Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Young Single Adult Camp in Bonao!


Carolina and I never like to miss out the action! We heard there was a mission-wide YSA conference one weekend, and they said we could go! I was especially excited for the dance part of it! We loaded up in a small bus with some of our friends from the ward we attend and rode out the the western part of the country where the Church owns a gorgeous property up in the green, tropical hills that they use for youth camps as well!


"Chastity Bridge" Don't cross the line at night! ;)




What is this fruit!? Our friends told us to pick it off the tree and eat it right there! The inside was white and tasted kind of like a mix between an apple and a pear.



 



They split us all up into little wood cabins with cots to sleep on, with 8-10 girls each! the girls I met were hilarious and kept me entertained! (Even if they talk so fast in their Dominican accents that I can barely understand them.) They immediately loved me and made me feel included. We have even been keeping in touch through our "WhatsApp" chat group named after our cabin, Zacarías 2.



Swarming the ice cream man who randomly pulled up by the camp before our drive home.


Monday, March 21, 2016

Colonial Zone!




The Dominican Republic has incredible history, especially dating to the time of early colonization of Christopher Columbus. Santo Domingo was the first colony set up by the Spanish, and claims some of the oldest buildings in the "New World," including gorgeous Catholic cathedrals and forts up to more than 500 years old! Last weekend decided to hop in a "public car" down the road to the "Colonial Zone," a popular tourist area. We breezed through and found some fun souvenirs, peeked in the museum/ cathedral, and met some cool people.



















Transportation in the Dominican Republic! It's LOCO!

I just had to write about this unforgettable aspect of life in the DR so I don't forget about it... (Disclaimer: I don't take my iPhone out in public to take pictures, so most of these photos are off Google, but I thought they were a good representation.)


Public transportation is such an aggressive, alien concept here for me! Cars are always smashed up centimeters from each other with motorcycles with men, women, children and babies piled on them, weaving in between other vehicles on every side. There are carritos públicos that are like little, beat-up taxis that go the same route up and down the road carrying 7 people at a time- 2 in the front passenger seat and 4 in the back. You get used to the idea of getting up close and personal with strangers really fast if you take that route!

            There are also guaguas, or buses, that people pile into as well. Some are bigger and size and a little nicer quality, with specified stops on the side of the road where people get on and off. Other guaguas are smaller, and there the cobrador, or money-charger, hangs out of the window yelling at people anywhere on the street to get on and piling in as many passengers as possible. Certain types of these smaller buses are called boladores, or “flyers,” because the fly down the road at ridiculous speeds until they can collect another passenger or someone yells to be dropped off near their destination. Another option is the metro, or underground subway system. It’s a whole other little world down there, though it’s not nearly as complex as the ones I’ve been to in New York and Mexico City. There are only 2 metro lines in Santo Domingo that go 2 directions each, and the distance is limited, but it can come in very handy sometimes! If you get on at a busy time though, you are cramped in with people, and you’d better book it off at your stop before the doors close!

            The benefit of using one of these public transportation methods instead of a taxi when you don’t have a car is that the rate is about 100% less. For example, this evening we called a taxi to take us to a devotional at a church meetinghouse about 20 minutes away and were charged 250 Dominican pesos ($5.48 US dollars). We took a guagua back from the devotional and walked a little ways from the main road to our apartment, and spent only 25 Dominican pesos each (55 cents in US currency). The metro only costs about 60 pesos ($1.32 USD) for both ways, in comparison to about a 400 pesos ($8.78 USD) in taxi both ways for a short distance.We have to be really cautious about the modes of transportation we use to be safe, and avoid traveling at night, but we feel pretty proud of ourselves once we make it somewhere alive and feel like we’re getting the hang of it!

            Then there’s the option of getting around with the senior missionary couples, if we’re lucky! We’ve been blessed to have them offer to take us to and from church every Sunday, home from the institute building a few times, and a couple of other places! It’s pretty entertaining to witness elderly American couples maneuver the streets of Santo Domingo. We may have taken a few extra detours along the way a couple of times, but overall it’s pretty impressive to see that Dominican defensive attitude come out of these sweet missionaries on the roads! On the other hand, our trips to meetings with our local Dominican Self-Reliance Manager is like a rocket ride zipping to whichever chapel we’re going to. But he knows what he’s doing and we make it just fine.  

