Christmas and a baptism!

December 30, 2013 - Water, Water!

Hi Family!

As you can read from the Subject Line I finally have water in the house! Wahoo! Only 11 weeks without it but hey we have it now! Boo ya! It is pretty awesome to have it though the water isn`t the cleanest it is much better than not having it! I am very grateful to have it! That is for sure! I am happy to have a real shower with a decent (not like the one at home) shower head. Sometimes sand or dirt comes out when you are showering but you just wipe it off haha. The only thing that is lacking now is warm water! I wish but I don`t think that will ever be something I have here. No worries though! The power is all working as well now too! Wahoo

So the only problem with having water now is that our toilet leaks, and it is kind of a lot. So that is the down side but there is a drain in the bathroom so it just goes to that. The floor is always wet but we have a shower and a toilet that mostly works!

It was so great to talk to everyone and I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I am sending Season Greetings to everyone and especially a Happy New Year!

Saturday I had my first baptism! It was for a 9 year old boy Edward. It was awesome! My first baptism in Spanish and I actually got to do the prayer and everything. We planned it all and it went smoothly! I sent pictures to Mom so you can all see it! He was confirmed in sacrament meeting yesterday by the President of the Branch. I took a lot of pictures.

After the baptism we stopped by a tower in our area that lights up during the Christmas season and took some quick pictures and then we went and visited Edward. I gave him a tie and he loved it! He wore it to church yesterday as I tied it for him on Saturday night. It looked great. I also gave him a picture of our family and of myself and a card so he can remember that great day. I gave him my information as well for after the mission. It was truly an amazing experience!

As for our other investigators we are still seeing how it is going to go. Not many of them come to church and that is always hard! But we are working with Edward`s mom Alexandra who is coming to church. She bore her testimony at the baptism and said the Church was true! So cool. Now we just need to start the lessons! We are working with other people and are hoping they will start making steps to learn more and show their desire.

So my training is almost up! This is my 11th week of the 12 week training program they have here in the mission field! It has gone by really fast. Transfers are the 14 of January! I can`t believe how fast time is going. So this week I get to plan and choose where we contact and everything. That is part of the training. Week 11 the new missionary plans and decides everything and does his best to carry the load in all of the lessons as well. So that is what I am doing as of right now! Wish me luck this week but my comp is great and has taught me a lot so I feel pretty ready!

We have been doing Family Nights with less active members to help them come to Church and those have been working well. There is always work to be done!

So I got Danny and Patrice`s Christmas card! Thank you so much! It was great and really made me smile!

I hope Aunt Theo is doing well and enjoyed my letters. I hope you all enjoyed my Christmas gift, sorry it wasn`t something bigger but it is the thought that counts right!?

So Word of the Week is killao which means angry or mad. I told you that guapo here also means that but killao is more slang. It is crazy how different the Spanish here is. I know Am, Damian and JJ all noticed that the vocabulary and accent isn`t the same but it is good! I am working on learning normal Spanish and Dominican Spanish. That is my goal as of now!

That surprises me that Damian had never been to a buffet! I am craving one of those right now but I don`t think they have them here sadly haha. Oh well!

The water bottle is a Green Gatorade Bottle with an orange lid that is a squeeze top. They have them at Sports Authority and are about 5 dollars. I will work on a picture of it but you can ask the people at the store!

On the bug spray no problem and thank you. If you can find a mini size as well that would be great so I can always have one with me in my bag!

I am glad the whole family could be together for Christmas. It was great to talk to everyone! I enjoyed it a lot and didn`t really cry but got teary eyed at the end there!

My comp goes to the capital for meetings and such like that. Nothing special. Where we go the water is not very clean but I know there are places that are clean! Glad the Sub for Santa was a success!

We have to be in the house at the latest of 9:30 but they want us there by 9. They do celebrate New Years here so this week might not be super productive as well. We will see how it all goes! We will be trying to work just as normal!

They said that packages are now 100 pesos per pound. The important part is per pound. So 11 pounds times 100 pesos is how much it costs to receive the first one and 9 times 100 pesos is how much the second one was. It is a little expensive but not too bad.

Well I think that is all for now. I hope I wrote all that you guys wanted! I love all your emails thank you so much! Talk to you next week and Happy New Year! Light a firework or two for me and make some noise as I will be sleeping!

Love you all!

Elder Chez Green

Christmas Ties!

December 23, 2013 - Almost Christmas!

Hi Family!

It is almost Christmas! So Happy Christmas to everyone out there! I hope all is well and the preparations are pretty much done so you can have a great and relaxing Christmas day! I am excited to talk to all of you and I now have Am´s Skype information in order to call!

So we are going to have a baptism 28 of December and I am going to be doing it! Wahoo how cool. It is the 9 year old boy named Edward. I am excited. We taught with a lot of signs and with one word answers and simple words. It was cool to try and figure out other ways to teach him. I enjoyed it a lot and now we are just teaching more to him because he is improving every time! I am excited for the 28th.

As for other investigators we are still waiting to see their works. We only had Edward at church this week which was hard but oh well. We will keep in contact with them. I think this time of Christmas is really hard for people too. We had difficulty finding people who were interested in our message this whole week so we are working on a plan to help with it!

We are planning to visit more less actives this week to help them because our contacts and investigators are not going super well. But that is all just part of the mission so we will see how this week goes. It looks like we will be working or trying to work a lot during Christmas which is good but hard because we need to find people who are ready to listen and not too busy with Christmas. We will see how it goes.

So our house still doesn´t have water but oh well. And now some of our power outlets are not working which makes it hard too ha-ha. We had to move our fridge and it was a little difficult to wash clothes but all is well! Joys of the mission here in the DR!

That is awesome about Jeff Cassar being RSL´s new coach! congrats to him and I wish him luck. Crazy that Jason is now gone and sad but change is part of life. I am learning that a lot on the mission!

I bought some hot coco mix here and have had a couple so I can feel the Christmas spirit more! I also got all of my Christmas packages so thank you all so much! I am excited to start opening them and am especially looking forward to the cookies. Yummy! I ate the cashews already and the ties were awesome, thanks Dad. My comp loves his ties as well. Thanks for it all!

So here in the DR they have big Ritz Sandwiches with cheese and two Ritz crackers! Those are my favorite and I try to buy them every once and a while! So delicious!  I want to see these things in the USA ha-ha.

I have gotten a lot of Christmas cards from Pres Teerlink, the family, Aunt Theo! Thank you all so much! I am still waiting for the one from Grandma and Grandpa but I think I will get it tomorrow because my comp needs to go to the capital! I am looking forward to saying hello to all of you face to face!

So we went to the ocean today and that was fun! I sent some picks of it to yáll. We also had our Christmas activity on Saturday night. It started late and the food was served even later but it was fun! The food was delicious but we had to take it to go so we could be in our house at the time we need to be there.

I am so glad that the Sub for Santa was a success! Thanks to all that helped! I am grateful for the pictures and I hope you all enjoyed it!

