing pool. Lol. I wont lie… Standing next to a tropical lagoon and not being able to swim in it is about the worst thing one can experience. But it was awesome just the same.

After we came down from the blue lagoon, we went to a pepper farm (where a guy we contacted this morning works) and got a tour from Andrés, our new friend from Rancho Arriba. I had no idea how much science and work went into growing bell peppers. Ha. I would still NEVER choose agriculture as a career, but it was interesting.

Then we hitch hiked our way back down, and now I’m here, again out of time. We have to go to Nermis’ house to teach Miacol, and we still haven’t showered… ha.

I love and miss you all! I know this church is true! Keep the faith!

Love, 

Elder Cade Mooney  

My comp and I have been exalted. 1/9/13

All the free fruit we get from investigators. As you can see, Ocoa is full of avocado farms. 1/12/13

A giant moth in our house 1/8/13

Our neighborhood drunken goat... lol. all the people in the street give it alcohol 'til it passes out...
then it wakes up and they do it again. So sad, but SO hilarious. 1/9/13

Elder Meek and I in our new pants. (like 15 bucks a pair. lol. hand made just for us). 1/10/13

Elder Tuanama, Elder Leyva, and I in our new Chullos (CHU-YOs).
His mom sent us all one for Christmas. :) 1/11/13

Me and Mama Juana eating Guanavana
 (hands down my favorite previously-unknown-to-me fruit). 1/12/13

Paola 1/12/13

Our adventure this morning to Rancho Arriba 1/14/13

The hospital rooms in the hospital in Rancho Arriba 1/14/13
WE ARE SO BLESSED!!

Surgery room

Doctor's prep station

Nurse's desk

More adventure pics 1/14/13

Lunch at the Hospital after our hike.

Our Pepper Farm tour.
I guess they send all the huge peppers they grow to the states, cuz all of ours are like half that size...

Full first week of 2013!! - Monday, January 7, 2013

Hello from sunny Ocoa!

I will have you know that I am extremely jealous of all of you in the snow!! My new companion Elder Meek is/was an avid skier, so we talk and dream about snow a lot; especially here in this valley, surrounded by perfect slopes.

This week was another one of ups and downs!

We kicked it off with a double Family Home Evening night on Monday. One with Nermis (another missionary mom), Diana (daughter) and friends, and another at Milagros’ house! In both lessons we talked about welcoming in the New Year, and shared Lucas 5:37 that talks about not putting old wine in new bottles, and then talked about the story of Lot’s wife who looked back at Sodom and Gomorra and turned to salt. We emphasized the need to welcome in this New Year, and to prepare to fill it with new goals and new experiences, and also to not dwell on past mistakes or hardships. Live, Learn and Move on.

I am stoked to kick this new year off! In missionary slang, 2013 will be my black year… The WHOLE year I’m away from my family. But thanks to my inspired mother, I have a calendar with them all on it, so I can look up at the wall above my desk everyday and see all of them while simultaneously counting down the days til I can hug them! Now the black year will be a cake walk! Thanks Mom!

My goals this year are as follows: Live everyday as if it’s my last. Work everyday 'til I can’t anymore… Then wake up and do it again. And CHOOSE to be Happy!! If all goes as I’d like, this year will be the best “Whole year” of my life! Woo Hoo for 2013!

The rest of the week was a rollercoaster… We worked hard, and had a lot of solid lessons, and were planning on finishing her off with a bang, i.e. a baptism. But Juana (mother of Rosanna/awesome investigator we’ve been working with since I got here), fell off her 3 week no smoking streak ON THE DAY OF HER BAPTISMAL INTERVIEW! I was bummed… But it’s ok! Cuz after she failed her interview and Elder Mendosa left, she pulled me aside and we had a really good talk about the importance of keeping the Word of Wisdom. We made some plans for her to get off cigarettes and STAY off them, and then made plans to fast together on Sunday (yesterday). It was awesome! That lady has such a strong testimony, and will be an incredible member and example, and that’s why Satan is working so hard to make her fall, and keep her down. But he WON’T win!!!

