Saludos!

It has been a busy week here! Our area has gotten a lot bigger, and we do a lot more walking. But we are teaching some really wonderful people, and we hope they can progress. Unfortunately, Hermana Seenaraines foot has been hurting her this week, so we have been walking a bit slower. We did intercambios today and she went to Santiago with Hermana Landaverde to have the mission doctor look at it. 

Today we got together with the zone leaders and the missionaries from Bonao 1 and went to the branch president{s house to play sports with his kids. We played soccer, baseball, ping pong, and scum. Hermana Lockheart made us lunch as well. It was so nice to eat homemade rolls and texas sheetcake. And when I used their bathroom, it was SO clean. That was probably the best part of the day. haha But I had a lot of fun hanging out with the missionaries. It was a hot day, but we had a lot of fun. 

On Sunday, we had 5 investigators and 5 less active members at church. It was so awesome. We picked up Penelope, the daughter in the Guzmna family, and took her to church. She really liked it. We invited her to the YW activity this Friday as well, so I hope she goes! We visited their family on Monday, and none of them had read the chapter in the Book of Mormon that we left them, so that was a little disappointing. How are they going to know its true if they dont read it! But they said they would this week, and I think they will. They are such a wonderful family and I just know that they can progress. We just have to get them moving so they can get baptized before they move to the capital! 

Yesterday we had a specialized training meeting with President and Hermana Douglas. It was also the last meeting we will have with them. It was really special, and extremely powerful. The Spirit was so strong during that meeting. Everyone felt it. Hermana Douglas{s talk was incredible. She is such amazing woman. She talked about the power of prayer. I soaked up every word she said. Im going to miss that couple. They are so incredible. I hope I can be just like them someday. It was sad to say goodbye, but I am so grateful for the impact they have made on my life. 

Hermana Jorden 

Letter from 5-20-15

Buenas!
I finished my first transfer in Bonao, and I am here to stay! And Hermana Seenaraine and I will be together another transfer. :)

It has been a busy week. In our district, there are 6 missionaries, the zone leaders, the district leader and his companion, and us. President Douglas told us that he was going to close one of our areas this transfer, and last week he told us that it would be the Elder Garcia and Elder Mendez{s area. So last week we divided their area between us and the zone leaders, and we went around with them meeting their investigators. They worked so hard here, and they have a lot of investigators ready for baptism. They were sad to leave, but we are going to work hard to keep these people progressing. Elder Alfrey finished his mission as well, so it was hard to say goodbye to our friends, but we had a fun time serving with them while they were here.

Last night we taught the Guzman family again. We finished teaching the Restoration, and it was a really great lesson. I love that family so much. The committed to reading and praying, and the children said they would come to church with us this Sunday. I am so excited to be teaching them, and I just know that they are going to accept the gospel in their lives. They are wonderful people. 

In our district meeting this week, we decided to do a 6 day district fast. So we each chose a day to fast, and we fasted that we could really focus on extending committments and having the Spirit with us always. I started my fast yesterday, and I really saw the Lord{s hand in my life. It was such a blessing and I know that the Lord is going to bless our work this transfer. 
Hermana Jorden

Saludos!

It´s been a pretty fun and exciting week here in Bonao. On Saturday, we had a sisters meeting with our zone and La Vega. Which means that I got to see Hermana Zegarra. She brought to investigators to the meeting, and one of them is Hilari, the girl we started teaching before I left. It was so fun to see her, and she told me that she´s getting baptized in two weeks! I´m so happy for her. She´s incredible. And it was so fun to see Hermana Zegarra. She´s so sweet.

On Monday, we had a cosecha in Constanza. We had been in Santiago that morning to renew our visas, so we passed through Jarabacoa to eat lunch on our way to Constanza. Before we arrived, I prayed that the Lord would bless me with the opportunity to see the Valnor family or someone that I had taught, so I spent the whole time looking out the window waiting for someone to walk by. Unfortunately, I never saw anyone I knew, so I was a little bummed when we left. We had the cosecha in Constanza with the sisters, and as we were finishing, we stopped at Bon to buy some ice cream, and as we walked out, someone came walking towards me. It was Dulce, a lady that Hermana Hunsaker and I had taught in Jarabacoa. She had moved to Constanza in November, and we were never able to communicate with the sisters there to have them start teaching her. It was so good to see her, and I was able to give her infomation to Hermana Barnes so she could start teaching her. Sometimes the Lord works in mysterious ways.

Today is our last Pday of the transfer, and half of our district is leaving, so we wanted to do something fun. We went to Salto de Jima, a hiking trail with three waterfalls. It was beautiful. A few members came with us, and we had a lot of fun. I love being in nature. It was very relaxing and fun. Hopefully I can get my camera to start working so I can send photos.

On Sunday, I had the chance to talk to my family and my brother through Skype. It was so good to talk to them, and I love every minute of it. I have the best family in the world, and I can´t wait to see them again. I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother´s Day!

Hermana Jorden

Buenos dias!

