2-24-13

Hola Familia,

How are you all doing?

This week has been pretty busy. I have been trying to get all that things done with the truck so that we could get the other truck back so that we can have the two trucks here in the office. But it now won't been done for another week and a half which is a bit of a pain, because we have been trying to figure and plan everything with the other office elders so that we can get everything done.

This week we actually had a P-day in the office so we got together with the assistants and the other office elders so we had a mini activity. So to make it happen I just planned. We went and played basketball and as usual when people are playing basketball some other people showed up and wanted to play which was alright so that way we were able to play a couple of good games. It was pretty hot so we got a little bit of sun so we got a little burnt but because we are always in the office we were pretty white to start off with. While we were playing I had put an American roast in the oven and we were cooking it. We made a ton of food and for 6 elders it was a good thing that we made so much food that way they got all eaten. It was pretty awesome but it took longer then we thought it would so we ended up eating around 2 instead of around 12, but man was it good food! It has been a really long time since I have eaten something that amazing.

This week I also went to the mission doctor because my side had been bugging me and then a dent thing appeared in my side so I went there and he told me that I had strained an abdominal muscle. So he just told me to give it time to heal basically.

Life has been pretty busy here in the office we have had all the zone conferences this week so that has been crazy trying to work and having that going on. We talked a lot about how we are going to put into practice what we learned during the meetings with Elder Rasband and Elder Anderson. So that was really good to hear and share what we all learned about how we can have the spirit more and how we should teach with the spirit. so we were able to set some goals as a mission and personally so that has been going great.

This week we had an exchange in our area so me and my companion split up with members and contacted a bunch so that we could have more people to teach and we actually found a couple of good contacts. One we went back a couple days later with two members with us and she was very receptive, it is just hard because we can only teach her if there is another man in the house so we always have to look for a member to go and teach with us. Today we are going back to some of the other contacts that we did and we will see how they are doing.

Well I hope that you all have a wonderful week this week! I love you tons!

Elder Cannon

 

 

 

 

2-9-13

Hola Familia,

This we have had a lot of work here in the office trying to get ready for transfers which are this next week.

So on Tuesday morning we went with the zone leaders to help move to a new area called Los Cocos. The move wasn't too bad we just had to make two trips. The area is very pretty next to the mountain. After we moved the stuff into the house we went up the mountain road farther then we have gone before. It was very pretty and pretty crazy to see some of the big houses up there and only imagine what it must have been like trying to build those houses up that road. We took some more pictures of some of the Tobacco fields with their grass drying huts, and some of the view that you can see up there.

Then on Wednesday my companion and I had another move to Nagua. We are opening another area out there so we had to haul a fridge and washer and stove and beds out there. It took about three hours to get there which were a tough three hours because we didn't have breakfast and with all the stuff in the back we could stop and eat lunch until after we had unloaded. We got there and the house is great it is like three blocks from the beach. It is a second floor with a spiral staircase. The only thing that wasn't so great about it is that it is a second floor with a spiral staircase and only the two of us to get two beds a washer, stove and a fridge up to the second floor. There was a staircase in the back up to get there it was really narrow and had a ledge above it. So we started off with me lifting the beds up to my companion who was on the second floor ready to pull them up. The washer was where it started to get hard but really it wasn't too bad. We lifted it up then my companion sat there and held it while I ran to the second floor to pull it up. Then came the killer, the fridge. We took it to the bad and had a very awkward time getting it onto the staircase. We ended up have to put it on the railing and then push and pull it up the railing shouting 1 2 push, 1 2 push. We were sweating pretty good after that as the neighbors in front watched us. As we finally finished the neighbors in front were taking there big tank down from their house to wash it, and there weren't enough people there to catch it so we ran over there and helped them. When we left the grandma that was there chewed them out for just sitting there watching us sweat trying to get the fridge up to the second floor. Starving and thirsty we went to go and get food, but because it was late the comadores didn't have any food so we went and got some pico pollo, or fried chicken with French fries. It was a pretty clean place, but as the next day showed it wasn't as good as we thought. We weren't throwing up but we were both just a little sick to the stomach. Then we looked for the other missionaries and finished the move.

