May 26th- It's the mossst wonderful time... OF THE YEAR!!!‏

Hey Hey,

Look, I've gotta be honest. It's my shamefaced confession to say that last week I really just did not have time to send the weekly. I shall give you my brief story about my last pday:

Got back from the zone activity and we were green flags for internet and had just enough time to write and then head to a family night we had. But--

Miss take-up-two-seats-at-the-movie-theatre, sassy momma, can't tell take no for an answer was using my computer and spent about an hour and a half looking at her fb and took a good twenty minutes typing with great care (only using one finger at a time) finding her annoying dem bow ringtones she wanted for her cell phone. Anyway, she left me five minutes to work with, and so I just wrote Prez and left feeling awful. I was trying to think of what I could have done different, hope I'm forgiven.

These past two weeks we have not wasted one second. Our days have been full and busy busy busy. Conducted my first baptismal interview for our Zone Leader pals, started running before studytime, started our Preach My Gospel Class with our 16 smiling students. Just been having jam packed days is all I can say. 

This upcoming week, we have the baptisms of Andry and Jordan. Jordan on tuesday, and Andry saturday. We've worked a great deal with each one of them. But they both passed their interviews last saturday, and have shown no reason why they are both not ready for the next step of baptism. Had some bomb references from members this last week. Remember Brian? Baptized him the beginning of last transfer, well he showed us his friend ''El Topo'' or Junior, and he told us straight up that the wanted to be baptized first lesson. We well all kinda shocked and more or less just said: ''Well.. we can arrange that.'' haha. So awesome. And we're working alot more with a reference from our bordering area left with us. They are a family that are just SO PREPARED. They already look and act like members of the church! I really just hope I don't get a transfer. 

This transfer is only 4 weeks becase our new president is in town!! He flew in last night, and will not leave for another 3 years.. super crazy. 

President Ahmad S Corbett 

Google him

Read a book, that every individual who dares to call himself a member must read, called 'A Marvelous Work and A Wonder' from LeGrand Richards. Its a 430sh page book and I put it to an end in a short four days. Just read it, I'm teaching with a new understanding of this restored gospel, and after reading it if you can't say with a surety that this church is true, you're probably just blind. No matter how much secular knowledge one may obtain, there's no textbook, no amount of studying that can compare to pure gospel knowledge and gospel truths. This stuff is real, and I'm so lucky call myself a part of this awesome work.

I'll leave you with this little fun quote someone sent me for my birthday

''Whatever you want to do tomorrow, do it today. And whatever you desire to do today, do it now because nobody knows in this uncertain world what will happen in a moment. Celebrate life the same as you celebrate your birthday.'' 

-Unknown Author.

Thanks for the birthday wishes, 

Con amor 

Elder Tate

 

foto 1: singing 

foto 2: this describes our duo to a t

May 12th- You Already Know

What a fantastic week it was. Now that I have talked with all you crazy fools back home, I can focus, and am now recovering from the awesome longer-than-it-should-have-been facetime we had. Its kind of like the John Cougar Mellancamp song ''Hurts so Good'' Because it's just that, the worst and best days of the mission (well.. some of them haha)

It's not that hard of a recovery when you have a day playing soccer with pals to take the ease off. It's awesome being capital now, you can see your buds that have the same time in the mission as you, kids that for some reason just know you a little better if that makes sense. You share a connection if you know what I mean. I dunno, probably just a mission thing. Good day, and I drank a lot of juice which always lifts the spirits.

Back to the fantastic week-- 

The investigator I mentioned last week, Andry (who looks kinda rough and gangster-ish), has made spectactular progress. I was telling you fellahs at home already, but we were able to watch the restoration with him and a few members. The finishing scene when Joseph saw the Father and the Son left Andry in tears; the spirit that that 20 minute movie can.. word.. word... EXUDE are unlike most other mediums of teaching that I've found. We put the fecha down for his baptism on the 24 of this month, if it's cool with the zone leaders and they have time to interview him that is. But I'm super stoked for Andry, It's unreal. Also, Elder Ventura asked whom he would like to baptize him and he said Elder Tate, which makes me ever more pumped that we can share that moment. May sound a little corny to be this excited, but it's real, man. The spirit changed this guy. 

