On Aug 18, 2014, at 4:15 PM, Spencer Brady wrote:
Ps- Sorry there are no photos, cant get them off the ipod and onto the computer. Next week! love love love!Love, Elder BradyAnother time, we were contacting and after leaving the house of a woman who said she wouldnt recieve another visit, an older man from that house, perhaps her father, came out calling for us. With his shirt unbttoned and half-way on, like most Dominicans, he was rubbing some kind of herb-like plant on his belly.He said he had been having the worst stomache pains and had been praying for someone to come and help him. He recognized us as representitives of Christ, and wanted us to give him a blessing. So we did. And afterward, he kissed our hands and told us how he prays and gives thanks to God every day for missionaries like us and for the help that our countries give his people. It was awesome.Thats when we went contacting where the streats turned into rivers. We chose one path that took us to a swampy farm land with chickens practically swimming in the marshes. Every house on the road was vaccant, and where the road ended, we both decided to turn left to one house we could see. Turns out a lady lived there that has belonged to a pentacostal church for seven years, and said she felt like a prisoner. This last month she finally got out of it and said that no body from her church will talk to her. She felt foresaken. At the end i shared with her my simple testimony with the very limmitted spanish i know, and she began to cry. She was prepared to hear our message, and the lord guided us to her humble home.The other day it rained way hard! We were trying to find the house of a contact, and we could remember what street she was on. none of them have names here. My compainion was excited, cause his last comp never liked going out in the rain, but we had a ton of fun that day! Just picture everyone on the side of the road under shelter, and two missiononaries walking in the streat under the pooring rain with big dumb grins on their faces waving to everyone! It was great. We spent 25 minutes looking in this thunderstorm when we finally found her house, and she wasnt home. Oh well!One time durring a lesson, by candle-light, we heard shouting outside. The guy we were teaching asked my companion to stand up from the couch, and from underneath the cushion, he pulls out a huge pistol and sticks it in his pants. Since i dont speak spanish (and neither does anyone else her, they all speak Dominican... very different) I was confused. everything is out of context. Afterward my comp told me he was a cop, and works at the prison thats in our area... So all is well! He has four daughters, but isnt married because he doesnt have the money. They attend church every week, and one of their daughters, Isabella, is 8 and will my baptised in a month. She says she'd like me to baptise her. Im so excited. I love these kids! Everytime we walk past their home, they come running! and holding our hands they walk with us to our next appointment.Last night we got lost for the first time. We kept walking in what we thought the right direction was, but ended up in the middle of a place that looks excactly like the set of Jourasic Park. That's how it is here, one area is beautifulo, the next looks like the set of The Walking Dead.The other day I saw a horse just chillin on the side of the street as if he were in line to buy an empenada. So many dogs and cats everywhere! Oh, we have a pet! Well, i think he's our neighbors dog, just about the only semi-cute mutt in the country, we call him doggy and he sits with us durring personal and comp study. I've seen feelers wigling from inside an electrical outlet. I've seen a triantula the size of my hand... Fun stuff!Im learning to live without the finer things in life. Shower curtains, toilet seat, air conditioning, good food, etc... The shower is one solid stream of cold water! Its the best! when we dont have water, we take bucket showers. Gotta love those! The fly colony in our apptment host their meetings in our kitchen and I think the cockroaches in the bedroom are planning an insurrection against us. gotta be carefull with those fellas.Im being forced to learn Spanish in a very progressive way. Im very lucky to have been put with E. Marroquin though. He's an amazing Missionary and has some english under his belt. This is his last transfer, so he's determined to make it count! We're good buds. We have a lot of fun! I teach him englich, and he teaches me spanish.Hey yall!Life is absolutely fantastic in the field! Its crazy! I'm in an area called La Victoria, Im in a jungle. Dirt roads, shacks for houses... Its so poor here. The people are great though! My comp is Elder Marroquin from Guatemala! We house with Elders Martinez, and Cornejo from Guatemala and El Salvador.I've learned that dominicans cannot sing. Church is interesting here! The people are so great though!Anyway, the heat is hot, and the mosquitos bite! Im starting to get used to being itchy. It's fantastic here! Im loving every minute of it. Thank you all for your love and support!