4-14-13

Hola Familia,
This week has been really busy trying even harder to get everything ready for the transfers that are coming on the 23rd of April. So we have had to up our game in finding and getting contracts done for all of the houses. We still have about 4 that aren't ready yet some just need the move of all the stuff and then there are others where we still don't have a house yet. So this coming week is the last week before transfers so we are really going to have to work hard.
So we have been traveling a lot and doing a bunch of moves. Today my companion and I are really sore because of Basketball that we played yesterday and because of all the moves that we have done. Yesterday the assistants helped us do a move to a third floor apartment and the stairs where really narrow and the roof was really low so that you had to duck down to go up them. So that was really hard and awkward to do that move, but this morning all four of us woke up pretty sore, and tired.
Yesterday we also had another activity with the office elders. We went and played basketball for a while which was really nice because we haven't had the time to go out and play in a lot time.Then we came home and we made breakfast, pancakes and some fruit.
We were able to teach a young man this week. His name is Miguel angel and he lives in a pretty getto area where there are lots of drugs and stuff, well that is pretty much our entire area. While we were sitting on his balcony teaching him some guys walked by and were making fun of him because we were over there teaching him. Then he did something that I really admired him for doing. First of all the guys that were walking by were two or three street gansters who were smoking some drug and they knew that kid who we were teaching. But he turned and said," They are my brothers" and then turned back to us to listen. The other guys were a bit shocked and just kept walking. It was pretty neat to see his courage. I really hope that we can help him progress in the gospel. He is such a good kid.
Well I hope that you all have a great week this coming week! I love you all tons and tons!
Con Cariño
Elder Cannon

4-7-13

This week we have had a lot of work here in the office as usual.

We had an internal audit this week in our office. So that day the four office elders were stuck in the office. It was mainly the financial secretary and my companion and I that had to stay there. They were asking for receipts and records so we had to show them that when we paid someone they actually received the money and that we have all the proper documentations, so that was a big pain in the butt. Especially because the Lady was just trying to chew us out all the time in the little things that we didn't know we should be doing but that we should be doing. She is also making it a little harder to process the money that we need for the down payments and contract money to get the new apartments that we need to get for all the new missionaries. So we have been waiting for the process for the money to do contracts and then move all the things in the house.

On Friday the assistants had to go to Montecristi to stay the night with the zone leaders for an exchange, but they happened to take the house keys with them so we had no way of getting in the house Friday night. So we tried to figure out where we could stay the night and the only option was in the mission home. So that felt really weird to have President waiting for us to get to the mission home. It felt like having your parents waiting for you to get home. We got there and stayed the night in the mission home which was really weird. I was really hot and ended up sweating most of the night anyways. We left in the morning and went to the office. We got a phone call from the assistants that they had gotten in an accident on their way home. They were in our truck, and we were in theirs so that was really sad for us. I had to go and help them out with all the forms and reports and also getting them home because the truck doesn't run anymore. It was a really tough situation for all of us, especially for the assistants, but everyone is ok and things are being worked out. It just means a lot more work for me to do now especially with all the new areas that we have to open now with one truck less. We missed the first session of conference but we are going to watch that tonight in the office. It was a miracle with all the blessing of the Lord and how he protects his servants.

We just watched conference in the office with the assistants, with the Latins in Spanish and Elder Wilkinson and I watching it in English. It was so great, I have been spiritually recharged and I have lots of thing that I have to do now. I really loved the analogy of President Uchtdorf about how we are all toddlers learning. It really shows the love of God, and with the Mormon message that I really like about Earthly Fathers and Heavenly Fathers. The way that we can keep doing better and how we really can learn to become like God. I also really enjoyed the talk for Elder Holland about Faith and how we need to hold our the ground we have and to be true to the faith that we have. All of it was great!

The Lord has really blessed me and the people that I serve. It is so hard to describe the little thing everyday that the Lord does, without you knowing the situations. He watches over his children and blesses them everyday, we just have to be watchful and learn to recognize his hand. I know he lives, and I love him with all my heart.

I love you all so much and I wish the best for you all. Thank you all so much for your wonderful examples that you give me.

Con Cariño

Elder Cannon

3-31-13

Happy Semana Santa! How is everything going on that side of the world?

