Baylee - La Copa Rasmussen!‏

June 27 2016

Hola Mi Familia y Mis Amigos!

How was this week for everyone? Hopefully spectacular! Hopefully you are all enjoying a little bit of the sun, feeling a little bit of the Piura life! well, almost!  Here is what happened this week here in the mission...

- Wednesday morning, Hna. Apeña and I went to help a member, Hna. Gisela, cook. She asked me to teach her how to make microwave brownies LOL I have become well known for my microwave treats here in the ward! It was super fun spending the morning helping her and Hna. Katia, too. However, we had to eat two lunches that day because Hna. Gisela served us up some of her food and then we had to go to our Pensionista and eat, too! Goodness, both Hna. Apeña and I felt like we were dying just a little...! But it was good and fun!

- Also, Wednesday afternoon was a little heart wrenching...We ended up having to let go our golden, perfect, prayed and fasted for investigator, Hno Dannny. I had been teaching him since February with Hna. Carrera. I mean, I have talked about him quite a bit here in my emails. Our District has helped us find answers for him, the ward has fellowshipped him, we fasted with him for his answers, everything. But this week, it came down to him and his decision. His baptismal date was for last Saturday... But as we visited with him Wednesday, he began to tell us of changes that will be coming up in his life soon, his doubts about being ready yet, and feeling bad that he keeps changing the date and dragging us around. Well, finally, he ended up letting us go. It was hard. But we have to respect the agency of every person. I can only hope and pray that he will find the missonaries further down the road. Pray for him, please!

- Thursday was another District meeting. We talked about the need to talk with everyone we come across as well as the need of the local members in the work. Truly, those two things are essential! Oh, and Hna. Apeña and I tried to make pudding for the meeting, but it ended up just being chocolate milk. It was still good though! LOL

- Thursday we also had Intercambios with the Hna.s in Catacaos. Hna. Quiroz came here to Castilla with me. I love that girl! LOL she is so spunky and fun, not to mention her testimony and strength are just inspiring. We had a really good time, found new investigators, and learned a lot from one another. I enjoy Intercambios so much!! During the Intercambio, we taught Hna. Tatiani our wonderful progressin investigator. However, she lives in another area and techinically we arent teaching her in our area...we are teaching her in the house of our wards second counselor, however he actually lives in the elders area. So it is a bit of a struggle, and Presidente Ramsussen told us we need to pass her over to the Elders in Los Pinos or teach her in another place. The church is a house of order, right? But Hna. Tatiani doesnt want to receive the lessons from Elders, she feels like it will be uncomfortable with men...so we are going to have to see what we can do... But she is so great!! 

- Saturday morning we went to visit a less active named Carlos. Hno. Carlos is facing a lot of problems right now and his wife Hna. Sabina asked us to try and help him. It was hard to teach because Hno. Carlos didnt really want to listen. The Spirit came when we just started sharing scriptures. I testify of the power and truth of the Book of Mormon. That is where the Gospel is found and it is what helps us along the way. 

- Sunday we saw a little miracle! A les active we found knocking on doors came to church!!! He hasnt been to church for like 8 years and us finding him in his home and inviting him brought him back! Hna. Apeña and I were just glowing, grinning from ear to ear! Also, the ward stepped up and fellowshipped all of the investigators taht came, our recient converts, and the less active member that came! WOO HOO!! :)

- Today was the final rounds of La Copa Rasmussen! Soccer playing all morning! We had a ton of fun, and our Zone got into the finals! We came out in second place, but we played hard. We have some really great players in our Zone, and it was cool to see them play with the ball! Afterward, we once again joined our old District and went to the food court at the mall to eat. It was all in all a good day!! :) 

Wel, that was my week! The work keeps advancing every single day. Les amo mucho y espero que sigan adelante. :) Hasta le próxima semana!! 

-- 

<<< HERMANA BUCHANAN >>>

~ ~ ~ PERU PIURA MISSION ~ ~ ~

Baylee - June 20 2016

June 20 2016

Hola Mi Familia y Mis Amigos!