So Saturday night we got an Aguinaldo which is the W of the W by the way. This is when kids come back and sing songs and bang on buckets to make rhythm. They use whatever materials you have. They usually do it at 3 am but we got it at 10. Lucky us! They just bang until you come to the door and then you pay a couple pesos! It is sweet and funny! I enjoyed it a lot ha-ha.

Merry Christmas to all of the ward out there and all of my friends as well!!

I pay 90 pesos for every package I receive so the first was 11 lbs and the second was 8 lbs. I am not sure on the math but there is the equation ha-ha.

It is no big deal on the water really! We have the church across the street and we just carry buckets every couple of mornings. It works great and is exercise! No need to stress for me family!

I think I am ready to Skype and I have all my info so that is sweet!

Well I think that is all for now. We will talk more on Wednesday family! I sent a lot of pictures and what not. Be ready with questions for me via Skype so we can talk and hold a good conversation! I am looking forward to it! Remember Mom first! ha-ha. Talk to you all soon. Merry Christmas!!!

Love,

Elder Chez Green

December 16, 2013 - Sore Jaw

Hola my family! I hope all is well in all of the places you are located! I can`t just say hello Utah anymore because we are so diverse!

I just got back from the hamburger place called Coque! It was delicious as always! I enjoy eating at that place because it is a little taste of home! I also bought a delicious shake from a place down the street. The flavor was zapota or something like that. I don`t know what it is in English but it is delicious! I enjoyed it a lot. The shake place isn`t in our area but we stop by every once and a while and it is so delicious! They also have lechoza which I believe is papaya and a lot of other flavors too. I love the shakes here and they are not too expensive just 70 pesos. That isn`t super bad but it is not the greatest!

So for the title line, I have a had a sore jaw the last couple of days. I believe it is because I have started grinding my teeth at night maybe because of the stress or something like that, though I don`t feel super stressed. I believe that is what is happening so if anyone has suggestions on how to stop doing it in my sleep let me know! haha no it`s alright I am just working on relaxing more before I go to sleep, especially my jaw.

So our neighbor lived in the States a while and he always plays American music! Especially oldies music and it makes me laugh. I can hear it through the walls all the time but I do my best not to focus on it. The DR always has blaring music all the time. It is funny but sometimes really hard to teach lessons and things of that sort. The people here are unlike any other but I am enjoying it that is for sure! I like teaching them and things of that sort.

So this week we lost a lot of investigators because they weren`t progressing or just wanted to be our friends. It was kind of tough but we have more work to do always! We still have one date of baptism set for Eduard on the 28th and the other was moved back because she (Dulce) doesn`t have a testimony yet so we are waiting for her to recognize the response.

I got my Christmas package! Thank you so much to everyone! I can`t wait to open it on Christmas. The time is going by fast but those presents are so tempting. My companion was very appreciative as well! He couldn`t believe how much was for him as well! The presents look great under our tree! Great idea on the Teddy Grahams too! I love those things and my comp enjoyed them a lot too. It was his first time trying them.

Dad or Mom when can we open the letters? It doesn´t say on them but I assumed they are for Christmas but wanted to ask all of you first! Let me know please. Thanks!

So there still is no water in my house but maybe one day. They keep saying someone will visit to fix it but who knows haha. The ward member did not fix it sadly haha.

No more Jason Kreis!!??? Oh my so sad. He is a tough act to follow and such a great guy. It will be interesting to see who they pick up and how they do. That makes me a little sad to hear that he is now gone. Good thing I got a pic with him when I had the chance! Thanks for all the info Dad on the coaching process. Crazy to stop negotiations with Jason! He is amazing but oh well.

So I am pretty much ready for Christmas now with presents and all of that good stuff. I am going to try and buy hot coco to have for a couple days during Christmas time. That is my goal.

We are working with new investigators but there is not much new on that front right now. Just the beginning few lessons and we are waiting for more results and things of that sort. It is a teaching and waiting for answer game haha.

Oh the package was put in my hands on Dec.12 so it looks like it came in about 2 weeks or so which isn`t too bad, but I wouldn`t rely on that time frame too much haha.

So W of W is atardecer which is sunset. And then the difference between galleta and maseta. Galleta in DR Spanish means slap or punch usually. Haha how funny is that. And maseta is cookie. Interesting how different it is!

Guagua is the buses or vans they have here to transport you! We trade off who cooks and it is usually simple but healthy and good. We played soccer as two different zones together.

Awesome news on the secret Santa! Thank you to everyone!

Great work Utes on the win! So awesome! Beating BYU is always great. Keep it up bball team! Mom no worries on the spices and things. I can buy them here but I just try to use my money for more necessary things. The food is still good and if I get tired of it I will just buy spices or what not! No biggy thanks though.

Have fun with all of the family parties fam! Enjoy all of this Holiday season. It is a great time to spend time with friends and family!

The card for the Sub for Santa is an amazing idea. Nice work family. That makes me so happy! I am smiling big right now for sure! I send a warm hug and kiss to all of my family and friends back home! And also to my ward family!

Well that is all for now! Lots of love to all of you my friends and family! Enjoy the Christmas preparations!

--

Love,

Elder Chez Green

Pictures from the DR

 Stadium

 Sunset

 Plan of Salvation

McDonalds 

Sad that REAL lost!           

               At the stadium and played soccer.

December 9, 2013 - Fam Bam how is it going?

Hi Family!

I hope it is all going well. I heard that my team lost! Ahhhh what a bugger. RSL what happened???? Darn that is a bummer. A shootout huh? Heart breaking details but thank you for keeping me updated Dad! I appreciate all of the information. It is sucky that SKC won the cup they were such jerks this year but oh well that`s life and we move on!

I have my same companion if I forgot to tell you that. He is my trainer so I will be with him for at least this transfer. After that we will see what happens. I have a more specific area of where my companion lives now! Ha-ha sorry it took me so long! JJ might be familiar with it. He lives in Tepetlixpa of Mexico 30 minutes from the volcano Popocatepetlh. He said it is pretty cold there where he lives which is cool.

Last week I got Lhing and Khanh`s Christmas card! Thank you so much for that I really appreciate it! The pictures are great and very detailed. I love the Christmas card a ton and your message on the back. Thank you again!

I also got the letter from Bishop Ron Mortimer for Christmas today! That was way awesome. Thank you so much for that I appreciate it a lot! It was great and Ron made me laugh a lot in it. Thank you to all of his counselors and to the ward for their best wishes. I truly appreciate it a lot!

I am loving all of these pictures that JJ and Dad and everyone have sent. I am at a better Internet cafe today and it is moving so much faster ha-ha. I love fast Internet so I can see and read more about my whole family! Thank you so much.

So we have investigators with baptismal goals! 2 of them. One is Eduard the 9 year old and the other is a 60ish year old lady. She enjoys learning about the gospel so we are hoping we can get a firm commitment out of her. We are working hard here and having fun. I am still getting along well with my comp which is very important and I am always trying to smile big. We don`t have water in our house still but we think the problem is the pump so we are going to try and track down what we need to do exactly. No biggy bucket showers are good just very cold ha-ha.

So story time.

