5/30/12

Hola Familia,

This week has been really good. This week we finished painting the Cell phone business for Felix and it turned out pretty good. So we have worked and helped them and out and it has been really good. Melvin their brother is going to be baptised this saturday, so that is pretty exciting. We have been teaching melvin off and on because he lives with their dad in their country house that they have with land that they grow stuff, so he is over their to help him. 

This week also we have been working with Yoel and Mayra and they have had some really interesting questions and we have been trying to help them get over all their doubts, and this week we asked them if they were willing to be baptised and we put a date with them and they said that they have been working on getting married which was a surprise and it was really cool. They have been progressing a lot and are doing really well. It is really cool because they were a reference of Felix and are a young couple with three kids. I just hope that I can be here for their marriage and baptism, and then in a year I would be able to see them sealed in the Temple, but there is still a lot of work that we have to to but that is the goal. 

This week has been really good. I have been a little bit worried about a problem that we had in our area and I was fasting and praying. During the District meeting we were discussing and talking, and just by chance I read a quote in Preach my Gospel on the page that it was open to and it was just the answer that I needed to hear. It was really awesome. I didn´t realize how much that it was occupying my mind and just the relief that I felt and the peace. It was really amazing, how fast I was releaved and didn´t worry about it any more. It is amazing how the spirit works and how we receive the answers that we are looking for. 

This is the last week of this transfer and my companion is going to end his mission and so there is a good chance that I will stay in my area, but also they say that there are going to be alot of missionaries that are going to be white washing so they might move me somewhere else. So I will find out next week.

Today was P-day Santiago so we went to the monument which was awesome to pick up our shirts that we had made as a zone and then take pictures. It was really good because I was able to see De Leon there his zone also went to the monument so we talked, and then we went up to the look out and took pictures. then when we went to Pricesmart I saw Afatasi there which was really great to see him, he is doing great as his first transfer as a zone leader.

Well I hope that you all have a great week this coming week. Racheal have a great time at EFY and Tyler keep working hard in school. Joshua I know that you don´t really like taking piano but you are going to be way better then me if you keep up with how much you are learning. Allison I hope that you can start soon, and that you keep practising your singing. I love you tons!

Con Amor 

Elder Cannon 

5/23/2012

Hola Familia!

This week has been really good. First we had a conference with three different zones and it just so happened that all my companions were in these zones. It was a little sad because all three of my companions gave their finally testimonies, they are finishing this transfer and De Leon next transfer. It was really great to talk to them. It is also sad because it is the last conference with President and Hermana Lee. So we sang a song for them and then all stood and sang Called to Serve. It was emotional, and really spiritual. 

Then we had two baptisms this saturday Yokasta and Saul. Their are 8 and 11 and were baptised. It was really cool especially because on Sunday because of elections there werençt very many members at church. Usually they call on the members to confirm them members, but they called me and Elder Barrus to go up and participate. Then for Saul they asked me to do the confirmation. It was pretty cool my first confirmation in spanish. It went pretty awesome. 

Sunday was also pretty crazy we weren´t allowed to work outside of just the area around our house and we were to stay away from any voting areas. We left with Melvin, a young man that we are teaching, and at the end of the day he accepted a date to be baptised so that we pretty cool. We weren´t allowed to be out working past 7 at night because it was too dangerous. So we went to our neighbors were are less actives and watched the The Joseph Smith movie which was pretty cool, and they had a bunch of questions after. They haven´t every read the Book of Mormon which is probably why they are less active and so we gave them one and hope that we read it. They seemed like they really wanted to. They also fed us dinner which was really nice of them.

Yesterday we went to Jesus, Felix and Sandi cabrera´s house and helped them paint and haul some dirt. We painted his cellphone bussiness. It turned out pretty good. My companion has a little spay gun for paint and so we used that. He did a lot of it but I was able to do a little bit as well. It was a ton of fun, but I got burnt because we were out in the sun all morning and early afternoon helping them. Also when we came back to the house at night after preaching. Our neighbors were working. Their sewage pipe had clogged so we helped them for a while, but then they seperated it from the pipe in the street and poop and liquid stink came out it was really nasty, and the whole street smelt aweful. We ended up having to go into the house because it got too late.