I hope this week was a good one for all of you! It has been a pretty good one here! This is what happened...

- Moonday night, we had an FHE with the fam. Purizaga Frias. I love them so much! They are so fun and loving. We sadly didnt have to whole family with us, but it was still wonderful. They really love this Gospel and they show us such love and support, too!

- tuesday, a couple from the ward accompanied us to visit an investigating couple. Hno. Hector and Hna. Mariana. The visit was quite interesting LOL. We were teaching about the plan of salvation, and I asked Hno. Hector to share the story of Adam and Eve. And he begn by talking about all of the lions and trees and the sun and then creating man and using his rib and making woman to perfect it all...not ever getting to the point of the forbidden fruit and agency. LOL Hna- Apeña and I thought that was quite silly! 

- Wednesday, a YSA hna. accompanied us. Her name is Ingrid and she is also 20 years old. I love going out proselyting with her! But this time, we were stuck outside all day. LOL I felt a little bad for Hna. Ingrid because we knocked on so very many doors and nobody wanted to receive us. I will admit, we had about 5 doors shut in our faces. Gotta love those days!

- Last week I talked about a new investigator named Tatiani. She is still doing pretty well. We learned this week that she struggles with depression, so that is a challenge to overcome in this changing process. She is a little afraid because she really truly understands what this is and where she is going. She wants to go in the right direction and she is taking it very seriously. That is the kind of investigator that you know will progress because they arent just doing it because it sounds good or something but because they actually want to amazing blessings that are promised. I am excited for Tatiani!

- Ward Council was an interesting experience this week. We were begging and pleading with the members to help fellowship our investigators more when two of the brothers, Hno. Alan and Hno. Danilo, threw everything into a better light. They asked us what are all the good things about RAmon Castilla and then reminded us of the need for us t really be those angels that everyone thinks about when they think of the missionaries. They reminded us of the love we all need to feel for one another. It really got me thinking...I invite each of you to re evaluate the way you show your love and concern for others. Smile, be friendly, help others and let them know that you care. It makes all the difference in the world!

.- Friday, we had a very very long Weekly Planning session as we decided to spend more time and depend more on the revelation of the Spirit for each investigator. It was quite the different experience and I learned a lot. After that, we taught our new investigator, a youth of 13 years named Rosa. She is really wonderful and has prayed and knows that Joseph Smith really was a prophet. The biug issue is her parents....Teaching youth is so hard because their future depends entirely on their parents...Please pray to soften their hearts!

- Well, this week I want to share an experience with you all that is a little different. It is the experience of letting an investigator go. Normally that isnt something great to be recounted, but this week hna. Apeña and I had an interesting experience. We have been taking more time this week to stop and pray about investigators and what we should do rather than just following the teaching record. We found someone last week, an old inestigator that has received the lessons a few times. Her daughter in law is our recent rescued member. Last week we taught her and just did a kind of basic introduction because she liked to talk a ton. Hna. Apeña and I took time to pray about her and we both decided that if she isnt willing to come to church and show that this time she is ready to make changes and focus on the message, then we need to be spending time with other people. This response was super clear for the both of us, coming from the Spirit. She didnt come to church... and as we visited her yesterday in the afternoon, the two of us felt nothing, like the Spirit wasnt present with her. We came to the decision that it wasnt her time yet, and the two of us were both so touched by the direction of the Spirit, even in cases like that. Truly the Spirit guides our every action when we ask for it!

- Yesterday for Fathers Day, the Relief Society put together a little refreshment of tamales and soda for the Fathers and Hna. Apeña and I helped out with the plating and serving of the food. A little shout out to all the Fathers out there! Hope it was a wonderful day! :)

- Today was the infamous Copa Piura Vida II!!! All of the Zones came together today at some soccer fields for the second time and we had a tournament. It was so fun! I was the only sister from my Zone that wanted to play, so I was on the field the whole time. our Zone, Zona Castilla, played first against Piura Central and Capullanas and then against Sullana. And we won both!! We have advanced to the semi-finals which will be next Monday! I am pretty excited. It was also way fun to see so many other missionaries! After that, Hna. Apeña and I joined our old District to go and eat at the food court in the mall. A real good time! :)

So that was my week! Ups and downs and all arounds, that is the missionary life. :) keep being good!! I love you all so much! :) Hasta la próxima semana!!