Carnival started on Sunday, and the carnival of Santiago is in our area. it is towards the top of the area but it is pretty crazy. On sunday some of the streets are closed and there is a lot of immodest clothing, even more so then usual, and lots of drinking. There are some cool things like the costumes that some of them wear but mostly it is just wickedness; And that is every Sunday for all of February. So that makes it harder to work because our whole area kind of goes crazy and there are tons of people in the streets and lots of drinking, so we have to be extra careful. Last Sunday after they officially finished for the night and opened up the roads we had to drive through it. There was a lot of garbage in the gutters mainly cups and bottles, and confetti all over the street. The streets were full of people and it was very slow going. We were driving through Babylon. We have also been contacting a little bit more trying to get a couple new investigators, we'll see how they go.

This next week we have a very busy week we have transfers which is normally a very busy week, but on top of that Elder Neil L. Anderson is coming to the DR. So that is going to be pretty cool, and also Elder Rasband or the seventy. The missionaries are going to have a meeting with Elder Rasband so that should be pretty cool and I hope to be able to see Elder Anderson in a stake conference or something, but I don't really know much yet.

Well it sounds like you guys have had a great week this week. Congratulations on making it to the tournament in basketball Tyler and for all the wins that you guys have won. I love you guys tons and hope that you are having a blast skiing this year with all the snow that it sounds like you guys are getting. I love you guys tons!

Con Cariño

Elder Cannon

2-2-13

This week was extremely busy everyday was really really busy.

We had to move missionaries into two new houses. One was a group of missionaries which wasn't too bad it was just two trips with the truck stuffed full; when I mean stuffed it was heaping in the bed of the truck with it all tied down and then inside we either had six missionaries and two bags of clothes and the other time it was full up to the ceiling. The only area that wasn't really full was where I had to drive, but we got it done it two trips. The other was the senior missionaries and that was a bit harder. They live on a third floor and so we had to take desks and chairs and a bunch of crap and then we had to carry it up to another third floor apartment along with 4 big batteries which were really heavy. But we are finally out of those houses and on to other projects.

We are also trying to get ready for transfers so that is why we are moving missionaries and trying to get new areas. This week we got a call from the assistants and we had to look for a new house to open up another area. It is in a place called Nagua which is one of the farthest areas from the office. So today we went there and had the missionaries that are close to there look for houses and when we got there we went and got one that was good. It was really good that we were able to get one so fast because normally it takes a little while to get through all the paper work and crap, but the new house missionaries had lived there before and they were happy with the missionaries and with the church so they accepted the contract pretty easily.

While we were in Nagua we were able to stop and take pictures at the beach it was really pretty! It was the first real time that I have seen the ocean in my mission. The last time we were driving in Puerto Plata at night so we really couldn't see much. This time we were able to climb out on some rocks in this peninsula thing and take some pictures with the assistants. It took a long time is was about three hours there and about three hours back. The only thing that is bad is when we go to move them it will be three hours or more there and three hours back every trip we have to make so we are going to try to figure out a way where we don't have to take very many trips.

This week a family in the ward has been working to get some references for us especially because it is hard for us to find the time to contact people. So we went there and they invited a neighbor over who had shared with missionaries before and is still pretty interested in the church. So we started the pamphlets again to refresh his mind and see how much he understands.

For the past couple of weeks I have been trying to work with the cell phone company trying to get some stuff and get some questions asked about plans and about our plan and minutes and a list of stuff. They seem to be avoiding me I have sent emails and called and it doesn't seem to get anywhere. This week we went and spent a couple hours in their office, and we just got a couple of papers so that is frustrating a bit but at least it was a little progress, but I am learning lots.

This week we finally fixed our stove. It hasn't been working for a couple of weeks and this week we finally got really sick of bread and cereal and stuff like that so we just got a hanger and my super tool and finally wired some tubing and fixed the stove which just goes to show me how grateful I am for a stove that works, even we don't eat a lot at home it is really nice to have that option and make something.

