(5/18/15) HOT

We're writing in a different internet cafe and lucky us it was the one with the rugrat 13 year olds that are bouncing around over an out-dated xbox game. My focus span is like a 2 out of 10 right now, so bear with me. 

Good week. We've gotta go to the doctor for Elder Jeffers here in a little bit, so we're gonna take off from here and take the bus to be there by 4.30. Today in the morning we went and watched a baseball game in the dique oldest baseball stadium in the DR. I'd believe it too, it was.. definitely old haha. But with our coconut waters and bag full of mangoes, all us white guys sitting up high in an empty stadium we kinda looked like a couple young baseball scouts. So that was cool.

Yesterday we left with an old geezer named  Martin. He took us to lot of less active members and a bunch of his friends to go share the gospel with them. I really wanna share some of the conversation starters he used to get us in some of the places we visited yesterday.

he said> Hey! We're here to talk about the word of Nephi, let's get some chairs and visit for a minute.

another> The adventistas talke about parables? All lies! The only true parable are these missionaries!

and the last> (this one we were already sitting down with two older women) This old grandma is far past crazy, you tell her platano (plantiane) and she's tell ya yuca! 

Those we a couple i jotted down, but it was the most interesting couple hours i've ever spent sharing the gospel. 

Before we split, I gotta tell you about this very interesting contact we did this last week. We we trying to contact a reference from one of our recent converts, but he wasn't there. So we got talking with his neighbor and I noticed his big old gallo in the back and made some small talk. After seeing that we weren't out to kill him or his family he inffvited us in and to sit down. We met his wife, Maria, and thier two small daughters. And this was just a normal contact, but lately we've starting off with more listening, and just a few ''inviter questions'' I want to call them . But the wife after a minute or two told us that she knew we were sent by God to teach them something. And her husband spoke up too and said it's been quite a while since they've made time for God in their family. We're gonna pass by tomorrow with one of the bishop's counsellors. I'll let you know how it goes. 

Love ya a real lot, just not enought to put my memory in these sketchy computers we're on right now. 

Talk to you next week!

I'm looking foward to what these last few transfers have in store for me. I've still got a lot of work to do

Elder Tate

(5/11/15) Ya lo sabe

When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be, 

when we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory!!!

it was a week that ended great! I got to see all you! It's odd to see so many of you all growing up. Kristen's huge, Parker's going on a mission.. Jenn's graduating, Justin's tall enough to dunk. It freaks me out. I love it but at the same time I wish I could just steal an hour and warp myself to eat some of thsoe chicken croissants yall were eating yesterday. That sounded soo good.

But, as always, after skyping I'm walking with recharged batteries, and I'm ready to just work my buns off till I actually put that croissant in my mouth for real. 

This week was good, Just in these past few days I hurt for some of our recent converts who are going through some trials. It's almost like they needed to be baptized at this point in their life so they could rely on what they now know to get them through it. I wish I could explain it further, but for now they just need your prayers and more time to get through it.

We went out to eat on thursday. it was elder Aplanalp's birthday so we convinced the assistants to take us out to somewhere special. It's at this beach/restuarant right by the division of the west and east mission, but luck divided the mission like two blocks behind where this cool place is at. So.. Thats probably where I'm gonna be eating for my birthday too. It was a great day.

Thats about all the worthwhile news, just a lot of contacting and visiting church members to strenghten the ward and pull out some new references to visit and bring to church. 

Siempre la dicha es.. Pa Adelante!!

Have a good week, listen to some of the conference talks a second time. You're always learn something you didn't catch the first time

Cuidense

Elder Tate

1)family in orem

2)family in barcelona! 

3)pinya colada

(5/4/15) Bon To Bia!!‏

I learned that little phrase this week, it means what's up in papiamento.

Lets see waht we can do to sum up this week in a 10 minute memory recall cram sesh. They usually turn out this way so here goes--

Mercedes got batized by Elder Jeffers on Friday, and like 35 people showed up! That swhat's up. I've never seen that kind of turn out on my mission. I don't even think there was that many people at my baptism. haha. She got up and bore her testimony yesterday and started to tear up. It was good to see the change she's made. It's something you'll never get tired of seeing. 