It´s been a wonderful week in Bonao! Hot as always, but things are going well. Yesterday we had a zone conference with a few other zones. I got to see Hermana Clove, Hermana Zegarra, and I got to say goodbye to the Fagerstens before they leave tomorrow. It was so fun! And it was a great conference. Hermana Douglas always teaches great capacitaciones (I have no idea how to say that in English-we usually just say it with an English accent haha). She talked about our personal relationship with the Savior and how we can become conductors of power while we teach. She talked about the importance of loving the people here. It really touched me and I´m trying to put those things into practice.

Last Monday in our disctrict meeting, Hermana Barnes said something interesting. She talked about how it´s during the really hard days that the miracles come. I thought that was funny because when I have a bad day, it´s usually just a bad day. haha But this Monday, I worked so hard to study and prepare for the lessons in the morning, and I just felt so spiritually prepared for the day. But we couldn´t find anyone that afternoon. We went to every house of every investigator and less active that we teach, and we couldn´t find anyone. We had just passed by the last house that we could think of, when we passed by a lady from church. I haven´t been here long enough to meet all of the members, so I had assumed that she is a member, and so did my compànion. But we talked to her for a little while, and found out that she isn´t a member, she´s been to church twice with her brother, the elders aren´t visiting her, and she lives in our area! It was a tender mercy. The Lord placed her in our path, and she is so ready. We are so excited to start teaching her. She is really interested in family history and she´s been working with one of the sisters in the branch to find information about her grandfather. She just might be golden! We´re so excited to start teaching her this week. 

Last week while I was on intercambios with Hermana Bates, we had passed by the houses of all of our appointments, and no one was home. I wasn´t sure who else to visit, but then I remembered that there was an investigator nearby that I had never met. Hermana Seenaraine had contacted him before I came, and we hadn´t been able to find him while I´ve been here. I thought that we could stop by to visit him, but I felt that might be weird because I´ve never met him. But the Spirit told me to visit him. So we went to his house and shared a message with him and his wife. It was a really great lesson, and I could tell that they appreciated the message we shared about families. So we planned to visit them again last night. Sandra and Lorena came with us to teach, and we were able to teach them and their three kids. It was such a wonderful lesson, and they were sincerely interested and willing to learn. I felt so much love for this family, and I know that they can progress. It was a really special night, and I really felt the power of our message. I know that if they do their part and seek with real intent, the Lord will reveal the truth unto them and their lives are going to change. 

Last night as I was walking with Sandra, she told me that she was surprised that I´m from the U.S. She said she thought I must be from Spain because I speak Spanish so well. I was feeling pretty good and starting thinking "Wow, I´m really starting to blend in and be a Dominican. This is great." And then later that night, Lorena said to me "Hermana Jorden, you are SO gringa!" haha I guess not. 

I love you all so much! I hope you have a great week and a wonderful Mother´s Day! Love, Hermana Jorden

Kelsea's letter 4-29-15
Buenas!
It´s been a fun week here! I sure love being a missionary.
On Sunday, we went to Los Quemados with the elders. They´ve been working really hard with the members there. It´s a small little campo in their area. They´ve been having church there in the church´s campamento, where they have EFY and single adult activities, but they´re trying to progress, so this week they had church in a soon to be member´s house. We went with them for support and to help them invite the neighbors to church. They had Sunday school in the living room, Young Mens and Young Womens behind the house, and Primary on the front porch. Then everyone came into the living room for sacrament meeting. There were about 30 to 40 people there. It was so awesome. And so hot! haha But during sacrament meeting, I started thinking about the first pioneers to join the church. That first Sunday, there were only 6 (I believe) members. I imagine that they were thinking "We are so small? How are we ever going to grow?" But the word is powerful. They "smote the earth with the word of God" (3 Nephi 20:28) and hearts were changed. People came to feel the truth of the Restoration. And they grew and grew and grew. And now there are over 15 million members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. That´s how I felt sitting there in that hot little house, having church with those faithful members. They´re small now, but I have no doubt that they will grow and grow. Because everyone needs the blessings of the gospel.

On Monday we had a cosecha (In English I think that means harvest) with the whole zone. We split up into four groups and and searched for less actives in our area and in the zone leaders´area. Then we all got together and had a noche de hogar with a family in the branch. I just love being with other missionaries. We found a few people who haven´t been to church and we found some people to start teaching as well. On Saturday we´re going to Constanza to do a cosecha in their area.

We also had intercambios with the sister leaders on Monday and Tuesday. I got to be with Hermana Bates, one of my best friend´s (Makelle Worthington) cousins. It was so fun to be with her. She is one of the most incredible missionaries I have met. She has truly dedicated herself to the Lord and to His work. It was such a privilege to work with her and to see her example. I hope that I can be just like her someday.

A Day in the DR:
While I was on intercambios with Hermana Bates, she was telling me a story in Spanish. While she was telling me, the phone rang so she answered it, and when she finished, she said "What was I saying?" So I said "You were talking about how you try not to be molested." haha Spanglish problems. I´m forgetting how to speak English.
Have a awonderful week! Love, Hermana Jorden