Saturday was a day full of ups! We had lunch at Mama Juana’s house. She made us “La Bandera” o sea Arroz, Habichuelas y Pollo Guisado. Then we came back up to El Pueblo, had some solid lessons, and then went over to the church for a baptism! Elder Tuanama and Elder Leyva baptized Enrique and his wife Margarita. It was awesome! They have two boys that have both been members for some time now, and finally all their prayers were answered, and their whole family is part of this church!! :) Also, both Tuanama and Leyva will still be here in a year when they go through the temple to be sealed as a family!! How awesome!!

Then yesterday hit… Our morning and afternoon were normal, but then night came, and while Tuanama was doing laundry our clothes spinner broke… Here in the DR, washers and dryers don’t exist. We have a little tub with some plastic nubs at the bottom that spin around and agitate the water with soap and our clothes in it. Then we have to ring them out, soak them in water with fabric softener, and them send them through a clothes spinner (centrifuge) thing, then hang them to dry… Well, our “washer” here in Ocoa is so weak that if you want to wash more than one article of clothing, you have to do it by hand. Not that big a deal. But the clothes spinner is SUCH A BLESSING! And now we don’t even have that! So we called the office, and after the “approval process” (3 weeks to a month) we should have a new washer/clothes spinner! :) Until then, it’s all by hand, and only ever semi-dry clothes. Haha.

Then, this morning, we woke up and didn’t have light. Not that uncommon. So we went to the church, and played volleyball while we waited for it to come back so we could do chores, and have hot showers, and other good stuff electricity allows you to do. Ha. On our way back, we asked some neighbors if the light came, and it had, so we headed home! Well… Due to some not so responsible missionaries, our light bill was backed up 2 months… I paid it last month, but apparently I was paying for October’s light bill… So Elder Leyva and I went down there and got it all figured out. Ha. Hopefully when we get back home tonight they will have turned our light back on.

But hey! It’s a great day to be alive! And to be a missionary! Happiness depends on us, NOT on our surroundings or circumstances!! Choose to be happy!

I love you all, and hope and pray for your happiness and success!

Stay strong!

-Elder Cade Mooney   

¡¡¡Feliz año nuevo!!! - Monday, December 31, 2012

Hey guys!! It has been another great week!! I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!

Tuesday was literally everything I wished for on Christmas as a missionary! It was so good to see the Family, and to spend time just hanging out over Skype! Technology is SO cool! Also, after our visits and stuff in the evening we rode the Farris Wheel at the Carnival behind our house. :) I will send pictures when my camera cooperates with me.

On Wednesday, SANTA CAME!!!!! Ha. In reality it was the Gua Gua guy that the zone leaders used to send our mail up with. But he was old, and had a beard and brought us happy Christmas gifts! Shout out to my mom and Aunt Wendy for the packages, and to all the awesome family that participated in the goofy "HA" pictures! I loved them SO much!!! My family rocks!!
Then, when we got home that night, we got transfer calls.... It was sad news. Elder Logue got sent out to San Juan... :(

Thursday, was our last day as a companionship, and also Elder Logue's Birthday, so we lived it up. We visited everyone, and had some really good lessons. Also, we found a new investigator thanks to alcohol!! Ha. While Logue was saying bye to one of his recent converts, Paola, her cousin Gregorina (who was Hammered at the time) started talking to me, and was saying all kinds of goofy stuff that only seems socially acceptable when drunk... Ha. It was hilarious, and I laughed a lot. Well, when we left the house, she decided to "walk us to the corner and help us catch a ride back to the village..." HAHAHA. She was SO persistent, and it was the funniest thing I have ever seen! Drunk people trying to hitch hike is just embarrassing! lol. But we eventually talked her into going home, and she told us to come by her house the next day to teach her how to change her life... We told her we would, knowing that she really wouldn't remember the appointment the next day, and then sent her with her cousin to make sure she made it home in one piece.

On Friday morning we got up super early so we could get Logue down to Bani in time to catch the Transfer bus, and then I waited for my new comp to show up! His name is Elder Kevin Earl Meek, from Idaho Falls, ID. He is pretty quiet, and really chill. He only has six months in the mission, so now our house is just full of youngins. Ha. He likes volleyball, and missionary work, and his dad is the CEO of a potato company. Ha. I think we're gonna have a great time together!
After we got home, and Elder Meek unpacked a little bit, we went to work. We taught a couple good lessons in Sábana Grande, and then we walked the Canal down to La Barra. And guess who we passed by and taught?? HA! Gregorina! The drunken hitch hiker!! She had heard the whole story from her cousin, and asked me if it was all true... lol. Sadly, it was. She was SO embarrassed! DON'T DRINK! IT'S STUPID! lol. She apologized and we ended up having a really nice first lesson with her, and then we left her with a Word of Wisdom pamphlet. lol.