First we were going to our Zone Meeting with 2 new missionaries to their area so we need to take a bus or guagua as always. We got on one and started going. Then he said he need gas and stopped but the pump attendant was super busy and just ignored him. So the driver just kept going and yep we ran out of gas! Wow this guy was not thinking at all ha-ha. I just had to laugh because there wasn`t much else to do. We sat there for 15 minutes as they worked to jump the car and travel for gas. It was funny and we were still actually on time ha-ha!

I also gave my first Spanish blessing to a person who was sick a couple days ago. I was nervous and didn`t really want to do just because I don`t know all the grammatical things for a Spanish blessing but it went well. I know they could understand me but I also know it wasn`t totally correct. The important part is the hearts and faith of those performing and those being blessed and I know the Lord heard my blessing and accepted it even if it wasn`t perfect. It was pretty cool though!

I also saw my first rainbow here in the DR! That was way cool and it made me smile! I have now seen a couple this week but the rain isn`t too much. The temperature is cooling down here but it is still hot and humid here. My comp says he gets cold in the nights but I am not sure how ha-ha. Cold is what it is like in Utah right now but I think I will adjust just in time to come home ha-ha (so two years if you didn`t understand)

I made spaghetti a couple days ago. We had some dry Italian seasoning so I cooked some spaghetti sauce and then combined it with meat and ate it with pasta. It was missing Parmesan cheese but it was good. I really enjoyed it and it reminded me of home and mom`s cooking a little.

Another funny story was that people tried to break into the church one night. They were breaking the concrete around the bars on the windows to get in at like 3:30 in the morning. It was super early and one of our neighbors saw and called the cops I guess. The cops and neighbors were banging on the door I guess so we could open the church but we weren`t sure what was going on so we thought it best to stay in the house. There was a big ruckus so we just stayed locked up in the house. We probably should have left but oh well. The thieves did not get in though which is good! 

Word of the Week is ladron which is thief!

So today we went to a baseball stadium in the Romanas. There are a lot of fields for baseball and also soccer so today we played soccer! It was super fun and I enjoyed it a lot. It made me smile to play soccer! I ate McDonalds after and it was okay. Just not super filling and it is super expensive. I like cooking and eating in our house better.

Awesome information on the Secret Santa family! Thank you so much for that! It is putting a huge smile on my face. It really helps put in perspective how some things are way more important than others. I would rather have a secret Santa than another RSL trophy! (though both would have been cool but that`s not the point ha-ha). Great work Mom and Dad and thank you to everyone that is going to help out! I am smiling big right now!

I can`t believe all that is going on with the Ice Roads JJ! That is crazy ha-ha.

I am hoping to see the devotional yes mom! We are trying to watch it as a Zone another day. We use our feet and legs a lot to transport us ha-ha and then little vans or guaguas and then at the capital we have big guaguas. That is about it ha-ha. My area is in one of the bigger cities of the DR so I am not out in rural no. It is fun but I am not anywhere close to the capital either.

I love you all! Thanks for all the support and prayers and especially the Secret Santa! I love all your emails sorry I don`t have more time to reply but it is up really quick again ha-ha.

I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Elder Chez Green

Christmas in the DR

December 2, 2013 - My First Transfer . . .

And I am going to be in....

Primavera haha the same place as before! It is logical because I am still being trained! Missionaries usually don´t change during their training. So I get to pass 6 more weeks here wahoo! The members are awesome and the house is actually great besides not having water so I am looking forward to it!

Dad I am addressing your old email first. I am not sure how big my comp´s bike is. My talk went well! The zone leaders bought supplies to cook Mexican food which isn´t cheap and then we all pitched in so we could have it. It was delicious! My comp worked two jobs before the mission and saved a lot to pay for the mission. And cheverre muchacho means cool guy, more or less haha.

Now to this week! We traveled to the Capital twice this week which was a ton! First for an appointment with the doctor for my companion. I talked with the doctor´s wife who is very nice. She said my parents must have been great because I am doing so well and have such a great attitude even though we don´t have water in our house haha! So compliments to my parents! I love you. Thanks for raising me so well.

So in the capital we visited my old stomping grounds, the MTC haha. That is where the doctor is. We also visited the Mission Home or Offices and I had two letters waiting for me from Dad! Wahoo thank you so much! I got the pictures of the family and the wallet size of the family! I appreciate it a lot.

I bought a mini Christmas tree in the capital! It is perfect for me haha and I am sending pictures. I was looking for one for a couple weeks but they were all expensive. I found this one and bought it for 175 DR pesos with lights included! Boo ya that was a steal because others were 800 pesos without lights haha. I am way happy to have that. In the capital I also bought some simple scripture covers to protect my scriptures. I also bought the Gospel Art Book which is way awesome! I love all the pictures it has and there are over 150 I believe! It will help us teach young people like Eduard who is one of our investigators that has trouble learning. But we have a baptismal date for him! It is December 28th! All is going well so far so we are looking forward to that! It is exciting!

Thanksgiving was just another day for us haha! It was actually the day of our Zone conference which was cool. We got to spend some time together as a district and a zone. The Hermanas in our area made cookies for everyone so I guess that was special. It was very nice of them and they were delicious! That was about all that was special for Thanksgiving. I hope the food was great, the company was terrific and the football was enjoyable!

Well in the capital the second time we got permission to go to the temple! Our branch needed more priesthood holders they said to help out so we made time to go. It turned out that not many people could go so we couldn´t really help much. It was unfortunate but we did get to do confirmations in the temple. We had to get special permission to go and could only do specific things. But it was really good. I also bought some ice cream at a store called Bon. It is the brand of ice cream here in the DR. It is delicious and they have ice cream trucks all over and stores every where. It is delicious!

So the RSL game is this Saturday!! Wahoo go RSL get the Cup! I have faith. I didn´t hear many details about it haha but that´s okay!

So last night I had some BBQ! It was awesome! Presidente Jimenez who is Pres. of the branch had us over but we had appointments to go to. So they packed it up for us to go. It was so delicious and I had it with a coke! It felt like I was back in America for a little bit haha!

Mom there is a restaurant that makes hamburgers. It is not a chain which makes it taste way better and it is about 5 bucks for all of it haha. I am glad Thanksgiving was enjoyable! I am sure all the family is doing great! I am happy for them! The sleepover sounds like a huge blast! Way awesome! I love the Cheney family and I am glad I get letters from them. It is so great!

Oh Dad I passed a golf course on the way back from the Capital and thought of you haha!

Thanks for the B day list mom! That is perfect for me! I have them all written down in my planner now! The problem here is that printing costs money and I don´t want to pay haha. We have a bathroom of course. The problem was there was no water to flush but now we have water to flush but we try to use the church as much as possible because water is precious to us to bathe and wash dishes and such. Sorry for the confusion haha.

The family of 4 we are having trouble with. They aren´t really progressing. I think they believe we are friends to pass time with and they aren´t actually making commitments. That is somewhat hard. We had a new family come to church this week now we just need to work harder to get all of our investigators progressing and working towards the goals we have set for them. I think this is the way every where and it is just difficult but we will keep trying!

