Thanks for sharing this wonderful experience with me.

Sorry this week I am not going to be writing much, and I don’t really know if I will be able to again until I am HOME!!!
I can’t believe it, but don’t worry I am taking in and enjoying every moment! My family will be here tomorrow which just blows me away! We are going to have a fun time, and I am going to be ending my mission with a baptism! (Two hopefully!) This week just went by so fast I don’t even know what to tell you all, but I know that I have realized how much I love the mission! I am so grateful for the time that I have been able to spend here and the people that I have been able to meet, really I have changed, for the better. My knowledge and love for the gospel has grown immensely and especially my love for my family, Heavenly and Earthly! I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation and that I will be with all of my family forever if I strive to do my part here. I know that true happiness is only found in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and that He will give us the peace that we need when we need it, if we ask Him. I love you all so much, and will be seeing you SOON!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful experience with me. See you on at my Homecoming on July 10th, 2011. Same church as before at 1:00 pm. Con Amor,
Hermana Reay

I am having so much fun!

Hola!
Wow, I can't believe that another week has passed! Time is just flying by! People say that your last transfer is the longest, that is such a lie, because I don't know where the time is going. It's probably because I am having so much fun! In 2 weeks I will see my family! Yay! This past week we had a conference with the President,(Because he is leaving the mission at the end of the month too) and it was so weird because they were telling us bye and just giving us advice for the rest of our lives, and it hit me that this is really the end! That was the last time that I will see some of those missionaries and the last time that we will all be together listening to our President! But it was great, I learned a lot of good things, and I really am feeling bittersweet about finishing! There is still so much work to do here, but I know that I will be leaving the area in good hands with Hermana Kamisese! Weston wrote me, and he always makes me feel like I am the best person in the world (even though I am sure that he is a better missionary than I am) and he told me to always remember my purpose until the end so I don't look back with regrets, and that is what I am going to do. We have another baptismal date, I am just hoping that it happens so that I can end my mission with a baptism! I am so happy for this work and really it is the MOST REWARDING thing that you can do, serving a mission. We are helping others to know the truth, but really I am the one recieving the blessings. I know that this is the true church and that we have a loving Heavenly Father who is always thinking of us and helping us to face our trials! With the Gospel, anything is possible! Love you all so much, see ya soon!
Con amor,
Hermana Reay

one month from today!

I cant believe that in one month from today I will step off of an airplane and breath in fresh mountain air in UTAH!!! yay!!
Well it has been a good week. We have worked really hard and gotten REALLY wet! But it's ok because everyone keeps telling us that as many times as we wet our plaques the more handsome our husbands will be! We had a surprise visit with some Jehovas Witnesses that just want to contend with us, we had a inactive family come to church on Sunday, and we also had a baptism.
Oliver was baptized and he was so excited about it. We passed by his house earlier in the day and he was sad, we asked him why and he told us it was because he wanted to be baptized already and that it was way to long for him to have to wait. When we finally got to the church there was no electricity,so we couldnt fill the font because the water couldn't be pumped into it. So it was an ordeal and we almost had to changed the baptism to the next weekent. But after a lot of trials the baptism went through. He even shared his testimony and it was great. God knew that one of His children was going to enter into His fold and so He made it happen. We also recieved a reference yesterday of a man that wants to be baptized so we made the date with him first thing and we are now just going to prepare him and teach him.
There are so many blessings that we are receiving. I bore my testimony yesterday in my last fast and testimony meeting in this ward and it was so weird. I got really sad because I can't believe that this is all coming to a close. But all things have their ending and I am just going to make the best of the time that I have.
I think that I have the worst luck with houses as well,because the rain is now leaking through the ceiling and everywhere, in my new appartment, so I am wet when I wake up and it isn't a dream, but hey what can you do? They dont really make the best houses here, it's really kinda funny!
I love you all and cant wait to see you soon. Keep the faith!
Con amor,
Hermana Reay

IT'S CRAZY!!!!

