29 August 2016 - Las Américas/La Caleta (Santo Domingo)

(Response to Dad's e-mail, in which Dad shared a recipe for a salad he made, among other things.)

I like that last phrase dad ["You have never had nor will ever have a better boss."]. Week sounds pretty swell to me! And Ian has told me nothing! Punk. Oh believe me Dad, Bourne is already on my list (Hidden in the very back of my journal :D) Have you heard anything about the new Ben Hur movie?

Yeah, I would love to make that salad but....its really hard to find good lettuce here.

Good Luck with school! My week was ok, but youll hear all about it in a sec.

A couple things Id like to share though. So on tuesday, Elder Allen and I finished reading the 4th missionary talk. (not sure if youve read that. its amazing) So one of the final traits for the 4th missionary is that he is redeemed. Forgiven and able to forgive himself as he completely surrenders to the will of God. After the study I knelt down and Promised our Father that I would do my best to stop fighting and just let him change and use me. Since then, my [personal struggles] have been so much easier as I feel my self guided and protected by the Lord.

Other point. So today I finished mormon and started chewing through ether. I thought is was interesting that Moroni refers to the Land where the Jaredites lived, as the land where he currently was, or the land northward. He also refers to it as their land of promise and other hints and little nudges that point alot more toward North America. So thats pretty cool.

Anway, I gotta start on the big letter, but do ya like the apron? And could I get that sloppy joe recipe? Love ya Dad!

(General e-mail)

Another week has come and gone and here you are, reading my latest transmission in form of the typed word on you chosen electronic display. I hope that you dont strain your eyes while gazing ceaselessly at the screen before you.

So! This week happened! Interesting week. So first, on monday, we recieved a text saying that Elder Allen was staying with me. Then we got another message saying that he was peacing out and I was recieving a mini missionary. So, thursday morning I head off to the office to go pick up my mission visitor. After waiting for several hours, we start the "trainers meeting". Then comes the announcing of the companionships. One by one, all of them were announced....except for mine. Turns out I wasnt even getting a mini, just a normal missionary so I didnt even need to go to the office! Sigh. Also, my new comp didnt even know until about 2 that same afternoon! Yay organization.

So now Im with Elder Rios from Mexico. He´s lived in Nevada for quite a few years, but doesnt speak much english. He understands ALOT, but doesnt like to speak. He´s kind of shy and Im pretty sure its a special assignment to try and animate him as he doesnt really want to do much. The following days were rough as many important citas fell and all of our baptismal dates went down with them. Almost the whole zone followed suit and we are ending this month with a bit less than we had hoped. That just means next month will be better though!

What was supposed to be our big highlight this week was our special lesson with Isaura. Her mom had showed her a whole bunch of anti mormon stuff and she was having serious doubts and alot of questions. Thus, we planned a lesson to go and answer them, but everytime we passed by, Isaura wasnt there or said she couldnt recieve us.

We were going to have a lesson yesterday, so I called to ask if she was home. She said yes, but that she wasnt going to recieve us and that she had had enough. She was just to confused and felt that her prayers had been answered in the negative. A little panicked, I bore a quick testimony, said a quick prayer and proceeded to say whatever came into my mind. I promised her that if she started in the very beginning of the Book of Mormon (she´s been reading alot but in different parts) and both started and ended with a prayer to know if its true, that she would recieve an answer, because God fulfills his promises always. Tonight we have another lesson, so I guess Ill tell you next week when she´s getting baptized! :D Love you all!

My dying friends...

Family night with the Collado family! We made dumplings and played Jenga.

Golfing! Golf cartin'! I miss driving!

23 August 2016 - Las Américas/La Caleta (Santo Domingo)

(Response to Dad's e-mail, in which Dad talked about the booming business at the office, and pulling a muscle while playing with the grandkids, as well as teaching the war chapters in Alma for Gospel Doctrine).