I hope the flight went well dad to Australia. So awesome! I want to see a rainbow here someday I hope! The interviews were actually in our stake center so it was only 20 minutes away or so. I will call the home phone for Christmas. We get an hour but my companion said it isn´t exact and that an hour and a half may be okay. I am not sure and need more information.

Words of the Week are first Panafull which means best friend. It is slang of course haha. The others are arco which means bow and flecha which is arrow!

Well that is about all. Please keep me updated on the RSL game! I want to hear all about the experience! Go RSL. I believe. I love you family a ton. Be happy, smile a lot, and notice the Lord´s hand in your life.

Talk to you next week!

 

Love,

Elder Chez Green

Ready for Christmas!

 Delicious Locrei

 Service and a machete!

Tabllero 

November 25, 2013 - Am I back in the USA!!?

Hello Fam!

The subject line is because today we ate a hamburger and french fries with a nice cold coke and it was delicious! It tasted like home to me haha. I also played a game of risk today with some elders from our zone! IT was a new version so it was much faster and way fun! I enjoyed it a lot. It only took about an hour to play with the new version and guess who won? I did hahaha! I was explaining and teaching them the game in Spanish so maybe it wasn´t super fair but hey I think I taught the rules pretty well. They were lacking strategy and that was the real problem haha

Well there has been a lot that has happened this week! haha but first to start off I am going to do the Word of the Week or W o t W for short. It is arcoiris which means rainbow! I haven´t seen one here yet but it is the word of the week because I love the word. And there is an awesome promise in JST and the references in the Triple or Bible about it. IT is the promise given to Noah in Genesis I believe. Chapter 9. First person to find the full promise wins! haha

Well first off I got a letter from Mom last Wednesday! so awesome the first one out in the field! I got the stamps in there as well thank you mom! Now I can send letters when I have time to write which isn´t a ton but I will do my best. I also got a Dear Elder from the Cheney´s! Thank you so much. IT was great and needed. Your boys are so cute! A shout out to all of my extended family, Green´s and Barlow´s! I love you all a ton. Sorry I can´t do specific shout outs but know I am thinking about all of you specifically!

So we now have a water tank that we can fill up every couple of days to get water. It isn´t running water but it is way better than before! Now we are working all the way to 9 pm and getting more lessons in which is nice. This week we had 2 investigators come to church which was a little low but one family was busy and couldn´t attend so that hurt. We are teaching a 9 year old named Edward who´s grandma is a member. He really wants to be baptized and is excited about it. The only difficulty is that he has a really hard time reading and comprehending. It is super difficult for him so we are trying to teach very simple. We want to find pictures of the lessons to help him learn so we are going to look for those if we can find them!

Oh our apartment flooded as well! haha. A member came over and thought he could help us get water in our apartment. He said there is water and we just need to fix this and that and presto. Well he tried and it didn´t work and then he left some pipes unhooked and we were in a hurry so we didn´t notice. First no water now way too much in the wrong place. But nothing got ruined which is very nice! Always a positive in everything. We were in a hurry because we had our interview with the mission president and his wife or one of his counselors. Mine was with one of his counselors but it was very enjoyable.

I finished the Book of Mormon in English ( I had started it before the mission) and now I am reading it in Spanish! wahoo I am hoping to learn Spanish even faster because of this!

We gave a lot of service this week. We traveled out to Juan Dolio this Saturday and worked from about 9 30 to 4 30. That was a lot of work. It is about 25 minutes away in car and we found out it is part of our area. I am not sure how we are going to contact or if we will out there. that is a lot of time and there really aren´t buses that go out there. We chopped a lot of branches and pulled weeds for this family that is very poor. We also planted beans and tomatoes and a lot of food for them so they can survive. It was very cool and I learned a lot about farming. I also got to try a DR dish or food. It is called Locrei I believe and it is chicken and rice but with good flavoring and such. I loved it. It was cooked by a member so we were able to eat it because we were doing service. That is one of the exceptions for eating with people. If you are serving and are confident it is sanitary and have time to eat, you can.

Oh Happy Thanksgiving to everyone as well! I won´t be celebrating that at all I don{t believe but that is okay! I usually just get fat that day and am lazy. I will miss playing Frisbee with guys in the ward though!

I still haven´t gotten Am´s large envelope yet sadly. Transfers are next week but since I am being trained I probably won´t change. I say probably because that is how it usually works but who knows. I don´t have any details on the call or anything like that yet. I believe I will just call you guys with our phone and then you need to call me back so we can talk. I am thinking that is how it will work so let me know which number I will need to call but more details later! some members have Internet access yes but I don´t think we are supposed to use their computers. Who knows though.

Sorry I don't have time to read or reply to anything else right now! I apologize. We were late getting out of the house because of my companion but that is alright. I love you tons dad. I will be sure to reply to your email next time! I love you all so much! Thanks for everything!

Love,

Elder Chez Green

 First Dominican Haircut!

 The church house.

View of the ocean.

November 18, 2013 - I don´t need water to survive! Only the Gospel!

Hi Family!

I hope you like the subject line! Simple but powerful (and not really true but almost haha)

Dad I got the Thailand postcard thank you very much! Tomorrow we have interviews with my mission president so I am hoping to get any packages and or letters that have been sent! Life is good here but like I said, still no water. Maybe we will get it, maybe we will change houses or maybe I will transfer out of the area before it arrives. Who knows but I am not too worried about it. Some days we can´t shower because there is not time so we just go to the church and bath with wash clothes and what not haha. Oh the joys!

I had my first Dominican Haircut today. It was interesting and I am not too impressed but oh well. I have learned for next time to be a lot more clear haha.

My companion has a dirt bike back home! I keep forgetting to tell you guys! HE loves dirt biking. We get along really well and we like to serve each other. We are working hard in our area. I gave a talk this week on love. The love God has for all of us and how we are all brothers and sisters because we are sons and daughters of good so we need to have love for everyone. Sharing the gospel is not mandatory but if we have love we will want to share it. I also said that the best thing I have right now on my mission is my smile because I am learning Spanish and a new missionary.

I am working on a Christmas surprise for everyone and you all have to wait until Christmas for it! I hope it will be really good!

We had 5 investigators at church on Sunday which was so great! We had fasted that people would come because that is very difficult. And they did. What a miracle. I hope they keep coming and progressing. I am growing to love the people here that is for sure! Sometimes they are difficult but I a ways have love for them!

So awesome the whole family will be home for Christmas! I am so excited for that. Then I can talk to all of you with my limited time (Mom first of course!) That is great news. I hope you all have so much fun for Christmas! You can photoshop me in the pictures or make a card board cut out of me (Reminds me of the story of Am and I before she went to college. I was going to make a card board cut out of her haha. I hope she remembers)

Dad there are a lot of Porsche Cayenes here surprisingly! It is crazy.

We can listen to music here on the mission just has to be church or piano guys or things like that. I am planning on buying a little speaker that you can plug in a usb to listen to music so I can feel the spirit during down times. I am excited for the news!

