Livin Dominican: Miracles in Puerto Plata

Where do I start this week? Let me just say that we are definitely seeing some miracles happen here in Puerto Plata and I feel so very blessed to be able to be serving here right now. I feel like so many things happen every single week but the week still flies by.

Ysmenia and Carla are still progressing wonderfully and are both so ready to be baptized on Saturday. Sometimes I have to remind myself that we´ve only been teaching them for about a month or so because it is easy to wonder why they haven´t just always been members. Last week we had a lesson on family history in sunday school. This week Ysmenia bore her testimony to us about the work in the temple. She said that as she was starting to gather names and dates to prepare them she had a dream. One of her aunts appeared to her and said that she needed to be a member of the church and was waiting for her. She´s not even a member yet and people are appearing to tell her to go to the temple! Every time we visit they have read something different in the Book of Mormon and have another question for us. I sometimes feel like we can´t give them the information fast enough. If there was ever anyone with a thirst and hunger for knowledge and for the spirit...it is Ysmenia and Carla.

Saturday we had Wellington´s baptism. He has always showed so much enthusiasm about the gospel. He is a little hyper-active 10 year old kid but he has progressed very well. We always left him a little homework sheet to make sure he understood and he did so well filling it out each time. One day last week he left the house without permission and then his punishment was that he couldn´t have the lesson with us. haha. When we showed up and he told us that he was grounded his face was so sad! But we were going to teach him the 10 commandments that day so it worked perfectly as an object lesson the next day.

His baptism went really well. A lot of people came to support him and he was so excited. He shared his testimony and it was completely adorable. The only thing that made me sad was that no one from his family came to support him. We invited his mom every single time we passed by but in the end she decided not to come. At least I know that he had a great support from the ward and will have that adopted family here.

Yesterday we were able to have a conference with Elder Zivic from the area presidency. We crammed the entire zone into one big van to drive the hour to Navarrette and it was quite the experience! The conference though was really spiritual and I felt quite renovated. We were able to sing a special number which went really well also. The zone leader plays the guitar beautifully and so him and I sat down on Sunday and we made up an arrangement of Be Still My Soul in English and Spanish with different parts and then taught a couple other missionaries. I absolutely love music and love being able to still take time for it here.

Everything is going wonderfully here in Puerto Plata! I really do see miracles every single day. Sometimes they are really small and simple and other times they are without description. I know it is because we are here doing what we are supposed to be doing and we are doing it with FAITH. I´ve said it a million times and I´ll say it again: Faith is EVERYTHING! If you have just a tiny amount of faith you can move mountains both literally and figuratively. If we do not doubt anything then the Lord is bound to keep His promises.

Love you all and hope that all is going well!

Hermana Ewell