Howdy!

Hey Everyone!

So this week has gone pretty well I guess... Pretty basic, normal week, but good. One huge highlight ws that we went to a zone meeting on Thursday and on the bus ride back we sat by a monkey! Some guy had a little monkey in a cage so he let it out and let us play with it for a little bit and I took pictures too! I forgot my camera at home, but I will make sure that I bring it next week to get some pics sent off. (Oh, by the way, I sent my memory card off Thursday too so hopefully it will come soon.)

We have been knocking on tons of doors lately looking for families and single men of priesthood age and we have actually found quite a few married couples! At least more than you would meet in other parts of the country. Anyways, we have met and taught with some really nice, cool couples but the problem is that they are all completely satisfied with how their life is going right now. I am guessing that's how missionary work in the states is, and if I'm right, I feel bad for those guys. We meet awesome couples who are already married because they wanted to live the commandments of God and for that they have been extremely blessed! They say they have peace in their lives from the churches they visit and that they believe that they are on the path that God has for them, so they see no need and don't really have much desire to switch churches... We bring the spirit to them and explain to them really well what the difference is in this church but they just don't want it! It gets a little frustrating at times but we are trucking along.

For the past three days the sky has looked like what I assume the end of the world will look like! Even thought it was storming hard right on the Haitian border, the island is small enough that we had some pretty hard winds and some constant, solid rain. Yesterday, it rained from 8 in the morning until 1 in the afternoon straight! I don't know if I have already told you yet or not, but Dominicans and Haitians are deathly afraid of the rain! They believe that if you get a raindrop on your head, you are automatically doomed to a severe cold, so you can imagine how many people ended up coming to church. A grand total of 12 members, including children!  Only 6 of them were actually Dominican, haha. The lack of investigators at church put back a lot of their progress, including Alfredo and Nerrpys, but I am getting a little worried that if we continue to push back their baptismal date, it won't happen. They are still doubting and he still isn't reading like he should but instead, is just waiting for the answer to come to him and it doesn't really work like that. To show God that you want an answer, you have to put forth an effort and show him and he hasn't really been doing it. We'll just keep praying our hardest for them and work our hardest but we can't really force them to do anything.

What I have is what the missionaries here call "The Rice Pooch." The only options for food here are either rice or pasta. Both of which are straight carbs, so yeah. I have a rice pooch from all of the carbs, not necessarily from all of the goodies, you can keep those coming haha! What the missionaries do here is the six months to sexy when the last six months of your mission, you get up extra early to work out super hard, diet, and pray so that the pooch disappears before you go home! So far I am on track to do just that. The resistance bands are actually really good mom, especially the jump rope. I won't really get buff from them or anything, but I can burn some extra calories. OH! I got your package on Thursday too! The Gold Bond and zip lock cups are lifesavers and good American chocolate candy is unbeatable.  I already read all of the priesthood and conference talks and I am so sad I missed it! It was and incredible session, especially President Uchtdorf and Elder Dearon.  I am way excited to read that whole conference over again.

Was the trip to San Francisco planned or spur of the moment?  That is awesome that you and Dad did a Segway tour and I want a pic of that if you have it.  Dad said you guys ate so much good food that it would be cruel to talk about it!

Apparently the hurricane wasn't too big of a deal in Haiti, but the bigger problem is that cholera is spreading around.  Word on the street is that the Dominican's are closing off the what used to be open border now and killing people who try to cross illegally to prevent the spreading of the sickness.  I have heard over 500 deaths from cholera up til now, but I don't know how reliable that is.

Thanks for the boys sports update!  That is cool that Dan is picking up volleyball so well and how are Alex' knees?  Fonze is really growing up.  The picture you send was hilarious - thanks!  Sorry that this e-mail isn't very blog friendly.  For some reason the flow of my writing is just off today.  If you could throw in some cortisone cream in the next package that would be my only request!  I love you so much and have a good week!

Love, Elder McBride

 Elder Sunderhaus

What a Week

Dear Family!

Wow, that story was way cool about the girl you baptized in Chile still being strong in the church. Dad, you should definitely share some more of that stuff with me and the other boys, as well as some of grandpa's mission letters.  I would LOVE a few copies of some!

You said that you found a little Cuban place that you are going to try.  I hope you like it!  Out of all the foreigners that I have met in this area (tooooooooooons) - Cuban's are hands down the nicest out of all of them!  Americans all have the misconception that Cubans are all like Fidel Castro or something.  But they are the coolest, nicest people ever!  If the church could get into the country, I bet a ton of people would be baptized.

I haven't heard really anything about the uproar about the Boyd K. Packer talk, but I don't really understand why any faithful member of the church could get mad when all he said was established, true doctrine straight out of the scriptures?  Are members of the church starting to justify homosexuality of something?  If they are, they might as well just start drinking wine every once in a while because medical science says that it is healthy - right?  It's too bad that people are upset, because he is an apostle inspired by God.

Mom told me a little bit about the big storm you had last week and that sounds crazy!  Did the hail do a lot of damage to some cars or was everything in decent shape?  We have had a ton of rain this past week, but not any intense storms for a few weeks.  I still love the rain tho!  Us Arizona boys can't get enough of it.

Anyways, a little on the week over here in the DR.   We had a crazy one ourselves.  The power was out all week - so no washing machine and no fan.  We took our mattresses out on the porch to sleep but ended up sleeping on the tile floor because it was cooler.  It turns out that the light bill didn't get paid so we have been trying to work all that out.  Then today, the water got cut off (that happens all the time in this country), so today, we had to no electricity and no water - haha.  When we got back for the day, it was all back on - yay!

We have a baptismal goal/date!  There is a Haitian man named Emanuel who we have been visiting for some time and he was never a great investigator, but he would show up to church every once in a while. So, after a lot of talking it over with Elder Sunderhaus, we decided that the only thing to do was to give a baptismal goal to him and see if he would accept it.  If so, great - we would keep working with him.  Well, it turns out that he accepted the date of the 23rd of this month!  He was a little nervous about it, but I think it will all go well, and he came to church this last week - so I am really hoping that it will all work out!  President Antivilo will have to come out and do the baptismal interview, because there are no other missionaries in this mission allowed in our area.  Elder Sunderhaus and I and the President and that's all.  Not even the AP's or the zone leaders, so I hope that President will be able to make it out here by the 23rd, or it is even possible that he could do it over the telephone . . . so we'll see.

So although we had a great week putting down a baptismal date, we also had something tragic happen.  One of our investigators was murdered.  His name was Junior.  He was Haitian and he was just in town for a few months to visit his brother who lives over here.  on Saturday night he went down to the town of Veron - about a 20 minute walk from our house - to go visit a friend.  Somewhere between 9:30 and 10:00, a man from England who's wife had cheated on him, walked into the streets with a gun and started shooting everyone in sight, then himself . . . Junior just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and was killed.  I can't help but wonder about how he is right now . . . he was accepting the message well, but if he honestly had plans to visit us in church the next day, he probably would have been safe in his house.  I am just glad that my companion and I were being obedient and weren't out late.  That could have been the end of us as well....It is a sad experience, but it has really made me realize that the amazing act that Jesus Christ completed, takes away the sting of death.

