I am ALIVE

Hola mi familia y amigos!!

Well first off it seems that you all are dying to know about the storm that we hard here!!! I'm not sure what the news was telling you all there.  Here they were using words like hurricane or cyclone but it wasn't quite at that level. It was definitely a tropical storm.  So let me tell you how it went.

So at the beginning of last week, we started hearing about a huge storm coming.  We thought one was going to come Wednesday but then it moved and didn't really hit us.  The we hear that there is another one coming.  Our mission leaders told us to stock up on food in case we couldn't leave the house.  We saw Friday morning that it was really cloudy and our leaders told us it was going to hit about 2pm on Friday.  Anyway, we left at 2 on Friday with the determination to go and try to visit people.  I really wanted to go see people and it didnt seem that bad.  We got to the house of a Menos activo and it was definitely raining much harder and the wind picked up like crazy.  We were in the middle of our lesson when our leaders called and told us we had to go back home :(.  Basically it was indeed a very lard storm, but it didn't really hit the part of the capital where I am right now.  It rained for a long time but not that hard.  The scariest part was the wind.  It was very very strong wind that was taking branches off trees.  We got home all perfectly fine and then had to wait inside ALL DAY..that just doesnt happen for missionaries and so I was dying.  Its been almost 8 months since I sat inside and did nothing like that!!!! The only other fun thing was that we didnt have like all day.  It appeared like the wind has messed with the electrical lines a bit and we were chilling with the door open and flashlights.  Anyway, that was my time in the tropical storm!  It definitely hit harder in other places but it was basically just some rain and strong wind.  We did see that a few blocks away, the wind had knocked over a large tree.  And I mean, LARGE TREE.  Like taller than a building.  It tipped over into the road and took a huge chunk of earth out with the roots.  SO COOL! The following day we walked around and just saw piles of tree branches everywhere.  And that about it for us!!

Hahaha anyway yeah that was the storm.  And now I quick update on the rest of my week as a missionary here in the DR!!

Well, this week has been an adventure of work and change.  Its definitely a lot different to have such a big area.  Its funny because I´m the specialist of one half and Hermana Flint is the specialist of the other.  In meetings with the ward members, we talk about our prospective half.  But really its been so cool to wander into some new areas and to be able to teach new people.  Hma Flint and I have been working well together and we´re just figuring it all out.  There were definitely a lot of blessings and miracles this week.

First off, we have a new investigator that is so prepared!! She is 18 years old and the missionaries taught her before but she didn't have enough support from her family.  Now however, her parents are more open and she has been coming to church the last few weeks.  We have been able to see her a few times and she is preparing to be baptized near the end of this month.  I feel so grateful to be able to teach and review things with her and help her be ready for the waters of baptism.  It is such a blessing!!  There is also a super sweet family that the other Hermanas had been teaching. Its a mom and her 4 children.  They are all so sweet and working so hard in order to be prepared for baptism as well.  So excited.

Lastly, I told you all last week about the investigators that Hma Adams and I had been teaching for months and that they came to the activity and then church last week.  Well this week they were able to come yet again.  It was so cool to see them already more comfortable and talking to some of the members.  It filled my heart with so much joy to see them there as a family and to see the effects of the Gospel working in their life.

Anyway I am just excited to keep working and finding new people that the Lord has `prepared for us to share His Gospel.

CON MUCHO AMOR,

Hermana Graham

Change is in the Air!

Hola mi familia y is amigos!!!

i hope that you all are doing well and that you have had a good week!!! Thank you always for your loving support and the emails giving me an update on your lives!  i truly appreciate it!!

Sooo, starting off with the big news.  i have told you all from the beginning that I would be with Hermana Adams for 2 transfers, up until she goes home.  I dont know how, but that time has now come and sure enough Hermana Adams is going home on Wednesday!  Its the most bittersweet moment of my whole life but I know she is off to even better things.  Anyway, the question over the last few weeks was who would be coming to fill her spot.  Well, we got our transfer calls yesterday and they are actually making some even bigger changes.  The ward here in independencia is divided in 2 missionary areas.  Each side has a long area that takes about 45 minutes to walk the length of.  Well they are combining the 2 areas so now there will be a single companionship for the whole thing. I will be companions with Hermana Flint, who I have been living with for the past 3 months as she has been serving in the other area here in Independencia.  It was pretty shocking and will be a lot of work, but I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for us. Also, Hermana Flint ends her mission in 6 weeks, so here I go again- with someone who is in their final stretch.  

Anyway thats been the fun news as of Saturday but this whole past week has just been visiting as many people as possible and sending Hermana Adams off on a high note! Sure enough we were able to have some really cool experiences and see some people start to progress that we have been visiting for a long time.  

