From Hermana Harden on 11/21/2013

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! I am here!! I´m in the field! Safe and sound!  My mission president is amazing, as is his wife. I don´t know if I have met a more incredible couple. (My parents excepting, of course. hehe.) I am in my first area, which is Mao. I love it so much. It´s smaller, but not too small, and way more calm than Santiago proper or Santo Domingo. It is much more fresca up here in the north! I love that part sooo much. P-days are actually Wednesdays in my mission, but yesterday was transfers and we didn´t even get here until about 530. I have to apologize for any bad or lack of punctuation because I don´t know how to turn the keyboard back into english settings. My compa is Hermana Veras! She is so kind and funny and a native to the DR. I know that having her as a companion will help me grow SO much. Last night when we got here, one of the members was with the other sisters who share our house to pick us up. She procured a margharita for my luggage. It´s not an alcoholic drink- it´s a little funny open car thing! I will try to take a picture to show you. They are adorable, and I have only seen them here in Mao so far. After I unpacked a little, we went to an activity at the church which was muy divertido. The elders from our area were there and it was just about 12 members gathered to play games. There was double dutch jump rope with actual rope and sack races with actual rice sacks! Hahaha. We played in the overflow and can I just say that Dominicans are MUY CHISTOSO. haha. Playing with them was a blast. There was one game we played where we sat in a circle and had two ties, which the elders so graciously donated from around their necks (lol). One tie was on each opposite side of the circle to start. The object was to just tie the tie around your neck (like the beginning of a knot, the way you tie shoes) then loose it and pass it to the next person, however one tie had to be tied twice, so it took a little longer. If you ended up with both ties, you had to go to the middle of the circle and pretend to be an animal of the other players´choice. It was SO funny. Some of the guys would take a long time with the double tie so that the single tie would start to catch up and the people after them were tying the ties like their life depended on it! It was SUCH a fun time!!! We are not allowed to do knocking on doors (which here in the DR means yelling BUENAS through the open doorway), because the president wants us to work more with the members and get referrals through them. I am so excited to get to know them. It´s a little hard because I don´t understand everything and there is a lot of hot latino blood here, so I don´t want to mess up and offend someone! Mostly everyone is really nice though, and I know that Hermana Veras is looking out for me. I am already in love with this area. It´s always mosquito season though, so I already have lots of bites on my ankles, but I repented and pulled out my bug spray today. It should be good! I had some Dominican food yesterday which was pretty good, just rice and some ground beef with some vegetables mixed in. Also some jugo, which I think was made of pineapple, with a rice base and something else... it made me think of horchata. It was so sweet and sooo good. Haha. This morning was quite the adventure... our shower doesn´t work, so we use the hose through the window- it was like a movie. At one point I let go of the hose to do something and it made its way right back out the window. I had to call out to Hermana Veras and yell, ¨Yo perdi la agua a traves de la ventana!¨ Hahaha. It was pretty dang funny. Oy that water was cold. I´m going to have to break more of a sweat in the mornings when we workout, so that it will feel more refreshing and less like a torture method. bahaha. Hermana Veras told me that we teach a mission prep class here and apparently I am going to start teaching an english class. LOL I don´t even know spanish, but I´ll be teaching native speakers english. Bienvenida a la misión, as we say. Haha. Oh and if you remember, there are tons of chickens and roosters here. All of which were crowing all morning! What a funny experience. They just crowed and crowed all morning long. I bet Dad will get a kick out of that. Well, I need to go but I love you all! Take hot showers!!

