What the Heck !?!

No letter from Taylor this week :(  I waited all day yesterday and nothing came.  I'm anxious to hear what happened, because this is not like him.  Probably something like no electricity or crashed computer - so...until next week hopefully.

It's All Right - I'm O.K.

Dear Family,

    
Wow.  Crazy week.  So about the earthquake.  I didn't feel anything personally, but a lot of people here in Monte Plata said they did.  Monte Plata also is kind of Haitian-ville.  Actually 11 of my 12 baptisms here are Haitians, and most of our progressing investigators are Haitian as well.  They have all been going kind of nuts this past week because most of these people left all of their family to come here and when the earthquake came, it knocked down all of the telephone poles, so nobody knew if their mom's, dad's, wives, kids, etc. were alive.  Two of our investigators actually packed up their things and headed over to Haiti, not knowing if they would ever come back.  Communication is starting to come through a little bit now though.  A guy approached us last night and told us that 7 of his immediate family died and he was having a hard time.  We bore testimonies that God has an eternal plan for us, and that we are able to live with them again if we do the things that the Lord has asked of us.  How do people cope without that knowledge?  I really can't imagine life without it.  But the people who do have family over there are generally just as stressed because most of their family are wandering the streets without food, water, or shelter.  I'm sure the church is playing a big role over there.  All of the volunteer doctors from here are heading over there to help out.  I guess there was also a doctor/member on a mission here that went over there for a surgery.  Halfway into it, the earthquake struck and the several story building next door fell and every person inside died.  I honestly don't know much more like death count and stuff because we don't have access to that kind of information - but it's not sounding good.

    
So - now for some good news!  We had 2 more baptisms on Sunday!  Mom, my camera was out of batteries, but Sister Berkley took a pic and said she'd send it to you.  Damari and Sonia are there names.  Sonia has 2 kids living in Puerto Principe and she has been freaking out all week, but I'm glad she still decided to get baptized.  We also have 2 more baptisms lined up for Wednesday and we are working on getting a family married next week!  It's so hard to baptize families here because first they need to get married for the law first - which is usually pretty hard to convince, but these people are looking good.

    
Elder Vargas is a pretty cool guy.  I find him really entertaining!  He likes Japanese Anime, comics, and World of Warcraft and stuff like that.  He is really smart and I think we can teach pretty powerfully when we are on top of our game.  

    
So ya, Wednesday is Elder Bednar's visit!  I'm way pumped - it's gonna be sweet!  Apparently, the East AND the West missions are coming, so it's gonna be packed.  Hopefully we'll get a decent seat.  Also mom, when you send that package if you haven't yet, could you stick in short biography essay things about each of the apostles lives?  I found one about Neal A. Andersen and Quentin L. Cook in old Ensigns, and now I want to read about the others if you can find some.

    
The night I got sick, I cooked myself some scrambled eggs and I thank that one of them was bad or something and that's why I got so sick.  But, on Tuesday, I was feeling a lot better - so no worries.  What else . . . oh, we had a District BBQ today at the church and that was really fun!  I'll try to send a picture of that, buy ya, it's been a good week.  I am trying my best and I love you all!

Love, Elder McBride

p.s.  Still no package from the Ward as of yet . . . 

Earthquake

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, there was a massive earthquake in Haiti.  Haiti is 1/3 of the island Hispaniola.  The other 2/3 of the island is the Dominican Republic.  After the quake, there was a tsunami warning issued also.  As soon as I heard what had happened, I was glued to the TV trying to figure out if Taylor was going to be in trouble in the DR.  I was glad that he wasn't in Santo Domingo anymore - which is right on the coast - in case there was a tsunami.  The village he is in is about 20 miles Northeast of Santo Domingo.  About an hour or two after the quake, I received an e-mail from the mission president, saying that he had been in touch with all of his missionaries and that they were all fine.  I know that the quake could have just as easily been on the other side of the island and I am so thankful that it was not.  My heart aches for the people of Haiti, but I am so glad that my missionary is safe and sound.  I am anxiously awaiting his letter on Monday to see how they have been affected.  Most of the people he has been teaching and baptizing have been Haitian.  So, I am sure they still have families over on the other side.

Island of Hispaniola

I think this was a hotel

Haitian Government Building

Me and Elder Vargas

Hey Everyone!  
     
So, I just want to start off with Mom - I don't think I have a worm anymore, and I have been eating more too.  We'll get there later tho . . .sorry for not telling you everything.  I won't do that anymore.
    
So I'll try to make this letter pretty good, but I only slept like two hours last night because I was throwing up.  I still hae a fever and am really tired, but feeling a little better.  Elder Vargas gave me a health blessing and I know that helped.  Luckily it's preparation day today, so I didn't have to miss out on teaching anyone!  I think I'm feeling well enough to go out tonight too.
    
So anyways, my companion's name is Elder Vargas.  He's from Santiago, Dominican Republic, and about 14 months into the mission.  He's actually a really cool guy, a giant of a Dominican, and he also speaks quite a bit of English because he watched so many American cartoons when he was little!  So we made a deal that he can speak English in the house, but on the streets we speak Spanish.  I'm determined to get the Spanish down ASAP so I can teach more effectively and be a better tool in the Lord's hands here.  But anyways, Elder Vargas loves to cook, so he cooks a Dominican lunch everyday, then at night I make a small American thing.  OH, I made grilled cheese sandwiches and he though they were the most amazing things in the world hah!  He doesn't stop talking about them. All in all he's a pretty cool guy and I hope we can work the same success that I had last transfer.

Elder Vargas and the first deer he has ever seen!  They don't have deer here, so I don't know what that guy had one in his front yard here in Monte Plata . . .

