Sandy

Dear family and friends,

Well from the pictures it looks like you guys got hit pretty good with a little bit of snow this past week. That is crazy to see snow from the pictures when it is still so hot down here. Well we too got hit by a little storm, well i guess it was a big storm, I think they called it Hurricane Sandy. Well luckily we didn't get hit by the big part of the storm but we did get hit a little bit. From, Tuesday until Saturday it poured and when i say poured I mean that it poured! We still went out and worked and everyday it felt like we were just swimming between appointments. Like no lie it would have been the same if we would have jumped into a pool. We got soaked from Tuesday til Saturday and on top of that because of the storm a big tube broke that gives water to all of Barahona. So the whole city of Barahona hasn´t had water in the pipes since Tuesday and then they fixed the tube and we got water last night so it was like we were camping, being without any water, it was quite the week. However, the Lord did bless us for going out and getting soaked everyday this week. On Wednesday it was the worst day of the storm and it was just coming down and the assistants told us that it wasn´t mandatory to stay in the house but if the rain made it impossible to work then we could go back to the house. I looked at my comp and told him that i wasn't going to stay in the house and he agreed with me so we went out and decided to give her a try in the rain. Well we showed up to the first house and it was a lady named Natasha, she told us to come in so we went in and started teaching her. We taught her about how families can be together forever and it just so happens that she had just given birth a couple weeks before that so it really struck her heart. And it is a true desire of hers to have a eternal family. So we left her a pamphlet about the plan of salvation and then we went back on Friday and she had a ton of questions for us and we explained the plan of salvation to her and then last night we had another lesson with her and she accepted a date for baptism and promised to come to church this next week so we are pretty excited about that. So that was our first lesson on Wednesday, and then our third lesson on Wednesday we met this other lady that was confused about why there are so many religions and how she can know which one is the true religion. So we explained the restoration and how Christ formed his the primitive church with prophets, apostles, and authority and that through time there was a loss of the true authority of Christ. And that in 1820 God called Joseph Smith to restore the church with prophets, apostles, and the authority once again in the earth. And that the only way that she can know if it is true is through praying and asking God if Joseph smith really was a prophet and if the church was restored through him. Well we passed by yesterday and she said that she has been praying about it and that it feels right, and we asked her if she is willing to be baptized for someone who holds the priesthood of God and she also accepted a date of Baptism. So the Lord definitely gave us blessings for going out and working through the storm. But all and all its ended up being a really cool week for us, our other investigators are progressing, Pepe and Peluche are getting baptized on the 10th and then Bolivar will be getting baptized on the 17th so things are really rolling right now for us and its really exciting times. Well I hope everything is also going good for you guys back home and that you are enjoying that snow. Jack congrats on the baptism and Sara on the baby blessing! Anyways i hope you guys have a good week this week and I love ya all.

Elder Wadman

Dear Family and Friends,

Well this week has been an awesome week! Looks like it was a pretty awesome week for you guys too. With all of the pumpkin carving and all of those apples and apple juice, and topping it all off with a hot dog roast, that is just a great time. Well everything is going really good, just seeing lots of miracles happening here in the area. So first off our mission president has given us a new schedule we usually go and knock doors during the days and then look for referrals at night and he told us that we should go look for referrals during the day and knock doors at night so we can find families all together in there houses. So we decided to put presidents new schedule to the test. So we left the house after lunch and went to a members house to find a referral and it just so happens to be that there was a guy there with the member family talking. So we started talking to him and he said to us, Hey i would like to learn a little bit more about your church and maybe one day i will join your church, so we will see what happens with him. And then the member family told us about another family that lives behind them that were asking them about the church and that they want to learn more about our church. So we received two referrals right off the bat. And then we went to another member families house and received 3 more referrals. For the past 6 weeks we have received 1 referral from the branch and then to receive 5 in one day is quite the miracle! Then in the nights these week we have been teaching and knocking doors and we have found a bunch of cool people. So our president really received an awesome revelation for the mission and i think the work here will start getting even better. Another miracle that happened was with Claudia. So this whole time while we have been teaching she has been looking for work and hasn't been able to find anything. She was really worried about finding work and about moving before her baptism and for this she didn't want to accept a date for baptism. Then we had a lesson with her and we explained to her that if she would put her faith and trust in God and take the step of faith and show God that she really has faith that he would bless her. Well she took the step of faith and got baptized and yesterday her 2nd Sunday after her baptism a lady from the branch asked her if she would come work at her house and be the nanny and that she would pay her and everything. She was very relieved that she finally found work and I told her, Claudia, i told you when you put your trust in God and go forth with faith, he always provides the way and i told her to never forget what happen. So that was a pretty cool little miracle, also on thursday we went to the temple, it was 6 hours worth of a bus ride but it was totally worth it. I love the temple, there is such an awesome spirit there that you cant explain. So it was a great trip, all and all life is great here in Barahona doing the Lords work and helping others to come unto Christ. Anyways I hope you all guys have a good week this week, love ya all.

