"How Are You?"

 

 

Hola!! A wonderful week in the DR. It’s fun to feel a little more settled in. We pass by a lot of the same streets everyday and it’s fun to have the ¨regulars¨. There is a little girl who every time we pass by says, "how are you?"  We respond in English but she just repeats how are you over and over because it’s all she knows. This is starting to spread and the whole street is now saying it. I absolutely love the Dominican people. 

We greet all the women with a kiss on the right cheek. Men also greet women this way, but as missionaries... we don’t kiss the men on the cheek. Something interesting- all the women have curly hair and all the women want straight hair. They all wear curlers around everywhere and then blow it dry and wear these hair nets to keep it straight. I guess we all want what we don’t have, I love their curly hair. 

Mango season is in full swing. YUM. My companion and I were at a members’ house and we had a bag of mangos. We offered her a mango and she accepted and then ran into her back yard and put a handful of mangos from her tree into our bag. This is completely symbolic of how the people are. So kind and generous. 

Everyone on this island has heard of the Mormonas; the church is pretty strong here. It’s amazing to see how much missionary work builds the church. Most of the members are converts. All three of the missionaries I live with were either converts themselves or their parents were converts; and now they are on the flip-side of the work. It really is a church built on converts.  Of course we are all converts. 

I believe I have found my new favorite talk: Faith, Reason, Knowledge, and Truth by Richard N. Williams. It is incredible and it has changed my perception of faith.

This letter is a little bit all over the place but that is how my stream of consciousness is, so it is fitting.  

Thank you for your letters!!!!!!!!!!! I am far from the office so it may take a while for the package to get to me. But transfers are next week so someone may bring it to me. Thank you!!!! I am nervous about transfers. I think I’ll be in a tri-companionship. There are four of us together now and because I was with Hermana Thomas in the MTC and we live together now; we have grown close. She is from D.C. and she is already fluent because her mom is from El Salvador. I love laughing with her and talking to her. Thanks for setting up the Skype account. I am SO excited for Mother’s Day.

Loved your letters!!!!! and pictures... cute Owie as a lunch server. I am glad you guys are doing well. I get so much strength from your insights and laugh at your stories. LOVE YOU!

Thank you for all the support and love. 

Hermana Meg