Week 20 Santo Domingo: Holy Shiz! Where are the seatbelt laws?

Dear Family,

Well this week has been pretty good! On Tuesday we had a service project at an investigator’s house.  The wife of this family is super pregnant, so we helped them out by painting baby’s room. It was pretty fun, but it took forever. After that, they fed us and we went out to work.  Over all, it was a good day. I also had a spiritual experience when I was teaching a less active member. The Spirit was really strong, but she is super stubborn so we will see what happens

Thursday we had a zone conference, which was really sad because our president said goodbye to us. It was a super power conference though! Anyway, after our last lesson of the night, we were walking back and saw this guy chasing a car. We were thinking, “what the heck?” Then the guy pulled out a pistol and started shooting at the car, and then it was like “Wo, holy shiz!” I still have no clue what happened there!

On Friday evening we went to a member’s house and burned a shirt of Elder M’s. When you reach 6 months, you’re supposed to burn a tie, at a year a shirt, at 18 months pants, and at 24 a suit. But I’ve never heard of anyone burning a suit!

This Sunday was stake conference so we went to the stake center for that. It was fun because I got to see a bunch of friends. We rode home from stake conference in the back of a truck! It was super, super fun! And we got to have lunch at the bishop’s house. Later we contacted a lady that I have a good feeling about.

Anyway, that was my week.

Love you all,

Elder Stark

Bailey with President and Sister Rodriguez

Week 19 Santo Domingo: Semana Santa

Dear family,

Okay, well this week was a little bit different because it was Semana Santa or Holy Week. So pretty much nobody was home!

Tuesday we went out with 2 ward members and they showed us where several less active members live so we can help them return to church. At the last house we visited there was a lady who was in her house, and her friend was doing her hair. We were talking to her and she told us that she was now going to the Pentecostal church. Anyway, the friend said, “Can I ask a question?” She then went off on a 30 minute yelling fest telling us how our church is wrong because we have baptism for the dead and a bunch of other stuff. I finally got sick of it and stood up and told her that we had to leave to preach the gospel. I had to say it several times, but it finally got through. Anyway, it was a super good day and was a lot of fun!

Thursday was a normal day until our last appointment. We were in a lesson with this family we are teaching, and some drunk guy came into their house and told us that we need to preach that there is only one God and that its Jehovah, and that this Holy Week is not about partying, its about God! Anyway, he could barely walk and it was nighttime. We finished this lesson and were walking home and we hear this other guy yelling about a “Chino.” (Chinese person, but it also means everybody that’s not Dominican or Haitian, so I get called “Chino” quite a bit) Then we saw a guy chasing the drunk down the street with a machete! He was yelling about how he was going to kill the Chino! We stopped and watched but the machete guy gave up and started walking back to his house and the drunk was still running away. So we were like, “That was weird” and started walking back. We saw a bunch of blood splatters on the sidewalk, so it looks like the machete guy hit the drunk! Pretty bizarre!

Friday was Viernes Santa (Good Friday). I thought was going to mean huge parties in the streets, but instead the whole town was quiet. It felt like the start of a zombie apocalypse. Anyway, nobody was home, so we ended up playing dominos (another Dominican habit of mine) at a member’s house.

We had exchanges on Saturday and I was in my area with Elder M. We contacted a ton, but then we were on our way to a lesson and we were hiking through a Haitian’s backyard and I fell and hurt my ankle again. I couldn’t walk for a bit, but I got up and kept going. It’s fairly swollen, but I can walk fine so it’s all good!

And yeah, that was my week. Love you all. Stay strong, keep the faith, and I’ll be with you guys before you know it!

Elder Stark

I keep twisting my ankle

Week 18 Santo Domingo: Just FYI

Dear Family,

So this week was super good. My new comp is Elder B from St. George, Utah. He’s a good hard worker and we are doing really well. This week we have been contacting a bunch and doing really good. We are looking for some new investigators. My Spanish is pretty good for the time I have, but I’m going to try to really study and get super good with it. 

Anyway, we are teaching a really good family right now, the M family. We were able to put a baptism date with them. Also we contacted in a super, super rich part of our area. Not much success, but it was fun! Also this week was Elder M’s birthday, which was fun because we had cake. 

Then on Friday we had a zone meeting, which was great because I got to see all the new people in my zone. We got a ton of new people here. It’s crazy; there are so many younger missionaries, so that should be fun! Then Sunday we got fired a bunch. Oh this week is Semana Santa, which means that we will have very little success because it is a weeklong Dominican party! But I’m up for the challenge. Also, I am becoming a fantastic Dominican cook. Just FYI. 

Love you all,

Elder Stark

My mini missionary

My awesome new pants

Owen would appreciate this hammer

My Zone

Contacting in the really rich areas

Week 17 Santo Domingo: It's hard to say goodbye to a companion

Dear Family,

So last Monday Elder M and I went to the store and got some fabric so that I could get 3 pairs of pants made. Super fun! I got to pick out some cool fabrics for the pants and then also some crazy fabric for the inside and the pockets so then we took it to a seamstress and so now I’ve got three pairs of pants on the way. Then we went around our area so that M could say bye to people. It was super sad.

Tuesday was Elder M’s last day. We just did some shopping and hung out at a ward member’s house till it was time to leave. Super, super, super sad saying goodbye to him. After he left, I didn’t really want to sleep so I stayed up drank a litter of coke and ate 2 doughnuts. I didn’t just waste my time though; I ironed all my shirts that night :)

And then the next day the bomb hit! The office elders called me in the morning and said, “Hey you know you are getting a new comp today, right?” Anyway, they dropped of my comp who is a Dominican guy that is preparing to serve a mission. I will be with him for 5 days before transfers. So needless to say I am living in a house with all Latinos and sort of training one of them at the same time. The Hermana’s in our zone baptized my companion 3 weeks ago... but we went out to work and it was all right. 

Then the next day we had a trainer/trainee meeting. Then we had exchanges and I was with Elder Mo. It was good because Elder E could explain things to my kid in Spanish about how to be a missionary. Anyway it was a good day! I’ve also been calling my friend Elder F at night just for the chance to speak English, because most days I don’t.

Friday we had a good day, but it was kind of stressful leading the area again. I’m still sick and so Dominicans have been giving me a bunch of cures that supposedly work. So far I’ve drank like 4 types of tea, two weird juices, two shots of Aloe Vera with sugar, and one shot of honey with lime juice! Pretty gross, except for the tea. I like that! Anyway I still have a cough.

Then Saturday I ran around my area all morning inviting everybody to general conference! Turned out we had conference in the stake center because it wasn’t working in the chapel. This had bad news and good news. The good news was I got to watch it in English; the bad news is we only had one investigator show up. Anyway then I taught a super spiritual lesson with a family I’m teaching about the restoration! Super good; they loved it!!!!

Sunday we had general conference, which was awesome! Then I found out about transfers in the evening. I’m getting a new companion, but I have no idea who he is. I’ll find out today! Also, another elder named Elder H and I are the only 2 gringos still in the zone. The rest got transferred!

This morning I picked up my pants at the seamstress, so now I’ve got a pair of grey pants with little mermaid pockets, a blue pair with Avengers pockets, and a black pair with Hawaiian tropical print pockets. All tailored specifically for me!!! Super happy about that!!!

Love you all,

Elder Stark