Boca Chica - 2: Pday

Boca Chica - 2: Pday

Overlooking "Boca Chica" inlet on P-Day

Hola!!

OK, so things this week down in the DR were pretty crazy and I had a ton of amazing experiences. But the work down here is awesome. The people are so receptive to hearing about Christ and everybody when you ask them how they're doing will say "Todo esta bien, gracias a Dios" almost every time. Even if they're in the worst situation, the smallest house, the dirtiest clothes, anything: They have their family and God which is enough for them. Which really makes me sad but happy at the same time. The people down here are just amazing and strong people. Sure, there are some people that hate Americans and don't want anything to do with us. But most people, even if they have no interest in our message about the LDS church specifically, want to just talk about God. It amazes me how much faith these people have even though they have so many trials in their lives.

Lunch out with companions - P-day

         There are two experiences I want to share though. One of them is with one of our investigators Elisa. She is progressing so fast. She's came to church six weeks in a row, she's reading the Book of Mormon and she's doing everything she needs to do to be baptized. She's such a strong person in this gospel already. But she has a "tigre" for a boyfriend (which is like a thug), and they are living together which is hard because he doesn't have the money to get married and he doesn't want to live seperately. So we were having a hard time dealing with that situation. We tried everything we could talking to her boyfriend Miguel to help them but he just didn't want to listen. So, my comp and I decided we'd just try our best, keep teaching, and leave the rest to God.  So we fasted and prayed and worked as hard as we could to help them and two days ago at one of our lessons we were just talking before we were about to start the lesson and learned that Miguel decided to move out! We were in shock. He told us that he changed his mind.  He felt that if this Church and our message was that important to her, he didn't want to stop her from getting baptized. So she's getting baptized on the 20th of December along with five of our other investigators if all goes well. But that was such a strong answer to our prayers and it just goes to show if you do your part, and if you have faith, God WILL make up the rest.

Service project with machetes at the house of the Domicci family

          Another experience I had this week was with one of our other great investigators named Alfredo. He's an amazing guy but he does so much work just to provide the basics for his family that he has a hard time reading, going to church, and having lessons. But anyways, his sister Sencilla de Jesus de los Santos was in Bon Aires about 2 months ago and she got really sick. But instead of going to the hospital, she went to a witch doctor to cure her. So while she was there she picked up a bad spirit and she has been living with it ever since. But on Saturday, he called us and asked if we would go over to her house with him and give her a priesthood blessing because he told us he had faith that we could help her. So we made sure it was OK to do beforehand and everything then we went over to her house with him. When my companion and I went into the house, we could instantly feel like something was wrong. The spirit in the home just didn't feel right and it was super eerie. But we went into the room where she was staying.  Her brother and father were there with her. She was sitting on the bed with an IV in her wrist that was attached to the ceiling. She was in really bad shape. She couldn't talk. She couldn't really move at all.  We explained to her family what a priesthood blessing was and we shared a scripture in James where it explains the use of oil for the blessing of the sick. And we proceeded with the blessing. After the blessing, we looked down at her and she looked up and shook both of our hands and started talking! She said "thank you so much brothers" and we talked a little more and then we left. Alfredo, when we got back to the house was in awe. He told us that she hadn't talked in 4 weeks and she couldn't hardly function. It was amazing. But unfortunately, that night, his sister passed away. We don't know why. My comp and I didn't know what to do. Alfredo was stressed out and wanted to talk to us immediately. He also explained to us that he has to pay for everything: the funeral, the casket - everything. And he hardly makes enough to sustain himself. But he came to Church on Sunday and we came over and talked with him at his house right afterwards. It was such a hard experience. He was crying and was just super depressed. We honestly didn't know what to say. But we shared with him about the Plan of Salvation and I felt inspired to share the 122th section of the Doctrine and Covenants with him, which is about Joseph smith in Liberty Jail. It just talks about how if everything is against you, if you feel like you have nothing, just know that Christ knows how you feel. Because Christ passed through EVERYTHING we will ever pass through in the garden of Gethsemane. He told us that even though his sister passed away he knows what we are saying is true and that he still wants to learn more and have us teach him. We are now trying to organize a fundraiser for him and just help out any way we can. It was just such an amazing experience. 