We have interviews with the President this Thursday, which I am really excited for!  The church mission headquarters changed interviews with the President from every transfer, to every other transfer - so it has been a good 3 months since I have really been able to sit down and have a good talk with him.  I really wish that the missionaries had more opportunities to get closer to the president, but I will take what the church gives me. :)

That is about all that I have to say for this week, but take care and I will talk to you next week!

Love, Elder McBride

Spiritually Fed

Hey Mom!

Sorry about the pessimistic e-mail last week.  I really don't want to write those kinds of letters.  Oh well, leave the past behind you right?  I  have come to terms with the area and now I am just working my hardest to improve things any way I can.

You asked me if the families that I work with have more money than in my other areas.  The answer is there are really only two families that we are working with - and yes, they are a ton richer than pretty much any other place in the country.

In between sessions of conference, I ran a baptismal interview and had to fail someone for the first time - which was pretty disappointing. :(  He had some certain problems in his past and so now we have to wait until the mission president can come out and conduct another interview.  I just tried my best to reassure him that he still can get baptized if he has fully repented of his sins . . . and I really feel like he has, so I think he will get baptized in no time.

So conference was amazing wasn't it!  It seems to get better and better every time.  I am so jealous that Emily got to go to THREE sessions!!  Now that I have gotten my priorities straight on my mission, conference means so much more to me and I want to go watch it in person again sooo bad.  We went over to the neighboring city of Higuey to watch it with some of the missionaries there because we don't have a satellite here.  But, when we arrived, the missionaries were the only ones who had shown up to listen to the prophet!  With a little bit of time, some other people showed up, but it was a little bit disappointing.  We watched the first session in Spanish.  We can understand all of the translations, but there is so much more power in what they say when it is the voice of the actual speaker.  So, after that, we got a TV set up in English for the missionaries.  None of us were allowed to watch the priesthood session because it was too late and we were supposed to be in our houses before the time that it ended.  But, we did get to go to the Sunday sessions!  I know that I'm not a parent or anything, but that talk on parenting was soooo amazing!  It might have been my favorite talk of conference - if it wasn't the talk of President Eyring.  I was really impressed with how much they talked about putting our confidence in the Lord and having faith in Him.  Also, on how Satan leads us away by the neck with a flaxen cord until he binds us with his strong ones.  The first steps to becoming a disobedient missionary would be to get up 5 minutes late and would just evolve into becoming comfortable with more and more until it would make a missionary an ineffective servant of the Lord.  That to me, is why personal scripture study and prayer are so important.  To eliminate those little strings that Satan may have around us.  I just feel so much spiritual power after a general conference!  Just like I am invincible or something!  I am so grateful for the voice of a prophet who leads and guides us today.  If feels like he speaks specifically to me each time he bears testimony.

The rest of the week went pretty well.  Nothing too exciting or out of the ordinary, but I will keep you posted on the cool things that happen here in Bávaro!  I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love, Elder McBride

Hard Week

This is my cake a few days late!

Hey Momma!

I'm sorry my e-maiI's are kind of lacking in certain areas right now. I know how much you like to hear about the people I'm teaching and baptisms, and a little bit about their stories, but the truth is that I haven't written much about any of that stuff lately because nothing is happening. No matter how hard I work or how obedient I am, I haven't really seen any success or people progressing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ...I wish it were otherwise, and I wish I had cool stories to tell - but most of the day is spent sweating in the hot sun, knocking on doors, which get slammed in our faces a few seconds later. I had never had a door slammed in my face in the whole year I have been in the DR. That is the reason for not talking about people too recently. Alvin, the one I was talking about before, just kind of disappeared off the face of the earth, and we haven't been able to establish any kind of contact with him.
  
All of this stuff may seem kind of bad to you - but if anything, it has helped me a ton personally. When I am having a ton of success baptizing a person a week, I don't really have to concentrate on what I am doing wrong - because everything seems to be going great! Out here, I have had to question myself a million times wondering if I am the kind of missionary that I am supposed to be, and put myself through the refiner's fire to make sure that I am. I haven't seen much success lately, but I am comforted in knowing that I am doing all that I know how to do. I have learned to rely more on the Lord our here in Bávaro and serve with all of my heart, might, mind, and strength. I don't need to see cool miracles or have 100 baptisms to feel good, because I know that you guys and my Savior are proud of me if I am giving all that I am.
  
When the president called me a few weeks ago, he told me to work just in the area right around the church - to support the decision of the stake president in putting the branch here. So, I haven't been able to get to know the members as well as I would have like to. We have one member in our neighborhood, and the next closest is about a 30 minute bus ride away...One of the members in the new branch presidency is doing really well, and has come to church both times that we have had it. The other two haven't really been coming, but all we really need is one, right? there is one cool family, headed by an RM, who has come to church two weeks in a row! He was a branch president in the Capitol, and then fell away our here. We will try our best to get him reactivated again because he knows a ton about the scriptures and stuff, which is something that we really need out here.
  
So I opened the 1 year mark package a day earlier than I was supposed to because I found an ant trail leading into it, so I cleaned it out and taped it back up and . . . waited! Everything seems to be find though - thank you for everything! I also just got a package from Emiy today filled with goodies and a yoga book - which I am way pumped for! Still waiting on the Chelsea package ...
  
Well, I need to e-mail the boys back and finish up, but I hope you all enjoy general conference this weekend!

Love, Elder McBride

WHAT? - HALF DONE ALREADY!

Dear Family!
  
Sorry that the e-mail is coming a little bit late today.  We headed over to La Romana last night and are just getting back now because we had Zone unity stuff to start out the transfer - including a soccer game in which I scored the winning goal!
  
Thank you so much for all of the birthday stuff!  It was an awesome birthday even though I was so far away from everyone.  Mom, I got my birthday package and my half-way package when I went to the Capitol to pick up Elder Sunderhaus - so don't worry.  I didn't get the one from Chelsea though . . . sorry Chels.  The birthday package was so full of good stuff that I didn't even know what to do!  I especially appreciated the kit to make animal balloons!  I never would have even thought of asking for those, but they make the best little gifts for the little kids on the streets!  I am going to start doing that for the little member kids in the branch and I will be sure to send home pictures.  Elder Sunderhaus and I did end up going to Tony Romas for my birthday and WOW . . . it was amazing. :)  I had a blue cheese bacon burger and he got the half-rack of ribs - and we switched part way through to try the other's meal.  We also had onion rings and they brought out a big free ice cream brownie at the end for my b-day!  After all of that excitement it was a normal day of work, but it was a good time.  :)

 Elder Sunderhaus

My Bacon Blue Cheeseburger!

