Pictures!

February 24, 2014 - Big News!

Hi family!

So first of all I want to send my love to you all! I haven´t seen an email that Am had her baby yet, so I believe Little Ferrari is waiting just a little longer. That sounds good to me! I got a letter from Aunt Theo on Thursday which was awesome! I love getting letters from her and it was very appreciated. I hope the birthday party goes or went well! Tomorrow is E. Valencia´s birthday! I don´t have much to give him but I found some things I think he will enjoy. It is the thought that counts right!

I loved the pictures from JJ of supercross! Thanks for sending it and I hope they all enjoyed it a lot! I also loved the picture of Mom and Dad with the new truck. Nicknamed the Blue Taco or just Taco apparently! I like it. I think our family is turning Hispanic but that is fine by me! I mean we have 4 family members that speak Spanish now and Whitney looks Hispanic (apparently from the stories I heard from Mexico) so I think it fits. Now Mom and Dad just need to learn and Shantaye needs to serve Spanish speaking and JJ can teach Whitney! Then we are all set to be a bi-lingual family!

The pictures of the party for Theo look great! I hope she enjoyed it all!

So the Big news.... Wait for it! (Psych quote)

I am going to the Zone called Osama, my area is called Los Mamellas A (there are 4 missionaries in the ward I believe, so we are A) It is in the capital. We will be living in a house of 4 from what I heard.

My comp E. Valencia will be staying in Primavera and will be District Leader with a new comp.

Oh and by the way, I will be training a new missionary! Yeah big news haha. I go to the capital tomorrow morning to meet him and he can do some orientation and then we will go to our house and get to work! I am excited but nervous. The weight is on my shoulders now to be the best example and to teach all the lessons for the first little while. Wahoo here we go. I hope all turns out okay! We will be brand new in the area so I have a lot of responsibility!

This week we had a Mouse in the House! Wahoo. We think it came in because our neighbors were cleaning up their yard. We bought traps and then it got caught last night. E Valencia killed it and I threw it out. Team work!

W of the W is boche which is Dominican. It means scolding. Missionaries use it a lot if you are going to be disciplined or if you are going to be frank with the investigators.

I ate sugar cane for the first time this week. That is a big export here in the DR. It was fine, nothing special really. I don´t plan on eating it because I don´t like the feeling of my teeth when I bite into it.

Sunday was a crazy day for me! I taught the lesson in Elder´s Quorum on a talk from General Conference, then I helped teach Sunday School with E Valencia and I bore my testimony to say goodbye to the ward members during sacrament meeting!

Edward and his family now have a huge frame with all the pictures Dad sent! It looks great but I wasn´t able to take a picture of it sadly. Just know it is awesome!

I am glad the baby is still safe Am! Keep him safe but it would probably be good if he came soon! Just doesn´t want to though!

Well that seems to be all for now! I love you all! I will keep you all in my prayers. Be safe and enjoy the week! See you on the flip side!

--

Love,

Elder Chez Green

February 17, 2014 - Buenas!

Hello Family!

The title line is the greeting that we always use when we are walking by so Word of the Week made the title! Buenas which is greetings really. You can add Días, Tardes or Noche to make it more specific but we usually just yell Buenas! when we are in front of someone's house. Not much knocking of doors, it is more like yelling!

So on Tuesday we had our interviews with Pres. Hernandez and his Counselor Pres. Chas. It was a good reunion and it helped that it was at the Stake Center here in San Pedro, so we didn´t have to travel much. I was happy about that! I talked with Pres. Chas and it went really well. I enjoyed it a lot! I talked to the AP´s who are now my friends. I enjoy talking with them, they are good examples for me.

At the reunion I got mom´s letter with her talk in it! I also got an invite for Aunt Theo´s birthday. I sadly won't be able to attend but I appreciate receiving it from them! I hope the party is very enjoyable!