We went to the gym with Francis today and he is just praying like mad for his wife to get on board. We did a fast with the family in hopes that Jordana would ask for her answer to baptism. Elder Jeffers and I were already fasting, but we asked if she would start the fast. She gave a wonderful prayer and asked for an answer. We reunited the next day and sharer a lot from D&C 6 where it talks about how if we ask for knowlege god will speak peace to our hearts. She understood and just fell back to that she still doesn't feel prepared. After battling and preparing and studying for weeks to help her realize her answers, we're gonna just let her be and hope she will soon make her choice. It's real sad and heartbreaking to see it go this way. Everyone comes in their own time I guess. 

We're doing pretty good on time. One more quick story..

We were accidentally contacting the other day, i think it was in the morning on saturday. And we were nothing less than guided messengers that morning. Accidentally because we were in search of a less active the bishop gave us last sunday. So there we were, climbing the stairs of a tall apartment building and once we reached the fifth floor tried knocking the door. It was obviously the wrong house because of the size of the family and the age of the woman who we saw inside. Feeling more in a rush we started to excuse the interruption and move on with our search but she friendly asked us if we were lost. We explained who we were and asekd if she had a minute for a quick message. She gladly accepted and sat us down with her and her 3 little children. We has just been instructed in zone conference how to ask heaven sent questions to get to the root of our investigators problems. As we listened to her and looked her deep in the eyes, i could perceive that something wasnt' right. I asked her: How are things between you and your husband (who was not present with us). She immediately broke down and we sat in silence for a minute. She explained that she had prayer the night prior for someone to come to help her and her family. Saying that she didn't want to continue down the path she was going, and desperately pleaded for heaven's help. And then that's when i asked the follow-up question, I asked: Do you feel like we are the one's God has sent to help you. She only continued crying and nodded with a quiet ''si''. I felt so good leaving, knowing that we were the instruments in the Lord's hands. Pray for her and her family. They're the family Garcia, and we're headed over there tomorrow with the bishop for our first lesson. I feel real good with them and hope they progress.

to finish-- We got to go to the temple the other day. It was five stars

Love yall, I hope you are studying these past conference talks. They're sweet.

AH!! What's is life!!! This week is mother day, We are gonna skype like its 1999.  Can't Wait.

Los Quiero

Elder Tate

foto 1) our zone at the temple

foto 2) mercedes

foto 3) mercedes tank angle

foto 4) our house + president

foto 5) subway today

foto 6) i can has afroo

(4/27/15) Esssss Hot!

My son, peace be unto thy soul. Thine adversities and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment, and if thou endure it well God shall exalt thee on high, thou shalt triumph over all of they foes.

I'm listening to some orchestra music and those lyrics just came on. That's about hot it was for us this week. But a great great for me. Not so much for my companion, but that's later.

We're seen a lot of miracles lately, they're really all coming just when they need them too is how I feel. Mercedes has completely kicked coffee. She says it was all because of a blessing we gave to her a few weeks ago. She swears that she had angels hand placed upon her head, and will still to this day say that's why she gave it up. And yesterday we watched the Restoration at the church with her and a few other investigators - without little kid interruptions or sudden power outages - and it was excellent. She'll interview tomorrow and'll be in the waters this friday. Be thinking of her!

We past by a contact we did a few weeks back and she took a baptismal date right then and there. Now if we can just fix a time when her crazy mother in law isn't there to tell us she's not interested I'm feeling that she can progress.

Lately we've been doing a lot of new contacts, Elder Jeffers and I, that always makes the day a lot more interesting. There are just so many of the cream of the crop nut jobs scattered across this one of a kind country. That's all I'm gonna say.

We're writing a lot earlier than normal because we're temple bound this Wednesday or maybe Friday. I just can't wait, it's the best to be in the temple. It's gonna be just that much more worth it when It's us all going to a session together. The whole family sitting in peace in the celestial room. Now that's what i'm REALLY looking foward to.