Gotta love the fruit vendors on the road!


Friday, March 4, 2016

Americans Among the Dominican Returned Missionaries!


Another fun opportunity we've had while working in the Self-Reliance Center in Santo Domingo has been participating in and helping a bit with the monthly seminars held for the recently returned missionaries who come from the country! Church leaders, employees, and missionaries teach important principles of continuing in faith and purpose, goal-setting and planning, and principles of self-reliance to help RM's start off their post-mission life on the right foot! We get to attend temple a temple session as well and hear from members of the Santo Domingo Temple Presidency as part of it, which is a beautiful experience. 




 They also feed the returned missionaries (last time it was KFC for dinner!) and let them stay overnight in the housing next to the temple.


It's fun to make new friends here! I am inspired by all of these faithful, hardworking returned missionaries who come back from different parts of the world with burning testimonies and promising futures.


Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Dominican Donuts: A Self-Reliance Success Story!




Bro. Rosario’s face was beaming with confidence as he showed us his pictures of rows of freshly made, carefully-iced donuts. “I know how to bake!” he grinned. “My mom taught me how.”

Until recently, Bro. Rosario from the north western part of the Dominican Republic, has had to work several jobs to pay for the necessities of life for himself and his wife and two darling daughters. Six months ago, he completed the Starting and Growing My Business course in the Puerto Plata Stake after an invitation from the Stake Self-Reliance Specialist. Participating in the course inspired him to start a his own pastry business out of his small home. The Self-Reliance course learned how to apply practical skills, such as budgeting and record-keeping, combined with spiritual skills such as exercising faith and obeying God’s commandments, to transform his passion for baking into much-needed income.

To get to Bro. Rosario’s donut kitchen, we ventured with a pair of senior missionaries through the jungly terrain down windy dirt roads in a village dotted with small, brightly colored, cement homes. After several attempts to get our car up an incredibly steep hill, Bro. Rosario greeted us cheerfully in his flour-spotted apron, his darling 6-year-old daughter peeping out from behind in her bouncy black braids.

Bro. Rosario was excited to show us the donut-creating process he has been refining for the past months, from start to finish. I admired the long table he made himself from cinder blocks and a slab of smooth cement. It was evident that Bro. Rosario is passionate about his work. We watched with fascination and mouths watering as he purposefully measured out flour, yeast, sugar, and eggs. He is careful with the ingredients he chooses and the way each step of the baking process is done. “I compared the different brands of flour to get the best quality, and then found the store that offered the best brand at the best price.”

He then meticulously molded the dough to perfection and carefully cuts out each precious ring in an expert way. He has recently invested in a machine that helps him roll out the dough so it is smooth and dense, and goes a long way. It has helped him speed up the baking process and allows him to keep from wasting even the smallest pinch of dough. “If it goes to waste, I lose out!” he says. His wife helps with frying in the kitchen, and sends them back over to be daintily with shimmery chocolate or vanilla glaze and creatively decorated. His young daughters sometimes help with counting the “inventory.” The samples were impressively tasty even before he added the glaze. (But who doesn’t like a little extra chocolate?)
 



  
The donut batch we observed him make was ordered by a Primary president who plans to reward her Primary children who completed goals to memorize Articles of Faith and read a certain amount of the Book of Mormon. Bro. Rosario decorated each donut with colorful sprinkles because he knows that’s what the kids enjoy and packaged them in small cases he’d bought, complete with a sticker reading, “Thank you for your work!’ and  “I know that my Savior lives.” His donuts are better tasting and more affordable than those sold at the nearest supermarket! They are especially popular in the rural community during breakfast time. Bro. Rosario personally delivers his orders on his motorcycle.


 

Bro. Rosario’s Self-Reliance course taught him these skills to determine the most effective ways to spend his time and resources. “Businesses are meant to earn,” he stated firmly. “I learned how to keep records,” explained Bro. Rosario as he showed us the notebook where he keeps track of his purchases, sales, and profits for each order. He saves his receipts and carefully determines whether his transactions really help him earn. He shares what he learns with his family and praises his daughters for the work they contribute to the business, however simple the tasks may be.

 

“And what’s more, I can help others! For example, I lowered the price for the young men and young women in our ward to fundraise with the donuts to fund their trip to the temple.”