Starting off with Tuesday, we had a really cool and unique day. there is an American Naval ship that travels around to different countires providing free medical aid.  We got a call asking if we could come help as translators for the doctors who do not know spanish.  We and a group of other missionaries got to go to a site in the East mission and help the whole day. Hermana Adams and I spent the day with an optometrist from Washington who is also a member.  it was such a cool experience to be able to translate and provide service for the Dominican people in this way.  Our doctor friend was so nice and funny and he wished so bad that he could communicate with the people. There were several realy cool moments though.  It not uncommon for an elderly Dominican person to have really bad eye sight but has never had glasses in their life. there were moments therefore when the doctor would put on a pair of glasses and the Dominicans' eyes would light up and they would say "Perfecto!" (Perfect!) or "Clarito!" (Clear!).  There was so much joy that they could see and recieve this type of help.  It was a super cool experience!!!

We had a cool experience this week where we had an investigator tell us that she had a dream about baptism! We have been teaching her for a long time and she has been going through a couple of really difficult situations.  She has come to the church consistently and love it, but there have been things that have impeded her ability to act and progress.  Anyway she told us that she had a dream that she was baptized in the church!  She said it felt so real and that she felt clean and refreshed.  When she woke up it felt so real and she was happy.  She still has some doubts but I know her dream was a message to her from God to help her make her choice.

Lastly, this weekend we were able to see several miracles!!!

The Elders has 2 baptisms scheduled for Saturday night. We invited all our investigators so they could come and see.  We especially focused on one couple we are teaching.  the couple's who's son was killed and we have talked to them a lot about the plan of salvation.  Anyway, at the last minute the time of the baptism was pushed back.  however they ere still able to come to the church building and participate in a stake activity for family history.  We have been working for weeks and weeks to get them to come to the church so they could meet members, see how it is, and feel the spirit there! It was such a blessing to see them come to the church and get to be involved with the members and learn about genealogy and family history.  Sure enough a member in the ward works with them and we had no idea!!  It was a definite answer to our prayers that they were finally able to attend.  Even though they didnt get to see the baptism, it was what they needed!!  On Sunday, we had the immense joy of seeing them come to church!!!!! It was such a miracle to see this progression and to know that the Lord is helping these people to come unto Him and find the truth.  I know that in the upcoming week this couple will be able to progress even more and find the peace that they are so earnestly seeking. i know that the Lord is always looking out for us.  Even when things do not go as planned, He is still taking care of us.  Even if what we want doesn't happen, we must remember that He always has something even better in store for us. Its an act of faith to look for the miracles in life and to trust in God no matter what.  

Family and friends, I know that our Heavenly Father loves each and every one of you and that He is planning to bless you in your lives.  His plan is the perfect plan that will help you grow and progress and reach your divine potential.  We are all children of a loving Heavenly Father who loves us and wants us to be happy,  He will help us find this when we trust in Him and follow His guidance. I am so grateful to my Father in Heaven for the experiences I have been able to have so far on my mission and for the blessings and guidance He has given me.

I love you all sooo much!  I hope you have a great, blessed week.

Con todo mi amor,

Hermana Graham

What's your Vision?

Hola familia y amigos!!

I hope that everything is going well with you all!!! 

I am not sure if I have explained what a cumplemes is?  Well cumpleaños in spanish is birthday.  So as missionaries instead of celebrating every year, we celebrate every month in the mission, starting from the day we entered the CCM.  Anywayyyy, today I have hit 8 months in the mission!  Which is pretty cool.  Hermana Adams and I have been joking around about how I have 10 months left and she only has 10 days!!  Time passes very quickly and yet I feel like I still have so much more to do and learn.  Time flies by so fast that we barely can keep track, just when a cumplemes comes along.  

Anyway this has been another great week here in Independencia.  

We had 2 days that were especially amazing this week with super spiritual experiences.

