Feliz Navidad!!!!

Feliz Navidad!!!!
Well the people here have been celebrating Christmas since before Halloween, but I know that really it should start after Thanksgiving! (Because it makes me miss home!) I hope that you all had a wonderful thanksgiving, and that you found many things to be grateful for, and also that you all did a lot of shopping on black Friday! Haha before I forget shout out to my 2 birthday girls, BRANDA AND HOLLY!!! Love you guys, sorry I am not there to throw you a wicked surprise party again, haha that was the best ever! Well this week was not really exciting at all, so I don’t have much to tell you.... We didn´t really do anything for Thanksgiving, we have just been working and working, a lot of walking because for some reason almost all of our appointments fell through this week, but it was great because we had a lot of opportunities to find new people. My companion and I also grew a new love for sugar cane! Haha, I was always afraid to try it because it looks so weird, and who wants to eat sugar only? But it’s actually really refreshing in the hot sun! We are soon going to have some baptisms (hopefully). I am praying for a Christmas miracle. One of our investigators, that is already a member but needs to be married, we are trying to get her papers this week! I am praying and praying for this, and another investigator Bryan that is completely ready but just is scared. So we are just trying to help them both! I have been reading a lot from the Bible because I wanted to read John before Christmas. (I am already done) So now I am reading Jesus the Christ, it is intense, but I am learning so much, like that Mary and Joseph were cousins, yeah I didn’t know that, eww. It is great to learn more and more every day, I love that we can read all of these books in the mission because you are more spiritual and enjoy them so much, and they really do help to teach our investigators. Sorry I don’t have anything more exciting to share with you! I love you all! I really miss you in the season of the year, but I know that I need to enjoy my time as a missionary because it is passing by so fast. I only have 7 months left in the beginning of December! But just know that I love you all!
Hermana Reay

THANKSGIVING dinner!

So last night was a little interesting, all of the people around us were drunk, we didn’t end up teaching 3 of our appointments because the smell of alcohol was really strong, Then we got home and our neighbors were just wasted. They were singing horribly at the top of their lungs! Wow, if they only knew when they were sober, what their actions were. Its’ kinda sad. All that I can say is that I am so glad to have the gospel in my life and to have grown up in a family that has rules, and high standards, and that I have never had a desire to do those horribly worldly things. Anyway....Today I just want to tell you all that birthdays in the mission, really are normal days. A little disappointing, but we did have a baptism! That was the best part because Saulo was so ready and so happy! That was a great present for me. The ward wasn’t there though, no one showed up, there were only women there (It was the only time in my life that I wished that I could have the priesthood) we had to wait for two hours, 3 for Saulo to be baptized! I felt so bad, but luckily we have great zone leaders, that just ran over to our chapel to help us out! Haha But it’s all good, he was baptized and it ended up to be a good day! Today was great, we had THANKSGIVING dinner! Minus the turkey and the gravy and a lot of things, but it was fun, we even had pumpkin pie! I made most of the food, I needed to do something to feel the Thanksgiving spirit. We did it as a zone, but only a few showed up, so we have LOTS of leftovers, but I loved it, I was thankful that we got to do it, and have a little of home here in the DR. We didn’t go around and say what we are thankful for though; so I am expecting all of you to email me what you are thankful for ok? haha I love you and miss you all, thanks for the birthday wishes and the wonderful packages I got, I love you all.
Sarah, or Sister Christensen, if you are reading this I love you and you are in my prayers, I hope that all goes well with your hands! I love you Cohen!
Hermana Reay

Gotta love the DR!!!

Hello!
Can I just start out by saying that I am totally going to have a baptism on my birthday!!! That is such a great gift! We have been teaching Saulo for a while, and he actually works for a member family, so he has known about the church for a while, but like Digna, it wasn’t his time yet! But now is, I am so happy for him! He is going to get baptized on my birthday, and then leave that night for a camp that the single adults are having! I am so happy for him! Digna´s baptism was amazing. I spoke, and was so nervous, but it was good, and I loved that I got to be a part of it, there were soooooo many people there though! Her family came from all over, and it was really special, a lot of tears were shed! And Sunday was ward conference and they asked her to share her testimony! It was great! I wish you could all see the huge change that we have seen in her, when I first met her she never smiled, and was always cranky, and now she is just soooo happy and already sharing the gospel with others! I love it! We also finally moved this week. I love our new place! It always has water!!!! yay!!! One thing though, is that I thought that I was getting away from all the dogs howling at 5am but I was a little mistaken, here we have roosters, that start around 4am and then the dogs howl because of the roosters....haha. Gotta love the DR, but my comp has ear plugs that she gave me, and they work like a dream! I am loving it here, and can’t believe that the transfer is already half way over! Time is going by soooo fast! But it’s all good, as long as I live up every minute! I also can’t believe that I am going to be 22 this week, soooo weird! Hopefully we will do something fun! (Probably some fun contacts or something!) I love you all so much, and want to tell you how grateful I am for you in this Thanksgiving season!
Con amor,
Hermana Reay
P.S. The ward had such a great activity on Friday. They had a dance and karaoke party and it was so fun! We went for just a few minutes to see how it was. I loved it; I am so coming back here after my mission to learn to dance like them! The best was the bishop and his wife, and one of my favorite members, Delia that is like 70! They were tearing up the dance floor!

