Hola hola! 

It´s been a great week here in Jarabacoa! Unfortunately, we didn´t have any investigators in sacrament meeting, which was really sad. And we haven´t been able to teach Yudi or Yesenia in a while because they always have to cancel or they aren´t home. They both know it´s true, they just aren´t going to church. It´s been really hard because they are both progressing and learning, but they just aren´t taking the step to go to church. And they need the blessings that come from attending church. We´ve done all we can to help them, but now it´s up to them to take that step and continue progressing. We pray for them, and we´re trying to teach them. I just hope that we can help them realize just how important it really is to go to church and to strengthen their testimonies.

BUT, Christina came to church! Her husband and two young daughters are faithful members of the church, but she got baptized before they got married, and has never really been an active member. She feels like she was forced into being baptized, and that she never gained her own testimony. It´s really sad. We´ve been visiting her family and trying to make her feel loved, and trying to help her understand how much her Heavenly Father loves her. She came to the district conference that we had in La Vega, and this Sunday she came to sacrament meeting! It was so awesome, and she said that she´s going to go to General Conference on Sunday. On Monday we had a Family Home Evening with her family, and she started to open up to us. She´s pretty quiet and conserved, but she made great comments about the lesson we taught about gratitude. It´s so amazing to see that changes that can happen with the gospel in our lives. The best part of that lesson, though, is that afterwards, I was going around giving Christina and her daughters kisses on the cheek, and when I got to Hermano Lopez, I almost did the same thing! haha That was a little embarassing! We all had a good laugh about that. Oops! 

This Monday, we had exchanges with the Sister Leaders. I got to go with Hermana Loarca, from Guatemala. She´s an incredible missionary. I loved teaching with her and I told her that someday I hope to be able to teach just like her. While we were teaching together, we went to the house of a less active in our branch. We stood outside and said ¨Saludos!¨ She greeted us back, so we walked inside. When we walked in, there was an old man sitting there. We asked in Yanniris was home, and he said ¨No, I just got here, and there´s nobody here. I´m just waiting for someone to get back.¨ While he was talking to us, I peeked into the kitchen and saw her crouched behind the table! haha I just thought it was so funny because she had answered us when we were standing outside! haha The people here are so funny. But I loved going on exchanges, because I got to see how much Spanish I really know! We were in my area, so I had to take charge. Normally I kind of lean on Hna Hunsaker to talk to people, but it was an awesome chance for me to use what I know! And it turns out that I know a lot! I was able to have conversations with all of the people we taught and to teach the lessons. And while we were waiting at Yesenia´s for her to come home, Hna Loarca and I had a heart felt conversation, for 40 minutes! And I understood all of it! It was so awesome. Okay, so she´s a lot easier to understand because she´s from Guatemala, but at least I´m learning! 

Something I forgot to mention last week, is that while we were at the branch activity, I was playing the piano with a little girl in the branch. While I was playing, I felt something fall in my shirt, and when I looked up, Ismael was looking at me with a smile on his face. And then I realized. He had thrown a cockroach down my shirt! I jumped up at starting freaking out! I was laughing and crying, and Hna Hunsaker and I ran to the bathroom to get it out. I was trying to laugh about it, but I´ll be honest, those were real tears. haha

I LOVED the Women´s Meeting this past weekend. We watched it with the branch in Spanish, so I didn´t really understand any of it, but I love the feeling and the atmosphere of General Conference. We got their early, so we sat in the chapel and watched the Mormon Tablernacle Choir sing. I didn´t realize how important music is to me until we watched them. Listening to them, honestly, filled my soul. I felt so emotional just listening to the beautiful harmonies and instruments. Music has always been a big part of my life, but I never realized just how much it means to me. I loved every second of it. On Monday, Hermana Loarca and I were talking about having a relationship with Jesus Christ. I told her that sometimes it´s hard for me to recognize my relationship with him. She told me that while we were singing hymns in the lessons, she could feel my love for the Savior. She helped me realize that that is how I express my love for Him. I´ve never been good at expressing myself through words, and I think that that really is the way that I show my love. I´m so glad that she helped me realize that, and now I´m going to sing until everyone knows what this gospel means to me! 

A Day in the DR:

A few weeks ago, the senior couple in our zone, the Fagersten´s, were driving us to the zone meeting, and they told us that, after their mission, they were thinking about making a video game about the DR called Junkyard Driving. haha The people here are crazy drivers! Sometimes I do feel like I´m in a video game, and that everyone is trying to hit us! haha Everyone here drives motorcycles, and they never stop at traffic lights or stop signs. And they´re always carrying something crazy on their bikes, like a family of 5 or a dresser, or they´re dragging 20 foot long poles behind him. haha I´m so glad that this isn´t a driving mission!

I hope you´re all doing well! Have a wonderful week!

Love, Hermana Jorden