Saludos!

It´s been an awesome week here. I just love this place more and more. I don´t know how I´m going to be able to leave (especially thinking about the heat that awaits be in every other area in this mission haha). 

This week we´ve done a lot of exploring-that´s to say, we´ve been getting pretty lost. haha We tried visiting a member family, and they live in the mountains. I´d been there once, but it was in a car, and I couldn´t remember where it was. So we walked and walked and walked, and finally they found us. We had gone way past their house. But we were walking around in the mountains and it was beautiful. Later that week, we were looking for the house of someone we had contacted in the streets, and he had to come find us, because we were so lost. He lives way out of town, and it was such a beautfiul way. I feel so grateful to be here in the beautiful mountains of Jarabacoa. We even found the entrance to a waterfall, so we went today with the elders. It was so beautiful and peaceful. This week I´m sending lots of pictures of the beauty of this wonderful place. 

Everything is going so well with the Valnor´s. Their baptism is still set for the 28th. I can´t wait! Two weeks ago, we had a Carribean Conference through satelitte, and we told Dieslifort to give his brother and invitation to go. He said "Okay, but he doesn´t really like church things." The next time we taught them, his brother and wife were there ready to listen to us. We started teaching Dieslifort´s sister as well. And then this past Sunday, we went to their house to teach them, and two of his coworkers were there to listen to us. They´re such a wonderful family! We´re so excited to teach their friends and family. This Sunday, we talked to President Buret about having a Gospel Priniciple class in Creyol, and he asked Willy if he would be willing to give the class. Willy said "Ire y hare (I will go and do)." We´re so excited! 

Recently, we´ve been teaching a lady named Yormari. We met her because she sells the most delicious ice cream, and she was really sweet, so we asked her if we could teach her. We´ve taught her twice, and it´s been so different from any other lesson we´ve taught. She really listens to what we say and disagrees with a lot of the things we teach. And I love it. It´s been so wonderful because I really have to teach with conviction and defend my beliefs. She´s really strengthened my testimony and my love of the gospel. The second visit, we sat down, and she said "I´m not going to read that book you left me." hahaha We´ve had a lot of great discussions with her. She told us that she would pray to know if our message is true, and I know that if she does it with a willing heart, she will understand that we´re here to share the joy of this gospel. She´s so wonderful. I love her! 

A Day in the DR:

This month the people here celebrate Carnaval, or their independence from Haiti. The missionaries have told me that it´s the 2nd biggest party in the world. They said that the largest is in Brazil, and that Mardi Gras is the fifth. And it takes place in La Vega, which is the zone I´m in. They celebrate every Sunday in the month of February, and then on the 27th, which is their independence day. They decorate the streets and wear crazy costumes and drink and running around hitting people with bat-things. haha And it all takes place right outside the church building in La Vega. It was fun to see all of the decorations yesterday when we went down for our zone conference.

Have a great week! Love you all lots!

Hermana Jorden