Villa Agricolas 13 - Progression, New Investigators

Villa Agricolas 13 - Progression, New Investigators

Another great week down......So many cool experiences happened this week its going to be very hard to describe and tell about all of them. But lets just say for Elder Maatatia and I it was a very blessed couple of days.

Maireny, the woman who just got baptized last Saturday is doing awesome. She's super happy and received a calling to work in family history and helping out with the temple trips that the ward takes. We're setting a goal tonight with her about the date she wants to set to visit the temple to do some temple work.

Frank and Eliany are also doing great. We'll be visiting them on Tuesday to set the same goal. Its really cool to see how animated and excited all three of them are to help the ward out and do everything they can to stay strong in the Gospel.

 (Insert Jordan Graff: Taylor didn't have any photos this time with his post.  However, during this same week, we were just a couple hundred miles away from him, experiencing very similar weather, foods, cultures, and language.  It made us feel a little closer as a family.  So I included a couple photos from PR and we imagined the similarities for Elder Taylor Graff)

 

 

 We also received some very inspired references (English "referrals") from some of the members this week. They've been working a lot harder with us over this past couple of days and we're gonna' have a SWEET activity this Wednesday and the next. We're planning on watching "Meet the Mormons". The ward made flyers and everything and we've been passing them out like crazy. Hoping that a lot of people are gonna' want to come. Then the next, we're going to play a bunch of "Minute to Win It" games, hopefully. The amount of people that come are growing every week. Lots of crazy kids but also a lot of great parents we've talked to. 

But the experience I want to share with you guys today is a lesson we had on Wednesday. We had just got done teaching some lessons out in "The Zurza" or the most ghetto part of our area. And as we were walking back, we decided to stop by and visit La Familia de Jesus. They're a great family. The three daughters are all super active in the church, the mom was baptized a couple years ago and has been inactive for a while and the father isn't a member. We don't visit them all that often but Elder Maatatia and I that night just felt like it was right. So we did it. No one was home but the father, Martin. Really nice guy but not all that interested in the church. But he invited us in. We started talking normally but then after about 5 minutes he got serious. He explained to us that his family was going through a rough time. That he really felt a lack of unity and his relationship with his wife was getting worse, they were arguing a lot. He told us that he was going to leave his family and go live with his mom, that he couldn't take it anymore and needed to start a different life.

Now obviously, as missionaries, that was hard for us to hear. We're here to help every family we teach. And to listen to his struggle, pain, and train of thought really hit me. But Elder Maatatia and I started to explain to him the blessings of the temple. About how this Gospel has affected our lives, our families, and how it strengthens us as missionaries. We started talking about the difficulties of life, and how the knowledge we have about the plan of God for us helps us to overcome them. And we testified of the tranquility and love this doctrine brings to the family. The Spirit was extremely strong and we invited him to Church that Sunday. AND HE CAME. He's "talked" with missionaries multiple times, but that was his first time in Church in a long time. He told us he wanted to be baptized and that he needs this in his life. We had a great lesson yesterday with him and his family and he'll be working over these next couple weeks to overcome the challenges and fix the problems he needs to in order to be a member of the Church. 

It was a very touching experience and we'll see with the desire and faith he has for God where it'll lead him soon. 

I love being a missionary. It's truly something you have to live and do to understand. So shout out to everyone that's serving, has a missionary call, or is thinking about doing it. It'll change your life.

Elder Graff

Acts 19:20 "So mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed" 

Photo from one of the members there who share stories and photos on Facebook of the Ward and the Elders serving there. 

Villa Agricolas 12 - Maireny Baptism

Villa Agricolas 12 - Baptism of Maireny.  The Flood!

HEY EVERYBODY! (or the people that are still reading these after almost 9 months of the boring stories of Elder Graff)

Hope you guys have all been great and that life is wonderful for each and every single one of you.

