Love is in the air...

For the past couple of weeks, the hundreds of little store windows we've gone by in Santo Domingo and Santiago have been decked with all-red clothing, accessories, and trinkets in preparation for Valentine's Day, Día de San Valentín, or Día del amor y amistad. Since I don't have any handsome guy to trade cards or chocolates with this year (as usual), I've decided to console myself by thinking of some things I love. These have largely been shaped by my experiences traveling and giving service over the past few years.

Living in the Dominican Republic for a month has definitely opened my eyes to new things to love about life, as well as appreciation for the blessings I already have!

Here are 25 Things I Love (in the random order they came to my mind):

1. Peanut butter (after not eating it for a month!)
2. Bon frozen yogurt with fruit
3. Fresh pineapple and bananas
4. Full-time senior missionaries who use a lifetime of experience and testimony into serving the Lord in whatever area and assignments they are called
5. Air conditioning
6. Temples! There is a special, familiar peace you feel there and a time for personal revelation and rejuvenation, wherever you the world.
7. Taking the Sacrament each week in church, no matter where you are
8. Strangers who see you are lost or need help and offer direction and advice
9. Traffic laws in the US that make life more sane and organized...
10. The Holy Ghost as a constant companion

11. Friends back home who care about my feelings and experiences
12. Opportunities for education and jobs to progress and support myself and future family
13. Converts to the Church who commit fully to following Christ's teachings, despite influences around them
14. General and local authorities of the Church who sacrifice their own time, energy, and resources to serving the Lord and building others up
15. The skills I learned as a missionary coming into play in new facets of my life (working with a companion, planning, teaching, following the Spirit, obeying rules, taking care of yourself, being aware of people around you, opening your mouth to invite and testify of Christ...)
16. BYU scholarships and funding that make my education and internship experiences possible
17. Inspired materials and processes set up by the Church to help members succeed personally (Self-Reliance Initiative, Institute, Pathway)
18. Different Spanish accents
19. Health
20. My family at home who loves and supports me in everything I do! And makes funny faces when I FaceTime.

21. Making new friends in new places
22. A happy childhood that set a foundation for my future
23. Ability to make goals and pursue things with the Lord's help that will be enjoyable and fulfilling
24. Wifi, when it's good
25. Learning and applying principles of the Gospel through study, prayer, meetings, life experiences and repentance

Carolina and I made Valentine's for a lovely little exchange in the Self-Reliance Services office!
We also heart-attacked the apartment doors of a few of our senior missionary couple friends! We love them all!

3 Weeks and loving the DR!

Some of our favorite perks of living in the Dominican Republic so far:

• It’s always about 82 degrees!  (Not missing the snow in Provo or New Jersey right now, I’ll tell you that!)
• For breakfast, we spend 50 Dominican Pesos (About $1.16 USD) for a plate of fresh pineapple, papaya, cantaloupe, watermelon, and banana from the man on the corner!
• “Bon” ice cream shops all over the place with delicious flavors! PLUS they have frozen yogurt, which they blend your choice of all-natural, frozen fruit into! Best thing ever!!
• We’re almost never more than a mile away from a beautiful view of the ocean, even though the sandy beaches are farther away. We took a trip to the beach today on the bus and laid out in the son and made friends with a cute little family who showed us where to get the cheapest pineapple smoothies!
• Our apartment is near a nice park that is perfect for running and is decorated so it kind of looks like Toon Town! There are free Zumba classes there and lots of people go to dance and sweat a ton! It’s a blast. We joined in a free workout group that meets on Saturdays at 7am. The people are super friendly and are helping us get into shape! (We were sore all week after the first day!)

More than the tastes and the sun though, the past 3 weeks in the Dominican Republic have been a surprisingly rewarding spiritual journey for me. I am so impressed with the Church employees who work here with such dedication and love in the Self-Reliance and other departments in Santo Domingo. I am also blown away with the kind, righteous senior missionary couples who have been called to serve here. They don’t hesitate to reach out and help two misplaced BYU girls with things like rides, groceries, and kitchen tools. I want to exemplify their examples of loving marriages, successful educations and careers, loving families, and complete dedication to service to the Lord. It’s a blessing to serve around these fun and faithful Church members!

Self-reliance is having the ability and resources needed to provide for oneself and one’s family temporally and spiritually. As I’ve studied this doctrine more, I’m finding that encouraging and enabling people to become more self-reliant is what the whole Plan of Salvation is all about!

Heavenly Father gave us this mortal experience with the purpose of us learning to discern good from evil and qualifying for the power and blessings he wants to give us now and after this life. He gave us the ability to make our own decisions and to be “agents unto [our]selves.” He wants us to utilize the Atonement to not only redeem and heal us, but also to enable us to become more than we could ever imagine becoming on our own. Heavenly Father not only wants us to survive, but to prosper and progress.

Self-Reliance group for "Education for a Better Job" in Baní. Despite a challenging economy, these members are so motivated to study in order to qualify for better work opportunities and meet their life goals!