After which we'll gonna head back to the doctor to see what's the deal with my companion. He's been having some real strong pains in his chest and headaches that come and go throughout the day. They said it was bronchitis and and bad sinus infection.. But he won't take those as answers. He's gonnna need some real spiritual and mental strength more than anything to get through this. To me, i feel it's in his will power and drive to push through the pain. I know sounds rough, but we've got a lot of work here to do. We'll see if we can't get some more advice from the doctor this week.

Before we go, I just wanna say that this is all going way too quick. I want it to go slower, but the more work you put in and the more you want to make the time last - the faster it goes. And it's sad to me, you see a lot of missionaries wishing their time away, wanting to be somewhere else (time-wise, area, companion, leadership positions etc.), but this is where it's at! These are our days! I'm happy the be where I am and I know these last few are gonna be the best months of my mission.

Love you all a mountain

Elder Tate

1) sunday lunch

2) from the other day

3) this guy

(4/20/15) Did NOT See That One Coming!

This last week of the transfer had a few twists in it. I'll see if i can't recount a few and throw in some other tasty details. It was a week I probably should have been a more diligent journal writer. haha

First, we found out why Elder Jeffers has been spitting uncontrollably and have wierd chest/back pain accompanied by daily migraines - it's cause he's got......... Bronchitis AND a bad sinus infection! Woo hoo! After buying the appropirate medication, we're not hoping he will be back in it and stronger than ever because

Second, we're staying together! It's a great relief, there still just too much left to do here. We have a few that I would just not feel good letting go of just yet. Francis is doing excellent. He still continues to leave with us and we're teaching a lot his family that live around the city. Jordana is still coming around. She is always found in her bench at 9:00 on sundays, she just is searching for more of an answer she already has, so we visit her weekly and trust the Lord is working on his timetable and not ours. Mercedes' fecha has been post-poned due to some last minute coffee drinking confessions. She understands why and just needs to leave it for good before she is baptized. She, like Jordana has not missed a week since I have been in this area. 

Third, Get this: On wednesday around 3:30 on our way to meet up for a lesson with a member, President Corbitt called me. He asked me how things were going, we talked for a minute or two. Then, he asked me if we had any baptisms planned for this saturday. Sadly, just that day prior Hma. Mercedes had her date postponed so I answered negatively. After he asked me a question I would have never never ever had guessed. 

 Said: '' Do you recall any Family Diaz from your first area in Hato Mayor? ''. Confused I told him I did, and really wanted to know his motives. He goes on to tell me that the sisters there had found them in the area book from a year and a half ago when Elder Ford and I were there. Then informed me that Andres and Helena have decided to be baptized and that they had requested that I be the one to baptized them! I can't tell you how great of news that was to hear! That was THE very first house I had every contacted in my mission! I would have never have thought it would be me coming back to see them baptized. Never never.

So we packed up the gua gua, the assistants, some other sisters who also taught the famliy, an old pal E. Granados (who also helped teach the family) and I and took the 3 hour drive to good ole Hato Mayor. It was great to see the wide open fields of cane, to smell just openness. This capital life is making me appreciate nature a lot more. The baptism went well, lots of people in attendance and we started an hour behind schedule (right on time!). It was all in all just a great refresher that we really do plant seeds as missionaries and that people really do change. I love being able to hold the priesthood and to be able to baptize the people I know I was supposed to find. 

So, here we go. Starting my third to last transfer in the mission. Man that went quick. Hope one day I could try and explain it to you how weird and awesome it is to be a missionary in the Domincan Republic. It's definitely always gonna have a spot in my heart. It's weird to even think about leaving. But it's okay! Elder Aplanalp stays too and he's getting a new companion from Las Vegas. It's an all American house now, so we need some killer recipes that we can make on Sundays to make us trunky for normal food. 

Love yall have an awesome week!

Elder Tate

1) Elder Chicano and I

2) Helena y Andres

3) the crew

 4)road trippin'

5) dominoes

6) agenda featuring dad's ''holey'' hand

 

(4/13-15) Heeeeeeeeeeeeer's the letter!

It's beena real great time fore us our here in Maria Auxiliadora. Maybe not so much because or recent news we've recieved, but we're happy with the way the Lord does his work. 