I've been really, really happy. Elder Maatatia and I are having the time of our lives in Villa Agricolas. He's the best companion I think I've ever had. I seem to say that about every comp I get but we get along great and work super hard. 

So in addition to teaching a lot of great spiritual lessons, having a family that lives literally right in front of the church come for the first time on Sunday in their entire lives with many visits from the missionaries, and tons of special experiences, we were really trying to prepare Maireny for her baptism that happened on Saturday. 

With Marialuisa and her family at the baptism. They are very faithful members that helped us a lot in the teaching of Maireny.

As the day was getting closer and closer, every time we'd pass by, even to say hi, she would always mention how excited she was for that day. We were hoping on a lot of people coming, she was reading a lot in the Book of Mormon, and we were all just waiting for Saturday. Well, the day came and in the morning for our studies, Elder Maatatia and I went to go fill the baptisimal font. We waited until it was full, turned off the faucet, and then went to work visiting the people we had planned for the day. We were calling everyone, making sure it was all set up for the night, and then I had "san cocho", which is this amazing soup, for the first time in my mission (definitely won't be the last), at Maireny's house with a family from the ward.

 

At about 4 o clock we were passing the church on the way to another lesson, everything all ready, and I just felt that we needed to check the font. I told Elder Maatatia and we opened the gate and walked up to the door. I put the key in and as I opened the door, a small wave of water spilled out onto my shoes. I looked inside the church to find a puddle of 3 inches of water sprawled across the ENTIRE chapel!! The baptism was in three hours and with the chapel completely flooded, we immediately called our ward mission leader (Juan Carlos) and told him what was up. He came running over and we were working like mad dogs to try and get the water out. I was on broom duty with two brooms basically running down the hallway, pushing a wall of water out the two open doors and out of the sacrament room. Elder Maatatia had the mop and Juan Carlos was on his knees with a towel, pushing out the water and wringing out what got absorbed when he was pushing. 

I know my English is awful and that probably wasn't the most interesting explanation, but I wish we would`ve had our cameras to video it so you could better see what this was like. It was hands down the most stressful, funny, and embarrassing moment of my entire mission. But after 2 long hard hours, the chapel was dry again and looked pretty good if I do say so myself. We basically just did a deep clean of the church.  We joked with the Branch President when he came that no one has to clean the church for a year because we basically "baptized" the chapel instead of Maireny. And the only damage was a cardboard box that had a bunch of garbage in it because luckily all the electronics were off the ground and its a tile-floor church. Lets just say I won't make the mistake of turning the faucet the wrong way and leaving it on full blast (instead of "off") ever again! (insert by Jordan Graff: sounds like the faucet control was in another room from the actual font and spigot, like I experienced in Ecuador, so you don't actually see the spigot and water flow when turning on / off)

Elder Mattatia and I and Elder Alba with Maireny. She brought her 2 and 4 year old all dressed up in tuxedos, basically. It was sweet! They definitely beat me out for the title of best dressed!  (Sorry for the low quality pictures. It was night time and we didn't exactly have the most skilled photographer taking the pictures:)

With President and Sister Corbitt

But the baptism was so great. Our Mission President came, and we had some members and investigators there. The Spirit was so strong and she was really happy. Elder Alva my old companion was able to come as well as another companionship that works in Capotillo. We did a special musical number and it was a night to remember. I was able to confirm her the next day at church, too and we had 62 people there (with our average attendance of 41) -- we almost didn't have enough chairs. She felt very supported and we're hoping the best for her here on out. It was another great experience and I'm so glad I was called to this area to preach the Gospel. 

Sorry for the low quality pictures. It was night time and we didn't exactly have the most skilled photographer taking the pictures  :)

With each day that I live out here, I come to the realization more and more of my purpose as a missionary. Looking back on where I was when my flight landed in this country to now, it's like I'm living in a completely different world. I've come to love this people and this Gospel in missionary service in my second home. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love it.

And I'm happy.