We have many other investigators, but none of them made enough progress to make it in the email. It's tough, we confirm like 12 people to come to church. And when it started raining just fifteen minutes before the meeting, it was that feisty ten minute storm that kep all but 3 at home. Such a bummer. 

BUY AN UMBRELLA!

It's odd to be just 2 weeks short of 19, and stranger yet to have - as of yesterday - finished one third of my mission. It's super true what Uchtdorf said the conference before last, that ''Time flies, but you're the pilot.'' 

But nah,

It really was refreshing for me to see all your smiling faces, and to see what you crazies have been doing these past months. So, thanks! 

I'll be counting down the days til Christmas.. 

Just 226 more HA!

Vayan con suerte divina,

Elder Tate

foto 1 - some of you

foto 2 - obligatory selfie of the buzz

foto 3 - the big momma guacamole smasher

May 5th- Elder Help You Clean Your House is My Name, and Skype this Sundays My Game.‏

Hey Everyone, 

We visited a museum today. And this country's idea of art is backward. Entering with little enthusiam, I was not expecting a whole lot, but what I saw what nothing short of Dominican. In the most decorated and obviously most worked on gallery of the art museum we found a conceptual, 3D art display. Of lego blocks and ronald mcdonal toys glued to the wall with a hot glue gun. And right outside that room was a project which was constructed with a conglomerate of nasty baby dolls legs and barbie legs interwoven into a thick mesh rope that formed a circle. I laughed, took my pictures, and left with a different perspective of art. 

Two comp exchanges this week, one on tuesday the other on friday. It's always refreshing to switch up the area and the person you're with, even for just 24 hours. But the first switch I was with Elder Bell, he is on his downward slide of 20 months and is still just rockin it. He reminds me of Elder Abbott in a lot of ways, they surprisingly have a lot of things in common. Both participated in collegic sports, love cool flips and both never waste time. He's a good dude. The second was kinda fun too. Turns out the area La Cienega in my district was the same area that I did splits in while I was fresh in the MTC. Looking back I read my journal from that night, and I was surprised of how dangerous and dirty and uninviting I described the DR to be. And now after visiting a second time, I have to remind myself that what I'm seeing isn't considered normal back home. It's funny how perspectives can change. That area really in one of the poorest in all of Santo Domingo though, life is just a litte poorer, tighter budgeted and rougher down there. 

Something I realize I'm learning this week is how disappointment really shows your true colors. Only after you have every single appointment you had planned for the day fall, and contact the same ole evangelica story house time and time again can you really see where your mind is set as far as the mission goes. You can sit and pout and throw in the towel, or you can learn from it and try it all againg tomorrow. You can learn a lot about yourself in those low and empty times. I'm glad the mission has offered me this time to learn a little more about myself. I know I wasn't sent here to fail, and it helps to know that theres a concord of angels on the other side helpin all of us get this work done. 

Just a thought.

But nah,  

We're having a lot of success with a family that we are, I guess you could say, ''reactivating''. The mother was already baptized, along with their oldest two daughters, and as of right now we have 2 fechas for the two of the three youngest boys in their family to be baptized. But here's the ringer, EVERY SINGLE ONE of them were in church this last sunday. The older daughter Jalrie said that has never happened before. I love teaching them, they always have habichuelas con dulce ready for us, which is a just fine with me. It is awesome to see how the gospel really does bless the family. Another great find was Andry, a 19 year old fella who looks a little rough but has great big big interest in the church. His uncle was the last bishop and is great support and help for him. He has been for the past three weeks and we are feeling like he is ready to be invited to be baptized. He's a good guy.

It's been a little bit harder to focus, writing.. and studying.. knowing that I get to see my beautiful family this week, it's so close I can count the days with one and a half hands. Whoo hoo. 

See you on the other side of the computer screen!