So this past week has been awesome with Elder Sunderhaus!  We get along great already and our only major problem is that we talk way too long into the night about all of the people we have in common and things like that.  He was way pumped when he found out that Trevor is going to Nicaragua and that Rob is going to Mexico.  They should all do great and we can all speak Spanish when we go home!  We are working super hard and being really obedient and clean.  Finally . . . a clean companion!  As a missionary, you find out a lot of things about yourself and I have realized that I am a pretty clean guy.  Unfortunately, most of my companions haven't been - and I refuse to clean up after them.  I even watched ants form an ant hill on a dirty plate of Elder _____________'s one time.  Gross Right?  Anyways, Elder Sunderhaus and I gave the house a good deep clean and we plan on keeping it that way!  We also decided to mess around with the hot water heater and it works now!  I can't express how wonderful a hot shower feels - even if it is really hot outside.  There is just something about it. :)
  
So when I went to transfers on Tuesday, I got to say hi to Elder Despain again!  He is doing great and was super excited to get started!  He said, "I feel like my entire life has just been building up to this moment", and he kind of looked amazingly filled with joy.   I took him one of my favorite ties and gave it to him to get him started on his missionary collection.  He will probably have a million more in no time, but I was the first!  His trainer is Elder Blake and he is downtown in the Capitol in the Santo Domingo Zone/Stake. - somewhere I have never been . . . I think I am doomed to stay far away from everyone for my whole mission.  I don't really know Elder Blake very well.  He is in Elder Campbell's (my old companion) group - so he has been out about 15 months now.  The only interaction I have really had with him has been kicking a soccer ball in his face as he was playing goalie a few months ago.  From that act of bravery and dedication, I am sure that he is the kind of missionary that gives 100%!  But, always remember, the trainer doesn't make the missionary.
  
You asked how we got to spend time at that resort on our P-Day.  There is a semi-active member in our ward who is from Venezuela.  He is the Number 2 guy at the hotel and resorts RIU in the Dominican Republic.  He hooked us up with an all-access day pass and let us roam around free for the day!  It was soooooooo beautiful!  If you do come here, I would highly, highly recommend it.  We ate a ton of amazing food and played some sand court volleyball (don't worry - not on the beach) and just enjoyed the luxury and all that.  Probably the best P-Day in the history of all missionaries ever!  (It's amazing how different the circumstances are in the different areas Taylor has been in.  In Monte Plata, his first area, it was in the jungle and I felt like he was in the middle of Africa.  Now, look at him now in Punta Cana.  What a difference!)
     
The Stake President came last week and talked with me and asked for recommendations for new leadership in the Branch and he amazingly took my advice.  The Branch President is the same, but he put in two new counselors and a secretary who came a few amount of times.  I think that with their new responsibilities that they will step up their behavior and be the leaders we need.  I hope . . .  President Antivilo just wanted me to focus all of my time and talents on the missionary work because doing the stuff that I was doing was cutting into all of my proselyting time and just not stuff a missionary should have to worry about.  So, I am EXCITED!
  
That is way cool about Cole's mission call - and Brandee and Mason getting married, and all of the other stuff that is going on back at home!  Sorry that I don't have a lot of time to comment on it, but just know that I am paying attention!  I love you all so much!

Elder McBride

Just wanted to post some pics to contrast all 3 areas

Looking out the window in Monté Plata

Outside in Valienté

Taylor's Church/Home in Bávaro

Re: Happy 20th Birthday!

Dear Mom,
  
Thank you so much for the birthday wishes!  I haven't received those packages yet, but I might get them tomorrow at transfers!  I don't have a whole lot of time because we got to chill at the RIU resort today and eat at the buffet all day and do all of the cool activities that they offer that don't have the water.  It was sooooooo fun! - but I will talk a little more about it and send pics when I have time.

  
Transfer calls came last night . . . and I am staying here still to help the branch out!  The stake presidency visited us and called some counselors to help out the branch.  They are less-actives, but hopefully at least one of them will show up every Sunday.  I am getting sent Elder Sunderhaus - my friend from Red Mountain High School, so I am really, really excited!  He is a great elder and we are sure to work real hard together.  I should be going to the Capitol tomorrow to pick him up and escort him out here.  Hopefully I will be able to see Elder Despain and be able to know who his trainer is and stuff.  I am sure that he will get a good one.  I know some really good elders who are training this transfer. haha.
  
I am trying to reactivate a less-active in my branch who is a baptism of Elder Fuentes.  He told everyone out here that his family owns half of Arizona I guess . . . :) anyways, that is cool that you were able to chat about the mission with him a little bit.
  
Tell Dad happy birthday again for me!  I hope it goes well over there and I have plans myself to take a little bit of money out of the home account so that I can buy some Tony Romas for my b-day!  Yuuuum:)  Well, sorry that all my time got wasted at the hotel today.  I will make sure to write an extra super long e-mail this next week to make up for all of that.
  
I love you so much and tell everyone I said hi!  Oh, and I sent Sister Montgomery a letter pretty recently, so I hope that she gets that soon!  I got a shout-out from Elder McDermott last week!  One of the senior missionary couples in my mission has a grandson who is in the same mission as Brock and my name got mentioned.  He said to say hi to me.  Crazy small world right?!

Love, Elder McBride

Happy Birthday Daddio!

Dear Family,
  
First I will tackle the questions and comments:  1)That is coolio that Sister Despain read my blog about seeing Jeff.  I bet he is gettin' super pumped to come out into the field next week! 2) We were only in Santo Domingo for one day. We took a bus and headed straight back.  I saw Sister Antivilo this Sunday at stake conference and it was good to see her.  3) No, no apostles have come lately. 4) I stayed the night with the zone leaders.  One is from Managua, Nicaragua - which is where Trevor is going, right?  5) The president of my branch that is so sick is President Rafael Rodriguez and he has been president since a year ago when the branch opened.  6) No, I can't have a bike since my area is so big.  Bikes here get stolen or broken too easily so there aren't any in the entire mission.  7) You should tell Cassie to send me one of her wedding invitations!  Tell her and Jeremy hi for me and congratulations :)
  
So this past week was quite the week.  We were super busy the entire time, but hardly got any proselyting done at all!  It turns out that the old secretary of the branch was paying the power bills with undeposited tithing money, so I had to work with the stake to fix all of that up.  The electricity in the house went out - so I have had to try to get someone to fix that and it still isn't finished.  I had to find transportation for the members to use to get to stake conference and still try to find the time to teach people.
  
For all of those reasons and others, President Antivilo called me last night really late and we had a long discussion about the area.  He doesn't want me to have to deal with all of this stuff.  He doesn't like the situation he put me in at all.  He said that I am one of his hard working, high baptizing missionaries and he wants to put me somewhere I can be more effective.  He wants me to be a full-time missionary - and he doesn't know if this branch is stable enough to have missionaries . . . He made sure to tell me a thousand times that none of this is my fault, but he is going to have to really decide if this is an area that can progress anywhere in the next little while.  He told me that he put missionaries here because the stake president begged him to, but that he didn't really know the situation that well until he came to the La Romana Stake Conference this past week-end and talked a lot with the stake president.  So . . . where I was once sure that I was going to stay over here and be able to try to help the branch - now I just don't know.  It is kind of a toss up decision.  I would be pretty embarrassed if my area got shut down, but I know that none of the blame is really mine.  He just wants missionaries to work in a place where they can concentrate on the work and where there is priesthood leadership and support.  I want to try and turn this place around.  I will keep working my hardest and it will be hard to have to leave here after how badly I want to help fix it - but I will do whatever the president wants.  I guess we'll see what will go down next week in transfer calls.
  