I miss you all so much and shout out to all the people that got mission calls this past week. You'll all do great.

Signing out,

Elder Graff

Matthew 28: 19-20 

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

Villa Agricola 11 - Maireny

Villa Agricola 11 - L. Tom Perry, Maireny, little Ilan

First off, my heart and prayers go out to L. Tom Perry and his family. It really surprised me to hear of his death but I know that God has a purpose to everything and he really was one of the most influential apostles for me, especially how he always knuckle bumped people and always had on the biggest smile.

But life is great. Maireny passed her interview with President Corbitt this last Tuesday and he should be coming to her baptism this Saturday which we`re pretty excited about. He even asked us afterward about our ward mission leader, Juan Carlos.  He wondered if Juan Carlos and Maireny were both single. We said "yes", and as they both walked out the door (with Maireny's crazy little kid kicking and screaming), President Corbitt winked at us. It was hands down one of the funniest moments of my mission. But she`s so happy and we`re definitely going to try and have a lot of people there from the ward and her family supporting her.

 The "Boca Chica Boys" reunited, Baby!

We got transfer calls last night and I`m staying here in Villa Agricolas with Elder Maatatia which made me even more happy! I was hoping I could get another month and a half here at least so needless to say I'm super excited to get to work with this awesome branch for a while longer. The members are doing great work and really bringing a lot of their friends to the activities which makes life so much easier and better for us as missionaries.

We also got the privilege to hear from Elder Zivic from the Quorum of the Seventy on Friday. It was a really great experience. Really prepared and made especially for our mission. He had some great advice that we`re definitely going to try and use here in our area. I also got to see a lot of missionaries I hadn`t in a while and if I have time. I'll send a lot of photos with them if I can. 

 

We had the baptism of little Ilan in our ward Sunday and I got the honor to do the confirmation. Super close with their family and he`s gonna be a great missionary someday. 

 

Everything else is pretty normal, teaching great people and trying to get more people to come closer to Christ. But I do have a pretty crazy experience I want to share (I usually don`t share all the dangerous ones out of respect to my mother, haha). But I`m going to share this one...sorry mom:

On Saturday, we were teaching a reference named Jolfan at a "colmado", or really TINY supermarkets that are scattered all over this country. It was our second lesson with him.  Just to set up the scenery, which will be really important in a few seconds, its a place full of vegetables, eggs, and other delicate items that definitely aren`t the best to have around when there`s a fist fight going on. But anyways, two BIG Dominican girls walk in, about 20 years old, and they want to buy something. So Jolfan goes over to help them out and we`re about 5 feet from them. We`re just waiting for him to get done so we can keep teaching him the lesson, when the two girls start arguing about one of them owing the other money. They start getting pretty aggressive and begin to push each other. We both get up to try and get them to stop when they start going at it. One of the girls throws an uppercut and they girl goes flying back onto the table full of vegetables and knocks over a huge pile of eggs. They get up, start grabbing hair and going at it. Elder Maatatia, Jolfan and I are trying to break them up, but if you have ever seen a Dominican chick fight it is NOT pretty. After about 2 minutes of flying fists and super-fast Spanish yelling we finally -with about 7 other guys-get this fight broken up. They both walk out and we think it`s over. We all sit down to resume teaching when we hear SCREAMING outside. We run out to one of the girls has a machete and the other one is swinging around a 4x2. Everyone in the neighborhood by this time is there and people are trying to stop the girl with the machete but she`s swinging it around like a wild man. She`s now running at the other girl with the 4x2 and swings the machete. But her mom steps in and tries to grab the machete. Its not so easy to just grab a machete. She gets her hand pretty messed up and a couple guys finally tackle the woman and get the whole thing settled down. We made sure the mom was getting medical attention, the cops came and we left.

Definitely one of the crazier fight stories I have in this country. But we`re both safe and don`t have machete wounds - so everything's OK:)

 

But I really am loving the mission and happy I get to stay here one more transfer.