Love, Hermana Harden

From Brenna 11/14/2013

I WENT INTO THE FIELD LAST FRIDAY. For exchanges. It was
one heck of an experience. My companion was Hermana Mack, who is
Dominican. She was actually called to Guatamala and went to the MTC
there, but she has problems with her asthma and came back here... she
said that she is going to finish her mission in the States, though,
which is way cool! She has family in Ohio and Arizona. And probably
New York, because all Dominicans have family there somehow. haha. She
doesn't know more than a few english words, so it is a very
interesting experience! Hermanas Parker and Gawrych had North American
companions, so I feel like my experience was more authentic. B) lol.
The houses arejust jammed together, not even an alley between, and air
conditioning? Count your blessings, my American friends! haha. I
MELTED. :) We were just in Santo Domingo proper, so it was city life,
which means it is VERY dirty and crowded. It smells like New Orleans.
There are lots of skinny dogs laying around here (it's hard to tell if
they're alive sometimes) which is sad. I saw an adorable little orange
kitty though, which was fun. :) We taught lessons and visited a
member, and everyone was so nice! It's hard to see the conditions that
they live in and not feel guilty for being used to a completely
different way of living. I have heard from many that Santiago is
somewhat different, though (including Hermana Mack). Santiago is
supposed to be cooler than here and more clean. The city is supposed
to be more organized as well, although I don't know where my first
area will be. I am leaving THIS TUESDAY. I am so excited/terrified.
Haha. I am going on exchanges again tomorrow, so I'm just trying to
not think about it because I will get too nervous. Haha. I don't know
when p day in the field will be, so hang tight for my next
letter/email! Speaking of letters, there are some on the way, and I
expect they will make it to you within the next week. I have now met
three former mission presidents of the Santiago mission- not including
my own mission president. Hermano Rodriguez's mission president was
here earlier this week, and he was way nice! Then I met Elder Cornish
of the seventy, as well as two other members of the seventy. Elder
Cornish also served in Santiago as a president! He was SO nice, and
gave an amazing devotional on Tuesday. I am so grateful for the
opportunities I have had here. I am singing with some other
missionaries on Sunday, since it is our last. We are singing in
French, Spanish and English. The theme is The Atonement of Jesus
Christ, and we are singing A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief... I hope I
spelled that right. Haha. Anyway, I have exit orientation on Monday
before the big send off, so think of me if you will! Everything is
becoming so real! Oh, and we have Navidad with Hermano Fernandez
today. I'm excited. He's so crazy. Everyone drew names, so I've got to
come up with some kind of gift. I drew Hermana Cearc. :D Time is out,
so I have to send a couple of pictures really fast. I love you all and
have an AMAZING WEEK! Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving in advance! --
Hermana Harden

From Brenna 11/7/2013

This week was insanely fast. As it turns out, Hermano Fernandez's baby WAS born on my birthday! What a lucky baby! Haha. And he's soooo cute. :)

We went to the University again last Friday, and had amaaazing experiences. We gave a Book of Mormon to a woman who had an LDS friend and approached us to practice her english. She wasn't interested in our message at first, saying she has been to the church and didn't like it. I bore my testimony to her, and she asked us a question about Joseph Smith. Hermana G answered her, and I explained that the church is the same church that Christ established in His day. Then we taught about the first vision and some of the restoration and read the last two paragraphs of the introduction of the Book of Mormon with her. I remember her smile as Hermana Gawrych recounted the first vision. What a special moment. She accepted the copy of the Book of Mormon, saying she didn't have a computer and preferred to read anyway. I told her the missionaries could probably get her a copy in english, too, if she wanted. She seemed to like that idea. And to think that at first, she wasn't interested.

There were two other women that we spoke to who were so, so sweet. I bore my testimony to them about the truthfulness of the gospel, and how it has blessed me and my family. One of the ladies told me right then and there that she felt something in her heart as I bore my testimony. My heart soared. I think about these wonderful people and pray often that they actually do contact the Santo Domingo missionaries and find the gospel. Being on the Lord's errand is like living a miracle. I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like to find and teach all day, every day. Just under two weeks, and I'll be in el campo!! The last group of missionaries that I'll ever meet here at the MTC arrived yesterday, including 4 new sisters. One is english speaking, from Jamaica who will be returning to serve there. She is now a third companion to me and Hermana Gawrych. The other three are spanish speaking, one from Puerto Rico, and two from Guatemala. All of them will be going with Hermana Gawrych to Puerto Rico in two weeks!

I was really starting to feel comfortable with the language. Until the Guatemalan sisters got here. Bahaha. They speak SO fast! I don't understand anything they say. Anything. X) But what's even harder is switching back and forth between english and spanish for Sister Walker, our Jamaican companion. She's so sweet and understanding though. Hermana G and I went to the temple yesterday to be her escorts! That means two temple trips in one week for us. We totally scored. :) Yesterday was so hectic though, because missionaries were all arriving at random times and all of the carpets were being cleaned and no one knew where classes were supposed to be, much less where all of the new missionaries were supposed to be! Haha. I was sooo stressed. Luckily, Hermana Gawrych is a champ and didn't even care. No le importa. Haha. We were blessed with a tender mercy yesterday, which was a really good lesson with one of our "investigators" (aka Hermano Fernandez in a tweed coat, calling himself Juan Carlos. lol). He has committed to baptism! That makes two progressing investigators who are committed to baptism for us. Woop woop! :) That lesson was definitely a miracle, because he is notoriously difficult with some of the other companionships, and we had NO planning time yesterday at all. :P

The Haitians are no longer here, as you might have deducted, and their send off was emotional! Soeur Francois told me I would be the first person she wrote to, and Soeur Merona asked me if I would write to her in French. :0) They were SO full of life and fun to have around. I don't think it was possible for them to have a bad day.