It seems like the nights just keep getting shorter and shorter. Being a normally missionary there are times were you blink and it is time to wake up but not is seems like that is every night. We come home really super tired and then you change to lay in your bed blink then go back and change into your clothes and start it all over again, sometimes it makes me wonder were the energy comes from, but the Lord supports those that do his will.

Well I am really proud of Allison with her baptism today that is so great, it is something really special. Especially when your brother who is getting ready for his mission can preform the baptism. I hope that you all had a great week this week and hope you make this week the best. The really cool mail man was there the other day while we were there picking up the mail and he said did you know you can live in the past. My companion said something like how can you do that. He said, "Today is the Yesterday of Tomorrow, people sit around wishing to change there past, the trick is to just change today, because what we do today changes tomorrow." Hope you make it the best day ever! Love you all!

Con Cariño

Elder Cannon

1-20-13

Hola Familia,

This week has been pretty good, and pretty crazy with all the work that we are doing. We have been trying to get new houses and get ready for new areas and new missionaries. We had a meeting with just the office elders and with President to plan and see what things we are doing and what things we need to be doing, and how we are going to do all of these things.

We have been looking for houses in Los cocos to open up a new area. So we went and drove through the area to see how it is and houses or apartments that we could get for the missionaries. I is out of the city against the mountain and has lots of farms and fields. So we were driving through the main street, it was a pretty narrow street with big huge ditches on either side. So we kept driving and we got to this little hill and my companion said ok when there is a place to turn around lets turn around. So we start up this hill and it just keeps getting steeper and steeper, and there is no way that we could turn around. So we just kept going in a couple of seconds of driving on this road we needed to pop our ears. It was asphalt and was so steep that on the turn our ties would spin out. So we kept going until we could turn around which was just a couple of minutes but when we turned around you could see all of Santiago so we took a couple of photos and then had to go back down. We still haven't found a house because most of the houses just have tin roofs and the missionaries can't live in a house with tin roofs.

On Wednesday we had a conference with the mission president and then I had to put on all of the minutes for all the phones in the mission. So I did that and then we left to go to salcedo and then to San Francisco, and I got a bunch of calls because nobody got minutes so after taking batteries and other stuff to San Francisco we had to go back to the office and I had to redo all the minutes so that was a really long day.

We contacted last week which is different then normal missionaries because we don't have so much time to contact. So we went walking down our area which is the lower and down town of Santiago so we walk and if we feel impressed to contact someone we do or if we see someone that we could talk to that looks like they are more open to our message then we will contact them. So we went by this house and all we could see was a mid-aged lady and we can't teach women alone so we were just going to keep going but we felt like we should at least talk to her. We talk to her and then invited her to an activity and to church and set an appointment. When we went to the appointment she wasn't there and she never came to church so we passed by a different day to see how she was doing, and she started to ask about the Book of Mormon. She told us that she is pretty busy but that she was able to read about half of the pamphlet. So that was really cool so we put another appointment and we'll have to see how that goes.

Yesterday we went to Salto de Jimenoa. It was a really pretty drive we had to go a little ways up a mountain so that was really pretty and when we were up there there was hardly any garbage which was really refreshing and it was really pretty. We went on the rope bridges to get there with the giant grey rocks with the green and blue water. The water fall was amazing it was so pretty I really wanted to swim, but that will just be on the list of things to do after the mission. We were able to walk around and it wasn't too hot up there but it was humid. There was also Peter Pan's house up there, or that is what it looked like so I guess we are in Neverland.

Yesterday we also had a stake conference, and it was the priesthood session and Elder Domingas from one of the quorums of the seventy was there so that was pretty cool. Today was also a Stake conference that was broadcast from Salt Lake to all the Caribbean, Elder Russel M. Nelson. On the way home we almost got in an accident we were driving on a road with basically nobody on the road, and a guy went to pull on to the road and so I moved into the right lane and he just kept coming and was slowing down, so I laid on my horn and he still kept coming and we slammed on the brakes coming to a stop skidding so we didn't hit him and he was pretty startled and scared like where did you guys come from, but that was a pretty close call.

Well I hope that you guys have a great week this week. It sounds like you guys are doing all kinds of fun and enjoyable things. I love you all tons!!!