Over here everything is as busy as ever. This week has been the traveling and looking for houses week. This week we went to Nagua, San Fransico, Jarabacoa twice, Puerto Plata three times, and La Vega. During all of this traveling it has been a very rainy week so the travel has been a little bit slower on these bad roads expecially to Jarabacoa and Puerto Plata on wet roads. We also had all the other things that we normally do to do on top of this. We did the mail and I did get your envelope of chocolate, and had to get that sent out the same day because it is La Semana Santa so everything was closed for part of the week.

We had to do another emergency move in Puerto Plata so we had to do all the contracts and stuff and move the missionaries in the rain which is never that fun because you can't let the mattresses get wet or the wooden desks and they always get mad if you get their bags wet.

So that has basically been our week we have been living in the truck if it only had a bathroom in there that would be our apartment.

During all the busy rush we had to take a mini missionary to his house so we picked him up from Puerto Plata and took him to Cien Fuegos to his house so I really wanted to stop by the Cabrera's house so we were able to stop by and say hello really quick they were all really happy to see me and now Jesus's little girl Merili talks but was too shy to say anything. As we were on our way out I felt like we needed to stop by and say hello to Hermana Blanca. She was so surprised that we went to her house. She just about started to cry. She has been inactive ever since I have left Cien Fuegos the missionaries who are there really don't know much about her, and I doubt they even know where she lives. She was so happy and had asked why we didn't call here to tell her that we were coming so that she could have made something for us, but we didn't have time anyways so it was just good to see her and invite her to church again. She said that she wanted to write me so I told her that was fine, so we'll see if she sends me a letter, but it was a great feeling afterwards.

When we finally were able to teach some lessons we got out of a lesson and we were going to see if a contact that we did was in the house a crazy lady came up behind us and said "OH the Mormons so cute, tell me something beautiful" But when she came up she like gave me a hug from behind, but she was pretty short so she was like hugging my stomach, so I had to take her arms off me and turn around. The lady at the house was apologizing and telling us that she is crazy. The crazy lady left and we talked for a minute with the lady that we contacted but her brother just left so we could share with them. The crazy lady came back and offered us some chips but we kindly said no and she walked away a bit angry, but it was funny with her rounded face with really curly hair sticking straight up.

Well I hope that you guys have a great Easter. Thank you for the Chocolate. By the way did you guys make homemade chocolate yet? Well I hope that you all have a great week and get ready for General Conference this weekend. I love you all so much!

Con mucho amor

Elder Cannon

3-10-13

Hola familia,

This week was another really busy week here in the office. We had a meeting with president to finalize the plans that we have for this transfer and to plan for the next transfer. So we found out that we need to find another house in San Francisco that we weren't planning on finding. So yesterday we went with the assistants and looked for a house in San Francisco. We finally found one and then had to go and buy all the stuff for it at La Sirena so we went and bought most of the stuff and then we have to try to move the stuff down there before Wednesday. We did all that yesterday, Saturday, or our p-day. So we have been really busy with all the preparations that have been going into preparing the houses for the new areas and new missionaries.