Shout out to both of my cousins -- Michael and McKay Graff --who by the time this day is over will both have returned honorably from their missions. I love you guys a lot and hope you don't have too much fun without me!

Until next week,

Elder Graff

D&C 84:88 "And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

I got a picture finally of the painting I'm in love with.

Villa Agricola 10 - Normal

Villa Agricola 10 - The "Normal" Week

Sometimes, I feel really repetitive in my letters. So I`m not going to start off my letter with "This week was..." or "I love my mission" hahaha.   Sorry if sometimes my letters get boring it`s just hard to think about all the things that have happened and have time to write about them all in the 15 minutes I have to write this.

But a lot of things have been happening in my area lately. With the people we`re teaching, they were kind of in a dead point, or not really progressing all that well like we had hoped they would.  So Elder Maatatia and I have really been trying to work harder and depend on God more. And we have been seeing the results. Everyone we have been in contact with have been seeming to - little by little -  love this message of the Gospel of Christ a little more each day. Maireny, who we`ve been teaching for about a month and a half is finally having her baptismal interview tomorrow with our mission president. We`re really excited for her and we`re just hoping the best. Yesterday, at a lunch with her and our ward mission leader, Juan Carlos, she even brought over a friend and explained to her how this Gospel has helped her with her kids and everything and how we "arrived in her life at the time where she needed the most help". We`re going to start to teach her friend tomorrow.  The changes that Maireny has been making lately have really showed us how ready she is.

Question: "Do you guys have mangos in the US"

     Me:  "Of course we have mangos."

2 days later    *Sees GIANT mango the size of my head*

 

     "OK, we really don`t have mangos in the US."

When I was on an exchange with Elder Vega the Zone leader about three weeks ago, we saw some kids playing basketball as we were contacting in the morning. We both looked at each other and felt like we should play with them. So we took off our ties and asked them if they wanted to play. They said that they`d take it easy on us because every missionary they`ve ever played with they`ve beat. Obviously, we were offended because we aren`t just everyday missionaries when it comes to basketball hahaha. So we made them a deal. That if we won they all would come to church. But if they won, we`d buy them all a juice. They said yes and so needless to say, we both played like LeBron and Stephen Curry. We won and really didn`t think any of them would actually come to church. But one of them, Melvin, came and hasn`t stopped since. He`s 16 and one of the most prepared teenagers I`ve seen. He`s already asking about a mission, bringing friends to church, and we`re hoping to set a baptismal date with him today.

I`ve been having some truly unforgettable experiences out here and meeting friends and basically "family" I will never forget. I`ve really been coming to realize that my time in the Dominican Republic isn`t going to last forever. I only have 2/3 of my mission left to go. But I`m trying to live in the moment 

Bikes and Motorcycles: A SWEET motorcycle I saw while we were on the way to a lesson. I wish you guys could see how long the people do wheelies here for. They honestly, at 2 years old, start wheeling. I saw a kid once riding a bike around that had no front tire - and that`s no lie.

Oh and one more thing, it`s mango and hurricane season now which is SWEET. You really can`t have a bad day when you start it off with a homemade mango smoothie (see Mango photo above).

Hasta luego gringos,

Elder Graff

 

2 Timothy 1:7

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a strong mind."

Villa Agricola 9 - Marriage and Baptism

Villa Agricola 9 - HAPPY:  Marriage & Baptism

It was dumping rain during the baptism so we couldn`t exactly get the typical picture in front of the sign. We all ran out there and took a couple super fast best we could.

 

Words cannot describe how unbelievably happy I am. This week was one of my best in the mission so far.

First off, on Tuesday, Frank and Eliany got married. We took a taxi over to the office with Frank`s mom and it was just an awesome day; something they had been waiting for a long time to make happen. They were so happy and we went over to their house afterwards, made a papaya smoothie, and taught the last lesson with them as investigators. 

A pic from the wedding. 