First off I have to make a special shout out to my young mother who is turning 30 this week! Can you all believe it! jk. Happy Birthday Mom, sorry that I have now missed 3 birthdays in a row! Still love you!
I started my last transfer this week and It has been a great week, I can't believe how fast the time has gone. It's crazy! We are having a short transfer because my group is going home with our president, and the new one then comes in. 4 weeks left! It really just blows my mind.
I am so grateful that I get to be serving with my new companion Hermana Kamisese, we really are having a good time and working really hard. We have already found a lot of new people this week, and we are setting apart time every day to just contact and find new people. I know that the area has a lot of potential, we just have to find it. And she has the excitement so it helps me to have it as well.
Yesterday, 'Dominican Mother's Day', was wonderful. I thought a lot about the wonderful women in my life! My Mom, and my grandmothers, even my aunts! You are all amazing! I really enjoyed church. They just had a lot of people go up and share their testimonies about their mothers and wives. It was special. And a few of them were emotional, the spirit was really strong. They even sang a song by Janice Kapp Perry about mothers and daughters, and it was really pretty.
Hermana Kamisese is loving the ward and the people. so we are having a good time. I am happy because I really wanted to enjoy every minute of my last transfer and so far I am, I know that it will be great. We have made our new goal; to just serve the ward. We really have seen that it pays off. So we have done whatever we can. We just offered to do one thing with the Relief Society President, and then she just invited us to her house, and told us that she wants to show us around to get to know the members, and everything. Really I know that this ward can be amazing we just need to help show them their potential. I really miss you all and I am so happy that I will be seeing you soon! Love you
Con amor,
Hermana Reay

"Sunday Mormons"

Can you all believe that in 35 days I will see my family?=??????!!!!!!!!!!! I can’t! I am really excited because oh how I have missed them. Dylan continues to crack me up from across the waters and I always can find the love that I need in their comforting words. Family really is so important.
This week we have shared a lot from Moses 6 where it talks about how we need to teach the Doctrine to our children, about faith, repentance, baptism, the importance of the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. I am so grateful that I was taught these things as a child and that the Gospel has always been a part of my life.
I was talking with my companion about how that is one of the biggest things that they struggle with here in the DR. The people are "Sunday Mormons" you could say. They have all converted, but have only given up their old ways on Sunday. Yesterday was really sad because it was raining all morning and less than half of the ward showed up for church. The Stake Presidency was sharing in our ward and the President expressed his sadness to know that only because there was a little rain, the people weren’t willing to put Christ first. I am so grateful for the example of my parents and that no matter what, we went to church. I always remember that Dad would wake up in the winter especially early to snow blow the path so people could walk to church, and the start the neighbors driveways. I was reading from the conference issue and I really liked the talk by Elder Richard J. Maynes : “Recognizing that we have a Heavenly family helps us understand the eternal nature of our earthly families....true happiness in this life and in the eternities is found in the form of family." That is one of the things that I have learned most about in the mission. Family is what brings you true happiness and I want to be with mine forever. So now I just have to do my part, and endure to the end. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to share about eternal families to people here in the Dominican Republic. I hope that they can all come to appreciate their families the way that I do. Maybe we can help them all come to realize as well the importance of living the gospel EVERY day and not just on Sundays!
Well there is also a lot of other news. My companion Hermana Bradley is going to be leaving me for another area, and I am going to be companions here in the same area, with Hermana Kamisese. She is a Tongan from California, and is SOOO fun!! I am excited! I have a picture that I took with her a while ago that I will attach. She is a great person and I know that we will have a good time. Also, INES WAS BAPTIZED!!! Both of the transfers that I have in this area, we have been working really hard with Ines, and she finally was baptized and it was amazing. Her son baptized her (and yesterday was called as the young mens president!!!!) and it was such a spiritual baptism and she shared her testimony and everything. I love being able to see the fruits of our labor because we are working really hard, but the people have their agency to choose whether or not they want to accept the gospel in their lives.
I know that everything is worth it and that God loves us no matter what. We just always need to do our part, and put him first. I know that through the example of all of you, I am a better person. Thank you for your love and example.
Con amor,
Hermana Reay

We are still loving, LOVING the new house.

Hello.
Well today I am a little sad, because I know that this is going to be my last week with Hermana Bradley. She is going to be leaving Los Frailes, and who knows I might be too. It is a really hard area, and we are working sooo hard. (sometimes it seems to no avail) We are finally going to see the fruits of our labors though. Inez is going to be baptized. We both said from the beginning that if we could choose any one of our investigators that we would love to see thier baptism, that it would be hers. She is wonderful. I don’t know if I have told you much about her, but she is the mother of a new member, and we have been teaching her for the last 2 and a half months. She is so ready but has an obstacle in her way because she works for another church. But she finally made the decision that she is going to be baptized anyway. We couldn’t be happier.
We are still loving, LOVING the new house. With it’s wonderful breeze and never-ending supply of water. :) I also have my hammock on the porch and that is my favorite spot! If I leave this area, it will be sad to leave the house that we worked soooo hard to get. But you really do learn something from every trial. This has definitely been one of the hardest weeks of my mission and not for any of the reasons that you would think. Helping others overcome their trials really does have an affect on you, emotionally, spiritually and physically. But it’s all worth it because you know that you are serving one of Gods children. I really do love you all and am sooo happy that I will be seeing you soon! Dave I heard that you are home and I want you to write me! Please. Love you all!
Hermana Reay

We are sooo happy!!!!