Well the week was good besides that I guess.  Elder Martinez - a Puerto Rican Seventy came and spoke to us which was pretty cool.  It was kind of a cross between a stand up comedy session and an edifying talk.  Church leaders like that just inspire me!  Every time I hear someone like that, I just want to be exactly like them and it really just pumps me up.  President Antivilo spoke as well, and it is amazing how comfortable he looks and speaks in front of so many people.  I have seen that a few times now and it really impresses me.  I wouldn't be surprised if he goes pretty far in church leadership by the end of his life.
  
Today we went to Manatee Park finally!  Wooohooo!  It was actually really cool!  They had a bunch of shows like a dolphin, parrot, native and horse show.  They were all pretty good, even though they don't quite compare to Sea World exactly - but I wasn't expecting it to be like that either.  Another part that was really cool was the variety of people that were there.  We met people from England, Cananda, Poland, Russia, Brazil and pretty much every where else in the world.  I am pretty sure that I was the only American over there.
  
Sorry I had to draw out a little more money.  My watch broke so I had to go buy a new one, and I also took a little more out to support myself with.  It is like we are trying to live in America on a Dominican salary in this area.  I have talked with some people high up about it and they refund our traveling - but it doesn't help that much.
  
Well, that is pretty much it for right now.  Take care and make sure you make dad's birthday good!  Happy birthday dad - I already sent a letter a few weeks ago - so hopefully it will come in time.  If not, I'm sorry :)

Me by a HUGE iguana!

A huge motorcycle downtown

The dolphin show at the Manatee Park

Our house/church building

The downstairs of our house where we hold our meetings.

Happy September :D

Dear Everyone,

Hey, the temple was great today!  It was really the spiritual re-charge that I had been needing.  I love the peace that is there and the silence almost hurts my ears because of the noise that I am so accustomed to.  After we walked out of the temple, we met some missionaries that still are in the CCM.  I asked one of them if he knew an Elder Despain.  He said that Elder Despain was his district leader, so I asked him to go get him for me.  Right about then, our bus to leave started to take off.  I haggled an extra two minutes and right then he came running up and we got to talk for a few minutes!  It was kind of weird to see him to be honest - but way cool as well!  He had that excited, pumped up, new missionary kind of feel that is kind of like a breath of fresh air.  He already knew a little about my area, so we talked a little about that.  He asked me a few questions, and then we had to take off - but it was really fun while it lasted!  I didn't get to test out his Spanish or anything like I wanted to, but he seems to be doing really well.  How cool would it be if I could train him this next transfer?  It is a decent sized group, so chances are that I might train - so we'll see I guess.

     
So, apart from the temple, the week has been pretty crazy.  It turns out that our now in-active secretary was paying the bills for the house with the tithing money, so that brought out some pretty huge problems.  I had phone calls and a visit from the church offices in the Capitol so we could try to patch things up.  Turns out that things are so much better when you just do them right the first time... with all of that, the temple, missionary meetings, and stake conference, we almost don't even have time to proselyte - which is pretty disappointing.  I know that I shouldn't feel bad because it is all necessary stuff - but I don't really like it.  Especially when we have a zone meeting or have to go to the Capitol and have to spend the night at other missionaries houses. Sleep-overs just don't seem quite as fun when bed time is at 10:30!

     
So about the hurricane.  It was coming over to us supposedly, so we got a warning call from the zone leaders and they told us to make a quick 72 hour kit and take it easy in the house if anything got too bad.  The hurricane didn't really hit us too hard over here - we kind of got a little bit of the outside I guess.  Super hard winds, black skies, and tooooooons of rain - but nothing too bad.  Luckily where I am now, we have paved roads and a drainage system, so there weren't really any major problems.  Kind of a close call though I guess.

     
So about the church being new here.  Yes, it wasn't here before.  A few months ago, it was only available in a city about an hour from where we live.  I got an e-mail from Jordan Williams today!  First time I have talked to him since the MTC which was pretty awesome!  Tell Nana Happy Birthday and I am going to write her a personalized real letter, even though it will be a little belated.

     
Yeah, this place is really expensive . . . I am trying to live well, but sorry if I take out more money than usual.  Thanks for everything and I will talk to you next week!

Love, Elder McBride

A picture I found from around Easter time when the Dickerson's were there

Wendy's!!!

Hey Family,
  
This has been a pretty good week I guess.  Nothing too exciting happened, but it was a good time!  Our proselyting area is really, really huge, so this past week, we spent a decent amount of time exploring it.  It actually ended up being really fun, and we found a whole bunch of cool stuff!  Bávaro is a huge tourist area and so tons of Dominicans move over here to find jobs in the hotels.  Because there wasn't a church within a good two hours of here before, there were a lot of members who went inactive.  While exploring, we get approached by inactive members all day - wanting to go back to church, which is really cool!  We had a couple that showed up to church, but the house is in a weird place in a guarded neighborhood, so it is not easily accessed . . . but I think we have enough inactives over here to fill up the chapel 100 times over.  So, we will continue trying to help spread the word that the church is here now.
  
Another highlight of the exploring is that we found two awesome shopping/totally American malls that have some great stuff!  So different than where I have served so far.  One of them has a Hard Rock Cafe (which we can't go to) and a Tony Roma's, and the other one has a . . . Wendy's!!!  There are only 2 Wendy's in the country, and the other is in the West mission.  Nobody knew before, that there was a Wendy's here, but now we know exactly where it is and we can enjoy Frosties whenever we are in that part of the area :)!
  
Alvin came to church again this week which was really cool!  He lives kind of far away in this little beach town, so we were only able to go over there to teach him once this week - but the lesson went really well.  He smokes and I am pretty sure that if he smokes, he drinks as well - but those things won't really be a big problem to take care of if he really has faith.  His cousin, the inactive Ward Mission Leader took him to church on his motorcycle and stayed for one of the classes (which was an awesome improvement), but had to take off before Sacrament Meeting to get to work.  So, we will see if we can convince him to stay for the important part next time.
  
 I am kind of getting used to directing and presiding in the meetings.  At first, I was pretty weirded out to be honest, but now, it doesn't really phase me and I am starting to get kind of good at making up on the spot talks when there is extra time to fill :).  Although it is pretty tough, I can tell that this is helping me for my future church service.  A blessing in disguise, I guess.
  
You asked what I meant when I said that the area was too tempting and so other missionaries can't come and visit or anything.  What I meant was is just kind of everything:  pool, beach, girls, clubs, hotels, blowing all of your money, and pretty much all of that jazz.  You also asked why we can't eat at member's homes, and it is because that the president has a rule that we can't because he thinks it is a waste of time.
  