Elder Wadman

Bautismo

Dear family and friends,

Well, sounds like you all had an awesome week this last week! First off, Happy birthday kenzi and Jack and congrats on the upcoming baptism! All the grandkids are getting big and just keep getting older and older, the time just keeps going by way too quick. Well, this week was an awesome week for me, first off i got a new comp and he is from salvador a pretty cool kid. We had another lesson with Claudia and we decided to put her baptism for last saturday, so on saturday she got baptized. Her baptism was super cool, her sister, that isnt a member, showed up and really liked the baptism so we are going to start teaching her. Claudia has really changed a lot since when we first starting teaching her. She really has recieved a strong testimony, and it just shows because of everything she has changed to be able and ready to be baptized, it was an awesome baptism. Also, a lot of our investigadors showed up for the baptism and it was really spiritual and it got them all excited to get baptized. One of them that showed up is named Bolivar he has a family with 3 girls and a grandchild, they are pretty poor but he supports them all by doing all sorts of different kinds of work. He really is just a good guy, a lot of guys here dont support their families and have kids in all different places and dont even know what their kids are doing, so for him to settle down and support the family just shows that he is a good guy. Well on tuesday we had an awesome lesson with him and we talked about how he needs to ask in prayer what the Lord wants him to do. The lesson was super powerful and the spirit was definitely felt, and he commited to a baptismal date on the 10 of November. When we asked him if he is willing to get baptized by someone that holds the true priesthood of God, he paused and thought about it for a second and then he said, yes I am going to get baptized. After that he has came to all the church activities and is really progressing a lot. We also are teaching two kids of a recent convert and they are going to get baptized on the 10th also and another kid that moved out here from the capital and is living with his grandma and his uncle and they are both active members here in the ward so they gave us the referal and we have been teaching him and he will be getting baptized on the 10th too. So the 10th looks like it should be a pretty good day i am hoping that with the Lords help we can get all of them completly prepared to take on the sacred covenant of baptism. Things here on the rise and we should be bringing a lot of new people into the fold of God this transfer. Also, this week we are going to go to the temple! It will be my second time here in the DR going to the temple. I am pretty stoked, but we will have to take a bus for a little over 3 hours to get back to the Santo Domingo at like 4 in the morning, it for sure will be worth it though. Well, i am going to send some photos of the baptism and preparing for the baptism. Anyways I hope you guys have a good week this week and that everybody is having fun back there at home, I love you all.

Elder Wadman

Dear Family and Friends,

Well it sounds like you guys had a good week this week and that the temperatures are cooling down over there a little bit. Over here the temperature is still the same. But this week has been an awesome week. First off on Friday we had a lesson with Claudia and we talked to here for about an hour and 15 minutes about going forth with faith. The thing is that she has been needing to move but cant find a house, but her ex boyfriend has moved out and we asked her if she is now ready to be baptized and she was having some doubts about it. Not doubts about the church or her testimony because she has solid testimony but just some worries about moving forward and taking the next step, so we shared mosiah 18 8-10 and we asked her if she is willing to help those in need, to comfort those that need comforting, to serve others, to be a witness of God at all times, in all places, and in all things, and if she is willing to obey all the commandments of God. She said yes that she is willing and wants do all of that. And then I asked her, if you are willing to do all of that then what is holding you back from getting baptized. After i asked the question we all just sat there waiting for her response, she thought for a while and looked up and said nothing. And I said are you willing to get baptized on the 20th of October and she said yes! We got way excited the spirit was so strong in that lesson and it truly worked in her heart and changed her point of view from being without hope, to a view of hope and of faith. We are super excited with her decision and I know it will bless her more than she can even know right now. So that was an awesome experience this week and then after that we had the general conference, to be honest i love general conference it is so awesome to hear the prophets and apostles words and counsel for us in this precise moment. What struck me most was about all the talks about peter and having a true love for Christ our savior. If we have a true love for him than we will feed his sheep, we will look for opportunities to serve others, we will look for ways to help others who are not of the fold of Christ to come unto the Shepard and accept the atonement in their lives. I truly love my savior. He is my Lord, my God, and my friend. I want to be a disciple and a true follower of his Gospel. His Love for us is perfect i have felt it so much in my life and am so thankful for it. I feel it right now as i write this letter. He is the Christ, his atonement is real. Through the atonement we can overcome our weaknesses and become strong, even perfect as He and the Father are perfect. The gospel is true, Joseph Smith was a prophet and Thomas Monson is the prophet of the Lord in these days. I love you all and pray for all of you and i hope that you guys have a good week this week.

Elder Wadman