Con Cariño

Elder Cannon

1-12-13

Hola Familia,

This week was pretty cool. We have been having a very long week getting to bed late and having to get up early to go and help missionaries. We are pretty tired. We had a really long day looking at houses and dealing with missionaries. Then at the end of the day we went contacting, which felt really good to get out of the truck and walk around our area and look for new people. Our area is basically downtown Santiago so we walked a lot and tried to really take advantage of our time and find the interested people. We walked a lot during some of the areas. We contacted a couple good investigators so we are going to try to keep visiting them, it is a bit hard sometimes because our time is limited so if they aren't home sometimes it takes a couple days to go by again and we just hope that they are home when we go by, and if we are lucky they have cell phones and we can call them. So when we finally got back to the truck it had been a long day it was about 9:30 and we were on our way home just picking up something to eat because all we had in the house was cereal and we didn't want to eat that. So while we were waiting for our food my companion remembered that we had to take two mattresses to the missionaries in another area across the city. We went and had to go and get the mattresses from our house and take it to them. It was great that they were very grateful that we had brought them the mattresses, so that made it more worth it. We then had to drive home and by the time that we actually got to bed it was about midnight, only to get up at 6:30 and do it again.

We also took an elder who has been in the hospital for the last week, so we took him home finally. We had to go to Puerto Plato. It was an amazing drive. It was so pretty we drove through the mountains. It was raining a little bit and there were a couple of rainbows, and a really pretty sunset. There were also a lot of trees and a lot a farms so that was really pretty. When we got there it was dark. We passed by the ocean. It wasn't a beach but I could faintly see the waves as they rolled in and I could smell it with the sea breeze. It was very pretty drive, but on the way home I found out that here everyone just drives with their high beams on and on the mountain road with the high beams shining in your mirrors and in your eyes it can be really hard to see the road sometimes, so we had to be pretty careful. A couple of people would turn them off as we passed but the majority didn't.

Today we were down by Cien Fuegos so we stopped by and said hello to a couple of people some weren't home but we were able to stop by and visit Jesus, and Sandi and their mom so that was really great to see them, They were all like wow Elder Cannon, It was really great to see the surprise on their faces when we got there.

So I am getting more used to the office and how things run. It is still a bit of a challenge with the cell phone company to try to get them to switch the name of the representative to my name instead of the old office elder. So I have been trying to get them to do that and work with me on that and send me some other stuff but it is just a slow process.

I hope that Dad and Allison had a Great Birthday. I hope that you have a great week this week, and in all your sports and dancing and music that you guys are doing. I love you all tons!

Con Cariño

Elder Cannon

1-6-13

Hola Familia

I couldn't email yesterday because it was pretty crazy with everything that was going on. Yesterday we did service that was near Navarrete and we had to haul wood for a investigator. So we were in the truck for two hours for that. Then we went and talked to Socrates, I'll tell you more about him in a minute, he wanted to say goodbye to Elder Challis. Then we took Elder Challis to his are which took about five hours more in the truck with about 30 in the middle to eat lunch. We went to the Fuller's house to take there inversor and 44 fans to our house. So we carried a bunch of stuff and spent more time in the Truck. We went to the office to teach lesson then we went to the hospital to visit Elder Cruz who is in the hospital. So pretty much yesterday we lived in the truck with a couple stops here and there to unload stuff or to eat something quick, or teach the one lesson we had time for. It was really tiring, but I was great to see some of the country side. We passed a ton of rice fields which was pretty interesting to see and watch some of the people harvesting and plowing with cows that were up to their knees in mud was the skim the mud and water to make it flat, and as we got closer to the mountains it was pretty jungly with lots of plants, but here there really aren't very exotic animals.

