Week 63: San Jaun de Maguana: A hike to the waterfall

Hey family,

        I hope things are going well and that you are all happy. Everything is great here in the Dominican Republic. 

        So last Monday I didn’t have much time to write because we went to the water falls again. Some new elders came to the area and they wanted to go so I said I would take them. I’ve now been three times. This time we decided to go all on foot, which is about a 3-hour hike. It’s pretty cool! We started out at 9am and got on a bus that took us to the trail entrance in a town called Las Charcas de Maria Noble. It was about an hours walk there and it was super funny because we were all walking and joking around and then one of the hermanas in my district told me that she needed to use the bathroom. She asked if there would be a spot on the way to use the bathroom. Anyway, she was a little shy, so I went up to a random house and yelled inside asking them if we could use their outhouse.  It was kind of funny because I had never even talked to those people before but they were super nice. We continued the walk until we got to Las Charcas. Then we had to keep going till we got to an even smaller town up in the mountains called Babor Arriba which was another hour long hike. The trail wasn’t too tough but some of the missionaries started getting tired. We kept going so we could take a break in Babor. While we were there, I challenged the newest sister missionary to a chugging contest of soda. It is almost an initiation right for new missionaries, but right before we started she took a sip and was like, “Oh, I like it.” It was this Dominican drink called Malta Morena. I hate it because it’s basically a barley flavored drink. She didn’t want to chug it because she just wanted to enjoy it, so I just gave mine away.  We kept going along to get to the waterfalls and it’s a super cool trail. I sent a bunch of pictures, but yeah, it was super fun just walking through the jungle. There was this weird Dominican guy that followed us up and he just kept talking to Elder P about how he would like to marry Sister L and making fun of Sister A because she is a bit of a princess. Weird guy... But we hung out for a while at the waterfalls sticking our feet in the water and taking pictures. We even went up the side of the big waterfall to get on top of it. It was a cool climb so we rested up there for a bit and ate a small lunch. I went with Elder S who is one of my friends in the mission and a newer missionary and we hiked a little further away from the group and found a small private area. I told him about how the prophets used to go to the mountains to pray because they could feel closer to God, so we took a small moment and each prayed. Very cool moment. I got the idea from Brother Ranstrom and the whole time hiking up I thought about high adventure. Then we headed back down because the zone leaders had a baptism that they had to get prepared.

 On the way back there was a really funny moment. I saw a guy selling bananas for really cheap so I bought bananas for everybody and I was handing them out. I offered one to Sister K (she’s from Kiribati and has a very different culture and cant speak Spanish or English fluently yet) and when I offered her the banana I thought she said she didn’t want one so I just gave it to her companion. Then a few minutes later she walked up to me and put her hand into my cargo shorts pocket and says where is my banana? I was super freaked out so I grabbed her hand and pulled it out of my pocket and was like  ¨K-- WHAT ARE YOU DOING? ¨ She tried to do it again but I stopped her. I was super confused, but then her companion ran up and gave her the other banana, but it was a super weird moment.

I also had some very spiritual experiences this week. We had a zone conference, which was in Azua so Wednesday morning we woke up super early and got on the guagua to get to Azua. The whole zone conference was super great. They talked about commitments and covenants and wow, it was super spiritual. I felt like it applied very well to our personal lives and so I’m going to try to work really hard and apply it to my life. I have also been reading a book called answers to gospel questions by Joseph Fielding Smith and I’m coming up on finishing it. It’s been a super great book! But yeah, I’m super excited for my next area. I mean I love San Juan, but I think its time for me to go. I have 7 months here and the transfers are on March 10^th. Also March 12 we are going to have a big mission conference with Jeffrey R Holland :) :) :) :) I’m super excited to hear him speak!!!!!! And it’s just for our mission! Anyway, have a great week. Write me back.

Love,

Elder Stark

Week 62: San Jaun de Maguana: Short and Sweet

Hey mom and Dad,

I love you guys tons. That is super cool to hear that you guys like Jake’s girlfriend. She seems cool. Hopefully they don’t get married before I get home. 

Shih Ping and Eli are having a baby girl right? That’s super exciting about the first great-grand kid. That’s sad about Owen ending his wrestling, but who knows he could do it in college?

Well mom and dad, I love you guys tons. This last week we had a baptism. I was the one who baptized him. His name is K and he is 9 years old. We have visited him a lot with the stake (district) primary president and his grandma is a member. She always takes him to church.  We baptized him at a stake primary activity so he has tons of support. He’s a super great kid!

I'll write a bigger email next week, but I didn’t have much time today, sorry. 

Love you, 

Elder Stark

Week 61: San Jaun de Maguana: We have some baptisms coming!