Ahi mi madre. Dad, stop hurting yourself! Hahahaha Thats really cool, and Im glad to hear that things are growing. Part of why I serve! In my studies I just finished 4th Nephi. Its kind of just bumming me out to see the same patterns over and over again and always for the same cause. The gadianton combinations always sneak back in as Satan whispers his lies. I feel like, in this time, thats Hillary Clinton. The more I hear about her, and whats happening in our society, the more i see similiarities in the BOM. Actually, in my last interview with President on thursday, we talked about that. The liberal agenda, the promises and warnings of the promised land, etc. It was really cool. i feel like you guys would get along swimmingly.

Love you Dad!

(General e-mail)

Now...I know what youre all thinking. "Isnt Elder Frogleys Pday on monday??" The answer is yes, but for the past 3 weeks now weve gotten back way too late to our area and had to write the next day. AKA today! Sigamos [on we go]!

So, this week was very interesting. Margot, one of our investigators, needs to get married, but her male partner wants nothing of it, even though theyve been together for 40 years and have 5 kids together. Que tonto [what an idiot]. As a result, Margot is getting really disanimated [discouraged] and hasnt been to church in 3 weeks! Weve been trying to visit her and encourage her, but i think shes losing hope.

On a lighter note, we have this dope investigator named Isaura. Shes the reference [referral] of an Ex missionary named Omar and she is pretty awesome. She has tons of desire to learn more, but is also reserved because she was born and raised in the pentecostal church and her mom is SUPER against the church. We actually passed by last night and she told us that her mom had told her to look up an anti mormon web page. After doing so she has tons of doubts, BUT she says that if we can clear them up, shell get baptized this weekend! We invited her to read more in the BoM and pray to know if its the truth, because thats like the base of everything and she said she would. Well see in our appointment tonight.

Other investigators are droppin like flies as we sift the wheat from the chaff. Those 2 are the only notable ones for now.

So on monday, we went off to this place called Agora Mall. Its in the west mission, but we got special permission to go. i ate Carls Junior and it was AMAZING. Something thats not rice and beans or cheap Dominican pizza. While there, we also saw several missionaries from the west mission. Apparently they can go wherever in normal clothes. It kind of made us sad because it was so obvious that they didnt understand the importance of obedience and their covenants.

We went there with a whole bunch of elders who are dying [returning home] tomorrow and they were trunky as a suitcase! My comp and I just kind of followed them around, cracking jokes and admiring a whole bunch of stuff we werent going to buy. haha it was fun though.

In other news, were geting a special transfer this week because of all the early ship offs. Elder Allen is goin to Boca Chica to be with my second son Elder Valle and I am getting a mini missionary. That means someone who serves with us as a missionary, but doesnt have their calling yet. Its weird. We´ll see how it goes.

Also, on thursday we had our interviews with president. That was pretty great. President and I talked about political stuff in relation to the gospel, my BOM study, family, the zone. It was just swell.

Well thats all for now i believe!!

Love you all!!

16 August 2016 - Las Américas/La Caleta (Santo Domingo)

(Response to Dad's e-mail, in which Dad detailed a visit to Nauvoo, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa, along with a brief update on the Olympics)

Well, my letter is late! haha Again! But thats cool! I really want to visit Iowa and Nauvoo and stuff when I get back. Especially now Ive studied more about JS and church history. I still have planned to get sealed in my Nauvoo temple. ;) Thanks for the update! I miss the olympics. Ive seen snippets in restaurants and stuff, but I really try not to watch.

I also really wanted to thank you for your special letter last week. Id kind of fallen into a state of mind that after the mission it would so much easier to [maintain the same level of spirituality]. That was kind of a call back to earth, to remind me that its a life long fight.

Love you Dad! Big letter on the way! No photos this week, but next week. ive got a lot of golfing! Also, Im gonna try not to use my personal card for a while. Golfing with all the food Ive had to/chosen to buy has put a healthy dent in that fund and it isnt even mine! :/

Love you!!!

(General e-mail)

Man, I am just so hungry right now...

Oh hey, the big letter.

SO! This week was pretty much the same, just a few fun experiences I would like to share. So yesterday we went golfing with a whole bunch of other missionaries the mission doctor and his family and Presdient Corbitt. It was a blast! We all got carts and clubs and went off in groups. Ona dominican golf course there are no rules so we all had fun derping around in our carts. Donuts, drifting in the sand traps and trying to jump the hills, all the while being cheered on (yes, cheered on) by the staff. They all loved it. I ended with a 55 which was better than I was expecting, but still higher than I would like. I want to get more into golf when I come back. My first whole was great! but after that I just kept hitting right. Oh well. Next time maybe.

