Monday, October 28, 2013

Back in the DR 10/28/2013 Los Cianos

 I am living in a four man house with Elder Huanca again so that is really cool. I really was completely shocked and sad to leave, but that is just how it goes.

 Bay and britt have told me nothing haha.  I got a birthday package from Grandma but besides that nothing yet.

The challenges in this area is that the evangelical church is more entertaining for people, especially since not a whole lot of the people out here know how to read. I am the branch secretary right now. The branch really struggles with people getting baptized and then just going inactive. We have 180 members here and 30 of them go to church.  This place is really really quiet. I love it. I do have to teach english classes again which I am not so fond of. Everyone has a different level of knowledge so it makes it impossible to progress.

I love speaking spanish again I am really focusing on it so I can study it more in college then I want to study portuguese I think I want to go more into languages. I am going to miss playing futbol for hours on p-day my new comp can play well, but for only about ten minutes haha.

Well love you mom you are in my prayers, talk to you next week :)

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Back to the DR! 10/21/2013

Got a call last night looks like I am going to the DR tomorrow! Here is a
picture from each of the islands.I will be going to an area called Los
Cianos in the zone San Pedro and I will be living in the same house as
Elder Huanca the Elder that trained me my companion is now Elder Diaz from
Guatemala.

Monday, October 21, 2013

10/20/2013 - Baylins 18th Birthday

Today I received a message from a lady that had bumped into Brennan in Aruba.  I am not sure who it was as I could not understand her name but I think she was from Utah from her phone number.  She said Elder Bell looks great and is so happy and that he is such a great missionary.  It was so exciting to hear from someone that had actually seen him.  So if you happen to read this blog, Thank You to my dear sister in the gospel for taking the time to call us!  Denise



I am gone haha I leave tomorrow morning at eight thirty so strange I feel like I am being moved to a completely different mission again

.I am pumped to hear about Brittan being ordained to the office of a priest! It sounds like he has really been working hard and has grown up so much. It is really nice to hear about what is going on in the family all of the fun things you are doing sound like a blast. DAd told me you are working hard and staying really busy. I hope everything is going well for you in your work.

One thing that I am really excited about is that I will be speaking spanish 24-7 again. I really got in the rythym of Papiamento, but Spanish is so much better.  I am pretty excited to be back in the DR where there are more than just two other missionaries. The only thing I don't like right now is that we have basically orders from the mission president to put the house in perfect condition for the sister missionaries that are coming. Lots of cleaning today! haha Not much is going on besides that pretty big news I will make sure to tell you all about it next Monday :)
 
    Love, Elder Bell
 
( I am not sure if this means he is going back to the DR or if he is just moving within Aruba.  Last week he said he is flying out of Aruba December 5 so this mom is a little confused by this email)

Monday, October 14, 2013

10142013


Today at 7:41 AM
Well I have known for a while , but it was confirmed last week that I am no longer going to be in San Nicolas I am getting moved to the other side of the Island and Sister Missionaries are coming to this area . You know what that means..we have special orders to clean the house and make it really nice so that is what we have been doing a whole lot of.
 
 I can't believe I only get six more weeks here on these Islands and then I get sent back to the DR to get culture shocked all over again. It is really strange that I have more time in these ABC islands than I have had in the DR.
 
 We are doing well lately we have had some really really hard days, but some good ones too. The family that made it to the last thirty minutes of conference is doing well, however the father really doesn't like church because he has had a whole lot of prior experience with being cheated and stolen from in all the other churches so we finally got to talk to him last night and he still doesn't like the idea that his family wants to go to church. But his son that is seventeen has been going and his sister that is twenty, their mother really would like to go, but  she has a hard time making it because of her work schedule.Last night she made us some see food it was the head of a squid cut into rings and fried and it was amazing.
 
 Last week we went and played with some really good soccer players it was tons of fun got to really move around and enjoy playing a fast paced sport again.I never told you that I was really considering buying soccer cleats for a while did I? Then I realized it would just be a waste of money since I only get to play thirty minutes in the mornings and on p-day.
 
Today we are oging to have another Argentine style barbeqcue at the Branch President's house. We ate so much last time I don't know if I will do that again I also have plans to go buy stuff this Monday. I don't know it that will happen or not though.ahhh it is bugging me so bad that I can't spell barbecque right....oh well I love you all I am glad things are going well at home enjoy those freezing temperatures;) 
Love, Elder Bell

Monday, October 7, 2013

10-07-2013

  (I asked Bren if he needed to go buy a bike that wasn't from Toys R Us.)  I am working on getting a bike repaired.(Of course I am worried about him being sick.)  I am feeling well my body beat the amoebas I think. I miss the craziness in our house.  (Brit and Brea were fighting over parade candy just as Brea was getting ready to write to Brennan.  Kind of ruined her mood to write.) Tell Brittan he better say sorry to her buy her a bag of that candy and help her finish writing that letter. (Even though it may not have been her fault, funny even at a distance he is taking care of the baby girl., and bossing the younger brother around.)

 I really enjoyed the conference even though we spent half the time trying to fix the internet in our little house chapel. We had investigators come to church for the first time this transfer and there were eight of them so that was an energy booster. Saturday I had the best barbecque of my entire life we helped with a service project on friday and cut up the ribs and the chicken for three hours and the next day in between conference sessions we got to the barbecque late and they gave us all of the ribs that were left. I am never going to forget that :)

This last week was a little tedious because I spent five hours each day in a customs place trying to get my visa extended so I can stay here until the fifth of December. It is done now so that stress is gone.It has been extremely hard to meet with people and teach and help them people aren't holding through on their commitments, but a few people came to church this week and it gave me some hope. Right now we really need to focus on our obediance to the will of  God and work hard on following every little rule and doing all the little things like Dad always taught me and like it says in alma 37 and then we will see god realize his works of salvation through us. If I don't put the will of God first as a missionary I simply can not expect him to use me as an instrument. I have found that weakness is something that I need if I want to progress and as I strengthen my weaknesses I will be able to ascend to another level of faith. I love that quote about doubting our doubts before our faith also. Some of the best counsel I have ever heard every day we will be enfronted with reasons to doubt our faith and that just gives us an opportunity to learn where we can strangthen our faith, what we can study, and how we can serve someone else today to be able to forget ourselves and our doubts and invite someone else to be edified in their faith.

Time is going faster everyday. I feel like I start to get to know people and get kicked out of my area. I might be getting moved to the north side of Orangestad in two weeks because sister missionaries are coming to this area and we supposedly are going to have a new area in Aruba

. I thought it was really cool that there were alot of talks focused on basic covenants and ordinances Saturday. We so easily forget the importance of our covenants with God.

I have been loving it here with my comp we go and play soccer every morning at six , but he still makes me look foolish he played for a semi pro team before the mission haha. Well I better write my mission President now I love you tons! ,Elder Bell