 

Because on Saturday, Frank and Eliany Santana were baptized! It was a long week getting everything set up, and at one point we didn`t think it was going to happen. But God had something else in mind and with their determination and a lot of praying, it was such a great night.

The after party the ward set up for them with a cake, homemade juice, hot dogs.... it was sweet.

 

AWWW

With all the members, we decorated the chapel, cleaned up and prepared everything -- and a TON of people came. It was so awesome to see the support of their family, the members, and a ton of their friends. But the service was even more special. There was a lot of crying and the Spirit was super strong, especially during the testimony of Frank`s father Felix, who had been waiting for their baptism for such a long time.

 

For me, just to know that I got to witness and be a part of something so special touched me deeply. They had both been waiting for that night for almost 5 years of their lives. But now, they`re so happy as a family united in the Gospel, with something that will help them for the rest of their lives. 

I love the mission. It`s something so special and unique that truly does change you. It`s passing by super fast but I`m just trying to live in the moment. 

"The Coconut Cart" that always goes around in our area. Elder Maatatia and I finally tried it and it`s tastes amazing. I`m definitely gonna' start up a business with these bad boys and make bank back home in Arizona;)

I love you all and hope you have a GREAT week. Shout out to all of the seniors around Arizona that will be graduating here real soon. 

Till next week,

Elder Graff

Moroni 7:33 "And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me"

PS - I know I`m not that good at writing letters but its because I have so much going on over here and really don`t know what to include. So if you want to hear about something, have questions or suggestions or anything, hit me up on email and let me know.

Love you guys 

 

A super cool river down in the poorest part of our area with a bunch of old ships.

Elder Maatatia and I taking our afternoon nap in the church because the fumigation guys came and we couldn`t go in the house for a while.

Yes, those are the little mattresses the 2 year old kids use to take a nap sometimes during activities or church hahahaha. Dont judge us.

Villa Agricola 8 - Mother's Day

Villa Agricola 8 - Mother's Day

 

I would like to start off this letter with a big shout-out to my dad who turned 42 on May 8th. Everyone make sure to wish him a happy late birthday if you forgot!

Well, yesterday was such a great day because it was the first time in 5 months I got to talk face to face, well by Skype, to my family. It was so awesome to hear about everything that`s going on back home and have that time to talk to the people that mean the most to me. I wish everyone that I love and care about back home could`ve been there and that I could`ve spent an hour with each and every one of you. But just know I`m thinking about you all and I hope you had a great week.

But this whole letter, as corny as it may seem, I want to dedicate to my mom. Yesterday being Mother`s day, I was thinking a lot obviously about my family. And sometimes as a missionary, when you start thinking about the fam you know that you`re in for a rough day. Because it`s hard sometimes with your family miles, oceans, or even countries away, to think about the experiences that have made up almost all your life and that for a small time, as a missionary, you aren`t with them. You aren`t just a phone call, or a car drive, or a plane ticket away from seeing them. And sometimes it really does get to you. And even though I had just talked to them, I honestly wasn`t sad. I was so happy for the blessing I have of great parents and how much my mom taught me before I left.

 

After the call though, Elder Maatatia and I went to a member`s house to teach her son a little more about baptism because he`s going to be baptized on the 31. And as we went into her house for the first time, I immediately noticed a huge painting, taking up the majority of the main wall in her house. It was honestly one of the most amazing and beautiful paintings I`ve ever seen. It was of a mother, in the jungle, looking off into the distance, hugging her two sons goodbye as they, from what it looked like, we`re leaving their homes to go to war. I asked her where she got it and what exactly it was and she told me it was a painting by a member of the church of the story "The 2,000 Stripling Warriors". And for those of you that don`t know it, it`s found in the Book of Mormon, in the book of Alma. There were basically 2000 young men getting ready to go to war to defend their families from some enemies that were coming to take over their lands. They had never fought before, young and unexperienced, and obviously, probably a little nervous. But in chapter 56, it says

"44 Therefore, what say ye my sons, will ye go against them into battle?