It's my Birthday!!! I am ...old!!!

Buenas!
¿Como estan ustedes? Wow, quite the week! Did I tell you that we are moving? I get to do that again, but I am so excited because we got to pick the new house, and I like it a lot, and it is way better than our house because it ALWAYS has water! I have a few experiences to tell you about! But first, I can’t believe that I am going to say this, but this week I have actually been cold....yep COLD! It’s all because of the hurricane, it has been super windy and rainy but apart from that we didn’t get anything. We have just heard that Haiti is getting hit hard again. I feel so bad for them. Especially now that I know some Haitians that are really special to me....anyways we have been wet all week, but its been fun! And the other day we went to a members house and we were asking for an address, and her son comes out and he has a drinkable yogurt and he’s just squeezing it (and it is totally facing me) we were all just looking at him, like what are you doing? Just then the lid pops off and yogurt goes flying all over me. Everyone looked at him and then they looked at me. It was awkward silence, I just busted up laughing, and the kid takes off running! They felt so bad, but I just thought that it was hilarious! It was fine because then we just went out in the rain and it washed it all off anyway! DIGNA!!! Our miracle! She is for real getting baptized on Thursday! We are still waiting for her to have her interview but I know that she will pass! No one believed her at first and now they do. Half of the testimonies on Sunday were about her, and a lot of the other people got up and talked about how the missionaries are angels sent here to help the people, and I was just crying! Her daughter is so happy, she is putting together the whole baptism and all of her family, from all over are coming to baptize her, speak, sing, play instruments, and everything! It is going to be huge! I am so excited. I will take lots of pictures! I love to be a part of this work; I can see the biggest change in her! Tonight we are going to watch the Testaments with her, and I know that she will love it! One other thing that I wanted to tell you about, was after fast and testimony meeting, one of the members comes up to me freaking out, and she just keeps saying "Reay, Reay come with me, your mom is here" and I was just like WHAT? So I followed her, and it wasn’t my mom of course, but it was Flavia and her Kids! My baptisms! My first family! They came to my ward today to see me and brought me pictures of the baptism day and everything, I was sooooo happy! Flavia, and Yole, and Bryan, and Mario, and Patricio (by the way did I tell you that he got baptized when I left!?) The whole family! I love them, I will never forget these people here, and the changes made in their lives and mine! Love you all!
Hermana Reay

I LOVE my new companion!

Hello all,
It was really weird to receive my emails this week and find out that Weston is home. I am a little heart broken for him, because I know how much he loves being out in the field and working hard. At least we all know how hard he actually worked, he wore his knee completely out. Love you Wes! Shout out to Hermana White and her Fiancé. I wish I could be at the wedding! Love you! Oh my goodness, I LOVE my new companion! She is soooooo tiny! I will send a picture soon, but just warning you now, I sorta look like a GIANT next to her, she weighs like 85 lbs. But she is great, from Guatemala, and I love her Spanish because I understand it even better and it’s more correct, it is so true that the Dominicans speak like a ghetto Spanish. Haha but we are getting so much work done, we have so many contacts every day, we are talking to everyone, we have a lot of new investigators and I have to tell you one of the most amazing stories!!!! So Eva, (she is the one that is waiting for her papers to be married) her 2 boys wanted to have a missionary experience and go out with us to teach. They are 9 and 10 and adorable. Well we just decided to visit their neighbor with them, so that it would be close. Her name is Digna. She is the mother of one of the most faithful members in the ward. Her son is also a member. Her kids were baptized 25+ years ago, but she never was. Her parents were Catholics, so apparently she can’t change religions. But she knows that the church is true and she loves everything about it. When the church started in this area, it was in their house. Anyway, there have been COUNTLESS missionary companionships that have tried to get her to be baptized. When I got here and found out that she wasn’t a member, I told the bishop that one of my goals was to get her to the waters of baptism.... well we went to pick up the boys and they were all dressed up in their pants, white shirts and ties. They were so cute and I put some stickers on their shirts that say "future missionary". They loved it. Well we shared with Digna, and sang "Called to Serve" and she cried, because she just loves these boys, and they bore their testimonies about baptism and I cried, we were all crying! (So adorable.) When we left she said that she would pray about baptism.. Well we went back 2 days later, and she was still stubborn, but........she said she felt really good in her prayers, and that it’s time to take this step! She is still iffy and I am praying so hard and putting all my faith that she will be baptized November 12!!! I was so happy I couldn’t believe it! Well that is my message for the week, we just need to always have faith and keep praying for the people that haven’t accepted because you never know when their time will come! I love you all so much!
Hermana Reay