So recently we have been trying to work with William. He was recently baptized about 5 or 6 weeks ago, but after he was baptized all of his neighbors started to "study the bible with him" well as things went on he started coming up with excuses for not going to church the first one was actually true but then the second was very legitimate reason for not going to church, and by the third sunday that he didn't go to church he told us that he has been "studying" with his neighbors, and now he is filled with all these doubts. So we started to meet with him more often, but he wasn't reading what we were leaving with him, and he had stopped reading the book of Mormon. His girlfriend who was also baptized the same day invited us and the sister missionaries to come for a family home evening and it was her birthday so the sisters made a cake and everything. When we got there She had prepared a message and everything was going great. William had brought one of his neighbors to the party. After the message he started going off about how the Gospel that we preach isn't true so we basically just bore our testimonies and the sisters bore theirs and then we had to go because it was late. A couple days later William calls us and asks us if we would go to his house to help him understand some of the doctrines that he was confused about and had some doubts. So we went there and he had all of his neighbors waiting for us. We got there and there were three of them there with their bibles and William. So we started with a pray and then we gave them some pamphlets and asked them if they would read them, they said they would and then they went right into trying to read scriptures and try to explain stuff. So after a couple of minutes my companion asked them what is your purpose or what do you want to accomplish in this lesson. The guy said, "It is to have you guys stop believing in the Book of Mormon." The lesson was pretty much over at that point we didn't get anywhere. They started to read scripture and scripture and try to explain what they want to say with each scripture. We really didn't talk much mainly because they never let us. It was a bit frustrating because they would ask us how we interpret a certain scripture and then they would read it and they wouldn't even wait to have us answer. We just shared our testimonies again which was a bit difficult to find a break in their stream of words. By the end of the lesson we were sitting on the bed and the three of them were standing up right in front of us all trying to talk at the same time and it was just a mess. As we were walking out they kept following us and trying to reiterate what they had already said. We testified again with them saying that what we were saying isn't true and that we were confused, that they weren't blaming us for following other people who are confused but that now that their truth was right in front of us we should accept it. So to at least let Elder Rondon talk for a second with William I just turned around and just stood there and they stopped to try to talk to me and William went with Elder Rondon a couple feet away, but he was so closed up that he wouldn't do anything. It was really sad to she that how he is just closing himself up and not listening. We both felt pretty weighed down and sad that William isn't accepting the gospel anymore, but we had joy in our hearts because the spirit had testified through us that what we had said was true. Even if the other people there didn't feel it, our hearts were filled with the fire of the spirit and when we testified and defended the true he was there bearing witness.

This week we also finished our meetings with claro and we got the new phones which I get to test out. It is pretty cool it has a camera and has snake 3 on it but the thing that I have been looking through is that is has internet access but only if you have a data plan. So I have to figure out if they can some how access internet from these phones with the plane that we have, that way it won't be as much of a temptation for the missionaries.

This next coming week is going to be very crazy with all the new missionaries coming and with transfers and trying to pick up the truck and finishing the areas that we are going to open. This transfer went by really really fast but it was pretty awesome. We have a lot of stories and experiences.

I hope that you guys have a great week and that everyone is doing great with school and all the other activities. I love you guys tons!

Con Cariño

Elder Cannon 

3-2-13

Hola Familia,

This week was pretty interesting. My companion has been training Elder Astacio who is going to become the new office elder or in other words my new companion. So we have been doing pretty basic stuff. I have had some time to read and relax and catch up on all of the office work that I have needed to do, but it has been a bit hard because of conferences and service projects different office elders have had to do different things in those and when we need something done from one of the other office elders and they fall behind then we also fall a little behind so we have been pretty busy.

This week we went up to Puerto Plata to look for an apartment to move some new missionaries. We took Elder Astacio to teach him what a house needs and how to do business with the owners. He is a Dominican that is about my height and is pretty skinny. He is really funny he is in some of the pictures that we took up there. After we had looked at a bunch of houses we went to the beach and took a couple of pictures.

We have been contacted trying to get more investigators all of our investigators have been disappearing so we contacted a little while ago and some things are actually coming through We found a family on Sunday that is really cool they were very open and when we got there they called their kids and had the whole family to listen to what we had to say. They live at the very end of an alleyway and we were contacting with a member and it turned out that the member knows them and they were very receptive and so we are going back this coming Sunday.

We also contacted this lady from Venezuela that is living here. We have taught her twice since and seems really interested. She read the whole pamphlet, and each lesson we had different members there to help her. She told us that she has her beliefs and that she has felt good in her church and felt like God has answered her prayers. We taught about the Book of Mormon and then we invited her to pray. She has met with the missionaries before, but that was a really long time ago in Venezuela. She said that she likes how the youth of the church are and wants her daughter to have that support and live those principles. Her daughter is 8 years old.

This week President and I had a couple meetings with Orange the phone company to see what they could offer us and to see if it would be better to switch to Orange instead of Claro. They gave us a booklet and some offers, that I ended up having to study and then report back. So that has been pretty interesting. I had to use some math to solve some of the little details that they have in the small print and I figured it out and it was very satisfying to be honest to have a real life application and know how to figure it out and have an answer that basically determined if we were going to change phone companies.

The truck still isn't done and they say that it won't be done until next week but they way that it has been going it isn't going to be done for awhile.

We also went to Salto de Jimenoa again with the assisants today so that was pretty fun and we took a bunch of pictures and had a great time.

Well I hope that you are all having a great time and that you have a great week!

Con Amor

Elder Cannon 

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