Thanks for the money you sent.  We weren't able to go today to the Manatee park, but we still have the plans to do it.  This area is super expensive and we don't receive any extra money, so I might need a little extra financial support while I am out here.  Yes, we can to to Tony Romas!  I was thinking of trying to do it for my birthday, but that will be a lot of money - so I understand if it isn't plausible.  Sorry, I forgot to get the pic of our house. Take care and I love all of you!

Love, Elder McBride

Cool missionary birthday presents:  Zebra pens, Ties from Pomeroy's (this area is rich and sometimes I feel a little trashy with my 5th gen. missionary ties), Perfect Push-ups, a Yoga book (so I can learn some things), shirts, food, etc.

Me and Elder Timmreck in front of the ward mission leaders house on a fishing dock

Our Tile Ping Pong Court

More from Bávaro

Dear Family,
    
First, to answer questions:
  
 Q:  Did the President call you and set you apart before you left?  I understand that the branch pres. informally gave you more duties, but you were already called and set apart - right?  And also, is your companion 2nd counselor - and if he is not - then what does he do while you do all of your duties?
 A:  Since I am already called and ordained as a missionary, I didn't need to be set apart again to be the first counselor.  I simply act as the first counselor and take all of the duties.  My companion is the president of the Elder's Quorum - so I am the only counselor.
    
Q:  Can you explain a little more about your house and maybe send a pic of it?  Dad thought that one of the pics you sent was your house and I thought it was just a pic that you sent of a fancy house.  What is it like to have church there?  I can't even imagine the situation.  Can you describe it to me.
A:  No, I didn't send a pic of our house yet.  But I will be sure to do that this upcoming week, sorry.  Our house is two stories.  The main part of the church, like the sacrament room is downstairs and it is honestly really nice and works well for us.  Then, upstairs is the bishop's office, our bedroom, and the main room connected with the kitchen that we use for the elder's quorum and the investigator class.  We live in that room for the week, and then when Sunday comes around, we just cram everything into the bedroom.  Oh, also we have a swimming pool on the roof to use for baptisms! - which is pretty cool I guess . . . except that we can't really us it . . . but oh well!:)
    
Q:  Since the president told you he was gonna send you to the islands and then didn't - were you disappointed? Did you know any of the missionaries that got sent there?
A: Umm.  I wasn't too bummed to not go to the islands because I am a people person and like to hang out with other missionaries.  But, I would have liked air conditioning and a car for sure like they have over there.  I am kind of in another country here though.  My area and my house is COMPLETELY off limits to other missionaries in the mission.  P-Days and everything.  Nobody can visit us because it is to temptaciolicious :)  Yes, Elder Carrols from Mesa High in my first district got sent over there to Aruba.
  
Q:  Does the new calling cut into your missionary work a lot? You said you have a huge area.  How do you get back and forth to all the places that you have to go?
A:  No, so far the new calling hasn't cut too much into the missionary work.  It takes a some time, but not too much.  I usually just do lunch really fast so I can take care of those kinds of things.  Our area is ginormous - so we either use the help of the members with cars or motorcycles, or we hitch hike.  I know that sounds a little sketchy, but it is a completely normal way of transportation here.  Everyone is really nice in that regard.
    
So this week was pretty good as far as the work in Bávaro goes.  There were really no progressing investigators at all when I came in, so we have been working a ton with the members to try to get references - which has been working really well.  We had 2 people at church, which normally for my past numbers would be pretty bad.  But here, I was satisfied with it.  One of the investigators is a way cool guy named Alvin.  He is probably like 23 years old, and he just moved into the small beach town of Cabeza del Toro with his cousin.  His cousin is actually our in-active ward mission leader . . . hopefully we will be able to hit two birds with one stone by baptizing him and re-activating his cuz - but, we are still in the pretty early stages to be able to tell.  OH!!  And two families that I found in my last area are getting married and baptized in these next few weeks, which is really cool!
    
My companion and I are getting along really well so far.  We are working really hard, and playing really hard as well!  Elder Timmreck is a pretty big ping pong enthusiast like I am.  One of his friends sent him out a net and paddles to play with.  We got kind of inventive because we don't really have a table to use.  We set it up on the ground and we call it "tile tennis" and it is super fun!  It is kind of a cross between ping pong and real tennis, I guess.  We line the floor with our abundance of church chairs and our jump ropes and get really into it!  We also have a community basketball court a few streets from our house.  We bought a basketball and have been playing every morning, which has been really good for my out of shape self!
    
That is really cool to hear that everyone is pretty much all just about on their missions!  Tell Trevor I'm excited for him and to hold on a little bit longer!  It's hard to have to wait so long.  I have really seen the blessings out here.  Maybe I am not the oldest or wisest, but that doesn't matter.  Do you know when Jake McGlothin reports to the MTC?
    
Umm, the boots aren't really necessary anymore and the odds that I will get sent to an area without paved roads again are pretty slim, because there are only a handful in the mission.  I would love one or two more white shirts and I will make a list this next week of cool birthday wishes!
    
Well, I better start on my letter to President Antivillo.  I love you all and will talk to you later!

Love, Elder McBride

p.s.  Grandpa's missionary letters?  Cool! It would be awesome if you cold send me some copies or something for my birthday :)    

Crazy Week in Bávaro!

Dear Family,
    
It has been a crazy, but awesome week here in Bávaro!  Wow.  I am not even really sure where to start first.  My companion I guess . . . Elder Timmreck is a straight up awesome missionary!  He is full-blooded Columbian, but is totally American.  He lived in Columbia until he was about 9, and then his mom left his inactive dad and went to Utah.  There she met some guy and they moved to Alaska for the military.  So, he lived most of his life in Fairbanks, Alaska.  He only went to the MTC for three weeks, then straight out to the field - so his spanish is really good, but not perfect.  Our spanish is probably close to the same, but his accent is a little bit better.  He has two transfers now, but with only one companion and one area, so he has a lot to learn, but he has a great desire to work hard and we are doing it!
    
So, the Branch is pretty interesting I guess.  The meeting place is a house that we the missionaries actually live in!  The only one like that in the mission - so I guess that is kind of cool, but our personal space kind of gets invaded.  I can't complain too much about that because it is a super nice place.  The Branch President has throat cancer really bad and can barely even speak - let alone leave the house.  He actually hasn't even been able to come to church for a few months, so his job is all left up to the First Counselor in the Branch Presidency . . . Me . . . A few days ago we visited him in his home and he informally gave me the Branch.  He told me of my responsibilities, what I need to do, and told me that the Branch is now in my hands.  Now I do tithing, I preside and direct the meetings, assign the talks and take care of pretty much everyone in the Branch because there really isn't anyone else to do it.  There are about 25 active members in the Branch, and everyone lives far away.  We cover Veron, Punta Cana, Bávaro, Friusa, and pretty much every other place in the province of Altagracia - except for the city of Higuey.  Higuey is the where the only other missionaries are.  Actually my old companion Elder Rich is there.  We kind of share the responsibilities of District Leader and interview each others baptisms.  Basically . . . a lot of changes!
    
