Los Minas 5 - Changes - Two Year Dream

Los Minas 5 - Changes, Two Year Dream

Sometimes, I really think twice about writing on Monday because every time I leave the Internet Center having read letters from home and first, my head is spinning for about ten minutes just from the amount of CHANGES and mission calls and marriages and all that has happened.  

Feels sometimes like I'm honestly in a two year dream.

But I'm super happy and stoked for all the good decisions and changes a lot of my friends and loved ones are making so even though I'm trying not to focus too much on all that, I just wanted to say congrats!

Back to the mission work, Elder Reyes and I are having a blast and working smart and really good together. It's been amazing to be in this area. To arrive with so little blanking to having a lot of really good people we're teaching has kept me humble and reminded constantly of who really is in charge of the mission work and who causes the changes in the hearts of the people.

The ward is slowly growing. Amauris and his family are doing great. Almost all my pages in my agenda are full with stick figures and houses drawn in highlighter by their 2 and 4 year old kids! A super awesome family. The ward is really excited for them and they're loving Church. The other investigators are doing well also. Rosagni and Gabriel are really excited for this weekend. They've been making big changes in their families with their example at such a young age. Both families are inactive in the church, now starting the process of coming back. The father of Gabriel who isn't a member, when he heard that he could give his son the Priesthood at age 12, got a whole lot more excited about the message and his role in his son's life. It's been sweet to see how ready they are and excited to follow in the footsteps of our Savior. Things really are going better than ever. Ready as always for opposition. But I know the Lord will provide a way to plant the spiritual seeds we need to.

I love Los Minas and this country and everyone who lives here. Being half-Dominican now, I've grown an appreciation so big for these people and my brothers and sisters here. It's been a long and difficult road. But to see the things I have in this last year, every difficulty has been worth it.

Have a great week. Always be grateful for family and friends and for all the blessings that God gives us each day.

Elder Graff

Los Minas 4 - "The Only Time I Was Truly Happy . . . "

Los Minas 4 - "The Only Time I Was Truly Happy . . . "

It's amazing how many curve-balls and changes 7 days in the Dominican Republic can bring.

This week was amazing. We had so many miracles as a companionship, mostly for Elder Reyes dedication to this work. The man is a missionary work machine! He's teaching me more than I think I'm teaching him. And it's a privilege to work along side him. 

 

We found a lot of people this week. We also unfortunately have had to stop visiting some others that we had found at the start because of lack of interest or not coming through with commitments. But we found an AWESOME family. Actually the owner of the gym where we've started to go, the best friend of a member named Willie. The family Montilla maybe wouldn't be the family a missionary would see and know from the start that they're ready to hear the Gospel. When we got the reference from Willie the first day at the gym, I was a bit surprised that Amauris, the dad, would be interested. You have to see him. He's absolutely giant, tons of tattoos and just looks kind of like a rough guy. Maybe in pictures he looks meek, but the guy is an animal. We give him a pamphlet and invited him to church and he and his whole family came on Sunday. He BORE HIS TESTIMONY the pulpit in church which was something we were not expecting at all and they're just a superstar family. They're really interested in the Gospel. We had a great lesson last night and we have a lot of hope for them.

Thanks to the Ward as well, we've also been finding a lot more people that are prepared. Working hard to reach the goal we have as a mission and help God with his work. It's been great and the work is without a doubt getting a bit easier every week. But come what comes, we're putting on those church shoes early every morning and hitting the streets 'til all day. It's a blessing every second you have as a missionary. Especially as you see your best friends coming to the end of the road and hear their testimonies and mission experience, it motivates you not to waste the time you have. I love being a missionary and I'm so grateful to my Heavenly Father for the countless blessings He gives to me and to those we teach.

One of the coolest experiences of the week is a man we found named Rafael. Unfortunately, he lives in a different area and we won't be able to keep teaching him. But he has been a member of the church for about 26 years. All his brothers served missions. His whole family is active in the church and he has a STRONG testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel. We found him on the streets, drunk and from what we saw a bit drugged up. We started talking and he told us of his love for the church and how blessed his life was when we was active. Fighting through the tears, he explained us what had happened and how the addiction to drugs slowly destroyed his life. How abandoned he felt and how insignificant his life was. We testified of the power of the Atonement and his potential as a child of God. How forgiving and loving of a Father we have and how everyone can repent. We invited him to church and gave him a pamphlet and he ended with one of the most powerful and sincere prayers I have ever heard. I left that street corner lesson humbled to say the least. But the most powerful part of it all, the part that hit me most was something he said. "I've tried everything the world has to offer. And the only time I was truly happy was when I was active in the true church of Christ." It makes me grateful for the influences I have in my life and the parents god gave me. We work hard everyday to be able to in the moments when we need to, reach the hearts of the Dominican people and invite them to have more happiness and true joy in their lives.

I hope you all have a great week. I love you all.

Elder Graff

Los Minas 3 - Baptisms

Los Minas 3 - Baptisms

This pic is legendary. Dariana (aka super super super energetic little girl in front with the crazy hair) is awesome hahahah. Turns out their dog had puppies and they named one Elder Graff. I about died laughing.

Hey everyone! Hope that all is well and that this week was a good one.

It was a great one for us, seems like all of them are like that. Some really difficult, some sad, but there's always something you can learn and take from the opposition. We've been working our shoes off. Literally, my shoes are kind of starting to wear away. Sweating like crazy because summer has officially hit the Dominican Republic. But really enjoying the time and experiences.

The investigators are doing well! We're focused on the goal that we have as a mission for June and July and we know that God will prepare the way! We've been having great lessons and finding families to teach which makes me really happy. 

The baptism of the Family Florian from Los Molinos!!!!! 

Yesterday, Elder Reyes and I were actually able to go back to Espaillat to see the baptism of the sons of the Olivo Family, a family Elder Gongora and I were teaching a long time back. They were going to wait to do it as a family, but they're still trying to get their birth certificates figured out so that Leo and Antonia can get married! The kids wanted to give their mom the best mother's day gift they could. So they decided to baptize Raymond and Nataniel. Their energy and excitement to do something they had been waiting almost 9 months to do was unreal. It rubbed off on everyone there and it was such a special time. I got to see Ana Gladis, Jean Paul, Wilson and the Rodriguez Family as well which made pretty much my entire mission. To see them all strong and firm in the Gospel is the biggest joy for me. To know that the hard work, the tough days and the shut doors is never in vain. It was an amazing experience. Also, having one of the Rodriguez's famous lunches to top it off wasn't bad either;)

Baptism of Raymond and Nata together with Leo and Antonia. They're waiting for their papers. But should be getting baptized soon! Antonia is actually the daughter of Miriam Rodriguez, which makes their conversion even more beautiful. Enrique said that his goal is to help his whole family enjoy what he is living.

Picture of the baptism of Raymond and Nata! Enrique, the father of the Family Rodriguez actually was able to baptize Raymond. Their family is so happy and really loving the Gospel. 

I'm loving the mission work. I know that what we're doing out here is one of the most important callings there is. God is speeding up his work. We just have to decide to hop on and follow Him or not. 

I love you all and hope you have another great week.

Elder Graff

Sorry the email is so short. We have a lot of things to do today.

Alma 17:2 "Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added MORE to his joy, there were still his brethren in the Lord."

Picture of Elder Reyes and I at the house of a member that invited us over to eat lunch with them. They live right next to the Ozama river and we couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a pic.