This morning we went and played baseball. The guys that we played baseball are about college level and a few are probably going pro. I didn´t do very well. The field had a ton of rocks and patches of long grass. so when I ran once I fell because of a rock. I did hit the ball when I was able to bat, but they were just alright. We slept most of the afternoon even though it was 90 degrees and 65 humidity which is pretty dry we slept because we were really tired.

Well I hope that you all have a great week. Tyler have the happiest birthday and wish Grandma a happy birthday for me! I hope that you have fun the last couple of weeks of school. I love you all so much!

Con amor 

Elder Cannon

4/4/2012

Hola Familia,

This week has been great! Conference was awesome. The sessions on saturday we watched them at a members house. It was Elders Richmond, Afatasi, and I and then Jaden came we were in the bedroom of a family that had a computer. We watched the sessions saturday there. For Priesthood we went to the stake center and they had it there in english as well. Sunday we went to the chapel in La Union which was really nice because we could sit in chairs and it had air conditioning! It was cranked down really low and after the two hours when we went out in the hall it was like hitting a wall of heat and humidity. The air was really heavy and you instantly started to sweat. In between the sessions on Sunday we ate at the bishops house. We ate some kind of meat that was extremely weird it looked like really large ears, and the meat was really dark. I asked my companion later what is was and it was gizzard. It wasn´t that bad the texture was the only thing that wasn´t that great about it, and I guess the looks of it.

Conference was so great. I learned a ton and now I have a lot of stuff to do and apply to my life and to the work and lives of the people that I am teaching. One quote that I really like a lot was in the priesthood session that applies directly to missionary work, and other lessons taught. This is roughly it A message given without the desire to act is like a fire without heat¨ It was awesome and the whole conference was full of great messages. I hope that you were all able to obtain a vision and desire to apply these things in your lives. There was also a talk that had a small part of writing missionaries on sunday, hope you all caught that, jk ;).

We had two baptisms between the last session on Saturday and the Priesthood session. It was two brothers Richardo and Sebastian . They were confirmed right after being baptised because it is conference weekend. It was sad they didn´t show up on time and we were just not going to have it, but I went and looked for them with Elder Cruz and found that they had passed the church twice and the gate was locked, because they were early and late for conference. The members had locked the gate because a bunch of kids were coming in and playing in the parking lot and they could hear. But we found them and they were baptised.

This next week is looking really good. We have another baptism planned for Jaden the American. We also have a lot of new investigators and some of them are looking like they are going to progress. Yosilin fasted friday and now she is a little more receptive, yesterday we were able to talk with two of her daughters and hopefully the next time they will be more willing to share with us. We have a family that really loves us and everytime that we have gone over there for the last three times have made food for us, but it is really hard to get them to go to church and read. We keep passing for the mom she is reading and everytime her testimony is growing, but we are trying to get the whole family. I don´t know how long it will take to get them to gain a testimony, but we just keep working. 

Today we had an activity with the District, we were going to have an activity with the zone but there is a new rule that we can´t have anymore zone activities which really stinks. So we had a district activity. We played a bunch of different games but the sisters in the district made habichuelas con dulce, which is the sweet bean stuff. It was really good, but we couldn´t eat very much because it is pretty rich. Today I cleaned the cupboards and it was really nasty it was a cochroach nesting gound or something in one of the corners, so when I moved the spices that were there that we don´t hardly use a ton probably 50 crawled everywhere. So I cleaned that really well and then put bleach there so that they will be less likely to come back.

I am doing really well, and got the package that you sent. The chocolate was fine and I´m going to save it for easter. Everything is going great I don´t need anything at the moment. I love you all and it is great to hear that you are all doing great. Never over look the small things because being in the mission I have really been able to see how it effects us. In my life and in my investigators. I love you all and hope that you have a great easter. I hope that you take the time to study and remember our Savior this weekend! I love you all so much tell everybody that I say Hi and that I love them! Have a great Easter Sunday!

