Hello All...
How is everyone!? I hope good....I only have 4 more days here in the CCM and I cant believe that the time has finally come for me to head out into the field. Apparently we start working the same day...I don't really know much about how it is going to work...but we'll see! The east mission is the first to head out and we meet at a Chapel with the President and get our assignments. The only hard thing (well actually I'm sure there will be MANY) about next week is that I don't get a Pday!!! My P-days will now be on Mondays, so you'll just have to wait... :( I am so nervous to head out into the field, but I am excited for my spanish to grow! I really know that it will as soon as I get out there, we are doing so well here, and I actually get a lot of compliments on how well my spanish is....eeeek we'll see! I can't decided if i want my first companion to be native or not! Its scary, but whatever happens is supposed to be!
Ok so this week has been all kinds of emotional...I have felt every emotion from wanting to turn into the incredible Hulk, to being so happy i could've burst! Its great! First off, mom after I got back from the temple last week (after I had emailed you) I got the Package, and 6 more letters! It was soooo great! So last thursday was so great I got 12 letters and a package! I was definitely Reina of the CCM! haha So thanks! I'm sure it got here earlier but they just brought it over that day! The package system is great in my mission! SO send more! hehe
So last Thursday night, one of my Hermana companions had a neat opportunity and we got to accompany her through it...Her father died in 2003 so we went to the Temple and did baptisms for the dead and one of the Elders stood in for her Dad and it was such a neat opportunity. Since we were there we did some baptisms as well, and I LOVED it! The font here is so beautiful! And I haven't dont baptisms for such a long time, so it was really nice! I wish you could all come here and see how beautiful the temple is!
I wont talk long about my Hulk experience, but of you that know me really well, you can probably imagine how hard this was for me! So I am with 2 Elders almost 24/7 and one of the Elders, lets just say, is the hardest person I have ever had to get along with. I look up to his companion so much, because he has so much patience with him! He sortof has mood swings like a girl and makes me want to cry sometimes by the mean things that he says. I think that it is hard for me because I knew that there would be challenges with my companions, but I never thought that one of them would be a 19 year old BOY!! anyway, I am pretty much counting down the hours until tuesday because of that...It seems to get worse and worse by the day, and I was starting to become more and more angry, about to burst!!! but I share this experience (with not much detail sorry) because I really have grown so much through it.. and I have prayed harder than ever.... Yesterday I was in the process of Ignoring...haha...and I was reading the ensign that mom sent me, and the article was just what i needed... and it shared a scripture that I feel like I had never heard before... D&C 78:18 "And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along..." It is amazing right? So i decided after reading that that my problem wasn't going to get any better if I was Hulk angry about it, so I went back to my room, and I prayed and prayed about it and after I finished I just laid in my bed and about 5 minutes later I just got the strongest most peaceful feeling and I knew that God was happy with my decision and through that feeling I gained some patience. In Preach My Gospel there is a quote by President Monson that says "Life is full of difficulties, some minor, and others of a more serious nature. There seems to be an unending supply of challenges for one and all. Our problem is that we often expect instantaneous solutions to such challenges, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required." I don't know why I felt like I needed to share this with you guys but, Patience really is such a heavenly virtue, and it really makes you happier! Life is hard, not just for missionaries, so maybe this can comfort you as well in some way!
Ok so the University! We finally got to go and this was the BEST part of my week! At first it was really hard for me because I was with 2 latinos and they were speaking SOOOOO fast! But it was all worth is because guess what? We ran into that girl! Her name is Gabriella! She was soooo excited to see us, it was great! At first we were just talking to her, and I only sorta knew what was going on, but then I just cut in and asked her if she had a chance to read from the book of mormon, she said she did! She read some out of Nephi with her little brother, he's 10. She stopped though and has been looking for us ever since because she didn't know what our church believed in about the bible. So I am soo happy that God led us directly to her! This University is HUGE! and we ran right into her after we had just finished passing out all of our pamphlets! It was definitely meant to be, I expressed to her how excited I was that she tried, and bore my testimony again, about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and committed her to reading the introduction and moroni's promise at least! I hope she reads more! I know that she would LOVE church! We hugged like 5 times before finally saying goodbye and she is going to meet us again tomorrow! I have been preparing all week with ways that I can help her! I just love this! I can't believe that that is what I am going to be doing every day! I will be so happy to see this city and walk around instead of sitting all day!
I LOVE this work, I love this gospel and I am so happy that I am part of this "marvelous work and wonder" and that I get to help the stone from the mountain roll forth in the Dominican Republic! I love you all! I'll write again in 11 days!
Te amo mucho,
Hermana Reay
p.s. on sunday we have a devotional talk from Elder and sister Oaks (a DVD) but they were amazing! I just love them! And then we watched that movie about President Monson! He is one of the most amazing men in the history of the world, I am sending you the DVD because its only like $2.50 here and probably $20 at home! Love you, mom I am writing a letter with all the answers to your questions cause I gotta go! Love you! And I wanna hear from WES!!!! ahora

Hello!!!
