Aloha from the DR

Can you believe it's August already?! Crazy! I can't believe that I was in Alaska last year partying it up with Chessy and Lexxy. Now we're all missionarying it up all over the world! Things are good here in the DR. It's been raining all day and has been getting more windy too. It rains a lot here anyways, but usually not all day - more like Hawaii rain - where it's sunny one second and then rainy the next.  We only heard about the storm from one of our teachers and then I read a little article one of the hermanas got in an email about it. Things haven't changed at the MTC because of it and I imagine it is probably one of the best places we could be during a storm. We are right next to the temple. :) It's weird how we are so isolated from the news and stuff. I don't miss it too much.  Thanks for the email pics! Good stuff. So the news around here - we went to the temple today which was good.  They did the session in English so I was glad I didn't have to wear headphones. The field trips were fun the last couple of weeks, but the temple is the best.  So more  news - someone died in the building the other night.  It was like an 80 year old man who was here going to the temple.  A couple of the floors here are used for temple housing and senior missionary couples and I guess he had a heart attack or something.  One of the teachers said that when he got here yesterday he saw a coffin going into the elevator.  They said the man always wanted to die around the temple, and he did.  Anyways, crazy stuff.  We are supposed to go on splits tomorrow with missionaries from either the east or west missions but who knows with the storm.  It has been good going to the university but it will be fun to do something different. One of my teachers told us that he had 104 baptisms here on his mission including a lady that was 108 and he was in my mission. That's a lot of baptisms!!!  It's been good with the Latinos here. There are a lot more people here but it's all good.  The new hermanas have their own room so we didn't get any new roommates. There are some Nicaraguan elders here that are roommates with some of the elders in my district so that's kinda cool. Some of the hermanas have been sick this week. They gave my comp some antibiotics because they thought she probably had strep throat but I'm doing mighty fine.  I had a little sore throat on Sunday, but I took a couple of naps since that's allowed and encouraged here and have been taking plenty of vitamin C and I'm doing real good. Anyways, hopefully all of the hermanas will be healthy this week. We had a great devotional this week from Elder Cornish of the Seventy. He talked about obedience and said that obedience is a lifestyle.  It was really good and he shared the scripture about how we have angels that are with us.  Pretty sweet.   I know I've got 2 grandparents looking out for me. He also shared the scripture in Jacob 6:12 “O be wise, what can I say more?” That's a good scripture. We just need to be wise and we'll be good.  I've also been thinking about how when I'm talking to people and sharing a message with them, that I'm not just giving them a pamphlet or sharing a nice message, but I'm really asking them to change their lives.  That's what this is about - people changing their lives so that they can have the blessings that I have and be with their family forever. And if we can just get people to read the Book of Mormon and pray, they will know it's true and feel the Spirit. The hard part is just getting them to do that and have a real desire to know.  Also, I was thinking of Sister Garn on Sunday. I was leading the music in Relief Society and we were singing "Teach Me to Walk in the Light" in Spanish. That was the song that she taught us how to lead music with and I always think of her when we sing it. I think it is super cool that you are in achievement day now Mom and that one of those girls is going to be in another country one day and remember something that you taught them and the great experiences you have with them. Good times in achievement days. Pretty cool! I love you guys tons and tons!!!! I can't believe Chessy's been gone almost a year! Time flies when you're missionarying it up. It's been great emailing back and forth. Love you lots!!!!!! Until next week, Love, Elena