Elder Tate

foto 1 gave myself a haircut ;]

foto 2 river osama, i feel like i should put a caption that says ''this is for you''

foto 3 palms

April 28th- coo coo cachoo turn up that ramblin tune‏

Hello!

What a week. Definitely too much to fit in a typed email.

Mission-wise, this week the bommmb. We had 9 investigators at church yesterday, NINE. Also, from out staus last week we have 5 for baptismal dates that we put down this week. A large part of the less active members we visited came back and stayed all 3 hours! That almost never happens. 

We're working with the parents of Brian (the chump that was baptized last last saturday). Brian has been just awesome since the baptism. Already, he's assisted the temple and passed the sacrament for his first time. Super content with Brian. But his parents, Hochey and Navidad, wanted to know a little more about the church and have been coming even since before me and Elder Ventura arrived here. So, we invited for baptism and they accepted! We also talked about the possibility of them getting married in month that is coming. They are super cool. And we placed dates for 3 other young chaps in our ward. 2 are brothers, and the other is a grandkid of the nicest old lady, Herita. Yeah, thats the short version of the week

Mangoes are at their prime. I love that I can drop a little less than 2 dollars (us) and have a bag full of mangoes. Like 8 I think is what I bought last time. I don't want to think of the day when leave the mangoes. I LIVE FOR THE MANGO

Today was awesome and long waited. Met up with some of my Dominican brothern, and sistern. Met up today with Elder Pedersen and Hermana Perry. We all went to the same high school and all recieved calls to serce here in RD. So, Zane and I surprised Ashlyn as they were coming down for lunch in the CCM. What a time. She's doing great with spanish and is super excited for the field. Zane is basically fluent and just rockin it. 

Fantastic day, and to finish it off, we have a noche de hogar with a less active family and we're gonna make pizza!! Whoo whoop

Before I go, this was really important to me, and I'd like to share it with you - -

 My superr smart dad sent me cds upon cds of general conference of years past; so, I've been listening to that during our lunchtime house time. AND, I found a talk that was stirring and inspiriting, that every single one of you must watch. It's a short 14 minute something talk, but is perfect to inspire the missionary that is within all of us. 

So heres homework:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WorkkK75jo

and has much relevance to spanish and latin missions so thats a plus ;)

Cuídense Mucho 

Elder Tate

April 21st- Hot and getting hotter

Hello!

Summer's gonna be blazing hot. It's april and I'm sweating myself to sleep. We've seriously gotta improve the whole fanless house situation. .

I feel like theres nothing much to say, feels like just two days ago when I wrote home. 

HOWEVER,

We did have the Baptism of Brian Chompasn the past saturday. People showed, and it was really a great spiritual experience. And magically, I have no idea how, the exact minute they stepped into the water the backround music that had been playing all the time before ceased and that helped add the the spirit back to the room. 

Great baptism.

One day this week, I was fed this sweet bean soup? (thats about the only way I can describe it) TWO TIMES in one day. Best day of the mission. We contacted just about everyone who lives in the loop of the church, and from what I gather - we're gonna have to get some more member references because basically everyone has already been to the church and has little desire to go back haha. But we're working man. I feel good coming home super tired and wasted from teaching. Feels good.

Today we had Parque al Este. Supppper awesome day. It's always so great to meet up with all your buddies from the mission and meet new ones. I'm meeting so many more people serving where I am. It's crazy how you actually see missionaries that you don't already know just walking around haha. Also walked into a big ole mall thing called MEGA CENTRO it was surreal to be in a mall type setting. I had a mini freak out when I saw payless and areopastle just right there in front of me. And thanks family for treating me for lunch (benefits of having a personal card). 

Sorry the letter sucks this week. I'll try and do a little better in the week thats coming. 

Gotta run.. We're making Havichuelas con dule (sweet beans) for a family night , so we gotta goooooo. 

Your pal, 

Elder Tate

foto 2 - baptism

foto 3 - gettin freaky at family home evening

foto 1- friends from the mission (Mom, the guy on the left is Elder Cardoso from our stake)

April 14th- Same Old Same Old, Just Teaching to a Different Fold

Hello!