-- 

<<< HERMANA BUCHANAN >>>

~ ~ ~ PERU PIURA MISSION ~ ~ ~

Baylee - June 13 2016

June 13 2016

Hola mi Familia y Mis Amigos!! :)

How was this week for all of you? i hope it was wonderful. Here is what happened in my week...

- Monday night, while knocking on doors, we found a new little family, a dad a mom and their 9 year old daughter. They were super receptive and attentive to the message, especialy the the dad which is a little different than the normal. And then again on Thursday we were able to go visit with them and present them with the Book of Mormon. The husband was very interested and even commented that he really wants to read it and know the truth. I love when the people we talk with are so willing to learn!!

- Thursday, we had our first Distrcit meeting in our new District. It was quite a bit different, but thats ok. The most interesting part was the end when I had to fulfill my new assignment as English teacher! LOL I never know where to start. So we ended up playing charades while learning verbs. It was kind of silly and fun. At least everyone was a relatively good sport about it LOL! 

- Thursday evening, we had a crazy awesome, Spirit filled, yanking on your heart strings kind of lesson. The 2nd counselor int he bishporic had introduced us to his friend last week, and we were then able to go and visit her in their home. She is passing through a ton of trials, and these trials have prepared her spiritually to receive the message. She hung on every word as we began. Hna. Apeña and I went in a different rhythm than normal, focusing more on faith and repentance than anythign else and it really touched her heart. She even made me tear up, and that is saying something! we invtited her to be baptized, and now she is preparing to be baptized July 9th! and she came to church yesterday!! WOO HOO!! :)

- friday morning we had interviews with Presidente Rasmussen. He did something like a worthiness interveiw with all of us missionaries, using a full list of questions he pulled from the missionary hadnbook. It was quite interesting, but It was awesome to visit with Presidente and also with Hna. Rasmussen. I love those two! 

- Friday afternoon, we were able to visit with Hno. Danny once again. I want each and every one of you to know that Hno. Danny, the Hno. DAnny we have been teaching since February, will be interviewed for his baptism the 21st of this month followed by his baptism the 25th!! We have made the plans!! WOO HOO! :)

- Saturday, we found another super awesome investigator names Cynthia! First we contacted her, then her husband, and we came back looking for her husband but found her yet again LOL. We were finally able to sit down with her and share our message. She began very "I am from a different religion" and all that, but as we shared the message of the Restoration, she opened up. She began asking questions like "so my church is one of the churches that fell away?" or "if joseph Smith really had this experience, that would be important right?". I was kind of dumbfounded to watch her absolute change of heart right before my eyes. I felt the Spirit as i recounted the First Vision and as we invited her to be baptized. She agreed! At first, she told us Sundays would be difficult, but as we re-explained why it is so importnat to keep the Sabbath Day holy, she understood and said, "well, then i guess i will make it possible!". She wasnt able to come to church yesterday due to some crazy stuff with her kids and their school work, but she promised to come next week and bring her four cute kids. that lesson was inspiring! I am so excited for WEdnesday when we have our next appointment with her. We are going to do our best to do daily contacting with her, and help her along the path! WOO HOO! :)

- Sunday, as Hna. Apeña and i were leaving the classroom in RElief Society, we were informed that we had to speak in sarcrament meeting. LOL so impromptu talk it was! I decided to talk about Companioship inventory a little and how we all sometimes need to do a personla inventory. I read the piercing questions that Alma asks in Alma 5. I want to invited each of you to look them up and do your own personal evaluation. We all need a little of that sometimes!