So this week we stopped visiting a lot of investigators. Most of them were not fulfilling their promises so we stopped visiting. It is a little tough but everyone has their agency and we have to accept that. The hardest was with Hna Alexandra, the mother of Edward. She said she won´t commit to a date for baptism. We aren't going to pass by for a little while and see if she will realize or see why we're sharing the message with her. It is a little tough but all is well. We had a family of mother and son at church and hopefully they can progress and make the right decisions. They are our next hope but we will see how it all plays out. We had other investigators at church but they aren´t willing to make a decision for baptism and aren´t really interested so we will pass by in a later date. Right now we are focusing on finding more people who are interested.

Mom´s pickup looks great! Congrats mom and I hope that you love it! I am so happy for you! We are turning into a Toyota truck family it looks like!

On Valentines day there was an activity in the church for couples. We went as missionaries because we had a special invite but you could only attend if we had your pair. We invited investigators but none were able to make it. It was supposed to start at 7 o clock but they arrived around 6 30 to start cooking the BBQ. Knowing Dominicans I should have known that it wasn´t going to start on time. The event actually started at about 8 45. Wow a little late but that is the culture here. I am sure Dad would not enjoy it here for that reason. We were at the activity for about 20 minutes because we need to be in our house at 9 o clock. We had a game planned for the couples to show how much they know about each other, with prizes and everything but we didn´t share it because it started so late. It was a little frustrating but such is life. We got some left over BBQ the next day that was really good. Sweet potatoes, pork ribs, chicken legs, and pasta salad. It was delicious. One thing about the pork here is you shouldn´t eat much of it because it can make you sick very easy. The pigs here are not very clean so we are always careful. A word of caution to anyone that travels to the DR. Be careful with the pork!

Today we played some chess and soccer at the stake center as a zone. I enjoyed it a lot. I am tired right now but the weather was pretty nice because it has been overcast all day! That rarely happens but I am grateful for it! We also washed our clothes and I cleaned our oven and stove really really well. My companion said it looks like new, so thanks for teaching me mom!

Oh today we ate at Papi Chimi again! I got a chicken sandwich and a ham and cheese sandwich with a Lechoza (papaya) shake! It was good. The Olympics were on at the restaurant so I happened to see a glimpse of that as well. Speaking of the Olympics, how is USA doing?! I hope well!

I am glad to hear the Utes won! Thanks for the update Dad! A member in the branch named Omar who is a handy man came and fixed our bathroom. Our house is nice and clean right now, some missionaries passed by today and said it smells great and that our house is admirable. They also said it smells like a house of the Sister missionaries! Wahoo a good compliment.

I found out that there are 9 zones in our mission plus the Islands in Aruba, Curaco and Bonaire. So it is about 10. The AP´s don´t know how many districts there are but it is safe to assume there are about 3 or 4 districts in every zone. So those are the numbers I found out.

When cooking we just wing it. We don´t work with recipes here, that takes too much time! It usually turns out pretty well though!

JJ and Whitney I hope the races were enjoyable! Am and Damian good luck with the baby. It could happen any minute now! Shantaye keep smiling and enjoying your youth. Time goes by faster than you think!

Well I think that is all. I love you all! Be safe! In case I don´t see you, good afternoon, good evening and good night -- Truman Show

--

Love,

Elder Chez Green

February 10, 2014 - Hello All

Hi lovely family!

I first want to send all of my love! I hope all is well in your area! Thank you for being a great family and so supportive. I truly do appreciate all that you do! That goes to all of my friends and ward members and anyone else reading this! I hope all is well wherever you all are! I am sending my love to you all!

This week went by pretty dang fast but it was an enjoyable one for me! We will start with some great news! I now have a toilet that works and doesn´t leak! Our bathroom is functional and not leaking now. So pretty much we have a good house now. We cleaned it today so it looks pretty good and I am a happy camper! We have water, gas for cooking, it is clean and our bathroom is all good to go! That is one of the first things I wanted to tell you all!