 

 

Surfers in Boca Chica

I just want to let all of you know; if you ever feel like you're alone. If you ever feel like the Lord has abandoned you. If you ever feel like no one is listening; Christ and God are. They are the ones we need to turn to in our situations of stress and grief. Because they know exactly how to help us. This has helped me so much out here in the mission. Cause there are times when it's hard. But Christ knows exactly how we feel and He has a plan for us. See you all in about 22 months!!!!

Love,

Elder Graff

Boca Chica - 1: First Week out in the Field

 

Taylor with President and Sister Corbitt at mission home

HOLA!!!!!

 

So I´m actually in the field now in a place by the beach called Boca Chica. You´d think it´d be really nice cause it´s right by the beach but it´s actually a really poor undeveloped area. Our house is hard to live in cause the power goes out all the time and we only have fans and a tiny kitchen but it´s so awesome. The people in this area, and in the DR in general are so amazing. They don´t have ANYTHING. Most people don´t even work they kind of just sit around or sell kanye (aka: sugar cane) or they do something else small to pay the bills. But there´s no power companies here, just everyday people that attach power lines to a main router for power.

        My companion Elder Tate is an absolute stud. He´s from Utah and he´s the hardest worker I´ve ever met. We are really busy with lessons, service, and really just about everything. But EVERYONE here loves to hear about Christ and so it´s really easy to talk to people and teach the first lessons. But the hard things for people to do here is commit. So most people just flake after the first lesson but we still come by and say hi asking how things are cause we´re their friends - we aren't just trying to sell them something. I´m absolutely loving the mission though. We have some awesome investigators with a lot of people that truly are progressing very quickly. We have as of right now 6 baptisms scheduled for December with a lot of other investigators that are right on the edge. But all we can do is teach from the Spirit, love them, and invite. It´s up to them to act and decide for themselves, which is another thing that´s absolutely awesome about Christ´s gospel and life in general. We have agency. We have control over our own lives and that´s just the greatest gift you could possibly ask for.

 

Taylor with his new companion Elder Tate

     But anyways, here´s some stories and a little bit more about our investigators and just the news down in the DR. So one of our investigators, the Domichi family are awesome. Elisabeth is a single mother with two daughters Vanessa and Candy. Elisabeth is an awesome cook and today we went over to her house to help her clear out her backyard of some weeds with MACHETES. It was so awesome but really hard in the blistering sun. But I´m so glad I learned how to work cause the mission is NOT easy. It´s really hard but so worth it. But anyways , hat family is awesome. Another one of our investigators is a Haitian named Joel. He lives in the smallest house I´ve ever seen in my life with only a bed and a desk but guess what... HE HAS A GUITAR!  And he´s absolutely amazing at it. He humbled me so much 'cause I thought I was good at guitar. His fingers flied when he played it and he was the best person at guitar I´ve ever seen in my life. But I played a little bit for him and he was impressed.  I´m losing some of my guitar ability and I´m having "guitar withdrawals" hahahah but it´s all good. But anyways, he´s awesome and he is so motivated to read the Book of Mormon. The first lesson we taught him he asked how he can be baptized and we were just kind of like -slow down there buddy haha. But he believes the Book of Mormon is the word of God and we´re just working with him and making sure he´s ready before we commit him to baptism. Baptism isn´t just one step and dunk in water and it's all good.  It´s the first covenant we make with the Lord and we covenant with Him to live the Gospel THE REST OF OUR LIVES. It´s no laughing matter and it´s serious. 

 

I can´t describe how happy I am. This work is hard. It´s not fun and games. But I´m so happy all of the time. Because God called me to serve in the DR. To help and love the people here. To give all I have for two years so others can have the same happiness from this Gospel that I have. It´s amazing.

Spanish is coming along fine and I´m really starting to understand but it´s hard cause Dominicans talk soooo fast --the fastest out of any other country that speaks Spanish, which is awesome cause I´ll be able to understand everyone that speaks Spanish back home but I'll be able to talk so fast that most people won´t understand me if I really work hard haha. But the mission is going so great. I wouldn´t trade it for anything in the world and I´ve only been out for a month in a half. Just know that I know this church is true. I´m not out here because my parents know this church is true. I´m out here because I have a testimony of this Gospel and I want to share the happiness and joy I have with EVERYONE I can. I´m looking for my brothers and sisters out here literally and I can´t waste anytime doing it. Because I´ve been sent to help the people out down here in any way I can. And I cannot miss that one person only I can touch. Cause there´s that one person for every single missionary in every area. Hope all is good back home. I love you all. See you in 22 and a half months hahaha.

Love,

Elder J. Taylor Graff