Con amor 

Elder Cannon  

5/16/2012

Hola Familia

It was so great to talk to you all on Sunday. You guys really are the greatest family in the whole wide world. I´m glad to hear that you are all doing so great! It was great to be able to see you and hear all your voices. It seems like just last week I talked to you guys for Christmas. The time is flying by. I love you guys so much!

So this week. I told you about the huge down pour that we had to walk through. It was pretty nasty walking through the water up to the middle of our thighs, because it was probably full of garbage and sewage, but it ended up being a great day talking with the investigators and everything. 

So this morning my companion really wanted to walk out to the country part of our area and look for mangos to pick. So we asked around and found out that we needed to follow this canal. So we went with the other elders of cien fuegos and with Ricky a recent convert and we followed the canal. They told us not to cross the canal. so we kept going and going. Then the trail just ended and we had to bush wack it. Here there are a ton of bushes and trees with spike things. Elder Barrus was in shorts and his legs got pretty scratched up. When we finally got way out there the people said that all the ripe mangos had all fallen in the down pour and all the others were really great so they weren´t any good yet. So we just walked back to the house, but it was pretty cool to see a lot of the area and country around my area.

This week has been pretty good. We have two baptisms planned this weekend. It is the baptism of two kids. Yocasta and Saul. It has been hard to teach them it is hard for them to remember the things that we have taught them and Saul is really timid and shy around people. So we have been teaching them for a long time and we have planned their baptisms for this saturday. They are really excited to be baptised.

Angelo and Carolina are having a couple of problems. She moved back to Puerto Plata to get her papers, and stuff, but now she isn´t talking to Angelo so we don´t know what is going on if her phone just died or if she doesn´t want to be married anymore. So that has been a challange especially for Angelo. She said that she was coming back this saturday so we´ll see.

The members are leaving with us more which is really good. The high counsilor also wants to leave with us. He has left with us twice and is really good. It is hard for him because he lives in a different ward close to the stake center which is pretty far away, but he makes the trip just to leave with us. He is going to leave with us today so that will be good. 

Ward conference was last week and the elders helped out with the choir. I played the piano for two songs and sang in the other. It was really good. They talked about prayers and really opening our soals to God in our prays, during elders quorm. 

Well I am glad that you guys are almost done with your tests. Good luck Rachael on pre cal, you will do great! Joshua piano isn´t that bad it really helps you and makes you smarter, the way that I learned to like to play is to play a song that you want to learn. And Joshua are you making that movie list that i should see when I get home? Allison and joshua swimming is really good for you to learn and you are both really good at swimming I hope that you work hard and win lots of medals this year. Well I love you all and hope that you all have a great week this coming week. I love you all and do well in your last few weeks of school! Adios

Con Amor 

Elder Cannon  

5/9/2012

Hola Familia

This week has been pretty good. My companion has been really sick for the past couple of days with a fever and a cold and a bad headache. So we have had to come back to the house at 7ish because the night air of Sunday made it really bad, and he hasn´t been able to sleep very well at night. He shuts all the windows and we don´t have power in our room so I can´t have my fan on so I have been dying of sweat and heat during the night. So I have had a lot of time to study and ponder while he has been trying to sleep and get better.

Elder Hernandez sent me his speakers that he had during the mission. They are pretty nice and not too big. It was really nice of him and it sounds a lot better when we are cooking and have the music on, that is when there is electricity.

We helped Angelo and Carolina patch their roof with these tar patch things because their room leaks a ton. So we did that and now we are really happy they are progressing great. We actually had a different couple that we are teaching come with us to visit them and that was a good experience. They now have a date to get baptised and married and they are really looking forward towards this date.

It is really amazing the difference that the gospel can have in the lives of the people and how much it really gives them. To see someones life change is an expierence that you have to witness you can´t discribe it. When I get out of the way and allow the spirit to work that is when Miriacles happen. There have been many expierences like that this week and it truely is amazing. 