Today we had a zone activity and ate Mexican food. IT was delicious. Oh I have lost a belt loop in weight but I feel great. I think it was actually what I needed or wanted to lose. I am eating and feel healthy so it is good! We wash everything because we aren´t sure what is clean and what isn´t. It is very important.

The word of the week is Atajo which means shortcut I believe. I like this one a lot. haha

My comp is an hour outside of Mexico City but he just told me Mexico City D. F. so I don´t have a town name. We have a bucket for water mom and then also water jugs for drinking water we can use for water to clean, we just have to wash them after. No outhouse. The bathroom is the church and that is about it haha. I have mastered my bladder because of soccer and all the water I had to drink then ride on a bus for an hour or more. I can handle it haha.

The family of four is very fun. A mom dad and son and daughter. The mom and daughter are the most interested. The daughter is 6 years old. We also have a 19 year older woman with a daughter that came to church. She is very nice and always has good questions. The probably in this country is always marriage. NO one gets married and they have to be married to be baptized.

20 missionaries in our zone I think and 10 in our district including 2 sisters. As of now no letters but I am hoping tomorrow I will get them! A lot are from Peru and in my district only 1 other is from the USA. We have Mexico DR and Peru for the rest. The sisters are American.

That story is incredible mom! So awesome! I love it thank you. I heard many missionaries got lost in the typhoon for a while. I hope they are all safe!

My comp gets packages from home yes. He is paying for most of his mission or all I think. Crazy but awesome! Only his mother is active in the church.

Well that is all for now. I am out of time haha sadly. It goes by too fast. I hope the job is going well Whitney. Also for JJ. Am I am praying for your pregnancy everyday and my sobrino! I pray for all of you everyday and your health and that you can feel my love and the Lord´s love for you. I love all my friends back in the States and out on my mission. Shout out to Mesa Park Ward!

From a cheverre muchacho

Love,

Elder Chez Green

More pictures . . .

In the teaky teaky teaky teaky room! it reminds me of Disneyland! ha-ha

 My companion

 My sheets match the wall ha-ha

Where I study!

November 11, 2013 - Family of Mine

Hola family of Mine!

How is everyone doing? I hope well. I am doing well here in the DR. Still no water for us but that is alright. We are working hard here but the success has not been immediate. Not that I really expected that or anything but it's all good! I am having fun and teaching the gospel as best I can. I don´t always speak a ton because I am still learning the language and I know what I want to say just not how to say it exactly correct. But that is alright with me. I am trying hard and that is what really matters.

We are teaching a family of 4 that I hope will progress. I enjoy the times when we teach them and we are going to show them a family home evening tonight. I want them to keep learning but we will see. It's not really up to me after all. The people here use the bible a ton which is cool but hard for me because I don't know the bible a lot. That is okay though because I am learning a ton. We have also been doing a lot of contacting with people at homes but the appts we schedule fall through a lot of the time. Hard but life. This keyboard in this Internet Hub is not very nice sorry for my typos and such. Tonight we are going to do a family night with some investigators and then hopefully members. That really is important for families to have those nights to talk and have fun and to just be together.

Today we went to the stake center and played soccer and basketball. That was way fun! I enjoyed it a lot. I got to play some soccer which is my passion! Can´t get any better than that on a P day. Oh we also had to wash our clothes somewhere else because there is no water in the Chapel either. Kind of difficult but no biggy.

So awesome that RSL won with only 10 men in OT! That makes me smile really big! Good luck to them in the rest of playoffs. Beat Portland too! wow boo ya! I have faith (in the gospel and in them haha), Can´t believe its basketball season already! What a high score dad! Really amazing stuff!

I believe the problem with our house is the pump but who knows. As of now I don´t think we are going to change houses but that okay. I have a talk this Sunday in church and I need to prepare it all in Spanish. That should be fun haha!

Haha mom no we do not have a toilet. We walk across the street to use the bathroom in the chapel hahahaha. It is fun stuff. Always an adventure! I really do appreciate the order of America everyday. So many things we all take for granted in the USA! We do all our own wash but everyone has these little washers and then the dryer just rings out all the water, then you hang dry your things. I will have to take a picture for everyone to see. I have always been able to communicate and understand my companion pretty well. He speaks Mexican Spanish which I know (thanks JJ Am and Damian) It is the people here that have a tough accent but I can catch some things. Still practicing.

We can´t eat with the members unless we get very special permission. It is a health situation and a money thing. Kind of hard but oh well! We have a gas stove to cook!

Packages go to the mission home and then the AP or DL brings them to us. Letters as well.

Am, I love the tummy pics! Thank you for that. Oh family I would also like a 4 by 6 picture of all of us please from the wedding. That is most recent I believe. Then I can show people a bigger one as well. I didn't get to see all the wedding pics but I am sure they are great JJ and Whitney.

Damian is in the bishopric! woo hoo congrats! So much change in the USA! I have had a lot of spiritual experiences. I am learning to get along with my companion no matter what. He really is a great guy though. He's willing to work and friendly. He also knows a lot of Spanish and about the bible which is important. I need his help everyday. We have been having fun here. We talk about spiritual talks and then other things too. Much to do. I love you all so much. Sorry I don´t have more words to share. Keep up all the good work! Love you all! besos y abrazos!

Love,

Elder Chez Green

Pictures from Chez!

 Chez with his Mission President & wife

Chez and his companion

November 4, 2013 - My lovely Family!

Hello my family

I hope everything is well. All is well here of course! I still don{t have water but that is okay. We go to the church for the water that we need to clean dishes and wash clothes and then take showers at another Elder´s house that is about 15 minutes away. That takes away from our proselyting time which is somewhat difficult but that is okay. I am enjoying it here that is for sure. My allergy has all cleared up and I am feeling great. Doing my best to preach to all the people we see.

First off, we went to the mar or sea today. They don´t call it the ocean unless it is way out there. That was a good time I would say! I took some pictures and I hope you get some of them. The computers here are not super fast so it is hard to send them but I will do the best that I can!

Word of the day is lejos which means far. (I believe that is how you spell it anyways) We use that a lot. The directions or addresses here are so hard to record and houses are just crammed every which way. But it is a fun time to be here working as best I can.

We had an investigator come to church this Sunday which was way awesome! This area didn´t have great missionaries before so we have been trying to find people to teach and find the people who they were teaching before. It is proving somewhat difficult to find people but it is working so that is good!

I can not believe Ron is the new bishop!!! That is so crazy but awesome! I did not expect that but then again I kind of did. I had been thinking about it now for the last week at night who I thought it would be. I guessed that Scott would be a counselor but whoo hoo that is awesome! I want to here Jay´s reaction to that one and the whole Mortimer family. Wow all three of those guys have young kids. Especially Derek and Scott! I am so happy for them. Tell them congrats from me!

What else is new here in Primavera, San Pedro de Macoris! Well not a ton that I can think of really. Ummm the members here are great and really help us a lot. They are always willing to go with us to lessons or give references when they have them. That is so nice and important for the missionaries. Investigators need friends in the Church if they are going to stay active and keep doing all they can!