So, like I said, the area is really big and the members are very spread out.  Because the area is like that, the missionary before me NEVER used the members, ever.  That is kind of my strong point, and I was stressing out the first part of the week because I didn't know how I was going to work.  But I decided that it didn't matter - that we were going to visit EVERY member in their home and the Lord has blessed us beyond what I could have ever imagined.  The members have given like 10 references in the 6 days that I have been here.  They only received about 5 in the past 3 months.  I KNOW that the Lord has been preparing people in this area.  Everyone may tell me that this is not a baptizing area, but the Lord doesn't make exceptions.  If I work my absolute hardest and smartest here, I will see at least 6 baptisms here, because that is the inspiration that Elder Vínas from the 70 received for the WHOLE mission . . . not just the good baptizing areas.  Now . . . we just have to see if we can pull of the miracle.
    
The area is ridiculously rich.  Money everywhere, resorts, beaches, Burger Kings, - power 24/7 :) , and all the bells and whistles.  During transfers, President Antivillo pulled me aside and told me that he had 5 people picked out to go to the islands, and I was one of them.  But, at the last minute, he decided to put me in Bávaro.  He said this place is twice as hard as the islands due to the branch responsibilities and the amount of land to cover without a car.  I still am not quite sure why the Lord sent me out here.  It is a little overwhelming, but I trust Him.
    
I also have to write President Antivillo a fatty e-mail about what is going here.  Take care and have a good week!


Love, Elder McBride

Brito & Raquel's family (Raquel was working)

A huge moth that tried to eat us!

Sweet Water Park in Punta Cana

Crazy nice house

Big Changes . . .

Dear Family,
    
Yes, Matt emailed me and told me about some changes of his.  He seems to be having a great time and I can't believe that he has already hit a year!  It's crazy talk!  Time has flown by, but it also kind of seems like a long time since I have been home...
    
So, transfer calls came this morning!  The new call Bávaro (sp?)  It's the tropical paradise on the East tip of the island...full of white sand beaches, sparkling waters and enchanting views.  Lounge under the shade of a stunning palm, while sipping on your ice cold pína colada...jk - But really, I am going to Bávaro - the furtherest possible area on the entire island.  It is near Punta Cana.  My new companion is pretty brand spanking new with just 6 weeks in the field I believe.  American.  Oh, and we will be the only missionaries in the whole city.  The area only has been open for a few weeks, so I will almost be starting from scratch.  I am kind of overwhelmed, and not quite sure what to think...the reason everyone thought I was going to the islands is because in my interview, president said, "Elder McBride, we need more elders like you.  elders that I can trust and send far away and know that they are doing a good job", and other things like that.  The area I heard, is about 6 hours bus ride from the Capitol, so I guess I won't be seeing any other missionaries for a while.  I have only really heard rumors of the place though, because it is so new.  It is supposed to be a super rich, vacation destination for a lot of people.  I have met quite a few Dominicans who travel in to work in the resorts, but can't afford to live there.  This place is going to be so much different than the mission I have known so far that I don't really know what to expect.  It is supposed to be super expensive, and I don't thank that I will be getting a money increase.  So, I will have to learn how to live a little more providently.  It looks like I am destined to serve in the Santo Domingo Mission and never serve in Santo Domingo.  This should be quite the transfer.
    
Yes, I am sad to leave Valiente because I have really come to love this place, but the excitement of tackling this new assignment, almost alone - kind of overwhelms and overshadows that a little bit.  I probably won't see near as many baptisms there as I have seen here, so that will be a little disappointing too, but I'll live.  I have seen more than my fair share so far.
    
Sorry, I am going to cut this e-mail here.  The computers are super slow today and I still need to write the e-mail to the home ward...but I will be sure to give a good description of the area next week!  Take care.

Elder McBride

Disappointment

 Hi Everyone!  
    
Wow, Mom & Dad - it sounds like you had a pretty crazy week!  Sedona, Girls Camp, St. Johns, and a rodeo!  That sounds super fun though.  I would die to go to a rodeo and eat Mexican food - it sounds amazing!  I'm glad you enjoyed it.  Why didn't Alex go?  By the way - that photo that you sent me of him and Fonze in the ocean, he look EXACTLY like me.  When I carry around pics of the family without me in them, everyone thinks that I am him in the photo.  If I showed them the ocean photo, there is NO way I could convince them that it's not me in it.
    
Thanks for looking for boots!  To tell you the truth - yes, the ones you found and sent a picture of don't really fit the missionary standards - sorry - they need to be a little more classy...but you should check Pomeroys!  I saw some cool ones when I went, and I would trust them that they would fit with the missionary standards as well.
    
Mom, it was really cool to hear about your class reunion!  I am glad that you decided to go!  How many people were in your graduating class?
    
So this week has been all right, but disappointing.  The family that we were counting on for this transfer kind of fell.  Luchi and Duarte had a date to get married and everything - but the dad decided that he wanted to get out of debt first before he will get married.  Yes, it is a good intention, but it should be a few months before he can raise the money - and by then,  from my experience as a missionary, they will have lost all of the excitement and desire to get baptized.  They have to get baptized while they are still fresh, or else it doesn't happen.  Not to mention that they are procrastinating the day of their repentance.  He has to take a step back and look about the bigger sin he is committing here, but he is set on it, just doesn't really understand.  Hopefully they will stay strong coming to church and things.  I am praying for them...but it isn't looking too good.
    
Besides them, all is going pretty smoothly.  We are still working hard and all of that good stuff.  It rained super hard one day, but the storm that they talked about didn't seem to come - which was nice.  Well, I gotta go, but take care everyone!

Love, Elder McBride

Happy Family Birthday!!!

Dear Family,
  
 Happy Anniversary!  Woohoo!  Next year will be 25 - which is a special one right?  Silver or something?  So, I am going to start out by trying to answer a few of your questions:  (I have been waiting for some of these answers for weeks!)
     - What families have you gotten closest to living in Valiente?  The family that I have gotten closest to is Brito and Raquel Encarnation - whose son I baptized this transfer.
     - Did the power ever come back on and have you had more troubles with it?  Yes, the power finally came back on.
     - Are you still living with the zone leaders since you got kicked out and will they keep you there?  President Antivillo might close down the zone leader area next transfer - so yes - we are staying in this house forever.
     - You said that Elder Whiting is one of your best friends there.  How did you get to know him?  Elder Whiting is from Texas and was in my district in the MTC and we became friends there and just stayed friends here.  Sometimes we call each other and e-mail as well.
     - Are you and Elder Valdez getting along well?  Elder Valdez and I are still getting along great!  We are good friends and working hard.
     - Do you ever see Mandy Andre's friend Elder Clayton?  Didn't you get to know him in the MTC?  Elder Clayton works in the mission office, so yes, I do get to see him every time that I go to the capitol for a meeting or something of the sort.
     - Are you dealing okay with the heat and humidity?  Yes - I am dealing well with the heat.  Sorry I complain about it on my e-mail time.  It's just that sometimes I feel like I need to get it out or something . . .
     - What friends do you still keep in touch with and hear from?  I haven't been in touch with Jordan or Joey because I don't know how - and I don't really have a way to find out . . . Yes I still talk to Ashley, Greg, Matt and Chelsea.  Chelsea actually wrote me a huge letter and told me that she is sending a package which would be pretty cool! :)
    
I think I answered most of the questions.  So this week has been a pretty normal week.  Nothing really out of the ordinary besides interviews with the president which is always fun!  Sometimes in interviews, President Antivillo gives hints as to where the missionaries might go - so everyone starts to guess what is gonna happen next transfer and the rumors get spread around and stuff.  Kinda cracks me up because this transfer, the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Corazao open up - and everyone in the zone is guessing that I will get sent out there . . . but I think they are all reading into nothing.  That is cool that you wrote to Jake McGlothin.  Just tell me if he has any questions that you don't know the answer to.
    