So other funny story. So last like tuesday or something like that we were out proselyting and it starts POURING. Like Iowa rain. It was bad. My comp and I take cover and while we wait, this HUGE tank of a man comes walking up behind us. He´s like, "Hey mormons." We turned and my eyes almost bugged out of my head to see a living brick wall towering over me. (seriously his biceps were bigger than my head....but his legs were still tiny.) Anyway, we just talked for a second and he told us that he was a member, just really inactive. He started to walk away as the rain had stopped, but turned back and said "Adios Elderes de Israel!" [Goodbye Elders of Israel]

My comp looked at eachother and we both thought the same thing. This guy is a return missionary. There are tons of inactive return missionaries in our ward, and we had heard about one that went inactive only weeks after returning.

So the rain starts again and Hulk comes lumbering back to our shelter. We talk some more and he agreed to let us visit him. When the rain had stopped, we left up the street. Elder Allen asked if he had served a mission and Bruce Banner said no. I knew right away it was a lie. We both knew that this was the same return misisonary that we had heard about.

When we were almost to his house, He Man recieved a healthy salutation from a friend on the street. Let me paint the picture a little.

So we are at the bottom of a small, wet hill where the broken asfault changes to dirt. Elder Allen is on one side of Hulk Hogan and Im on the other. We reach the bottom of the hill and this other guys just like "HUEY! JUNIOR! (the RM) Chillin Chillin."

"Bigger than Captain Moroni Painting" waved back and said "Chillin Chillin" In this exact moment we hear from behind us.

"Watch out! Slow Down! AAHH!!" Now you have to understand that such shrieks are pretty normal here so we didnt even pay attention. Mistake! All of a sudden I feel something smack my side and this blur goes barreling into Dwayne the Rock Johnson. It was two little girls on a bike, goin like warp 3 and they just nailed him straight on! I watched in slow motion as he slowyly toppled backwards onto the crashing bike. It all happened very fast, but it seemed alot longer. My comp and I burst out laughing while helping Dominican vin Diesel to his feet. THis tatooed mass then turns on the two little girls and is just like " You two are idiots!! Watch where youre goin!"

My comp thought he was going to straight up kill them...or at least eat the bike or something. In the end nothing happened, but Living GI JOE model got pretty scraped up. He also has 1 Nephi 8:12 tatooed on his arm....so thats pretty chuckly.

Alright, thats all for now really. We had some really awesome and spriritually guided lessons and several peeps that are getting ready to be baptized in the end of this month.

Love you all! Pray and study the scripts.

8 August 2016 - Las Américas/La Caleta (Santo Domingo)

(General e-mail)

Alright, here we are again writing the big letter home. Yesterday we got back late from our adventure and couldnt write, so we´re doing it today! Anyway, this last week was interesting. Investigator wise, we have several who are progressing, but weve seen a drop in church attendance. First we have Anyels. He is a contact we did, and he is awesome. He always reads alot and is helping his daughters and wife as well. We are now teaching all of them. THe only problem is that his baptismal date keeps falling because he wont come to church! His family is building a house in another city and so they always have to be over there to oversee construction.

We also have Marcos. He is cool, but makes me sad. He´s got these adorable twin boys, but beats the stink out of them with his belt. Hes not like a bad, mean guy, he just doesnt know how to parent. Anyway, he also has a date for the 28th of this month. Hes fairly new and a little iffy, but hes very open and always happy to recieve us.

Margot is an older lady that had a date since before we got here. She is awesome, but we just found out that she and her husband have to get married and it looks like well have to move her date.

Aside from that...theres really nothing that happened. Transfers, but we stayed the same. The zone is struggling to put new baptismal dates and thats a little worrying but I know the Lord will help us through as we do our part.

Our goal for this month is 42 baptisms in the zone.