- Well, today Hna. Apeña and i went and ate at a super delicious super awesome restuarant and I forgot to bring my camara...So please forgive me. But it was delicious!! I ate a plate called Poker of Pasta which was a little bit of fettucine alfredo, lasagna, and ravioli. And we shared some of there homemad eFrench fried!! So good! :) LOL and that is just about it! 

So thats my week! Les amo mucho! Nunca se olviden, por favor! Sean buenos y busquen lo bueno en todos! Sirvan a los demás! :)

- 

 

-- 

<<< HERMANA BUCHANAN >>>

~ ~ ~ PERU PIURA MISSION ~ ~ ~

Baylee - June 6 2016

June 6 2016

Hola Mi Familia y Mis Amigos!

Here is what happened this week...

- Mnday in the evening I went out proselyting in a trio with Hna. Tiñini and Hna. Huanca while Hna. Apeña stayed with Hna. Flor de Sosa again. It was interesting because we were able to teach a family that seemed so interested. However, in the end, they were unwilling to come to church...I felt the Spirit in the lesson, so that made it a little harder to accept, but everyone has their agency and we cant mess with that. It is such a huge part of Gods plan!

- Tuesday we spent four hours in the clinic and confirmed that Hna. Apeña has Dengue. WooHoo! So we are dealing with that. And WEdnesday mornign we had to go back and get her lab test results (ewwww needles...). So lots of trips to the clinic. 

- Wednesday night we had our monthly meeting with the Stake President and the Zone LEaders. Presidente Rasmussen forgot LOL so it was just thte five of us. We laughed a lot and it was actually a whole lot more fun and relaxed without Presidente! I think Presidente Gomez gets nervous when Presidente Rasmussen is there!

- Thursday we had a Leadership Council! As always, a real good time! We talked about lots of things, but most specifically daily contact with our investigators. It is really a hard thing to accomplish sometimes, but it is so important! Oh, and now there are 4 Elders and 3 of us Hna.s from my group in Leadership Council so we all took a photo together! It was so fun! Other things we talked about include 72 hour emergency backpacks, the dresscode change for sister missionaries, inspired questions, and the importance of teadching English to our Latin companions. Now if only my Latina comp. wanted to learn English... LOL!

- Friday we then had our Zone meeting. Lots of tech. malfunctions made it an adventure, but it worked out. Since I already had my 72 hour kit made, I was asked by the Zone Leaders to present it as an example. LOL all the other missionaries were shocked by how much stuff is needed in the kit, and my backpack too! But it was a good meeting, overall. 

- Friday night, there was a Noche Misional in the ward. The Primary was in charge and the kids did a Talent Show. It was just the cutest thing ever!! My favorite part was when Milexy was Elsa and all the other little girlswere princesses too and the sang and danced to Let it Go! :) We also were able to meet a few really awesome references that we are going to start teaching this week! YAY!!

- Sunday was the second round of voting int he presidential election here, so proselyting wasnt much of an option. Also, there were any church meetings once again, so we ended up doing weekly planning in the morning. Then in the afternoon, Presidente Rasmussen and Hna. Rasmussen paid us a visit, bringing along a friend for Hna. Apeña, ex-Hna. Crowder. She was Hna. Apeñas companion but she got sick and ended up having to go home early. She had come to visit with her parents and he little sister, so we visited with them for a little bit. 

And thats my week. Nothing to fantastic. I love you all so much! I know thi work is so very important. It is what makes the difference in our lives! I love my Savior and I know this is His true Church! Be good! Hasta la próxima semana! :)

-- 

<<< HERMANA BUCHANAN >>>

~ ~ ~ PERU PIURA MISSION ~ ~ ~

Brielle - Wednesday 1 Junio 2016‏

June 1 2016

THis is the last one!!!

We kind of ran away from the mission home to waste some time and so I thought I would write a little note to just say I AM COMING HOME!!!!

I love you all and hope to see your faces soon. I will be speaking June 12 according to my mom.

THanks for all your support!!

-- 

Todo Bien!!!

