How are you doing?? I hope that you all have had a great week. Hopefully things are going well and you all are feeling the love and support that you need!!
Anyway, I feel like I write about the same things each and every week. If there are any specific questions or specifics you all would like me to include, just let me know! I kind of just go with it honestly. Its hard to describe all the little things so I tend to summarize! However, there are small little experiences and miracles that I try better to remember and include .
Anyway, this past week has been full of a lot of great lessons and experiences with members and those we teach. We were very blessed to have several more great lessons with members. The more I'm here in this area, the more appreciative I get for our ward. There are just so many amazing members who are so willing to help us and our investigators. Lately, we have been able to have specific members come to our investigators to help them with specific things. For example, one of our menos activas and her boyfriend who is not a member. We have been able to find a young married couple who are also new parents that are absolutely perfect. We visited all together last night and had a great talk about the importance of the family and how applying Gospel principles in the home helps us progress. I think the focus on family has been one of the largest things I've learned on my mission so far. Here in the DR, as well as almost all countries, the nature and strength of the family is put at risk. It is very common for men and woman to live together and have several children but without the stability of marriage. Sadly, this often ends with separation and broken families. Its amazing to see through the examples of members and also through the scriptures just how important the family is to help us grow and come unto Christ. Its within the walls of our homes and through our family relationships that we can really become perfected in Christ. Its amazing to be able to testify to these people with broken families that the Gospel of Jesus Christ really does help us to be better and strengthen the family. Damaged relationships can be fixed and pain resolved when we put Christ first and exercise faith in Him as well.
I love the mission because it is so guided by the Lord. Last week, my companion and I were able to find some renewed desire contact and find new people. During one of these days when we were trying to work especially hard to find those who the Lord has prepared for us, we came across a small family. They have a small 1 year old daughter and we just happened to talk to them as they were sitting on their porch. We had walked by their house several times before but never seen them. However we were able to meet them and come back this week to get to know them. Its amazing to see how the Lord prepared people. The woman, who is young and super sweet, was raised in the Catholic church but never thought it felt right. She also spent years going to another church but had a hard time understanding and accepting some of their doctrine. She is so open and has so many questions. She also just recently passed through some difficulties and still feels a lot of pain from it. However, the Lord has allowed us to be instruments in His hands to help her receive answers, find some peace and resolve the doubts that she has had for so long. From the first meeting, we could feel that the Lord prepared them so be open to our message. We're so excited to see what will happen but we know that the Lord will help them to understand and accept the truthfulness of our message.
Anyway things are still going very well. I do have a funny story this week as well! So I'm not sure if you all know, but the DR has been having drought issues. Normally this time of year is full of rain and storms, however it hasn't been raining. All the Dominicans have been praying for rain for some time. Anyway, when it rains here, IT POURS. I mean, one second it begins to rain and within seconds its coming down in buckets. Anyway Sunday after church as we were getting ready to leave the house, it finally began to rain! We were so happy! Anyway we left the house anyway because it has gotten a bit better and wasn't too hard. Anyway as we continued walking more and more closer to our area, the rain picked up super hard!! We were completely soaked head to toe, still joyfully walking through the streets and enjoying the rain. All the Dominicans were trying to give us rides or yell at us to come under cover. We kept on going thinking it would be fine, but it just kept pouring! The streets were flooded and we were semi-walking in the streets because we couldn't see holes that might exist on the sidewalk. Long story short, we were forced to turn around and go home, and take showers so we didn't get sick. It was super fun and a great blessing to see rain because we really need it!
I absolutely love this country, these people and the mission. I know that I'm here for a divine purpose and that with faith and perseverance, these people will be able to strengthen their faith, their families, and their desires to follow Christ.
CON MUCHO AMOR,
Hermana Graham
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