Grographically and domestically, the streets I'm walking here in Capotillo are miles aways from what I'm used to. Theres this awesome thing called a light schedule, which means between the hours of six and ten forty-five twice a day, you don't have a fridge. The dudes here are way buffer, houses are super crammed in, it smells a happy smiley port a potty.. A lot is different here, but 

everyone here still gives us juice so its cool. 

This area acutally used to be two. They combined the Capotillo and the Simon Bolivar wards about three years ago due to inactivity amongst the wards. This means they also combined the missionary areas. So the area we've got is a chore to cover. But the work is alive a living here, and we have a ward mission leader! I'm excited to have more support from the ward

The elders before us left a baptism. It was this last saturday, it was all green flags. The tank was full, speakers were selected, papers filled out.. Everything. It's normal for all meetings to start an hour later than planned, but this meeting was kind of a let down. Nobody but the speakers and us missionaries were there. We postponed for the next saturday. 

I felt bad for the guy.

Elder Ventura is 19, he's from guatemala, knows spanish, and like half my size. He's a super nice guy I know we're gonna be just fine. Good feeling.

Being district leader doesn't mean a whole lot. Just that you have more stuff to do, and more meetings to go to. I am excited to see what this transfer brings.

Oh yeah" And I'm now the ward painst once more! But Capotillo/Simon Bolivar hasn't had an elder who could play in over a year and a half, so they only know a few hymns and what they don't know is how to sing while there is a piano accompanying them haha. Kinda fun. 

Not much more I can think of.. This upcoming week is semana santa, which is the week celebrating the coming of Christ's birth. It is common for people here to prepare spiritually during the week by staying home and reading scriptures, fasting, praying and spending time with the family. For the kids it is even a week off from school. I hope we all can prepare a little big and learn a little bit more about what Christ has done for us, and hopefully

 gain a bigger testimony about our Savior

Love each and every one of you, take care

 Elder Tate

foto 1

Me and the compa chillin missionary style

foto 2

find of the day: 

waffle crisp

I love capital grocery stores

April 7th- Whoop schee doo bop a scooby doo‏

Hey Everyone,

What a marvelous week in was. Well Saturday and Sunday, M-F. Very very lame. Bodily had actually contracted Giardia, which meant that we could not leave the house. Yay. In my days hiking and being outside, I had heard of the dangers of giardia but I always shook it off and drank the river water anyway. But NO MORE. I have seen it's effects and would suggest to avoid this plague at all costs. But we got creative with our house time; played hours and hours of dominos, read cool things, and read cool scripture books. I gotta say, I do not wish solitary confinement on any man. It is a bad way to live.

Conference though. MAN, it's always a great weekend when theres conference. Sin embargo, this conference was my first in spanishhh. So it was different but the familiar spirit was still there. Thats how I'll describe it; it's different. Its odd for me to hear the Apostle who's conducting be cut off and replaced by a deep, heavy masculine spanish man voice. At first I said, ''No wait.. I can understand the first one!'' But it's cool, I think that Richard G Scott covered his own talk in spanish, because his talk was clearly an american who magically possessed all the same abilities of putting everyone listening to sleep. My comp doesn't think it was, but I'm tellin ya that it had to be him. 

But--

I have a cool story. and if any of you guys still read these letters, you'll be excited too. 

Between the Saturday sessions, we ran home to make some lunch. I'll draw out the scene for you: So there I was in the kitchen, making guacamole. Just mashing up some big fat avocados and mashing and mashing. When suddenly, the older elders bust in and tell me that I had to call President. I'm was like ''What?? Why?!'' I thought my life as a missionary was over. While the phone was ringing, I was thinking of any sin I might have commited, or any person that I may have offended in Hato Mayor. So, after we exchanged pleasantries, he asked me: Elder Tate, would you be willing to serve as district leader in Capotillo, Santo Domingo? 

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? After I gather my drooling mouth back off the floor, I stumbled out something, and I think I said yes. 