Umm...what else...we contacted alot...Its been raining buckets! My waterproof shoes are slowly becoming less and less waterproof. I might go golfing next week. So thats fun. Its 2000 pesos though. Still kind of on the fence about it. Oh well, none of you really care about that. Love you all!

(E-mail to Dad)

2 things real fast dad. Do you think you could send me a basic recipe for sloppy joes? And also, would you be opposed to me going golfing next week? its 2000 pesos which is about 45 dollars and it would come from my card.

Also, sorry ive been using the card alot, but we had a bit of an emergency. Ill actually put that part in a ps for the big letter. haha

(Addendum)

Afterthought.

SO funny story. So we get money every 15 days. money was supposed to come last last saturday. Instead it came on wednesday!! The entire mission was dying from hunger because no one had food or money to buy it. We were going to the atm like everday trying to check for money.

Yeah, thats it. haha

P-Day at Los Tres Ojos

(Fun light tricks in the caves. I'm Edward! Sparkles!)

(There appears to be a snake in this tree...)

So these are called the 3 eyes. It's a series of underground, fresh-water lakes.

SUPER SAYAYIN!!!! Im like the angel moroni!

1 August 2016 - Las Américas/La Caleta (Santo Domingo)

(General e-mail)

Hey Yall! So remember last week when I said that it looked like we werent going to complete the goal, but that I was sure that this very same letter would be full of all the miracles that happened to complete said goal? So....we didnt meet the goal. BUT we did see many, many miracles. The following is an accounting of the hand of the Lord in the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission.

So to start off, this month our mission baptized 213 people!!!!! A year ago we were struggling to get above 80! As for our Zone espicifically, let me tell you....

So before last week we had only baptized 10 of the needed 26 people. We didnt have anyone that was looking ready here in la caleta and dates were falling on every side. And then, Friday night happened. Elder Searle from another part of La caleta told us hed put 4 dates for that saturday! They were a family that lives right in front of the church, but had never recieved permission from their parents to be baptized. Elder Searle went one last time with our Ward Mission leader and the Lord did the rest. (to keep count, we´re up to 14) Then Valiente called and said that they had found some teens who went to EFY who also wanted to be baptized right away! 3 more (17) Then Boca Chica called, with 5 people! (22) Every single companionship in the zone was going to baptize...except for us. If we will remember, we started from nothing twice here and came into the zone half way through the transfer, so choices were slim. There were some who met the church attendance requirement, but didnt feel ready. We looked and invited and looked and invited, but came up empty. Thus we turned back to an Old Investigator of Elder Searle name Estefani. We ahd visted her before, and she was very ready, but her mom was very....very against it. she had a heart as hards as pharaoh´s. We had kind of given up hope on her, but we invited her to the baptism that saturday so she could decide if she really wanted it.

For the baptism, we watned to make it as spiritual as possible, so we prepared a special musical number and even got our first councilor of the stake presidency to speak. We also planeed with our 2nd councilor to leave with us after to go and talk to Estafanis mom.

The baptism went great and afteward I asked Estefani if she wanted to be baptized on Sunday. One of her friends who had jsut gotten baptized was right next to here and she was like "yes! Do it!" After a pause....she said yes! We left for her house at once in the car of our 2nd stake councilor to visit the beast in her lair.

We found her washing clothes (this is at like 8:20 at night), and asked if she wanted help. She refused and kept washing. Then our main man Cuevas (2nd councilor) took the stage. He proceeded to give the most amazing and spirit guided mini lesson Ive ever seen! I cant give alot of detials but it was just mind blowing! He even got Estefani to stand up to her Mom and say that this was really what she wanted. In the end, the record was signed and Estefani was baptized in the very rainy Sunday afternoon. (23. 3 short, but very close)

On the way back to the house, Pres Cuevas and I started singing "There can be miracles from the prince of egypt". Totally amazing. When we got back, I just imediately fell on my knees and poured out my heart in gratitude. The Lord Loves his children!! AMEN varon! haha I love you all!

Sorry, no photos this week, but this computer is Terrible!

Also, Love you Dad! Thanks for the update!

And Happy Dominican Fathers Day!!!!!!!!!! Feliz Dia de los Padres!