November 19, 2009

Hello all! only days until we 86 this place. We leave Tuesday morning at 7. Monday is pretty much just going to be a hang out/get stuff ready day. Laundry, packing etc. Naturally have people write in my transfer book. I'm going to miss everyone here. It seems like we just got here yesterday which is good. As soon as we hit the field it will kick into like 6th gear. Last night a teacher who has a brown belt in jujitsu taught us the know how of the DR, how to deal with robbers and street riots and apostate members. The works. I'm stoked! We had a good experience at the university for the last time the other day. Victor hadn't prayed but he read a little more. He keeps getting hung up on stuff that doesn't matter and when it came down to the wire all we could do was testify of the truth of the book and plead with him to pray (and not fall asleep as he had). It was interesting when Castro said to him "I know that you know the things we are teaching you are the truth" The spirit was there with trash, people, music and chickens all around us (Yes, chickens wander the university...). Cool experience. It helped when later we were talking to another group of people and Castro kinda talked to the people over there, and I was talking to the guy/girl over here. She wasn't really listening but the guy I was talking to was. A really good 15 min lesson that I actually was able to say a lot. It helped when He said "You have only been here for a month? You speak very well!" Wow, ensario?! That was great. I have to constantly remember that a lot of people in my district can speak so well because their Spanish background. I then realize OK, I guess I am doing okay.
I'm getting to the point where my mind has pretty much checked out of this place. BAD! I know, but what can you do! When you do your best but its just way beyond the limit...you pick your battles. I'm having the hardest time getting through Alma...so much for finishing the Book of Mormon before I get out of the CCM. I'm tearing it apart and that section is just trashed with pencil stuff. Its hard to get through something that is like your patriarchal blessing. Entienden? Last night in the middle of the night was weird, fireworks like mad so I opened the window to see what it was and I was convinced it was gunshots! Glad to find out this happens a lot here. 2 experiences happened this week that have finally testified to me, that I am in fact in the Dominican Republic. first we found the roof hatch open and looked out on everything from so high up. Nuts! The ocean from the view OVER the temple and all the hundreds of buildings in the distance of the main part of the city and trees everywhere and probably 5 new skyscrapers going up. It truly wasn't a view you'd ever see in Estatas Unidos. Second was in the temple and we were waiting for the session to begin and the power circuit had a hard time transferring over to our backup generators ( I could hear the engineers talking) so while sitting in the front row we had to wait for 10 min for the power to get steady while it kept clicking on and off and on and off. In the temple, and that happens, you know the church is true because it just keeps going while adapting to the conditions of the country. I'm writing a little ditty that I will eventually send of the things that make the church so different here from the united states. In a really good way. Oh, yeah one more thing. Sunday night we had a choir from a local stake come and sing to us. Tons of people and the situation was super thrown together but it was so cool to feel the spirit as these people sang out their hearts to songs I grew up with, in Spanish. For a closing number my district sang Abide with me, Tis Eventide. (I forgot to say how much we blow everyone away when we sing, we all pick parts and in harmony its amazing. I'm learning tenor so I can try new things other then just bass) the spirit was like POW and for 2 days everyone was commenting on how it was so nice. Hna Hendricks (Wife of pres) loved it. Something funny that happened this week, Elder Tukia (The big New Zealand/Tongan) who is rough with how he plays, threw me through a wall the other day....by accident. Yeah not good that the tile and drywall has to be replaced where my shoe went 1/4th through it! Nuts! ha ha so bad but we got it taken care of.
When I'm in a crowd and need to get my food threw, i throw it up and tray it over everyone's head and then that started a conversation about working in food industry.....OH I miss The Wood so much. I cant wait to come back and serve again. I miss it so much it is where my heart is for some reason. I was reading in Alma the other day during church, where the Zoramites mix with the Lamanites and they get riled up and are gonna come attack everyone...oh man I started laughing so hard I couldn't keep myself under control! Did I ever tell you the story when I was at the wood on a busy sat. night doing expo and i just had question after question for Jen and it was starting to send her over the edge....Finally she turned around and yelled at me "DON'T POKE THE BEAR!" oh man I was almost on the ground laughing so hard because I had never heard that before and it was so funny that she finally just lost it and couldn't keep mad at me any more....Alma reminded me of that and I relived the moment right there in Sacrament meeting. Don't even worry, it says that quote in Alma now. If that story made no sense sorry, ask me about it again in 2 years. oh snaps, 22 months! Its nuts to see how things are influenced with time and location. I'm....actually guilty of speaking of Dominican Spanish already, dropping stuff and slurring.....with what I'm able to say. Como Esta is Comota, and Mas o menos is maomeo. Yup, no ones gonna understand me when I get back. Ill have to take a class on how to speak correct Spanish.

I love the song Dearest children, God Is Near You. We are singing that song for my homecoming k? You know the Fanfare from "God of Our fathers, Who's Almighty Hand"? Don't worry, we sing that song and we break into the fanfare ourselves and make it work. We are getting better at it! AH! The other day on the way to the university I saw....drum roll....a MkV.5 VW Tiguan 2.0TDI!!!! Holy crap it was absolutely amazing! And black! Crap It was gorgeous.

Elder Yates, Falor, Hall and myself have had some really cool talks lately where we discuss little nuggets of church history and it is making me more and more and more excited to come home and drop a G on the Church History Library. I'm feeling that what some of the things say in my P-Blessing are going to come true, for that desire for deeper gospel things. That, and the spirit of Elijah are so incredibly evident in my life and my mission is simply going to set a foundation for what I will be doing with my life, in regards for gospel knowledge....I'm beginning to think more and more that I might want to study at BYU for History over Mech. Engineering and possibly work for the Church History Department one day. Basically be another guy to give crazy talks on temples that you can barely hear, and you wonder whether or not those things should be said outside of the C.R. Ha! Who knows.

Gots to run, I love you tons!

-McLean