First off, Tuesday was a really cool day.  We were able to find a lot of new people to teach, which is always amazing.  We started off in the morning teaching a guy that actually stopped us in the street to tell us he wanted to learn more.  Whenever that happens, we know its someone really special.  Sure enough, this man is so prepared by the Lord.  Our first visit with him, he was asking questions the entire time.  He has such a strong desire to find out the truth and find a church where it just feels right.  He had read everything we had assigned him and already understood and remembered so much of it.  I felt so grateful that the Lord had placed us in his path and that we now have the opportunity to share the restored Gospel with him.  Later in the afternoon, the cool finding opportunities continued.  We had several citas fall through and so we hard extra time to walk around and find people to teach.  We were in a small callejon section and were taking a look down one section to see if there were more houses.  We looked though the door and saw an elderly woman sitting in a wheel chair.  Now normally when it comes to those who are very elderly, we don't have much success teaching them.  They are either 1. very set in their ways without much desire to change or 2. sick or unable to come to church.  However we felt prompted to go in anyway to see if we could do anything for her, perform some kind of service.  Her name is Dominga and she is one of the sweetest women I have ever met.  She is almost completely blind.  She can see a little bit just out of one eye.  She also only has 1 leg, the other having been amputated years ago.  We were not able to teach really but she felt so happy to have a visit.  She has so much faith in God.  When we mentioned which church we represented, her face totally lit up.  She then explained that she used to have a Book of Mormon and read it all the time.  She said it gave her a lot of help and counsel.  Someone eventually took it so she no longer has it but it was amazing to see the recognition in her face,  Even though she is not a member, she has a testimony of the Book of Mormon!  While she may not be baptized in this life, I know that this testimony and faith that she has will help her accept the gospel later on.  I felt so accomplished for this visit with Dominga.  She has no idea what we look like, but we were able to be instruments in the Lord's hands to lighten her day and bring some of His perfect love to her.

The other amazing day was Friday, when we had Zone Conference with the mission president and a group of other missionaries.  Its a whole day of talks and presentations that help us continue on in our work.  The whole focus of the conference was faith, and how we can work by faith to help others come unto baptism.  We read an amazing talk in preparation called 'Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ' by Gene R. Cook.  If you can find it, read it!!! Anyway the mission president ave us this whole analogy about climbing a mountain.  When you start a large hike, you have a vision and a goal to get to the top of the mountain,  Then along the path there are rocks and other stumbling blocks, but you keep going until you reach the top.  This is the same as our efforts to help others accept and live the restored gospel, but it can also be applied to every act of faith we do.  We need to remember our goal and maintain our vision.  When hard times come, why is it that we keep on going forward?  We must also act by faith, pray and commit ourselves to do it in the Lord's way.  When we commit outselves to change, improvement or even a goal, and then pray and trust in the Lord to help us accomplish, that is how we will find success and grow in faith.  Anyway I know that through acting in faith and really dedicating ourselves to doing what the Lord wants us to do, we will be able to find happiness and experience growth.  When you are in the middle of climbing the mountain, remember what is your vision?  Then act by faith and the  Lord will help you accomplish it.

I love being able to learn and serve here on my mission.  Through faith and doing the Lord's will, we can be content and happy, and look back at our time with appreciation and joy!

I hope you all have a wonderful week!!

Con amor,

Hermana Graham

United in Faith

Hola everyone!!!

So today Hermana Adams and I were able to go and visit a part of the DR named Ocoa.  It was her first area where she served.  As a missionary that is about to go home, she was able to come and visit and see all the people she taught.  Anyway its a pueblo up in the mountains and it is absolutely beautiful!! We are actually still here now but about to go back to the capital.

Long story short I have very very little time today.

Anyway this week has been great!  I love the area and especially the members and leaders.  Every sunday we go over to the Bishops house and eat with his family after church.  Its a super special time and the food is amazing.  Anyway yesterday there was an awesome and spiritual little moment.  The first counselors name is Henry.  He has 2 sons that live in the U,S. and yesterday he was able to skype in to watch one of his sons be ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood.  They just had it displayed on the tablet and we got to listen as this young man was ordained to hold the Priesthood power of God.  And another very special aspect is that the Bishop who ordained him in the U.S.  is Dominican and knows all the people here.  Our bishop here knows him very well and they hadnt spoken in a long time.  They were all so emotional to see this young man recieve the Priesthood and even more emotional to be able to talk and catch up like the brothers that they are.  This moment touched me a lot.  Our bishop here is such an overwhelming loving and caring man.  It was amazing to see people united in their faith in Christ and that it doesnt matter where we are.  Even though these friends have been separated by time and countries, they are still faithfully serving the Lord and pushing forward.  

I know that this church is true and that it unites those who are ready and willing to follow and serve Christ.  Its amazing to be able to serve alongside these members and feel this sense of companionship and family bond with them.   Its a blessing to be able to work alongside those who share your faith and love of God.

Anyway I love you all so much.  Even in different countries, I hope you can feel that!

CON MUCHO AMOR,

Hermana Graham

Strengthening

Hola mi querida familia y amigas!!!

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

Members Make the Difference!

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!!!

I hope that you all have had an awesome week!!!

