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 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!
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
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