My Mission

I served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Dominican Republic in the Santo Domingo West mission. I was a missionary for a year and a half and I invited people everyday to learn about Jesus Christ and His gospel.

Ten years later, here are some of my thoughts.

I miss it SO. much. Not a day has gone by in ten years that I have not thought of my mission in some way-a person I met, a companion I served with, a lesson I learned, an experience I had.


DOMINICANS

Bah, I love them! You will not find a more generous, loving, happy and crazy people on this planet. How grateful I am to have known them, to still know them and to have been taught by them and continue to benefit from what they taught me.  










SWEAT

I loved my mission but missionary work is HARD work and the Dominican Republic is an EXTREMELY humid place. This picture was taken after two hours of proselyting. Except for a few brief hours of respite in some air conditioning in the capital, I sweat all day, every day for 18 months.














My Companions

As a missionary, you are assigned a “companion” missionary. You are to be within sight and sound of each other at all times. I loved my companions-all 7 of them. We had our moments but overall, each one of these girls totally blessed my life by their example.




Laurie Evans-crazy Spanish skills in the MTC!
Glenys Lebron-patience, mucha paciencia J
Jenni Jenkins-worked like crazy.
Fior Esquea-never have I laughed as much as I did with her. That girl knows how to have a good time!
Yeidy Almonte-so sweet and knows how to masterfully teach about the Book of Mormon.
Karina Garcia-love, amor, and more love from that chica.
Rachel Taylor-so much enthusiasm to be a missionary and to be serving Dominicans!
Branigun Scoffield-my hija tan buena, J she was such a good sport about everything.

FAMILY

Standout impression from the mission-family is so important! Husbands and wives should love each other. Mothers and fathers should strive to be good parents, love their kids, and teach them about God, Jesus Christ and the gospel. I’m so grateful for parents who consistently did this.









La Bandera

The Dominican Republic’s classic meal. I crave this still.













Motorcycle rides

Love these (only in emergencies). Who needs an SUV when you can fit everyone on a motorcycle?














Be A Disciple of Jesus Christ ALWAYS

While I was serving as a missionary in the Dominican Republic, I often thought about what kind of returned missionary I wanted to be. What kind of person did I want to be for the rest of my life? I felt inside of me an excitement and a passion and a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ that I had never felt with such intensity before. With that came the greatest happiness and joy and the desire to never stop living the gospel of Jesus Christ and sharing it with others.

“…and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.” Alma 36:24

Long live the Dominican Republic! ¡Que viva la República!