Hermana Buchanan

Baylee - Sick Companions, Tranfers, and all that Fun Stuff!‏

May 30 2016

Hola Mi Familia y Mis Amigos! :)

How is everyone doing this week?? I hope well! This week is graduation for my little brother Jace!! I cant believe how fast that one came! And also, my dear sister and mission buddy, Brielle, is heading back home to start up real life again!! Wow, and just yesterday we were all playing in the backyard on the trampoline, sliding down the staircase, and riding bikes all over the neighborhood! Crazy....

Well, this week was one to remember, thats for sure...LOL here is what happened!

- Monday night, we had an FHE with the f. Castillo. They are awesome! The dad, Walter, was the Bishop before, and him and his wife have two boys. Their poldest son just got back from his mission in Uruguay. Our lesson was on the need for the members to support us in the missionary work. We played the human spider web game with them, them we did practices of sharing the Gospel with a friend. It was super fun!

- Tuesday we found a reference which we received ffrom the Church system of Referral Manager. His name is Baltazar and he really wants to learn. We were also able to teach his family. ]Wow, I now understand so much better why we are encouraged to find and teach families. The difference in teaching families and teaching individuals is astounding! I felt the love the Lord has for each of them, and I felt this pressing anxiety that they need to progress in this path. It was almost overwhelming!  and WAY COOL!

- Thrusday morning, we had planned to got to our District meeting, but then the Hna.s in Sechura called us to inform us that they were heading to Piura right then and there because Hna. Tiñini has collapsed to the floor in convulsions during their comp. prayer. So we made all the necessary calls and we joined them at the clinic to help. We passed the whole day there with them. From about 11 AM until 3 PM. And the doctors didnt do anythig, just told Presidente that theyt needed to make an appointment witht the nuerologist to get a brain scan...so that was an adventure! 

- When we got back to the room in the afternoon Thursday, a whole other adventure began. Hna. Apeña was so out of it and looked like she was dying, but she didnt want to tell me what was wrong beause she "didnt watnt o b other me". But I foudn that she was reading in the health guide about throat pain. So I checked her for strep, but then I touched he forehead and she was burning up. I took he temp. and it was 102 degrees F...Oh my goodness. So we called Hna. RAsmussen, and began quite an adeventure. I was up until about 12 or 12:30 AM Thursday night trying to help her get her super high fever down. It has been hard for Hna. Apeña to find the energy to get up. It is like a heavy weight is put on her, but there are no other symtptoms, so we have no idea waht is wrong. But I am grateful I am able to help her through this rough time. She has all the desire in the world to work and teach, it is just proving extremely difficult as a consequence of the fever, the zapping of her energy, the heavy weight on her eyes, and the chills that plague her...She is making me so worried. Today is day five of this mess. Everyday I have been able to go out and proselyte just a little buit with a member while Hna. Apeña stayed with our Pensionista. It hs been a different expereince, teaching with members and without my companion....In all of this, I have felt the Spirit helping us through. Some truly wonderful members from both our ward, Ramon Castilla, and the Elders ward, Jorge Chavez, have been there to help us out. As I have knelt each mornign to do personal study all alone, the Spirit has accompanied me. I have prayed earnestly and also fasted for the benefit of Hna. Apeña. She is all I have been thinking about these past couple days,. My love for her has increased ten fold. Even though it has been rough, and I am so tired from from getting up in the middle of the night to take her temperature and re-wet the wash cloth on her forehead, I am grateful to be with her right now. It has been a trial and a blessing. She is still having a rough time today, so we are calling to mission offices to get plans to go to the clinic and get her checked up. We need to know what is wrong. But, Mom, I AM FINE! LOL :)

- Saturday we had our last District meeting of the transfer. It was a good meeting, as always! I made us No Bake Cookies and the Elders were so crazy happy! Also, I received 5 letters from home! Thanks Mom, Nikkie, Bri, and the Fremont Peak YW!! :) You are all the best! 