The next awesome news is that this week we did a family night in Juan Dolio with some members. Juan Dolio is more of a touristic place than anything but there are some members that live there so we visited! It is the Family Kim, and they are from California. He is going to school here in the DR so they are living in Juan Dolio. They both speak Spanish but English is their first language. It was an awesome Thursday night we had with them. He picked us up to take us to their house (it is about 20 or 25 minutes away in car, I can´t imagine walking there) on his way home from school. We got there and his wife said, Hey lets show them where the beach is just so they can see it and say that they have been there. We had to get special permission to even go into this area, even though it is part of our area here in Primavera. So we first went to the beach and talked to the family (it is just a couple) to get to know them as we walked. We took some pictures, they showed us what is around them and then we entered their house. It is a furnished condo but they are living there full time.

We sat down and got acquainted a little more. I was using some English and it was a little difficult but fine. Then Hna Laura Kim made us some Tostitos or something of that sort. You will have to see the picture but it is just a tortilla with meat and avocado but it was delicious! It had some Mexican taste to it, which made my comp and I very happy. Hno David Kim served in Mexico on his mission. So after eating we shared a message with them from the Liahona. They asked that we talk about HOPE. It was a good lesson and very enjoyable for me! Then after sharing the message we sang happy birthday to Hna Laura, as it was her birthday the day before! We sang and ate some delicious Choco Flan cake! I enjoyed it a lot! We also talked to them about some less actives that live around them and if we could do an activity with them. We are still working on the plan but looks like it should go well! It was a super great day and I felt like I was back in the USA for a little bit. They are a great family and come to church every week.

The word of the week is ancho which means width! I also have a bonus which I am not sure If I taught you guys already. It is heavy but with a DR accent. Here it means cool. For example Que Heavy! means how cool!

So this week we did a lot of cleaning out of our investigators. Ones that are progressing and ones that aren`t. We have a lot less now so we are in the search of new ones, but we have found a fair amount of new people this week! We found a couple that is recently married that we are teaching. We have an appointment tonight! We are still working hard but being patient as well.

So my favorite lesson to teach is the Book of Mormon. I love that all we really have to say is Read it! Pray about it! and you will find your answer, if they put in their part it is all waiting there for them. I love teaching about the Book of Mormon, it always makes me happy! I just hope that people actually follow through with their commitments!

Yesterday at Church the Pres. of the branch gave us a shout out, saying we can see a difference in the ward right now because the missionaries are working hard! Wow so cool but a little unnecessary haha. Made me a little embarrassed just to feel everyone`s eyes on you!

P day today was relaxing. We washed clothes then spent the day with Hno Luis Bautista. He is a great member. We played Mancala, chess and he made chicken with rice for us! It was delicious. I will send a picture of him and the food. I truly enjoyed it. I am just a happy camper now! (especially because the internet is at normal speed! hehe)

The date of the 15 with Alexandra fell through but we will keep working hard. As of now we have no dates but some goals for baptisms. We will see how they progress.

I have been picking up a little DR slang here but it is not easy to understand. I will learn it little by little though! I don`t know how many districts there are or zones for that matter but I will try to find out!

Awesome the Olympics started. Go USA! I hope they do well. This month is the Independence day for the DR. The 27th I believe so everyone has flags hung up in front of their windows or whereever. It is pretty cool to see!

Valentines day here will be an activity in the church for couples! Pretty cool. We will invite investigators. Thanks for all the info family! I love you all a ton!

I think that is everything. Be safe and know I am thinking about you all. Shout out to all my friends reading this. I love you guys!

Love you family! Talk to you soon!

Love,

Elder Chez Green

 What a cook!

Just got hair cuts and now playing a game of chess.

February 3, 2014 - Hello All!

Hi Family,

Well the internet cafe today is a lot more quiet and I am not stressing out or anything this time. I have a chair and the internet speed is decent enough. Oh what a joy that is haha! So this week has gone by fast like usual! I have enjoyed it. First off, my jaw and mouth is feeling a lot better now! I have adapted to the mouth guard and I know it is helping in the nights. I feel much better now so thank you!

This Sunday was a little bit of a let down because we only had 3 investigators at church but such is life. Everyone has their agency so we are working hard. We still have the date of 15 of Feb with Alexandra but we might have to push it back because she didn´t come to church on Sunday. We also had some less actives at church which was good. We are having trouble working with our new ward mission leader. He is difficult to come in contact with so that is a little hard but all is well.