Hey Mom and Dad,

Thanks so much for the money; it really helped.

This week has been super hectic and crazy, but we have some good news. Next Saturday we are having a baptism for a nine-year-old boy named K, who is the grandson of a member. He has been going to church forever and we didn’t realize he wasn’t a member. Then about a month ago, the stake primary president told us that she wanted to teach him with us, so she came with us and now he’s about to get baptized. 

We also went over to this member named A’s house and we thought that he was a less active returned missionary.  We were visiting with him and he told us that he wanted to have this one member visit him named J. So we went over to J’s house a few days later and he told us that A isn’t actually less active, but that during his mission he fell with the law of chastity and was excommunicated. After he was excommunicated, he started drinking and living in his sins. Well, J agreed to come with us to talk to A and when we got there we had a super amazing lesson. J talked to him about being humble and talking responsibility for his actions and was teaching very, very directly. I was sitting there thinking, wow, this is just what A needs and then I was trying to think of a scripture that would bring it all in and as I was flipping through the book of Mormon a verse popped out. Alma 42:30:

            O my son, I desire that ye should deny the justice of God no more. Do not endeavor to excuse yourself in the least point because of your sins, by denying the justice of God; but do you let the justice of God, and his mercy, and his long-suffering have full sway in your heart; and let it bring you down to the dust in humility.

 And this verse wasn’t even marked in my Book of Mormon. I had never used it in a lesson before and I don’t even remember reading it. It just jumped out and, wow, was that a powerful spiritual moment! I still get goose bumps just thinking about it!

We also had a bit of a bad experience. We had this less active member that was coming back to church. He had come every Sunday and we were just working with him on avoiding temptations and stuff like that. Well, just yesterday he didn’t go to church and when we stopped by and he ended up yelling at us in the door, saying stuff like he couldn’t pay tithing, and that he’s Catholic, and that he hates our church, and he’s never returning, even saying that we tricked him. Anyway, it was a very sad moment and we had no idea what happened because we were at his house the day before and he was perfectly fine. It was so very surprising and very hurtful. I get pretty down sometimes when people reject this gospel that I love so much, but life goes on.

We also were able to put a baptismal date with F for the 28th and a marriage date for the 19^th. We had to go to Elias Piña again to take out marriage documents and that’s where I am now.

But I love you all and will talk to you next week.

Love,

Elder Stark

Week 60: San Jaun de Maguana: Random Crap

Hey Mom and Dad,

This p-day we went to Elias Piña, which is the city closest to Haiti. We got there and they told us that we were literally only 30 minutes walking from the border!!! I had to fight a big temptation not to go to Haiti, but no worries, I stayed in the right country. We went to Elias Piña because there is a huge Haitian market and we wandered around buying random crap. You will be getting some of the random crap I bought in a few weeks in a package. I was tempted to buy a machete, but I thought, hmmm, better not. I mostly just bought 50-cent ties and a 25-dollar pair of shoes! They are super cool leather wing tipped shoes, but they’re a cool wine color. Anyway, it was super cool because the guy I bought them from was a Haitian and I asked this one elder who is Haitian named Elder B to help me negotiate the price. So he walked up and started arguing with the guy in creole and the guy originally asked for 2500 pesos but Elder B got it down to 1000 pesos, which is about 25 dollars. Anyway super cool buy!

That’s super cool about Shan leaving. I hope he sends me an email soon and Sami as well. You will have to tell me if she has an Australian accent and you should also tell her to write me a letter. 

Anyway dad, as for your question about the weirdest thing I’ve eaten, well it wasn’t this week, but I did eat liver. Like chicken liver and heart and stuff like that. The texture was awful, but I got it down.

The weirdest guy I spoke to was this crazy old guy that looked like he was from Spain. He grabbed my arm as I was walking down the street and started telling me that my comp and I weren’t friends because I’m white and he’s brown (he really is Tongan), and that if we like the same girl then we can’t be friends, and that in the morning the Spirit is strong, but at night the flesh is a lot stronger. Anyway, the best part is he was smoking marijuana and blowing it in our face as he was talking. So I just started messing with him by contradicting everything he said.  I was telling him that my spirit is always stronger than the flesh and that friends are more important than girlfriends. After a while he was like, “Wow, well then your going to be the Pope!!!” After that we told him we had to go and left. It was pretty funny.

The best spiritual experience this week happened because I’ve been studying like crazy answers to gospel questions. I found a part where the prophet Joseph Fielding Smith answered a bunch of important questions that people had asked him and its really cool because I’ve learned a lot! Anyway, that’s a bit of my week. Hope you liked it. I love you guys so much and I’ll see you next week!

Love Elder Stark