-Saturday night, we received our new transfers...And we didnt get transferred! LOL we are staying together once again, so I will once again complete 6 months in one area. I only have two areas!! How crazy is that!? But there is one change, we are now is the District in San Bernardo, no longer with the Zone LEaders and the Elders in Jorge Chavez...That made us both a little sad because this District has abeen a ton of fun, but its all good. We will make this one fun too! 

Well, there ya go. My week, in a nut shell! I love you all so very much! Sé que cada desafío en este mundo es por nuestro beneficio y tenemos que confiar en el Señor y seguir adelante. Sean fuertes y valientes siempre! Les quiero bastante!! :)

-- 

<<< HERMANA BUCHANAN >>>

~ ~ ~ PERU PIURA MISSION ~ ~ ~

Brielle - Homeward Bound!!!

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

SANTIAGO MISSION

Issued solemnly this 26th day of May 2016 by the Homeward Bound Committee of the Dominican Republic Santiago Mission to the family, friends, and loved ones of the beloved Hermana Buchanan.

By virtue of the astounding, if not mind-boggling eighteen wonderfully accumulated months composed in equal parts of dirt, sun, sweat, tears, and incredible joy in the service of the Lord, the Homeward Bound Committee has decreed that the time has come for these callused, blistered, tired, and dirty feet to take a rest.  Soon this Hermana will again be entering into the wicked gentile world, wearing out-of-style clothing and tanned from the neck up and the elbows down, but full of love for the gospel.

As chairman of the committee responsible for the homeward bound missionaries departing from the Dominican Republic Santiago Mission, it is my duty and privilege to inform you of the return of Hermana Buchanan of Wyoming, USA, after a completed service to the Lord as a missionary of the previously mentioned mission.  She will arrive on Friday, the 2nd day of June 2016.

           

In making proper preparations to welcome home Hermana Buchanan back into organized society, it is advised to keep in mind the confined, unusual, and foreign environment that has influenced her life for the past eighteen months.  One would be advised to stock the kitchen with plenty of mom’s home cooking and goodies such as pizza, Oreo cookies, M&M’s. chocolate chip cookies, and of course, your missionary’s favorite dish.  It would be wise, in order to prevent further damage, to dispose of any signs of moldy bread, white cheese, powdered milk, cabbage, mondogo (cow guts), goat head soup, chicken feet, tripita (small intestines), yucca (a kind of boiled root that instantly turns to cement upon making contact with the stomach lining), sugar cane, and Clorox-purified or boiled drinking water. Try to be understanding when your missionary has frequent, uncontrollable cravings for arroz con leche (Dominican rice pudding), habichuelas con dulce (Dominican sweet bean drink), “la bandera” (beans/rice/meat dish representing the country’s flag), mangos, avocados, and platanos fritos (fried plantain).

 Don’t take it personally offensive when your missionary sifts through flour, sugar, or rice looking for ants, or examines her food for any bugs before she actually takes a bite.  Don’t be alarmed when she washes her fruits and vegetables with Clorox water.  Do not think of her deranged when she spits out bones and raw spices onto the floor.  Do not be disturbed when she eats with her elbows on the table, uses only a spoon, uses her shirt as a napkin, and throws leftovers out the window.  You will need to remind her what a garbage can is used for and where it is located.

Be sure to have a full tank of hot water so your missionary can enjoy her first hot shower in a long time.  Do not be surprised when she wears her flip-flops in the shower, wears bug repellent as perfume, uses Raid as an air freshener and a butcher knife as a can opener, dumps three buckets of water down the toilet to flush it, or throws toilet paper in the garbage can.  You will need to point out that the garden hose is not to be used to clean the house due to the damage it may cause to things called carpet and furniture.  Tell her there are machines that cut the grass and she will no longer have to use a machete.  You can also tell her it is not necessary to set up a mosquito net around her bed each night, and that she will not need candles and matches at her bedside. Yes, you will need to remind her that the camping trip is now over.