So I forgot the W of the W in the rush last week so today I will start with that. Chatarra is Mexican slang which means something bad, usually food. J.J. should recognize it. then the frase ¿vaya la pena? means it is worth it (more or less). I like it a lot.

So as I was saying this day is less stressful, the power here at the cyber went out. So we went home and changed and now I am back in missionary attire trying to write a lot faster now. I lost the letter I was writing to the mission president but not this one thankfully. Oh well haha just funny.

This week we have been working in an area called Brisoal (it has its name because there is always a breeze there). It is about 30 minutes away walking. One morning we went in service clothes and helped a new investigator paint her house. We were using oil paint which is very different but it went well. I enjoyed it and it reminded me of my painting class at Hillcrest.

Ants got into our cereal this week which was fun! It was almost gone though so it wasn´t too big of a deal. It reminds me of Dad´s story when he ate ants at the bus stop in Thailand. I am glad they don´t do that here (at least not what I have seen).

Great pictures Dad from the Strong Porsche dealership! Makes me laugh! I am glad all is well in the parts that everyone is in.

Oh so the best story from this week was when we were coming home from the capital on the bus. We had just started going and when you leave people always hop on the bus to sell you stuff like candy and chocolate. So one salesman looked at the bus and it didn´t look like he was going to get on, but he saw my comp in a white shirt so he hurry and hoped on. Then he got out two chocolates and gave one to each of us. I said no at first because I thought it was a gag to make me pay for the chocolate but then he looked at me and said in broken English, I am a member of the church. So I took the candy and he hurry and hopped of the bus. I hurriedly muttered gracias but he was gone. Elder Valencia saluted out the window to him but he was off. That was such a cool moment. To see a member of the church sacrifice the time and 10 pesos of chocolate for each of us. He was about 20 or 21 years old I would say and 20 pesos could be a lot of work for him. It made me so happy and I am so grateful for the great people in this world who serve and do Christ like things all the time. It made my day so great! I saved the wrapper and put it in my journal and wrote the story but wow! So cool.

We ate at BK this week. Nothing like back in the states but the Whopper was pretty good. It is just expensive here. About 8 dollars for a small. Ouch.

How is the Ward doing! Tell Bishop Mortimer Hi and that I am thinking about him, the Mortimer and Lynch families, and his counselors. Also please tell Jason Burr Hi and the Wagner family, especially Kreg and Oliver! I love my whole ward!

Glad business at GSG is going well! I am glad the big U is still lit up. I love that part of the lights. The internet cafe is 2 minutes away walking from our house. There are a couple around here but this one is usually pretty good, just depends. A member that lives in Santiago made the scripture covers. I ordered them over a month ago but now I have them and am happy. They will probably get beat up over time but oh well. They are great for me!

I heard about the super bowl. Crazy! Wow super crazy. A blow out! No ring for Peyton. Oh well maybe next year. I hope the party was fun with the fam Shantaye and Mom! We have about 245 elders and sisters in the mission right now. That is what the AP's told me! It is filled to the brim here! They are only accepting more when someone leaves. Super packed in the mission.

Am is almost due! Keep me updated and pictures are mandatory when it comes time! I love you all a tons! I think that is everything for the week. Be safe. Cuidate, les quiero mucho! Hasta luego!

Love,

Elder Chez Green

January 27, 2014 - Second One

Hi Fam,

Well here is the second one that will be short! Well I am not sure what I missed from this week but it has been good! I want to say I love you all so much! I am going to try to reply to Shantaye`s email next week as time has ran out on me! Sorry sis but I didn`t forget about you!

Dad that is awesome to hear about what you get to do! Have fun with your customer! I am glad the Utes are looking good, even if they don´t win them all!

I am glad you had Mark and Yut over for dinner. Tell them I really miss their food please! The letter from Aunt Theo was hand written! So great too. I was so happy to see it. I am sending one her way once I can put it in the mission mail!