It was a real blow this week to have Jordana's second fecha fall due to.. we're not really sure what. She just sticks with the idea that she's not ready to be baptized, she herself won't even come with a reason as to why. She's talking about her little sone serving a mission, being sealed in the temple etc etc. She just sticks with ''it will come when it comes.'' So she's got the next bap goal for the 2nd of may.

Francis on the other hand is doing so great! We left with him yesterday to go hometeaching. he's got about 6 familes to visit once a month and is always enthusiastic about doing new things in the church. He's given us like 6 references to teach, and 2 of them came to church last week. So thats cool.

Today was full of a deep cleanin of the house. My companion and the other guy went to go get their hair cut so e. Aplanalp and I were able to mop the floor dominican style. It means wetting the tiled apartment down with bleach and fabuloso, then beat it and scrub it with a kitchen broom. Then comes the big ole bucket to wash it all down the 3 inch whole to send the nasty water 3 stories down to the stinky street. Theres no other way when your serving in a dominican mission. 

Then we went out and had lunch with the assistants. I got some nice sticky panda express kinda chicken. It was expensive and not filling, but It's fun to go pretend like we're something special and buy ourselves food, and take a happy picture crowded together with our 10 dollar plate of rice. haha

I send you lots of love and 3 cool pictures from today

Elder Tate

foto 1) fish tank

foto 2) soy el capitán

foto 3) the sugarcane gang

(4/6/15) Semana Santa, Havichuelas, y bendiciones‏.

Time to get to business. I feel it's about time we recognize how much we are in debt to our good Lord, and the blessings he showers down on us. I stepped one first in the internet place and snap it started raining mega. That is in every description and every from a blessing from God. Even more, a lot of times we have a hard time counting our blessings, but how bout all those blessing we're not permitted to see?? Huh? Can you count any of those?? We have a million see and even more unseen ways we's being blessed by papa god who loves us more than we can see.

Pres. Anderson said it pretty well. If we're dancing the dance we best be hearing the music. It doesn't have much sense if we are danncing to just be seen doing the jig. I know it's true, cause the spirit will enter my thoughts and when I press play on my moves he's follow suit and I'ma dancing every where I go. I really liked that talk. 

I know I'm bouncing around, but Conference just puts it all right where It needs to be. Hearing countless talks about eternal families and about the importance of our savior in all of our choices we make just draws it out perfect for me. I know my time as a missionary is every day getting shorter, but it doesn't me this great energy I have has to go with the plaque. I'm really trying hard everyday for the blessings of an eternal family and like E. Larry M. Gibson said, I completely agree - I wouldn't do anything that wouldn't make my father proud. (Both of 'em). I know this whole plan is mean to see a lot further than our earthly eyes permit, and I know this life is really just the beginning. I owe all I've got to this gospel. I love my family every day more, and my friends that I feel are gonna be connected to me somehow in the eternities as well. It's gotta be forever, if not then whats this all about anyway? The church puts more money into the missionary work than anything other fund, and why? Cause this message is gonna be sounded in every ear before all this is said and done, and before the bright and comforting presence of our bigger brother Jesus returns to earth. What a privilege it is for me as one of his unworthy sons to carry his name and the name of my family to share this message with errbody. When you put church service into perspective they're really totally bonus blessings (again, more often the ones you don't see), we really don't appreciate the blessing we have to serve. Theres no better way to spread the gospel the do reach out a helping hand without the littlest thought of payment. Thats what it's all about. If theres something you can take from Elder Tate, who's bustin his buns everyday for this cause, it oughtta be that as members of the church our work our work is a lot easier than it's cut out to be. You don't need to put on a tie or make an appointment to go visit someone in need. Just go do it. Even if they're not there to attend you, it'll make their day to know you care. Just go do it! It'll do more good than you know. I am truly grateful for this path I've taken, choosing to serve and take his name to his children is this far away land, and for the experiences he has permitted me to see to help mold me into a better future father and son. 

Although its not the typical letter you see me send, I really feel what I said is true. I Know it is.

I'm praying for all yall, I hope you can feel it.

Love your friend, brother, son.. whatever I am

Elder Tate

1) conference

2) my friend e. aplanalp

3) it's called tamarind