If she is made aware of an illness of any kind, she will have the tendency to prescribe drinking something with lemon in it, that being the general cure for everything in the Dominican Republic.  And if lemons don’t work, the magic cream will.  So for any headache, cough, cold, toothache, or other bodily ailment, it would be suggested to purchase the twenty-cent tin of “Vi Va Po Ru”, otherwise known as “Vicks Vapor Rub”.

Please do not be disturbed when she wears the same clothes for a week, judges travel time by how long it takes to walk, prays in Spanish, asks to share a scripture and pray at the end of each meal, or eats her food in thirty seconds flat to run off to an appointment.

In addition, your missionary may become extremely upset when told that she will no longer have to scales cliffs, wade through streams, throw rocks at vicious dogs, or jump fences to get to her next appointment. Before handing her the car keys, she will need to review correct and courteous driving skills, due to the fact that she has become Dominicanized in the rules of the road and traffic laws.  The symptoms of such a condition are:  driving the wrong way down one-way streets, using stop signs and stop lights only as suggestions, constantly blaring the horn, bribing or simply not stopping for the police, running over chickens, hitting motorcycles, and using the arm as a turn signal.  Also remind her of the purpose of the lines on the road—where they came from, why they are there, and where they go.

This poor wasted servant of the Lord will probably scream, run wild, and become violent if you should mention shots, worm pills, cockroaches, mosquitoes, tarantulas, rats, bats, biting ants, and fleas, biking in the rain, burning tires, gun, knife and machete fights, rock throwing, and “frecos” (overly aggressive friendly Dominican men that want to do more than make an acquaintance on the premise of changing their martial status).

For the first few weeks your missionary is home, accept with understanding her broken English.  A simple request for a translation may be necessary when she involuntarily breaks into a dialogue known as “Spanglish”.

Take into consideration her state of mind when she calls you “Elder” or “Hermana” and insists that it is a rule not to tell you her first name and that Hermana is sufficient.  Do not be bothered if she walks in the door and yells “Saludos” instead of just knocking, says “con permiso” before entering a room, hisses at people to get their attention, points with her lips or face, wrinkles her nose when she doesn’t understand, shakes her index finger to say no, asks everyone how they liked the meeting, or carries her backpack everywhere.  Do not judge her crazy when her only topic of conversation is the Dominican Republic and the missionary work, or think she is a religious fanatic when she preaches to friends or strangers about Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, reverence in church meetings, and the importance of family home evening.  Do not be embarrassed when she says “adios” to everyone she sees, or “buen provecho” to everyone she sees eating. She will definitely have a great tendency to shake hands or kiss cheeks with everyone when meeting and parting.  Also when asked to run to the store between noon and two pm, do not be alarmed if she replies by saying, “We can’t, they’re closed!”  Just patiently remind her that she is in the United States now.

All are hereby warned and duly cautioned to treat the newly delivered missionary with great

care, courtesy, affection, and love. Humour her in every possible way.  Remain calm when she

jumps out of bed at 6:30am to exercise, have devotional, and beat everyone to the

bathroom.  She is used to having a companion twenty-four hours a day, so don’t be surprised if

she follows you around and wants to have companionship study and prayer.  She will surely be

suffering from “Dominicanitis”, an extreme love for the Dominican people, so please try to

understand when she gets a faraway look in her eyes, tears brim, and she quietly excuses

herself from the room.  She will be thinking of that faraway land and the people that she has

grown to love and who have changed her life.  But broken hearts are mended with lots of love,

hugs, and chocolate chip cookies.  With a little bit of patience, tolerance, kindness, and time,

she will once again resemble the pre-mission loved one you once knew.  However, when she

does not respond to her given name, you may be able to catch her attention by

shouting:  Hermana, Blanca, Americana, CIA, Mormona, Linda, Bakana, Gringa,

Chic, and if all else fails try psssssssssssst!

So send no more mail to this address because this is it—SHE IS COMING HOME!!!!!  The Homeward Bound Committee thanks you for giving close attention to these matters and hopes that this information will be of assistance in giving your missionary a warm welcome home.

 Sincerely, 

See You Soon

President, Homeward Bound Committee

Dominican Republic

Santiago Mission