Attached is a picture of a Guatemalan bill. So cool. I traded with some Thai money for this one. That is my goal for the mission now. Collect money from different countries of Elder`s that I know! I am very happy. I have a Peruvian Sol and now this one!

E. Valencia said he is converted to being a Utah fan so no worries there! We have water in our house which is good so don`t worry there! We just have to close the pump so it doesn`t leak everywhere in the bathroom. No problem though, I am grateful to have it.

There are 3 APs right now because one is being trained and the other is getting ready to go home. I don`t know any numbers on Elders or Sisters here. Good question that I can´t answer sorry.

I love you all. Thanks for the Email Shantaye. I promise to reply next week when I have less problems! Sorry about that! I love you all. Smile big!

Love,

Elder Chez Green

January 27, 2014 - Hello from the Hot Sweaty DR!

Hi Family!

I am sending you all my love from the hot and sweaty DR! It is getting very warm here, that is for sure! Right now I am kneeling and typing so give me a break if it isn`t perfect please. They ran out of seats at this internet cafe. Haha just my luck but hey it`s alright. I hope everyone is doing well in their respective locations! I am enjoying it here in the DR. It is not always easy but it is worth it. I have seen the Lord`s hand in my work a lot this week! Ok much better. I just got a chair to sit on haha!

So the funny story this week is well probably not that funny because I am not the best story teller but here it goes anyways. We were contacting in an area called Barrio Mexico (Yes we make lots of jokes that my companion feels at home there) in the morning. We were looking for houses that have the door opened and a responsible adult inside (though we can`t always know that). We made a good contact and were headed back to the house, stopping by the market to buy some vegetables to cook our chicken with (onion, garlic, peppers) and to buy some plantains (green, hard bananas) to make fried plantain (pretty much the DR French Fries!). I was walking on the side walk and we came to a little street intersection. I could hear a motorcycle coming so I decided to stop (logical I know). The motorcycle came out and was waiting to turn right onto the other street. I had the grand idea of walking behind the motorcycle, but it was in a gutter. And this gutter happened to be large, and full of dark, murky water. This gutter was also pretty darn slippery. So as I tried walking in the gutter I ended up falling. Luckily I had some good reaction time and did some acrobatic moves to save my white shirt! It turned out that my hands got very dirty, my right leg dipped into the water, my bag also got dipped in and my shoes got some grossness on them too. But all in all I came out of it pretty unscared. I was happy about that. I washed up at the house and we ate lunch. Put that was my *near death experience* but not really.

This week has been a good one. Today we played some volleyball as a district as well as dominoes. I am not very good at Dominoes but I am trying to learn. The Dominicans play it so fast, trash talk the whole time, and I am still trying to learn all of the strategy. It is played with 4 people, 2 on a team. They play it with all of the pieces from 0 to 6. It is fun but I need to learn more Spanish, DR Slang, and the rules better to be any good. I enjoyed it though. I also enjoyed volleyball. After we ate at the cafe by our house which is pretty good. I have a fruit shake waiting for me in the fridge which I am pretty excited about as well!

Sunday was a pretty great day as well! We had 7 investigators at church and 6 families of less actives! That was so sweet. I can`t believe how well it went but I am very happy. We will see who is actually progressing and ready in the investigator category but we have a date for Feb. 15 with Alexandra (mother of Edward). We are hoping and praying that all will go well and it will come through! It was great to see so many less actives that we have been working with at church as well. We have been doing family nights in a place called Barrio Blanco every Monday. We invite members to invites friends, relatives, and especially less actives. That has been helping a lot and I think that is part of why we are seeing more less actives. It really was a great Sunday, with great messages and all! I truly enjoyed sacrament meeting as well. It is always a great time to feel the spirit and think about all of the blessings we have in our lives!

So the internet right now is really slow and I lost some of what I wrote. Sorry about that but such is life.

I got my scripture covers this week! I am way happy about that! I am trying to send pictures for you all to see but they weren`t the greatest. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! I think I will send this email now so not everything is lost and see if I can send another one!

Cross you fingers haha! If you don`t get another email from me, I love you all and something happened. Smile big! Talk to you in the next email!

Love,

Elder Chez Green