He frequently reviews the principles taught in the manual “My Foundation” as well as, “Starting and Growing My Business” on his own to continue receiving inspiration and guidance in his temporal and spiritual goals. He practices the tool “Me in 30 Seconds” and gave us an animated example of his self-presentation right there! “I continually review the Self-Reliance materials, and I always learning something new,” he says.

His small business has evolved over the last 6 months and he already has more demand than he can keep up with! He is now experimenting with cupcakes, mini cupcakes, and other delicacies he can create. He has been approached by neighbors who would like to work for him, but he is being cautious to keep up with the demand in a strategic way. Six months from now, he hopes to provide enough income from his business alone without working another job to provide for his lovely wife and two girls. “We are doing so well!” he says proudly.

It was priceless to witness the glow of self-confidence faith of this young, industrious father in action! Brother Rosario’s is a testimony of Heavenly Father’s vision and love for his children in need in all parts of the world. He wants us to progress and prosper in the sweetest ways!




















Friday, February 19, 2016

Snapshots of a Month in the Dominican Republic!

Our lives are kind of a scattered combination of Church service, online schoolwork, tourism, and daily survival in the DR... So that's what this post is going to look like!

Most of these moments are from a bonus trip to Santiago area last week for Self-Reliance training and sightseeing adventures...

The sweet senior missionaries dropped us off at the "27 Charcos de Demajagua" on the way to Puerto Plata! A guide took us on a hike up through the jungle, grabbed us some fresh mangoes, and helped us slide down waterfalls, swim, and cliff jump into gorgeous blue water! It was UNREAL!

Eating fish and chips at Big Lee's Beach Bar on the shore of Puerto Plata with the Francis.

"Y" for BYU!! Thanks for sending us on an international internship, Cougs! ;)
Gotta get that beach selfie...
We didn't have time to jump in, but it was a good view of the ocean and the sand was soft!

We went on splits with these cute, inspired Dominican sister missionaries! Did some contacting (including the doormen of our apartment building) and teaching less-active members! It felt good to be back in the missionary mode- but this time we were the "members present"!
(Plus Carolina learned how to use the metro system, which came in handy later!)
Random English artwork at the cool rollerblading rink at the giant nearby mall!
Giant job fair at the Self-Reliance/ Employment Center in Santo Domingo! Over 1,000 potential employees came in for interviews! It was a long day, but impressive to see how these people want so badly to work.

We braved the bus system over to Boca Chica and made some friends along the way! Here's Carolina making sandcastles with our 6-year-old tour guide.

This sweet family showed us around and helped us get yummy pineapple smoothies at the local price! Friendly, humble people. It makes me appreciate more what I have and what I have to offer.

This graffiti inspired me.
Rough translation: "We are as poor as we think we are."
The Self-Reliance Initiative is all about creating a mindset through faith and action to beat negativity and entitlement to be able to provide for ourselves and our families spiritually and temporally.  

We visited the hospital in Tamboril where I learned that youth volunteers from Humanitarian Experience for Youth (based in Utah) will be coming to construct a much-needed facility to house medical records and a laboratory. I did a little voluntary scouting for HEFY at the project sites since I happened to be in the area!

Empanadas off the street!

Met these cute, sassy little girls at the HEFY site in Tamboril. Their dad is a former Branch President who helps coordinate the youth projects. 

The Self-Reliance Center is in the same building as the Santiago Mission Office! Elder Brindley (on of my best friend's little brother from St. George) and Elder Jeppeson (close friend of my cousins in Sandy) happen to be companions and I got to see them both before their interviews with the Mission President! Qué pequeño mundo, no??
We had a lovely dining experience at Típico Bonao after a meeting with the the Self-Reliance Manager and the stake leaders in Bonao. BEST food I've had so far in the DR. Check it out...
Super tasty red beans and rice with sauce with goat meat! Me gusta!! 
OK... MOFONGUITOS! These little beauties are made of mashed, fried plátano (like big bananas) and filled with yummy shrimp, vegetables, and sauce. I died. 
Fried YUCCA! Better than French fries, I say!



Columbus' 3 ships tribute...

Old chapel in downtown Santiago.

Monument in Santiago surrounded by statues of prominent historical figures from the Dominican Republic.
 




Wild traditions are coming alive for Carnival!
We feel pretty Dominican...