Well, I can't think of anything else to say, not to mention it kind of took a lot of time to answer all of those questions!:)  So, I am going to wrap it up - but don't worry!  Next week should be full of exciting things like baptisms and a marriage!  I love you all and take care.

Love, Elder McBride

Package & Bandits

Hey Family!
  
Sorry, I have to keep this a little shorter than usual because we had to wait a while to use the internet and P-Day ends in about 20 minutes.  So, I have to make it kind of snappy.
  
I got your package! Thank you so much!  It was filled with awesome food, but the favorite is probably the new white shirts.  They are so white!!!  I also received a package form Sister Pond and her Primary class which included Ryan!  I will start on a thank you letter pretty soon for her.  Oh, ps for the next package . . . when we wash our clothes, we have to hang them up outside to dry.  It seems that we have some robbers, because everyone's garment tops have gone missing.  I lost 4 before we realized what was happening.  We strung line all around the bedroom when we clued in - but now I have to wash a lot.  So, if you could put some in with the next package that would be cool.
    
So this past week went pretty well.  I kind of figured out the weather cycle here which goes a little something like this:  First the days get hotter and hotter until it is almost unbearable - then we get about 2 or 3 days of rain and it cools off again - then another 3 or 4 days of extreme heat and it goes a little like that.  We are currently in a rain phase which is always nice.  Yes, boots would be pretty awesome here.  Not huge or anything, but up the ankle line.  My companion has some and I am way jealous.  I looked for some in a market, but they don't sell shoes my size in this country . . .
    
So I know Elder Hunter!  One of my best friends on the mission named Elder Whiting was with him for 2 transfers.  I just talked about Arizona with Elder Hunter like 4 days ago!  I am going to have to tell him that we have a connection of people in the ward as well.  (He is Nick Hunter's brother right?)  Speaking of Arizona - it looks like we are going to take over this mission!  There are 2 here from Red Mountain High School, one from Val Vista Stake, one from Peoria and 2 more I think.  Plus, Elder DeSpain is coming as well as Elder McGlothin (NOBODY will be able to say that name!  Maybe we will have 2 Elder Macs in the mission)!  But ya, that all makes me proud.
    
Today we went downtown to play games with President Antivillo for P-Day which was way cool - but the best part, was that we got the papers for one of our families!!!!!  Woohooooo!  Luchi and Duarte.  He just recently found a job, so they should have the money to get married pretty soon and also, the branch president said that he was willing to help them out with it as well.  So, they should get married this upcoming week and then baptized the week after - if all goes according to plan.  Just to keep in mind, this is all the family of Christian.  Remember the boy we baptized about 3 months ago?  Thanks to his faithfulness, his family is coming around too!
    
Hey, that is all for this week, but have a good one and we'll talk soon :)

Love, Elder McBride

From Wet to Hot . . .

Dear Family & Friends,
  
I am glad to hear that the vacation to California is good!  I am really missing that right about now - but it's alright.  The other american in my house and I celebrated the 4th of July by drinking a big coca cola and eating Lay's potato chips.  We didn't really have the time or the means to do anything better, but hey, those are both American products right?!
  
So some of you might remember my letter last week about the ridiculous amounts of water that fell - and we only saw the sun one or two times during that whole week.  Well, this week has been the complete opposite!  The sun has been ridiculously hot and is drying up everything that is wet, making the humidity skyrocket.  The sun doesn't really bother me too much because I am kind of used to that being from Arizona and all.  But, the worst part is that they took power away from the town for the last THREE days, which has just been too much . . . the house that we live in is concrete blocks with paint on it, so it heats up like an oven in the sun.  And then when night comes it gets completely impossible to sleep.  When there is a fan, we can use that to cool down, but when they take away the power, it really isn't an option.  So it has been about 3 days now with only about an hour of sleep each night. :(  We just kind of lay there in our sweat until we can't take it anymore - and then we talk.  I had no idea that a night could EVER be so miserable.  The rumor around town that we have been hearing is that the electricity should come back after three days of being gone - so I hope this problem can resolve itself soon.
  
Well, other than that, the missionary work has been going pretty decent.  We have kind of been wandering the streets like zombies lately, but in church yesterday, we had two separate families in church, which is almost unheard of - so that was pretty sweet.  One family was Louisa and Frank, who I believe I have mentioned before.  There was also Luchi and Duarte, the parents of Christian (one of my baptisms my first transfer in Valiente.  We have sent their ID's to the mission office to find their birth certificates.  When we get those, we should have a few marriages soon!
  
That is way cool that Jake McGlothin is coming to this mission!  He should be way pumped to come here - does he know that I am here?  Emily told me that a girl named Marci Wright from Highland is coming too for a few months - so that will make 4 of us just from Highland!  Has Jeff reported yet and did you give him all the info?
  
I am going to keep this e-mail a little short so I can send some pictures, but have a good week!


Love, Elder McBride

standing by a sign that says "don't throw garbage"!

Ayendi and Brito and Ayendi's baptism (also me and Elder Valdez)

Diana (the Haitian) at her baptism

Me outside soaked to the bone in about a foot of water

A typical street here in Valiente

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Dear Family,
    
Wow, a pretty crazy week this week - well at least for somebody from Arizona!  It rained for 7 days STRAIGHT this past week and today is the first time I have seen the sun since then - and of course, I got sunburned . . .!  I finally really understand what rainy season means now.  Here, there are things called Baguadas, which are somewhere in between a rainstorm and a hurricane and we had TWO this week, which both lasted for a couple of days.  If you all remember, I have said before, that Valiente doesn't have paved roads which has turned out to be a little bit of a problem now . . . all of the streets have flooded, and we have been proselyting in SHIN DEEP water for the past little while.  But, that isn't necessarily the worst part.  We always leave, even if it is storming, but we don't like to use umbrellas because here, that either means that you are gay - or that you are Jehovah's Witness - the both of which I am not :).  So, we just kind of weather the weather like men and slop through the mud like REAL men, haha!  We even have to wrap our scriptures in like 5 plastic bags so they don't get wet.
    