On Sunday a family of less actives came to church with their dad who we have been trying to help and now the ward is really trying to help them, and when he walked in the door and just the joy that filled my soul to see an entire family coming to church to renew their covenants. It was amazing. I am starting to understand D and C 18 10 and also verses 15 and 16 of that section. 

The mission is something that you can´t explain you have to experience it for yourself.

This week we haven´t had water and the electricity has been weird so it was inconvinient, but our renter gave us some water last night to wash dishes and cloths and shower so that we really nice of him and now we have to wait until water comes sometime this week hopefully.

The other day when my companion was sick Hermana Lee told him to eat fruit so we went and bought a bunch of fresh fruit and that is all we ate for lunch which wasn´t the best idea for our systems but it was really good. I have a half of a fresh pineapple and a couple fresh oranges an apple and a couple bananas, it was great and then the next morning for breakfast the other half of the pineapple and another apple and them an orange. It was so good! 

Well I will talk to you guys on Sunday I will try to think of questions. I have a question one of the glue cement things that holds my permanent retainer in place is loose on one of my bottom teeth. If you could call Dr. J to find out if it is better to just leave it or to do something with it, because I could get a cavity because when I brush it doesn´t get there. Right now there really isn´t a space between the thing and my tooth but I can feel the edge has come off the tooth a little.

I hope that you all have a great week, Good luck on your tests and examins you´ll do great! I love you all and am looking forward to talking to you! Love you hugs and kisses

Con Amor 

Elder Cannon 

5/2/2012

This week has been pretty good and really tiring. My companion is alright the only thing is the little things about the culture that I have no idea about, but he is now telling me about them. He doesn´t like it when I ask hardly any question like with is that expecially with food, so i am learning more about the culture and he is teaching me to cook some domincan food. He is alright he has a lot of goals to keep him focused as he finishes his mission, and so far he is working really hard to finish them all. 

We have done a bunch of service this week my companion I don´t know how he does it service just finds him. We lifted a truck out of a mud hole, we put in a concrete floor in a house of some investigators. We helped move a pile of dirt into a house of a member, so that has been pretty good, and it has only been a week with him. 

Putting in the concrete floor was pretty interesting they do it all hard labor and then to add finish it they sprinkle this color stuff in it and then work it in the surfice, so that was pretty cool to learn how they do that.

This week we talked with our new neighbors and got to know them, we came to find out that our neighbor is a member that isn´t active and hasn´t been active for a while, they all had a lot of questions for us so we talked for a while and answered their questions, we have a lesson with them this weekend I think that we are going to watch a church movie to motivate the less active and also to invite the spirit. We don´t know which movie we are going to watch yet, but it should be good. 

Our investigators are doing pretty good Sagrario has a lot to do with school she is studying to be a lawyer and is now doing her theme so it is hard to find time to share with her. She is also trying to stop drinking coffee which has been tough but she is doing it little by little.

We are teaching a guy with only one leg and he is diabetic I think it is hard to understand medical terms in spanish. He has trouble remembering things, but he really has a desire so go to church, but recently he fell on his stub his whole body right on his stub and it has only been 7 months since his amputation so that he been a struggle for him, but we are trying to find a way that we can get him to church this week. He lives in the maze of allyways that are in our area so we can´t get a car to him, but he has a motor cycle but can´t drive it alone.

We are singing is the choir this week to help them with a performance this week end or next. So i have been helping with the piano. It is hard to stay on tune when the people around you are exactly on tune. I think it is helping me sing better and louder, so that is good. 

Well I am looking forward to talking with you guys on Mother´s day. I hope that you are all doing well especially with all the tests and finals during this part of the year. I don´t need anything that I can think of my clothes are still good so don´t worry about that. Joshua could be in charge of the movie list he would do a good job at that. I love you all and hope that you have a great week this week I love you tons!

Con amor 

Elder Cannon