On Saturday, God used us as tools to comfort one of His daughters in need. On our way home from proselyting, we decided to swing bt Nermis and Diana's house (members; mom and daughter, respectively). Diana let us in and sat us down and then told us that her mom was in the other room on the phone with her brother in the states. Her other brother has an intestinal problem, and will probably need an operation... If that happens Nermis will need to go to Boston to help with his family, and she would have to leave Diana here alone. As she finished recounting the story, Nermis walked in in tears... (I have the hardest time not hugging people as a missionary. let me tell ya). She sat down and cried, and told us how much she didn't want to go to the states, and how much of a process it is going to be if he actually has to have the operation. So we shared a scripture with her, and testified of faith and miracles, and that God will make things work out. Then we prayed together, and the spirit touched all of our hearts. I just felt peace, and I know Nermis did too. She thanked us profusely, and I shook her hand with every attempt to simulate a bear hug. Then we left.
I don't know what will happen with her son, but I do know that God will take care of it, and that according to her faith, everything will be taken care of.

Yesterday Gregorina came to church!!! Ha. We invited her on Friday night, and she actually came! We passed by her house in the afternoon and she said she loved it! Then we talked about the word of wisdom and she opened up a lot about her dad. He is an alcoholic, and abusive to her and her mother... She expressed how much she does not want to turn out like him, and we talked about how the gospel can help her in that. It was awesome!! The spirit was SO strong, and as we were finishing up the lesson I felt prompted to put a baptismal date with her. If all goes as planned, Gregorina will make the first big step towards a better, more secure life on the 26th of this month! She is on fire, and is so ready to give her all to get ready for baptism!

This morning after our weekly p-day volleyball games, we came back to the house and met up with the Sabana Larga Elders to talk about our district goals for this coming month. We talked a lot and made some great goals! We have a lot of strong youth in our ward that are the only members of their families, so we are planning to get to work on their parents and siblings, and get some families completed and headed towards the temple! :) I am pumped to see what this transfer brings, and am so lucky to be a missionary here and now!!

I love you all! I hope things are going well at home, and I hope you bang some pots and play some cards and set off some fireworks for me tonight!!

Happy New year!!

Love,
Elder Mooney

Happy Christmas! - Monday, December 24, 2012

¡Hola Familia! ¡Feliz Navidad!

I can’t believe it’s already here!!! Only 17 short hours and I will be talking to you all face to face! Technology ROCKS!

Anyway. This last week has been another great one! Can I just say: I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!! Especially at this incredible time of year! The church is TRUE!!
Ha. Funny story: This week (well this whole month, but this week especially) my comp and I have been missing the snow… To say the least we’ve been “dreaming of a White Christmas, just like the ones we used to know.” Alas, we live on a tropical Island… But according to a drunk man, it used to snow here!! So, we caught a ride home the other night, and this random man jumped in the back of the truck with us (we meet lots of people, from all walks of life, that way). Naturally, as the missionaries we are, we contacted him and struck up a conversation. He mentioned the weather, and how cold it was outside… We told him, “this is NOTHING compared to where we live! If we were back at home, that mountain of dirt over there would be pure snow!” Ha. He responded “It used to snow like that here in Ocoa… But then all the Haitians (Dominicans all have beef with the Haitians for some reason or another. Usually cuz there are so many that illegally immigrate here.) moved in and they burned it all away. Now it doesn’t snow anymore.” HAHA!!!! Alcohol makes you look stupid kids… Don’t drink it! Lol.