Oh! And we watched the movie "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" (at least, I'm pretty sure that's the title), and I highly recommend it to anyone. It's a really interesting look at the life and sacrifices of the Prophet Joseph Smith and some of the early experiences of the Saints. Warning: it might make you cry.

Like I said, this week was SO crazy fast. I was almost at a loss as to what I could write to you all this week, but obviously I had plenty. :) I love you all!! Be good and I send you my best wishes! Until next week,

Hermana Harden! XOXOXOXOXOXO

From Brenna 10/31/2013

 Last Friday we went to the University to contact and refer people to the missionaries serving in this area. IT WAS THE MOST AMAZING EXPERIENCE I HAVE EVER HAD. We just started talking to people. We were in our companionships, and Hermana Gawrych and I were killing it. B) There was this group of guys sitting together that were kind of watching us walk across the courtyard, so we walked right up to them and made a little small talk, then I asked if we could share our message. They said yes and we taught the restoration right then and there! They listened to every word and seemed totally drawn in and attentive to what we had to say. At the end, they wanted to know where the church was! Hermana G. and I were like... uhhh.... we don't actually know. We're new. Hahaha. So we gave them pamphlets with phone numbers for missionaries in Santo Domingo. And we talked to so many more people!!!! Some who already knew about or were investigating the church, some who probably thought we were SO weird. I remember one young lady we talked to. She was sitting alone, and Hermana G. saw her. We walked over and asked her how she was and if we could talk to her. She said yes and started smiling. She had the BEST, most beautiful smile!! She looked so happy that we had come over to her. I don't think she understood anything we said, and we were kind of awkward, but we left her with a folleto, and I still think about her sometimes when I say my prayers. I could feel Heavenly Father's love for her, and I want so badly for her to have the gospel in her life. I want to meet her again! We're going back tomorrow, and although I'm nervous (like I was last time), I really can't wait. In about 1.5 hours, Hermana G. and I gave out 12 folletos y 2 copias del Libro de Mormón. THE CHURCH IS TRUUUUUUUE!!! :D  Hermana Gawrych and I have been called to be the Sister Reps on the Leadership Council. We were randomly asked to attend the meeting with the APs and District Leaders this week, so that's pretty cool. We basically get to help out the other Hermanas (all four of them) with their problems or worries and speak out for their concerns and needs at the meeting every week. So now I have two callings, since I'm the music coordinator for the MTC too. They don't sustain us here, since we have already been set apart as missionaries. We watched another amazing devotional by Elder Bednar this week, as well as one by Elder Scott. I LOVE devotionals. Oh my, I have so much that I want to tell you. When we went to the tienda last week, there was Christmas music playing, and there were decorations on display! Hermano Rodriguez told us on Saturday that here, they totally start putting up Christmas trees in October. Except his family because they're all too lazy. X) And we thought we were bad in America! They have already put up the lights and hung lit angels from the trees in the park across from the temple grounds. The weirdest part is that I love it!! It won't be long before I start having us all sing Christmas hymns at family (entire MTC) prayer every night. I have the power. >:) You guys HAVE to hear about my CCM birthday. First of all, Hermano Fernandez's wife had her baby (allegedly, but pics or it didn't happen) yesterday!!! How special is that?! In the morning, all of the Elders in my district wrote me cute little birthday notes and left them on my desk when I got up to get a tissue with Hermana G. And Elder Santacruz let me have one of the "I Am a Child of God" rubber rings he brought to give to kids. It's blue. :) Then Hermana G. gave me an elaborately colored birthday card with a super special note inside. I am the luckiest of all the companions in the world. En serio. :D I went to dinner last night, and they had cake for me!! I knew there would be, because Hermana Freestone arranged for it since she and President are at a conference. But the whole MTC sang happy birthday, and it was very, very awesome of them. Then, just as we ended family prayer last night, the translator for the Haitian group asked if we could wait a minute. He then translated for one of them as he explained that in Haiti, birthdays are very very special. The entire group of Haitian missionaries stood up in the front and sang for me in French!!! It was one of the most touching experiences in my life.