So, Whoop whoop. I'm all packed and I'm tomorrow I'm headed for this awesome cool place called Capotillo. All I've heard is that its pretty sketchy area and a lot of people die there. Don't freak out, Mom. Missionaries don't die, just gansters and angry people. I'll be with a little Guatemalan named Elder Ventura (which translated almost means adventure). He's from the same group as Bodily, and I hear he is incredibly shy. So, I'm excited to break him out of that shell. But yeah, I'm very new to the capital and am excited to see what it's gonna be like. 

Bodily goes Capital too, he'll be in Osama so we'll get to see eachother this next p day when all the missionaries get together to play soccer!

 

I wish I could throw up some pictures.. Evil dominican computers gave the card I've been using a nasty virus.

Other than that, theres not much to report on. I wish to leave with a scripture that a found finishing Alma this past week. It didn't really mean much until I got an email from a friend a few weeks ago. He told me the to be a missionary is to be a minister. And a minister means that you are also in the same terms an Angel. It sounds almost narcissistic to say, but he explained to me that to bring another the gospel means to be an angel. Anyway, I found this past week that Missionaries really are angels and Alma backs it up right here when he says:

 Alma 32:23 

23 And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, ^anotonly men but women also. Now this is not all; little ^bchildren do have words given unto them many times, which ^cconfound the wise and the learned. 

Pretty neat to think about I'd say.

And shoutout to ASHLYN PERRY who leaves for the Santo Domingo West Mission this week. She's a real cool gal.

Ok, thats a big email but you better have like it.

Choose the Right

From

Elder 

Tate

March 31st- Just a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down

What a week.. 

Bodily and I have spent the week making crepe after crepe after crepe. Don't know how it actually worked out, but it did. We successfully had a big ole swap of american stuff for dominican stuff witha  lady who came all the way from salt lake to visit the rolling hills of Hato Mayor. So yeah, por la gracia de dios we have had a nice heavy jar of nutella that complimented our crepes this week. Shout out to that golden father or mine. Who provided along with the nutella, 2 bags or cadberry eggs, jelly beans, chili powder, guacamole mixes and all the rest. Definitely the crown moment of this past week.

We put down some fechas!!!!

Yanni and Jazmin both said yes to the invitation to be baptized. We contacted them a little less that 3 weeks ago, and have been progressing too fast. Yanni is Jazmin's aunt but they all live with Janni's sister (who crazy enough was already a member, just less active) in the same house. But yeah, they both agreed witht the firm date of 3rd of May. I know they'll make it to their date, these two are super humble and are love reading from the BOM. It's so awesome to see that light go in their eyes. 

Also, we had great progress with another young gal, Tibisay, who's 22. She made it to church this past week, and said she felt like she was among friends. We promised her if she would make the effort to go to church, that she would feel the spirit and be super blessed. She, too, is progressing and reading from the book of mormon. I enjoy visiting her, because she always has a new question about the gospel or what we can and can't do as missionaries here in the DR. It's tough with her though, sometimes it feels like she thinks we're dating. We can't tell if she's just being really nice when she calls to see if we made it home safe, or when she calls to invite us over earlier than the return visit we had made just the day before just because "she wants to talk". And just the other day, we accidentally leave our phone at home and have 4 missed calls... all from Tibisay.  °.O ... Wierd.

But, the feelings are not mutual. So I feel like we're safe.

Played soccer most the day today, drank some awesome pera piña, and yeah. Now I'm here. 

Right. Named the letter what I did because the companion is now deathly ill. We measured his tempurature and it was 102. He called the presidents wife and we have to go get his poop checked to see if he's got a super fun parisite called amebas. If he does, happy day for us! Because we'd have to stay home for the week

 and DIE of boredom.

Last week of transfers. Gonna get a haircut tomorrow. I'm consuming unhealthy amounts of mangoes... What else, summers coming.. And oh yeah. Super super super excited for conference. 

Love ya guys, thanks for all the prayers and continued support for the missionaires,

Cuidense

Elder Tate

March 24th- We keep spendin' most our lives livin' in the preachin' paradise

Safe to say that my time here in the mission has been put into a vaccum. I have no handle on how fast these p days come and go, I swear school weeks never went by this quick.