45 And know I say unto you my beloved brother Moroni, that never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites.

46 For as I have ever called them my sons (For they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our bretheren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus.

47 Now they had never fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We doubt not that our mothers knew it"

 

As inexperienced and young as they were, they were ready. They were ready to lay down their lives for their people and put their families before their own safety because of the things their mothers taught them.

 

And it`s honestly true. I`m so grateful for the role my mother plays for me in my life. Because all the curfews, the times where I didn`t exactly see eye to eye with her, all the times she bugged me about getting my Eagle Scout, about my grades, every time she reminded me about the things that were important, she helped me prepare to be here and prepare to succeed in life as a member of the church, a person, and in everything I will ever do. I love you Mom.

I hope you all take the time every day to let your mothers know how much you love them. Everything they do, even though it may not seem like it in the moment, is always the right thing to do.

 

I love you all so much and hope you have a wonderful week.

Elder Graff 

Sorry for the no photos this week from me.

(We think this is the painting to which he is referring. We'll find the credit for it)

 

 I promise Ill try and upload a bunch next Monday. But if you want to see the painting, just look up on Google "2000 Stripling Warriors Painting" and you`ll probably be able to find it pretty easy. Its a green jungle, and a mom with two young kids with spears. I'm going to have it hanging in my house just an FYI hahaha.

 

Villa Agricola 7 - Temple Trip

Villa Agricola 7 - Temple Trip and Activity Night

 Hey everyone!!!!!

 

So this week has been super busy, but all in all it was a great week. We got to visit the temple on Friday which was such an awesome experience. In the mission, we only get to go once about every 3 months. So every time we get the blessing to go, it`s always a great day. 

Elder Maatatia and I at the temple.    "Ti Rang Tamaroa"

But it really helped Elder Maatatia and I stay focused and really animated us a lot. On Wednesday, we had a movie activity and set up the Other Side Of Heaven for everyone that came. We had over sixty people and we had to keep going to the "colmado" to buy soda and cookies because we way underestimated how many people were going to go. The members brought about 5 references there and one of them is a family with a lot of potential. So we`re really happy with the way things are going in the ward and how the members are starting to work and love the missionary work. It was a solid night and we decided to have activities every Wednesday night to try and get more and more people excited to come to the activities.

Elder Miller and I looking pretty. He`s going home in three weeks and is one of my best friends in the mission. 

 

We`ve been working with Frank and Eliany, just trying to keep them on track for their marriage and baptism. It`s coming up really fast and they`re super excited that things are finally coming together after such a long time investigating and talking with the missionaries. Their such a great family. Heriberto is now going to the church in his area with his family which is great but he`s doing well too. He is just praying for his answer and a confirmation on the importance of tithing, since in all of the other churches he`s been, the pastors use donations to buy nice houses and Mercedes - hahaha. But we had a great lesson and really helped him understand why we tithe and what it`s used for.  He really is getting close to feeling completely confident about his decision.

 

We have a lot of great people we`re teaching and I`m glad God knew more than I did when I got sent here to Villa Agricola because it really is the "Second Boca Chica" for me. I thought another area wouldn´t compare to my old one but I`ve really come to love all of the members and people in this area.

A view of "La Zurza" from the apartment of one of the less active families we`ve been visiting. 

I`m loving the mission. I can`t believe how fast it`s going. Big shout out to Steele McBride for finishing his mission and to my cousin Michael Graff for his last month in Mexico. Lots of people I knew are coming back and it`s crazy to look back and see how far I`ve come. I know I`ll be in their shoes before I know it so I`m just trying to enjoy the little moments along the way.

Love you all. Stay safe and have a great week.

Elder Graff

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 

   17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 

   18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

AZ GOLDEN BOYS

 

"I know it`s only the temple sign --I just like the flowers, ok?"