Yesterday was Fast Sunday and testimony meeting which was very good. The testimonies of the members were very powerful though I couldn´t understand all of it super well. My Spanish is slowly coming like I thought it would! IT is so difficult to learn as you go and I have trouble saying what I want to but I know the Lord will help me with all of that.

We haven´t moved houses yet and I am not sure if or when that will happen but I am content where I am for now! I can´t believe there is snow in Utah! That is crazy. I won´t get that here I bet! Mom thank you for the stamps I will need them greatly. I appreciate it. I think you idea for packages is smart. It will work terrifically thank you!

Not sure what medicine I took but I think it was Afrenadrin or something like that. Who knows. The president´s wife said to use that but I got some better stuff and I also have my own pills I can use. I think we have a lot of members in the branch but a lot of less active like I mentioned. The first Sunday I counted about 50 members who came to church. We have a lot of work to do still!

Please keep me updated on RSL! And Utah and who won the world series. I still want a little sports fix every P day ha-ha. I can´t get it out of my blood that easy just yet!

Oh today it rained kind of a lot. It had stopped so I put my shirts outside to hang dry (since that is all that we have ha-ha) and then it rained more while were out at the sea. I ended up washing my shirts three times because of that ha-ha. Once because they were dirty, the second because our line broke and the shirts fell in the dirt and the third because of the rain. I think that is pretty funny!

So lunch we buy meat to cook and usually have beans and rice. Those three things are called the Bandera (flag) here. It is what everyone eats almost all the time. Breakfast it is yogurt and cereal and fruit and whatever else we have or bought. And then dinner is once we are home at about 9 or 9 30. We buy bread for that usually and have eggs or ham and cheese sandwiches. It is good I am eating well but I am not overeating which I think is important!

Dad I am glad your trip and talk went well! That is very important. Sorry about the rash but hey I had one too here ha-ha. The meetings in the mission home went well. Just about finances and health. The important non spiritual things you needed to learn. The interview with President Herñadez was short but good. He is very nice and all the missionaries only have good things to say about him! Yes 2 hours away. San Pedro de Macoris. The Rama or branch is Primavera and we live across the street from the ward building. Directly across. Like I said not really directions here but all is well. I have Neosporin yes!

Love you all a ton! Time is really about up. Gotta send this and make sure it goes through! ha-ha good times. Enjoy the pics I sent to mom. It is hard to send a lot because the computers are slow sorry.

Bye Bye

Love,

Elder Chez Green

October 28, 2013 - My Lovely Family

Hello my lovely Family!

I am here in the Dominican Republic and I am safe! So smile and be happy! Ha-ha it is awesome. I am in San Pedro which is not the campo (meaning the outskirts-jungley area) so that is cool. There are stores around and concrete houses every where. My Branch (too small to be a ward) is Primavera! So cool. I am enjoying it here. My house has 5 rooms and the kicker to it is....

We don´t have water! hahaha. Yep so we go across the street to the church to use the bathroom and wash our faces and get water to clean dishes. We buy clean water for other things and then walk 15 minutes to another house of two missionaries Elder Carter and Elder Lara to shower. It is an adventure and I am having a lot of fun here! It´s good. My companion is Elder Valencia from Mexico City the Jefe. He said it's in Mission Oeste boundaries! So cool. He is way nice, doesn't know much English at all so I am trying to use my little Spanish to communicate with him. It is a fun time. I can understand my companion a lot better than I can understand the people here. They talk so fast and never use S´s. They also have such different words here than what they have in Mexico or other places. Fruits are different, objects its a fun learning experience here!

Here is my Letter Address (My book was correct because the mail system here is not good at all. Speaking of that I don´t have any letters but hey that is alright. 

Missionary Name

SDQ 4102

2250 NW 114th Ave. Unit 1A

Miami FL 33172-3652

Here is the Package Address (Caution!!!!!! I have to pay about $2 for every pound of packages so please be mindful of me and my money. I would love packages but I don´t want to have to pay too much to get them. Thanks a ton!)

Missionary Name

AP-000914

8532 NW 66th ST

Miami FL 33166

Okay on to other things I think. So on the morning of leaving the MTC we got up at 5 30 and packed. Took all our stuff down stairs ate waited for like 2 hours to get picked up. Had meetings in the mission home and waited some more. Got dropped off at a park with all our stuff (I put my suit in the mission home for two years ha-ha. they said we never use them.) Then we took a wawa or jaja or whatever. It's a bus to our area which is about 2 hours away from the capital. My companion has been on his mission for 7 months so he knows some stuff but he isn´t crazy versed or anything. We get to the apartment and it is a huge mess. Kinda disgusting really but we had to walk from the bus for 30 minutes with suitcases and it was late so we just changed, moved our beds and slept. The next day all we did was clean. Had to get the water from the church and it was a bugger. We still haven´t cleaned it all but we will try. I believe we are going to move houses this week but who knows. It´s all okay.

I believe DearElder´s are still okay out in the field. We had our Zone-District conference on Thursday. That was way cool! I got to see one or two of the guys from the MTC and then it was all in Spanish. Ha-ha hard to understand but fun! I enjoyed it a lot. We have gone to Jumbo (a store like Walmart) a couple times to buy things because our house was pretty much trash. We didn´t really have things to cook with, usable plates or anything to clean with so we had to buy it all and then I will get reimbursed for it. I have a debit card to use and then I have to use an ATM to get cash. We get about 8000 pesos per month (a little more I think) to live on. That includes everything. We get half deposited every two weeks. Its fun and I need to budget it of course but this first week was hard having to buy everything for our house. Once I am settled I can really budget it all.

It is super hot and humid here for sure. The breeze is always appreciated. My area is pretty close to the sea I hear so you have to be careful with bacteria getting into your food and clothes. Caution is always important and I am learning a lot! The sunsets here have actually competed with the ones in Utah (though not the same because I usually watched them in the soccer stadium ha-ha). I saw the ocean on my bus but I haven´t done anything else yet. Hopefully another p'day we will do something fun!

I gosh I almost deleted this whole email. Yikes! We are okay though! Here they are already doing Christmas! Christmas songs in the stores and what now. So crazy. They celebrate it for 3 months in a row and don´t do dia de los muertes or Halloween. Darn it ha-ha. Oh well its cool. Christmas spirit is alive here, though its hot and humid and sticky and there is no snow ha-ha.

Any letters you sent when I was in the MTC should be forwarded to me through the Mission home. That's what I believe anyways. I love all your emails thank you so much. sorry I don´t have a ton of time to respond specifically right now. Can´t believe the weather in Utah is so cold ha-ha.

I tried to explain Dad´s work in Spanish and I kind of think its impossible with my small amount of knowledge ha-ha but it was funny. The food here is good. We eat off the streets and make our own food as well. We are just always careful.

Spanish word for this week is Chin. I think that is how its spelled I don´t really know but that is how it is said. Here it means a little. Equivalent to un poco. They also use the phrase Mi madre here a lot and its not bad at all. That is what I am told anyways! ha-ha so much fun out here.