One of the funny things about Dominicans is that they are all afraid of the rain.  They all think it brings diseases or something - that if it touches your head, you will get sick.  So, normally they don't leave the house if it is raining.  But, if they have to, they wrap plastic bags around their heads - just in case - and if they get wet, well then they have to change their clothes asap and take a shower to rinse off.  Funny thing is that the water for their showers is . . . rain water!!!  When it rains a lot here, the government shuts off all of the water all together and makes the people catch it in buckets and things.  Luckily, the house of the zone leaders where we are living, there is something called a Sisterna, which is pretty much just a big hole in the ground - so . . . we don't have to worry too much about rain gathering.
    
So on to the missionary work part!  We had another baptism this week!  His name is Ayendi, he is 12, and the son of one of the strongest members in the branch, named Brito.  Ayendi was living in the North part of the island, but his mom moved to Spain - so he came to live with his dad.  While living with his dad, he came to know the church and now the rest is history.  If all goes according to plan, I should be able to go to the temple sealing of Brito and his family in a year - and also Diana, the Haitian woman that was baptized last week!  That is kind of the ultimate goal here for the missionaries:  to be able to meet someone that they baptized in the temple.  I hope I can do it - it would be so awesome.  My odds are looking good recently because we are working with 4 families.  One of which are trying to get their birth certificates for marriage, and the other - after telling us that she would never marry her husband, went to church a few times, prayed to see what she should do, and saw the difference in her husband from the gospel.  She decided yesterday that she wants to get married and baptized too, so we will see how they go.
    
So on to the worldly part.  What is going on with the World Cup?  My companion is from Mexico, so we always talk about soccer together and we have both been dying to watch a few games lately.  Who is looking good?  Who is likely to win?  How was the United States this year?  Also, word on the street is that it is really heating up over in Arizona lately.  I CRAVE that so bad lately.  Last summer, sometimes I would just go outside, stand there and soak in the heat, then go inside right before the point of sweating - but this 100% humidity 24/7 is killing me!  It is sooooo sweaty here.  For example, sweat is dripping down my nose right this very second while I am typing out this letter.  Everyone kind of stopped going out in the sun about a month ago, so we are kind of alone on the street now (no thanks to the water as well).  But, it's all in good fun!  What would a mission be without this kind of stuff?  I honestly don't know - it's all part of the experience I guess!  Well, have a good one!

Love, Elder McBride

Fonts & Buckets

Dear Family
    
So to start out, this e-mail might be a little business like.  I was blessed from the Lord with a bounty of e-mails to respond to - so I will keep it all to the basics.
    
We received the transfer call this morning and it looks like I am staying here in Valiente for another transfer - which is really kind of what I expected because Elder Valdez is new to the area.  He is an awesome companion, and I can tell my Spanish is improving a lot with him.  The Dominican spanish is really unrefined and very uneducated, so my Dominican accent has been going away a little bit.  But, it's for the better, because I want to be understood when I get home as well.
    
We had a baptism on Saturday like I was saying before - but it ended up being a little bit more of a challenge than what we were expecting.  Really, the responsibility to fill up the baptismal fonts should always be the members.  But, seeing as how they don't do it, the missionaries always end up doing it.  So . . . some Elders went to fill up the font that Saturday morning, but something happened and the pump broke!  My companion, the zone leaders and I all ran over and we had to fill it up with empty trash cans and carry them in from outside - all in the middle of a huge storm!  It was pretty crazy - not gonna lie :)  After that, we ran over to the area to teach a few more lessons, then we made the return to the chapel to see Diana happy and ready to be baptized!  We waited for a while for the Branch President, but he didn't show up.  We called him and he ended up bailing on us which was a huge problem, because you can't have a baptism without a member of the bishopric.  Luckily, about 30 minutes later, we were able to get the 2nd counselor and we had the baptism.  Diana was a trooper throughout the whole thing, which was cool - but I am pretty sure that she wouldn't have left without getting baptized!
    
Right now we have some pretty  good investigators who include Ayendi, a son of a recent convert, who just moved to live with his Dad again and has a baptismal date this Saturday.  We also have a whole family!  The family is that of a man named Frank, who has been coming to church for a little while now, but we finally got to his wife Louisa now, and they all went to church and want to get married and baptized which was pretty sweet!  We also have a whole bunch of people, but I won't really talk about them too much until their progression is a little more sure.
    
I am glad to hear that all went well for Fathers Day!  Yes, I am way jealous that you all got to eat Mom's tacos, but my companion and I made Bistec (some Mexican beef recipe he has) and it was pretty delicious too!  It is good to hear that Summer has been a pretty good time so far.  Are you guys going to visit the beach this Summer?
    
Anyways, I need to write a few more e-mails, but I will get those pics sent soon!

Love, Elder McBride

Scandal?

Sorry this is so late . . . I have been having computer troubles - Chrissie

Dear Family,

  
This week has been pretty good.  Pretty crazy, but good.  The change was out of nowhere because some bad missionaries were doing bad stuff in the Capitol, so  the President had to change everything around to try to get everything running right again.

  
No worries.  My companion wasn't caught up in any of it.  He is a really good missionary, and he has been an awesome companion so far.  His name is Elder Valdez and he is from Mexico City.  He has 6 weeks more than me in the mission, but he came to my area in the middle of the transfer, so I am in charge here.  I guess it is kind of cool getting to run the area how I want - but it is a little bit of an extra stress load - but no worries.  Anyways, he is from Mexico as I said, and he makes it sound just like paradise there!  They have running water they can drink.  They have power all the time.  He used to go bowling, to the movies, and not to mention . . . eat Mexican food all day!  I'm telling you - a mission in Mexico would be a breeze.  The members are strong.  They have all the nice commodities like a washer and screens on all of the windows.  I have been washing my clothes by hand for the past while.  Oh, and did I mention electricity?!!!  Count your many blessings!   The weirdest part about my companion though, is that he reminds me soooooooo much of Devin Barnes!  I know that is out of nowhere, but it is so true.  His laugh, his smile, and just the way he is . . . someone should tell Devin that he has a short, Mexican version of himself running around in the Dominican Republic on a mission!  I know it may sound crazy, but I guess you would just have to meet him.

  
We have been working really hard lately, and we have a baptism planned for this Saturday which is pretty exciting! I will make sure to send some pictures of that.  Sorry I haven't been sending very many lately, but there really hasn't been a whole lot to send.  Nothing too big has gone down as of late.  As I said, my companion is from Mexico - which automatically means he is a hard worker.  This way, I get a native speaker, but he also wanst to work hard and has been teaching me some Mexican lingo that I can use at home.  Turns out that I have a lot of bad words in my vocabulary in the eyes of the Mexicans - when they aren't bad at all here!  Speaking all Spanish wasn't really hard . . . if that was a question.  I can't remember.  I am already fluent, so it didn't really seem to be a big deal - although sometimes I do still take a step back and think it is crazy that I am speaking another language without even thinking about it.  

  
I have to go a little early today because I have to write Emily and Danny too.  Tell the DeSpains I am super excited to have Jeff come out!  Like really pumped!  He is coming to the best mission in the world, so he should get pumped and we will rock this place.   Have a good week and I love you!

Elder McBride