D23

Hey....                                                                          22 Aug 2012

Hello Mom and Dad!  Congrats on being GRANDPARENTS! You’re getting way to old ha . Thank you for sending me the pictures of grandma and grandpa's funerals in the package.  Yes I got it and I loved it! I got to listen to grandma’s funeral and watch the slide show!  Man I wish I could’ve been there!  I feel like none of this stuff is happening because I’m not there. I can’t believe I have a niece, it doesn’t feel like it. But I’ve been telling everyone about her! 

This week went pretty good as well. My comp and I are really trying to focus on baptismal dates, because all the investigators that we have had never really took it seriously. But now that we have people coming to church and reading and praying they are finally starting to understand what baptism is and why they need it. 

The guy that showed up to church is named Bryce, and he is amazing.  Like I said he knows a lot about of the Bible and is only looking for the truth.  So we have gotten the chance to visit him a couple of times this week and we also explained baptism to him and invited him to be baptized and he told us, don’t worry I’ll be baptized, I just need to talk to yall four more times to learn more and understand!  After that lesson my comp was so so excited and asked me how in the world someone so perfect gets put right in front of us. I told him that the Lord prepares his children, and we are the ones working to find them so he just made it easier for us. Because here in Dajabon we have contacted so many people and have gotten to meet a lot of people that are way good people but aren’t ready to except the gospel and it doesn’t mean that they are bad , just not prepared. 

We had a meeting with the zones from Puerto Plata and Navarrette and the President on Friday so we had to travel two and a half hours to get there.   I learned the coolest thing at the meeting.  Sister Douglas spoke in her terrible Spanish about gratitude, and invited us all to write down 5 things that we are grateful for every night for 30 days. She researched a study and found that people that write these things in a journal will live 6 years longer in their lives! ha and it’s because they are more happy and focus on the things that are good in life. 

Oh also.  we got cheated by a Haitian.  He was walking in the street with his wife and his kid and he waved us down and asked for money.  So I bought him a bag of bread and water instead.  The next day he came to church and asked the Bishop for help.  So he gave him like 60 bucks to go by food.  A dude we know found them a house and got them settled in. He went back that night to see how they were doing and they had left and taken all of the food, and we haven’t seen them since! ha but it’s okay at least we did what we could.  

But I am grateful for this gospel and also for my family. I’m grateful to have a brother and sisters that have always been my friends and to have two parents that have always loved me. I’m grateful the atonement of Jesus Christ because I know that I will be able to live with him again because he died for me. I’m grateful for the blessing that I have received in my life.  It’s hard to see people here with nothing, knowing that there is something better. Lastly, I am grateful for the chance to be a missionary. 

I love all of you and hope everything is awesome!!!!! 

PICTURES 

Day of service and a healthy baby

Elder Afatasi and me

Elder Horne, challis and Rocicot with me 

I found a car that looked like mine and almost cried. 

ELDER GRINER

MISION SANTIAGO