This week we worked quite a lot with our pool of women that we are teaching. It's tough to say if they deserve the name of ''progressing'' investigators. They progress off the walls when we come by to teach, but always fail to be found in the congregation on sundays. It got the important reminder this week in my personal study that agency is the reason we're all still here. And even my beloved investigators can choose not to go to church. It's tough sometimes, but when they actually do come we praise the heavens all the day long!

It's wierd for me to think that more than two thirds the transfer's already done. It seriously feels like we just had our big get together that we have when we start transfers.

Spoke in church this last sunday. It's super awesome to look back and see how much more comfortable I am giving talks than when I was just brand new. I spoke about how sometimes (without knowing it) we are living far below our potential as members of the church. I shared the story from the Utchdorf's April 2011 talk he gave about the man who boarded a cruise ship and didn't know the price of food and all the activites aboard were included with the price of the ticket. I could really feel the spirit when I shared this last sunday. 

And that is never a bad thing

So.. I'm not going to brag off the walls or anything about this one. But, for p day today we kind of went to 

A WATERFALL. AAHHHHH, Again with the swimming temptation!!!! I was gonna just explode. Me and Bodily got the once in a lifetime day with some cascadas, and it was (I know i've said it in a couple emails) THE best day of my mission as far as p days go. I'll see if I can't put a photo on, my card has been really buggy the last couple times. But, yeah. I promise on the existence of snow that I did not swim. We instead, just took really dramatic pictures of us pretending to jump in. But yeah, It was a day that will never be erased. 

Also this week, I read up on the Anti Nephi Lehites in Alma 24. It is awesome to see what faith those people had, and what solid testimonies they must have had as well. Ya oughtta read it when you have the time.

Thanks for being you

Have an amazing week

Elder Tate

March 17th

talofa lava

que tal mi gente??

This week was super duper. Not much went down for P Day, we're trying to find some more fun things to do while we still have mountains for a back yard. haha, but we always have a good time.

This week at church we found our new referrals there. Such a nice surpirse, Its rough have so many people ''promise'' us JUST ONE HOUR for church, and never have them come. But I'll tell ya now about these referrals, they are cousins and a sister of some members in our ward (the same ones that let us use their cpu's every week to write) and the momma/aunt was just delighted to recieve her Book of Mormon this past sunday at church. In all of it's rarities, I always love placing that gorgeous book in the hands of someone ready to learn. So, we're gonna keep passing by, and hope for monumental progress. Because, for real, she had a chasm of anger when I teased that I left her book at the house. I hope they read. All of our other dique ''investigators'' have each either not been home, or are just too busy to meet with us it seems. We'll keep passing by, but a lot of our pool are just that, pass by and invite for church. It's sad to drop investigators that had dates for baptism or who seemed to be progressing so well. It's something I am always reluctant to do.

We had another domincan delicacy the other day. Havichuelas con Dulce -- or Sweet Beans. Its a smoothie of pinto, kidney and the other dark bean, with lots of sugar and cinnamon. Before you say what I did, you've gotta give it a try because it's nothing short of super super good. (haha couldn't think of a good word to use). I'll have to get the recipe.

Just about halfway through this transfer, times flying, and it's getting hotter. Still sweating ALL the time. Pero, asi es la mision. 

Right. The Temple this past wednesday was just incredible. Makes me miss the luxury we have of temples 15 minutes from the house in every direction. I just love the temple. Every time I go, I learn something new. This time, it was how to do an endownment session in spanish. Whoop whoop. Leaving with the spiritual high, we then went to the Wendys, where I then palleted my tray with 20 dollars worth of the best american plates this place has. Days simply do not get much better than that. 

Let me know if theres something you wanna know... because, I know theres always something about the week that is left out. 

Yeah, stay righteous and persevere!!

Super inspiring missionary scripture I read in the temple

Alma 17:11-12

With Love Love Love,

Elder Tate