This week has been an awesome wake-up call for how I can improve as a missionary.  Wednesday we had interviews with the Mission President and he was able to remind me about several things that will help me be able to make the most out of my mission.  There´s such an interesting concept in terms of how we apply ourselves.  When we work by faith and do the best and most we can, the Lord will bless us to receive the blessings and make the changes we need to progress.  When we apply ourselves, we open up our lives to receive more blessings of the Lord.Not just a missionary concept but a life concept!!

Anyway this week we´ve been working really hard to help our area and the people we are teaching.  We´re focusing a lot on working alongside the members.  This ward here in Independencia is so big and powerful.  Unlike the small rama we had in Vicente Noble, this ward has so many members with wonderful and powerful testimonies.  There´s just more support and resources than we had access to in the small pueblo.  Here there are so many great members who identify with the investigators and help a lot.  I told you all a few weeks ago about a couple that we are teaching.  They had a son pass away several months ago and still feel a lot of pain about it. Well we have been bringing a member with us over the last week and a half and it makes a huge difference.  This member also had a child pass away and she is able to give so much personal experience and say exactly what they need to hear.  She is able to share how the gospel has helped her find the peace.  Its amazing to see how much members truly make all the difference.

We also had an awesome experience Wednesday.  We did intercambios or companionship exchanges with members from the ward. I went our with one Hermana and Hermana Adams went out with another.  I didn't really know the member very well but we had an awesome experiences guided by the Spirit!  We went to visit a Menos activo family. A woman who we are mostly working with, but her 3 kids are also members.  Normally they dont come join us, especially her daughter.  Anyway we walk in and immediately this member I´m with goes and says hi to her daughter because they know each other.  I had no idea but this member is friends with them since back when they had been coming to church. Anyway we were able to share with the mom and also 2 of her kids. We talked about our baptismal covenant and what we have promised to do and the blessings God has promised us.  It was an awesome lesson and they all really listened as we reminded them of what is means to really keep this promise they´ve made with God through baptism. It was amazing and I felt so grateful to have seen the blessings of working with members. Truly, ALL THE DIFFERENCE!

All in all, it was a great week.  With each week, I´m getting more and more comfortable with the area and the members.  I know we are going to see some great progress and find a lot of awesome people. 

I love you all so much! Thanks for everything!

Con amor,

Hermana Graham

Small, Powerful Moments

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!

¿Pueden creerlo?  Ya yo tengo 7 meses en la misión y solamente falto menos de un año.  Es un poquito loco para pensar pero el tiempo esta pasando bien RÁPIDO.  Pero, estoy muy feliz y agradecida por el tiempo y las experiencias que he tenido en la misión hasta ahora.  

Anyway, we had a pretty solid week this past week!  We have been working a lot more with menos activos lately and have been able to see some great progress in several of them.  I'll tell you about a couple amazing lessons we had through during the week.  Anyway, I told you a few weeks ago about a new menos activa that we found who has been very prepared by the Lord.  Her long time boyfriend is not a member but has some interest.  We had an awesome Family Home Evening with the ward bishop.  He talked about the importance of family and how the gospel blesses our family relationships.  He told the amazing story of how we met his wife and joined the church.  He was so sweet and sincere as we described how we met his wife when they were both 13 years old.  They had a long process before they finally got together but he knew from a very young age.  Years later, she had the missionaries start visiting and teaching him the lessons.  He describes how he had interest but everything changed when they asked one question:  What would you think if you could be with this woman not only for this life but for eternity?  This man, who had wanted to be with her since they were 13, could not ignore that question.  He then listened to the missionaries with newfound interest and was eventually baptized.  They 2 sons served faithful missions and he is now the Bishop.  Anyway, as he told this story, the spirit was very special and our menos activo and her boyfriend listened very closely. It was special to hear to blessings of the gospel and how it can change and bless families.  

OKay I'm out of time but one more story very quickly.  Last night, hermana adams and I were out teaching people.  We passed for one family and they were not home.  We were talking on the street deciding where to go and finally decided to go see a recent convert who did not go to church yesterday,  We walk into her house and everything seems fine.  Then she quietly explained that her 17 year old cousin died that very morning and she didn't know what to do. It was such a special moment to have been prompted to go see her and help her in this time of difficulty. We immediately called the church leaders and organized for some Priesthood holders to come and give her a Priesthood blessing. There was little we could do to help her, but when we mentioned the blessing she looked at us with hope.  We sat with her until the Priesthood holders came and she said she could feel so much more peace afterward.  It was a very special moment to see and feel the power of the Priesthood.  I know that through this authority they have, they really did give her a blessing through the power of God.  It was a small moment of being guided by the spirit but made a huge difference for her.

Anyway the mission is great and I am so grateful for this amazing experiences to serve and be an instrument in the Lords hands.

CON MUCHO AMOR,

Hermana Graham