Sadly, the Haitians are still here, and even though we prayed for a weather phenomenon, the skies are still clear and our hills are still green… BUT! We prayed, and then put our shoulders to the wheel for another kind of “white” Christmas, and God gave us just what we asked for!! We had 3 baptisms as a companionship this week and SEVEN baptisms as a district!!! It was awesome!! EVERYONE was dressed in white, and just happy! It was awesome! And if things go as planned (knock on wood), we should have an entire month of “white” as soon as January comes!! J Lots of hard work is finally paying off!! J
Also, this morning, Elder Tuanama and I finally realized our transfer long dream of hiking to the summit of the tallest mountain here in Ocoa! We got permission to do an intercambio for the morning (our comps had no desire to hike, or wake up at the crack of dawn), and then got up at 6 and headed out the door. We hiked to Parra and met up with Elder Tuanama’s Investigator Enrique, and his two boys, and then they lead us up to the top! We hiked for about 4 hours (5 hours including the trip to Parra and back home afterwards), ALL UP HILL!! My legs are SO sore! But as you can see from the pictures, it was SO worth it! We got up to the top, and we could see our breath! I didn’t think that would happen again until winter 2014… lol. The view was incredible, and we made some pretty hard core “we hiked to the summit” bonds as a group. J Ha. We came back down and stopped at a colmado for some juice and bread. I think I was just starving, but it was basically the equivalent of going to Café Rio after hiking Timp. Ha.

Spiritual thought for the week: A few weeks ago I sent you all a letter and then printed it out and reread it after I hit send. One of the lines said something along the lines of “half of my calling as a missionary is to love the people.” Well, as I reread that, I sort of confused myself… I assume it was a spur of the moment use of a figure of speech, but it made me think… What is the “other half” of my calling as a missionary? Isn’t my WHOLE calling to love the people? Well, on Sunday in Elders Quorum, I received my answer. We were discussing home teaching (a current focus in our ward), and one brother shared Alma 26:22. It basically breaks down the secret to saving souls. 1. Repent. No one can call others to repentance unless they themselves have repented. 2. Exercise Faith. If we don’t trust in God, and our Savior Jesus Christ, we have no chance in this fight for right. 3. Produce good works. Make an effort to do good, and to help others; laziness does not bring miracles. 4. PRAY. When we pray, we submit our will to the Fathers, and we make it known that we are willing to do what He asks. We also receive strength; Physical, spiritual, and mental.

THAT is the other half of my call. I need to make myself the best I can be so that I can be ready to act as a tool in His hands ALWAYS.
I challenge all of you to do the same. Change those things you need to change, have faith, get out there and do some good, and PRAY! We are all God’s Children that are here on earth to learn, and to help others do the same. Love all as Jesus would, treat them kindly too.

I know this Church is true. I am so grateful that my Heavenly Father sent His beloved Son to suffer for my sins. I know that through Him, and only through Him, we can all repent, and continue toward our Eternal Potential. I know that if we show the desire, and the willingness, God will use each of us to bless those around us. I hope and pray that we all remember that, and search for opportunities to serve during this holiday season.

I love you all, and wish you the Merriest of Christmases from not-so-white Ocoa.

Love,

Elder Cade Mooney

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Sunday, December 23, 2012
From Elder Richard Roberts
FPE Oficinas Administrativas del Area del Caribe

Hola, brothers and sisters – my wife and I are serving as senior missionaries in the Dominican Republic.  Our assignment is to work in the Perpetual Education Fund and this morning we had occasion to visit the San Jose de Ocoa Branch here in the Dominican Republic. We met your son and his companion and thought you might like to see a picture of them – taken just after our meetings this morning at the Church building.  It was a fun meeting today as it was the Primary program.  The elders  were in good spirits and it was a pleasure to visit with them for a moment. They had several new converts confirmed members of the Church today in Sacrament Meeting and are have great success with their work.  Thanks to you and them for their service here in this part of the Lord’s kingdom! I have also attached some pictures taken of the entire mission last week.  We wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hola, hermanos y hermanas, mi esposa y yo somos misioneros aquí en Santo Domingo.  Tenemos el llamamiento de trabajar con el Fondo Perpetuo Para La Educacion.  Esta mañana fuimos a la rama de San Jose de Ocoa  aquí en la Rupublica Dominicana  y tuvimos la oportunidad de conocer su hijo y sus companeros. Pensamos que les gustarian ver una foto de ellos. Ellos están bien y tienen gozo en la obra del Senior. Tambien tuvieron como seis o siete miembros nuevos que se bautizaron ayer. Gracias a ellos y a ustedes por su servicio. Tambien anexo dos fotos que tomamos de todos los misioneros en la misión la semana pasada.  Feliz Navidad y Prospero ano nuevo.