How is everyone doing? Life is just grand here in the Caribbean! :) But my week has been a little interesting. Last week all the Latinos came, so there is a lot more Spanish than before! But its good, but it did take my companion from me yet again. I feel like I am such a burden to everyone here, but we make it work! I only have 12 DAYS LEFT?!!? I can't believe it! And I can't believe that my brother is in the MTC in Provo, and that my best friend is married!! WHY!? :) jk I was thinking of you all so much this last week! I don't really know much of what to say, other than we are starting to get into the doctrine a lot more. It’s been great. I am learning SO much here. We still have the Spanish lessons of course, but the way that we speak isn't as important as answering their questions and being able to bring the spirit really fast! I love learning that. They tell us to share experiences too. And of course I love doing that. Its funny being the only sister...because of course I always want to be talking and sharing stories and usually I can pull out a picture to back it up or something. It’s great...Whenever we teach I am the one that does most of the talking. I feel bad, but at the same time it is really good for my Spanish! I am learning a lot and can have conversations...but their accents are INTENSE!! They leave out half of their letters...ahhhhh it makes me soooo nervous! What I try to do every day is share a story with my Hermana Vasquez, something about my life, and it helps me to learn new words and use past tense (because honestly they have like 500 tenses!! AH) Spanish is soooo difficult, but I know that it will come and I will be SOOO glad that I can speak! I love hearing from some of you, it is great to receive letters and all the kind words! Thank you! I love you all so much, in two weeks my letters will be more interesting! :)
Love
Hermana Reay
Oh p.s. I met my mission president today! He is soooo short, his wife is taller than him, but he is sooo nice! He just walked up and shook my hand and asked me if I knew Elder Kitchen, and that he said hi! Oh and a few days ago, Hermana Hoye, the Hermana that I wrote to in my mission, sent me a card with some cookies welcoming me and telling me they cant wait to meet me! My mission is going to be great! The people here ROCK! loves! xoxox

Hello hello....
How is everyone? Things are going well here... It’s been a great week. The language is starting to click, its so weird, things that I learned a few weeks ago are now just making sense, but its great! Most of it I have to owe to my lovely companion, Hermana Vasquez... We have been through a lot together. It’s hard being the only girls in the midst of all these children! ;) Well I will tell you about the highlight of my week. Tuesday (one of the elders got a package with really good cookies and he shared them..yummm..but that’s not it!) we went to the university again, it was awesome! We were talking to this girl and she was so sweet because she was so patient with my horrible Spanish, and we gave her a pamphlet about the Restoration, and she promised to read it...Well we walked away and were talking to another girl, but I kept looking back and thinking of this first girl, I just had a really strong feeling that we should go back and talk to her more and give her a Book of Mormon. So I finally conveyed that message to my companion (with a lot of hand motions!) and we went back, and I spit it out that I had a really strong feeling that I needed to give her a Book of Mormon and tell her about it. She was like Why? I told her I didn't know but that it was really important that she at least read the introduction and know that all of the things in my life that bring me happiness are because I am a member of this church, and I wanted her to know for herself! haha, she was so sweet and said she had just barely started there and didn't know anyone. She asked us how often we go there, and we told her every Tuesday. So next week we are going to meet her at the same time in the same spot! I really hope that she reads the pamphlet and some of the Book of Mormon! I know she could be comforted because of it!
Well that was my favorite thing...mostly the rest of my time is still consisting of studying, reading, listening, sitting, eating, headaches, and sleeping of course! But it’s a good life here at the CCM, the temple is right outside my window and there is good company everywhere you go! Our teachers have been teaching us a lot this week! Mostly about how to be the best missionary and to follow all the rules! So I am going to strive to do as they say, I know that is the only way that I can reach my full potential and do what the Lord wants me to do!
Another thing I read about this week were the wise words of Lehi! He really loved his sons so much even though they had murderous hearts. It got me to thinking about how awesome parents are and how much they love and support their children through everything no matter what! I have this story that I found about mothers. It tells about how this little girl prayed to know if the church was true and she asked God to send her an Angel to tell her. Well she lay in her bed and waited. She fell asleep, but then woke up because her mom was in her room, praying on the side of her bed, crying and thanking God for sending her daughter to her family and asking him to bless her and help her to know the truth and live a good life so they could all be together again after this life. Well after the mom left, the little girl felt God tell her "I sent you your angel!" I love you mom, and dad! You guys are the Angels in my life! Because of the way you raised me, I am here! I love learning and growing and you were the ones who planted my seed, now I'll go plant more in the DR!
Love you all! Good luck getting ready Wes! I love you, you'll love it!
Hermana Reay
My email is denareay@ldsmail.com.