    
Speaking of which, we have four baptisms lined up and interviews already done for this week which I'm pretty pumped about!  But this week has been incredibly stressful - not gonna lie.  I am the one who knows the area and the people, so everything is kind of put on my shoulders.  But my testimony has been strengthened tons.  The Lord really can take off your burdens when you ask in sincere prayer.  But ya, I just want to meet the mission goal of six baptisms again this transfer.  I've been thinking about this a lot actually.  I don't want the baptisms for the numbers - I have just kind of reasoned/studied out that if the mission president receives revelation from the Lord about this mission, and he puts the mission goal as 6 baptisms a transfer, then the Lord will put AT LEAST 6 of his children in each area ready to receive the Gospel.  If that goal isn't reached, then it's not the Lord's fault - that's for sure . . . I have learned to just put all of my trust in the Lord and pray my heart out becase just like 1 Nephi 3:7 syas, the Lord won't give an impossible commandment.  I hope that's not too extreme because I don't want to disappoint myself, but I know that if I have the faith, it can happen (Dad, in your next email, tell me what you think of that).

     So another cool thing that happened is that another elder in my group came and stayed with me on intercombials this week, and we had to go around and do the normal missionary stuff.  He's really kind of struggling with his Spanish, so I had to do most of the talking, but it actually turned out really well and was the most successful day of the week (teaching-wise).  It was just kind of cool to know that we could speak enough to survive on our own.

     
So Elder Bednar is coming in 2 weeks!  I'm super pumped because he's one of my favorite speakers, and he is coming to speak to just the East mission!  The President gave us two talks of his to read and prepare questions on, and I think I've read them both 4 times each already.  But they're about praying (one of the reason's I keep talking about prayer in this letter . . . sorry) and about learning through faith (or trying to get our investigators to learn through faith) - but ya, I'm way pumped for that!  Lately the apostles have been huge role models for me, I can't stop reading the conference Ensign.  They are all just so accomplished and intelligent.  But anyways, I'm gonna wrap this up now.  Have a good week and keep e in your prayers!  I need my health back.

     
I just thought about some stuff I forgot to include.  To answer your questions Mom, the President is awesome. He is super strict - so a lot of people have a hard time with that - but to be honest - I'm kind of used to that haha!  And yes, Hermana Antivillo is a great mother figure.  Their family is just pretty awesome!  I don't know if its bad to want this, but it would be so cool to be a mission president someday, or for sure a senior missionary.  We are only teaching one of the blind men now.  El Pato just kind of only wanted money from what I understood.  No, I didn't baptize the little boys.  The mission rule is to baptize your first investigator, then have members baptize the rest from then on.  That's awesome to hear about the baptism in the home ward.  How long has it been since our ward had a baptism - Joey maybe?  That's really cool about Brock and Nate too - just like the old times!  

     
Love you and have a good week!

Elder McBride

Of course I had to have our McBride tradition of Chinese food on New Year's Eve!

The recent baptisms

New Year, New Companions

Dear Family,
    
So I'm not sure if this e-mail will be quite as long as the others because I'm on the Mission President's laptop right now - in his house.  So the mission goal for baptisms is 6 in a transfer, and we got 10, so we got to come today and eat lunch at his house with the other missionaries that had 6 or more.  There were 4 other companionships and it was super cool.  The President's apartment is soooo nice.  Elder Currie and I stuck around a little longer and have been hanging out with the AP's and President's family.  Anyways . . .
    
Last night we got our call about transfers!  Elder Currie is going to be a Zone Leader in the closest zone next to us, so I'll still see him every once in a while - and I'm sticking around in Monte Plata and getting a Dominican companion.  I'm a little nervous about it - not gonna lie.  All I know is that his name is Elder Vargas, he is a big guy, he likes chicken, and is supposedly the fastest Spanish speaker in the mission.  So, wish me luck this week and I'll be able to give a little info on him next time!  I'm also kind of nervous to be staying around in Monte Plata.  Elder Currie still got lost every once in a while and he had been here for like 5 months.  I have to earn a little more credibility with the members too.  Step up and be a senior companion until my companion knows the area and investigators, then he'll be able to take a little more control.
    
So New Years Eve was good!  Still went to bed at 10:30, but we went to get some ice cream that night and it turns out that our blind investigator Edgar owns the only ice cream franchise in town.  So, we got some for free!  So, basically it was a party . . . :)
    
We baptized three boys yesterday.  Joselito, Everi, and Edward!  It was pretty hectic and frustrating trying to get it all organized and working, but it was all so worth it in the end.  Their mom is a member and they were never baptized even though they are active, so we figured someone had to do it.

To answer some of your questions mother . . . ya, the closest town is over twenty miles away, but we went over to one called Gonzallo last P-Day to go coconut hunting.  I have some more pics that I need to send but I don't have the cord here with me.  And this companion is Dominican, so he'll probably be used to it.  Also, no I haven't received any other packages yet.  Maybe next week?  The size of the town is pretty small, but we have two small grocery stores (if you can call them that) - so we have all we need.
  
 I feel a little intrusive on the President's laptop, so I'm going to end this a little early.  But, first a favor from Chelsea Hoy or someone else who would know.  Andrew Shelley wrote me a letter, and I need to write him back, but I lost the letter and hence his address . . . so if someone could e-mail or write that to me that would be mch appreciated.  Oh!  Also, for anyone in Light or who went to Mesa High.  Nathan Carroll is in my District!  has been for 2 transfers now, but ya, he's a really cool guy, and already training in his 4th transfer, which is pretty crazy.
    
Start the New Year off well everybody, and I'll be sure to send you a lengthy letter next week!


Love you - bye!
Elder McBride