Socrates is our investigator he is a way cool guy. He actually contacted the missionaries. He came to the office and asked if he could take some books to read so they gave him some books. Then he came back asking for more books and they found out that he lives in our area. So we started to teach him and he had read most of the pamphlets and a lot of the books. He is really smart he know spanish english and some french. So we have been teaching him a couple of times and he is very interested in the church. He has come to church 3 time including today and participates and is learning tons. He came up to me the other day and asked if I was related to George Q. Cannon, which just goes to show you how much he has been reading. He has most of the teachings of the prophets and a lot of Liahonas. When we teach him he usually just asked questions about some stuff. He has asked about temples and eternal pregression and some other things like that. He is going to be a great leader in the church. We put a baptismal date with him last night so that will be great, but he told us that he wants to be sure of his decision because he won't look back afterwards. We is just loving everything he already knows so much of the church history and one of his heros is Brigham Young. His baptismal date in for the 2nd of Feb. so that is pretty exciting.

So Elder Challis is gone and now the job is fully mine I have to make all the decisions. It has been going pretty good. When we dropped him off we were trying to get back to Santiago and my companion Elder Rondon told me to keep going straight so I did, and we went clear to nagua which is in the opposite direction. So we had to turn around and drive for a little while longer. Elder Challis knew a lot of the areas and stuff so Elder Rondon's theory is just ask people. Other then that not much else is happening we are looking for houses and doing the normal routine, but it is still very tiring I guess I just need to get used to it.

This coming week all the young missionaries are taking over and are going to be running the mission. The Senior couple that are serving as the secretary and financial secretary are finishing there mission. So now there are going to be 4 office elders, me and my companion then the mission secretery and the financial secretery. Then there are the assistantes. So it is going to be pretty cool. President and Hermana Douglas are still here but they don't always come into the office. So it will be pretty interested but all the missionaries that are in the office are good missionaries so there shouldn't be any problems with missionaries braking the rules or anything like that.

Well I love you all and hope that you all have a great week this week! That is great to hear about Allison's baptismal date. It is going to be a very neat experience for Tyler and Allison. I hope that you all have a great week and work hard always.

Con Cariño

Elder Cannon

1-3-13

Hola Familia

So it has been a bit crazy trying to figure everything out. I wasn't able to write you on our P-day because we did transfers on Saturday instead of Wednesday so we were a bit busy on our P-day.

So this week I have been learning and taking over all the work of the office so Elder Challis, the old office elder, is still here but is leaving on saturday so he has been here to answer all of my questions and help me. so I have been learning as we go when something comes up I learn how to do it. So we went to get one of the trucks fixed because the senior couple wrecked it so we went to report it and everything, but then the next day he just took it and fixed it himself paying for it himself. We have also been looking for houses so during those days we have been driving in the car a lot calling people, but it is just the begining of that, we are going to be looking for a lot of houses with all the new missionaries that are going to be coming. My job isn't too hard it is just organizing. Most of the people that I have to talk to are profesioanl so they know what they are doing and know the missionaries so that makes it really easy. My companion is in charge of all the houses and the stuff that has to do with the houses and so he is constantly talking to people that aren't profesional like renters that just have a second floor that they want to rent out so they can be really hard to work with.

This week we got a phone call on Sunday from a very inactive guy that the missionaries have taught a lot, but never did anything. He called us and asked if we could pass by and give them a ride to church because he wanted to change his life. So we went by and they were all outside waiting for us in church clothes and everything. When they got to church they went and asked the bishop if they could talk to him. So they talked to the bishop and he gave them some great advice. Then they asked us if we could go by later on sunday. When we passed by we were with Joncarlos recent convert. They were big into hard core drugs and drinking. His mom is a member who is really strong he has been less active most of his life, and his wife is a non-member. We went and taught them and they were really open to our message and they got along great with Joncarlos. The guys looks pretty good but the wife is really skinny and her face is a bit sucken in. At the end of the lesson they asked us to give their baby a blessing. He has been sick for a while mainly because of all the smoke and stuff that he has been exposed to and also he has a cold so he is pretty sick and during most of the lesson he was crying and screaming. We went to give him a blessing and they asked me to give him the blessing. so we gave him a blessing and right when we started to give him the blessing he stopped crying and was calm. The spirit was really strong. they were very grateful and they seem so much more happy. It is incredible to see what a difference it makes when they make the desicion for themselves.

Well I hope that you are all had a very Happy New Year, and welcome to 2013, it is so insane how fast the time has gone by. I love you all tons!

Con Cariño

Elder Cannon