Oh I had a small allergic reaction the past couple days. I don´t think I washed the grapes well enough. That one is on me. Anyways I took a pill Saturday night and Sunday morning and then during church I was dead tired. Like I almost fell asleep so many times. That wasn´t the best look but I was having trouble staying awake. Especially because it was all in Spanish. ha-ha oh well.

This area is new for my companion so we have been contacting a ton of members and anyone else we can. The area seems pretty big but I don´t have any exact measurements. This part was kind of let in ruins by the last missionaries. No map, the area book is a total mess without any papers but that's okay. we can fix it. I told my companion now we can work our bottoms off and make it the way we want it (translate that in Spanish ha-ha. That isn´t word for word of course).

Thanks for your prayers and your love!

--

Love,

Elder Chez Green

Hola Hola Mi Familia! - October 17, 2013

Hola Familia!

So on Friday I went on splits with a missionary out in the field. I can't remember the name of the area but I do have a surprise. The missionary I went on splits with was Elder Clint Hubbard! He was two years older than me and played on the Hillcrest soccer team! That was so awesome! I enjoyed getting to teach with him. He was a great example to me in High School and now I get to see him here! He leaves in December and I am just starting. I get to work with him again tomorrow for splits as well. That is an awesome experience to get to see the places you could be serving and I went to Santo Domingo East so it could be my area. We taught one investigator and then I shared scriptures with 3 members I think. That was fun and spiritual and I actually understood more Spanish than I thought I would. I do love that feeling. I was worried going in but it all worked out. We talked to a group of ladies that were a little rambunctious which was way funny! That is a story for another time, but it sufficeth me to say that one of them said she was going to wait for me for 2 years. Ay AY AY! I told her no but that was interesting. I hear that happens a lot and you just have to brush it off. haha these people are so funny and I am starting to love them already!

An Area 70 came to the MTC on Tuesday night and gave a talk in Spanish. We had translator devices but I chose not to use it. I wanted to see how I was doing and I got a lot out of it! It was by Elder and Sister Zivic who are part of the Area 70 I believe. I really enjoyed their talk. Sister Zivic gave the talk like she was our Mother (Don't worry Mom, no one can replace you!) and that was very touching! I enjoyed the counsel she gave to us. And Elder Zivic had some good stories and advice for us as well. He told us how we need to work with members to really use all our resources. He gave an analogy that just the missionaries working is like tying a tie with one hand and if you use the members it is like using two! I enjoyed that a lot!

I got a Dear Elder from JJ which was awesome! I think you can send me dear elders to my mission home for free when I am in the field right? Don't know exactly but I believe so! Thank you so much for that! Still haven't gotten any snail-mail. Not sure if it will arrive or not, but hey, like one of the Temple workers was saying today as he gave out tic tacs! "Don't worry, be happy"! I love that man he is so very nice. His name is Brother Kunyanga I believe. Has an awesome African accent and is very loving! Today was the last time I get to go to the temple for a while probably, but all is well! I should get to go 2 times during the year so 4 times total for the next 2 years of my mission. That is a blessing compared to some missionaries who don't get to go at all!

Today will also be my last P-day for a while! Next time you hear from me, I will be in the field (or campo as they call it here). That is a crazy but very exciting thought! I can't wait to get out in the field after the taste I had last Friday! I got experience some fresh lime juice, ride the metro and just walk around to get engrossed in the culture. I loved it a ton!

Last Saturday our Teacher Hna Matos taught us how to make Tres Leches during gym time (it was worth the sacrifice) and it was delicious. I have the recipe now so I should be able to make it (though the recipe is in Spanish. Oh well, it can encourage and motivate me to learn even more! haha). It was amazing and I was glad to have a slice of heaven. Dulce, rico, y delicioso.

The Spanish lessons are getting a lot harder and I am not understanding it all. I am trying my best but Subjunctive tenses and Object pronouns (especially combined ones) are proving to be a little difficult. Also the verb haber is a bugger for me to learn. But I will keep trying hard to understand it. I really only have two more days of language lessons because Sunday's we don't get taught, Monday is orientation and then Tuesday morning early I will be out in the field or at a conference or at the mission home. However it works here. I am getting way excited for that. I am enjoying the change. It reminds me of the talk be Pres. Monson about change in our lives. I really enjoyed that talk. It also remind me of the talk of "Come What May and Love it" By Elder Wirthlin I believe. I am getting spiritually fed here, that is for sure!

I have some Mormon message videos that you can look up. They are a great watch, help you feel the spirit and are less than 5 minutes usually. "The Will of God" is an amazing one that I really enjoy! If something isn't working out in you life, watch that one and you will understand. "Earthly Father, Heavenly Father" is also super great. It makes me excited to be a Dad some day and tells us how amazing and loving our Heavenly Father really is. and how endearing the term Father should be. The last one I love is "The Sting of a Scorpion" which is the story I shared in my farewell talk. That one will always be an all time favorite. So watch them, they are great to lift spirits in times of needs or encourage you to serve others!

The word/phrase today is: "Pecho y espalda" which means your front and your back. So when you ask "Qué necesitamos?" you can respond with that. Just a phrase I learned that I liked.

I think there are about 15 in the MTC going to DR Santo Domingo East. I probably won't e-mail until next Monday, yes mom. Sorry but I will be smart and safe as always. The DR Temple was dedicated on Sept 17, 2000.

I can't believe the Utes beat number 5 Stanford! Boo ya! I am so proud. Big game for RSL coming up! I have faith in them! I am glad you are renewing the season tickets, that has always been great fun!

I love you all so much! Not sure what else there is too say! Thanks for all your support and prayers. Love you mucho mucho!

--

Love,

Elder Chez Green

Hello Family - October 10, 2013

Hello family!

How is everyone doing? I hope all is well where you guys are (which is all over the world probably) haha. I hope that everyone enjoyed conference! If you didn´t watch it, I recommend you read some of the talks at least. I loved both of Uchtdorf´s talks he gave. I also loved the one by Richard J Maynes on Sunday Morning! That one was a delight to listen to. I liked the one by Edward Dube (he had a sweet accent). Conference is so good when you are a missionary. Our President said how conferences on your mission will be the best ones you ever watch. And I do truly believe that! I love some of the great quotes from it like "if the bitter cup doesn´t pass, drink it" which I think was Holland but I´m not sure. wow how cool is that! I also loved Richard J Maynes saying you must have Dedication Perseverance and Self Discipline. all the talks were so good. Dube said we should never look back when he gave his terrific story. I wish I had more time to talk about it all but sadly I don´t so read them instead! haha.

I also wanted to say how much of a blessing and privilege it is to have a temple here to go to. Temple work is so awesome and I love the feeling I get when I enter the temple. They are so beautiful too!

I hope the Utes and RSL are doing alright. Gotta bounce back from losses, just like in life.

I got the privilege to watch a talk by Bednar for missionaries only titled "The Characteristics of Christ" wow was that amazing. President Freestone said that is the best talk he thinks he has heard in years. It really is life changing. There is a similar talk he gave at BYUI (so Am you may have heard it) about the same thing. You can google it and find the transcript it is so cool. One thing I got out of the talk was to read the BOM with a question in mind. One question mark it all up (so get a cheap copy) and write on it then once you finish the BOM and have read it all the way through write a one or two paragraph summary answering your question. He said once your are his age you should have a book case full of BOM´s with a question on the inside of each of them. I thought that was awesome. I have also been studying the Power of the Atonement and how amazing that is. How it was only possible through Christ like attributes that we can have that privilege to be forgiven. I love studying that topic. It shows you so much and what sacrafic truly is. I recommend the talk Bednar gave at BYUI. There are some great insights and stories you get from it.

I also challenge you all to watch the Mormon Message "Mountains to Climb" on LDS.org. It is amazing. Made me cry like a little baby! But it is so amazing. That is one challenge you only need 5 min to do, so please at least do that one. But I recommend the other things just as much or more!

I am still having a ton of fun here! Which is so important right! I love my teacher Hmo Rodriguez. He shares amazing stories with us almost every night and he gets really personally and to the point with us. I just ahve a connection with him I would have never guessed in my life with an MTC teacher I´ll only know for 6 weeks. Its pretty awesome. I think we are going to make Tres Leches cake with our teacher Hma Matos on Saturday. I am really looking forward to that!

I went to the University last Friday and that was a blast. We talked to a lot of people (maybe like 15 or 17) there and gave out BOMs and pamphlets to them. Now tomorrow I get to go on splits with missionaries in the field and teach real investigator lessons and find people to teach! How cool and exciting that is, but very nerve racking!

My mission president has been pretty awesome. I am grateful he is here to help and guide us in the the MTC and it is nice getting actually face time with him since there are 60 to 70 missionaries here compared to Provo MTC. He loves teaching the gospel so he enjoys being in the MTC with a captive audience he said. He is a great man, and his wife is super nice too.

Word of the day is Cheverre which means cool. They use that so much here! it is probably their favorite word. Its pretty great!

Mom I will have to find the Bible video now of Jesus casting him out! I love that scripture. I can watch those here on my gym time but I am not sure how it will work in the field. I probably won´t have much access to electronic things. It´s about a second world country from what I can see, traffic is somewhat crazy but decent. People will be really poor though and I have heard stories about water going out for a day or two. And that there are some places that are run down but that´s everywhere.

I can´t believe it has already been 4 weeks! That is crazy! I still have not received your letter Mom or the one from Am. I hope they come soon but Se la vi! I will work on the mission address here! They have nice washers and dryers here! I also bought stain remover at the store for my shirt collars and anything else I need!

I am drawing a blank on anything else to share so I love you all very much! keep working hard and having fun. Keep praying everyday, I know it makes a difference. Besos y Abrazos!

--

Love,

Elder Chez Green

Mi familia! - October 3, 2013

Hi Family!!

How is everything going back in the USA/International travel (I can't say Utah because you are all so spread out now, and I won't even think about commenting about the weather because it's all probably different for each of you!) I first off have a couple requests (Oh and I'm not sure how to get my enter key to work again, it seems like every week you have to do something to get it to work, but I don't know what.) 

Well this week has been pretty good. Last Friday we got to go to the university that is about a mile and did some street contacting. What a huge surprise that was! Wow talk about getting thrown into the fire 2 weeks in or so. But it was a good experience. My companion and I handed out I think 6-7 pamphlets about the restoration and one Book of Mormon. We had a cool experience too with the first person that we contacted. His name was Isaac and he was part of the Evangelical church. (This is a real person mind you, not a "investigator") We were trying our best to talk in Spanish with him but we found out that he understands English and that is what he really want to talk in. So we said what we could in Spanish and did the rest in English. He seemed very interested and was very polite. He was 17 years old I believe and had been in college since he was 15 and 1/2. Talk about a smart kid! We read part of the introduction of the book of Mormon and encouraged him to read some more. We also left the phone number for some missionaries who he could talk to more about the gospel. Wow what a cool experience, all while I was still part of the MTC. I am grateful that I had that opportunity, and I get to do it again tomorrow, so wish me luck and pray for me. Its very intimating to just go up to people and talk gospel. It's very new for me.

Sundays are usually really good. Last Sunday we got a Doctrinal Class from the MTC President, Pres. Freestone. He does it every week but last weeks was especially good. He talked about obedience and how important it is on a mission. Way awesome stuff there! I loved it a lot. He gave great scriptural references for it, mentioned conference talks and all of that good stuff! It's nice to get those every week, because then you learn in detail about certain subjects, not that you will ever teach your investigators that. Pres. Freestone also told a very good, personal story about his mother and her obedience through a hard life of divorce, and other hardships. It was very touching and I loved it a lot. (FYI found a tough way to do paragraphs ha-ha) We also get to watch a church movie every Sunday and this week it was "How Rare a Possession". I had never seen that but I thought it was very good! It's my one chance to watch movies here! Even if they are just church ones, they are still really good and uplifting! I enjoy that part a lot!

My teacher Hmo Rodriguez served in the Santiago Mission Dad. He has some awesome stories that really help you understand what missionary life is like and I am grateful for that! He and Hmo Nuñez have been telling us stories about their missions and it is great to hear. I love journaling what they have shared so that I can remember it for later. One of Hmo Rodriguez's stories was from last year when he was an EFY music director for they opening of EFY in the DR. He had prepared some great work but there ended up being a tropical storm that canceled the week of EFY. He talked about Bednar's talk where he mentions "Faith to not be healed" and he shared a scripture in Juan about Jesus casting out an evil spirit in a man's son. The man said "help thou my unbelief". (I can't remember the exact scripture right now, sorry) I love that scripture a lot and am grateful Jamie Pruden shared it with me in YM a while ago.

I get to go to the store next Tuesday for the last time I believe which will be good! I am looking forward to that. The store has almost everything we do at a Wal-Mart. It is pretty nice and they also have ATM's so you can get cash out to use!

Thanks for the sports updates mom and dad! I appreciate it. A real bugger that RSL did not win the Open Cup! How is that even possible! Crazy we started reserves in the Vancouver game. I wonder what is going on with my team right now! But oh well. Mom have fun at the UCLA Utah game tonight and cheer loud! I am wearing my Utah shirt to support them! Go Utes!

Grandma and Grandpa I love you guys so much! I am glad that you are reading my emails and thanks so much for your generosity. It is greatly appreciated I hope you know! I also wanted to thank both of you for being great examples to me as grandparents. I have been blessed with great grandparents on both sides of my family and I truly believe that makes a huge difference. So thank you for all you do!

I am not sure what else. I think that is mostly everything. Oh Spanish phrases this week are Machuca (fist bump) and Chocala (high five). I will be using those with the niños for sure. I hope all the missionaries that are out in the field are doing great, especially those from our ward! I love all of you!

Mom and Dad I don't really need anything right now and I have no idea what would be a good gift for Christmas. Maybe something cool that you could just buy, wrap up and leave on my bed for two years for when I get back hahaha. I will try to think about it and get back to you! Love you all so much! "Go my favorite sports team go" as Brian Reagan would say.

Love,

Elder Chez Green