To God, everything is spiritual. Even the tedious and frustrating challenges we face with finances and employment are part of his Plan in teaching us to use our power to act and to rely on Him. When follow principles of self-reliance, such as exercising faith in Christ, setting goals, making and keep commitments, and serving our neighbors, we will prosper and progress personally. We gain confidence and become able to help people around us who need support and assistance.

Carolina and I are working on teaching these doctrines and principles to many stake leaders of the church around Santo Domingo. We hope to help them understand the importance and potential of this initiative and how to go about establishing it and utilizing the materials provided in their stakes and wards. We’re kind of like missionaries of the message of Self-Reliance! It’s neat because the Church has recently constructed the Self-Reliance Initiative as an over-arching focus to include aspects of Church Employment Services, the Perpetual Education Fund, and the Welfare Program, so there is a lot to learn! It is the first Church initiative to be instigated internationally before domestically within the United States, although there are pilot Self-Reliance groups already functioning within the U.S.

Self-Reliance is not just another Church program; studying and participating in it creates a perspective on the Gospel of Jesus Christ in much more personal and practical way that I hadn’t imagined before. It’s useful for everyone because it helps people improve on spiritual and temporal wellbeing as they study and complete commitments with a group and partner along the way.

All you need to know is on the LDS Self-Reliance Web Page!

I feel so blessed to be here! It’s been a time of self-reflection as well as excitement for me. I’ve been reminded that God loves his children equally, no matter where they are in the world. And He knows our potential and needs individually and wants us to be happy! I’m excited to work, study and enjoy for the next 2 months in the Dominican Republic and see where the journey takes us!

Beautiful Barahona

Carolina and I moved into an apartment that was rented out for us by the temple in Santo Domingo on Wednesday. Since then, we have become buddies with several of the senior missionary couples serving in various callings here. Thursday was a Dominican holiday, so we all took the day off and the senior missionaries invited us to join them on a trip south about 3 hours away to the area of Barahona. 

We left the house at about 6am and Elder and Sister Duke, also from Utah, drove past the crazy traffic of Santo Domingo and out onto the long freeway, passing endless fields of banana and sugarcane crops, lush green hills, and desert areas. We stopped and looked around a hospital with another senior couple in our group who are a doctor and nurse. They will be returning to the mission in May to start humanitarian projects. When we got there, the beach was better than a postcard!

The missionaries told us about Larimar, a special blue stone made from minerals that are compressed by volcanic forces. It is only found in this specific area of the entire world! People make beautiful jewelry and other artwork with it, and it serves as a little economic boost for this poor area.

The beach was full of smooth stones, rather than sand. As we were walking and picking up Larimar and other neat-looking rocks, a boy about age 14 approached me and offered me some. I told him I couldn't buy from him, but he waved his hand and silently insisted that I take it as a gift. 

We found out that this boy's name is Andy, and he was born deaf and mute. He had a kind, positive attitude that exuded from him, even without saying anything. He uses unofficial hand signs to communicate with friends and family in his tiny, impoverished village. By gesturing back and forth, I learned that he doesn't play basketball, but loves baseball. And he doesn't surf, but he can swim well and dive really deep into the ocean!

The Benedicts talking to the kids about starting prospective healthcare projects for their community.

The senior couple who will be returning for a medical mission talked to Andy and some of his family and neighbors about possible returning to do a project in their area to investigate how many people are in the deaf community and finding ways to help them learn how to speak, read, and write. We met a friend of Andy's who is deaf also. He had a kind smile and light in his dark. He liked playing with the frisbee I gave them.

Another cute, outspoken 11-year old joined me on the beach as well immediately intertwined her fingers in mine and walked me up and down to look for pieces of Larimar. She mentioned how she'd love to have a tablet like she's seen the Americans who come around have haha. We took pictures with the kids by their homes and a grafiti wall. We also met met a group of young men playing an intense game of dominos and a naked baby brother. We shared some of our peanut butter sandwiches with a couple of the kids, which were completely foreign to them. 

The girl who held my hand insisted on gifting me an especially large and valuable chunk of Larimar from her own home, even though I didn't offer her anything in exchange. I will treasure that. 

My heart just swells when I think of sweet, speechless Andy offering to help us as strangers on the beach. It's amazing how not only the beauty of the island, but the generous people who live in it, will fill your heart with LOVE!

Kids fishing in the ocean with pipe and fishing line.

"Esto lo llamamos un 'selfie.'"

Jewelry made with Larimar stones in the local museum/ shop

First Sunday in the DR: Many Miracles to Come!

We met with the manager we'll be working with today. There was a devotional in one of the stake centers that is opening a Self-Reliance Center in the building where people can go for resources when looking for employment opportunities in the area. They cut the ribbon off the door and everything!

Church today was great! We didn't go to the ward we'll be at for the rest of our time here, but they were very welcoming. An awesome sister named Aydi who also works for the Church gave us rides to the chapel and back and invited us over for lunch with her family! They made some delicious meat, rice, and vegetables. I didn't like the "malta" drink they served us though! I was impressed by their gospel-centered lives.

One of those families who just does it all in the church!One of the sisters who works with human resources for the Church here (Lisette) invited us to her home for dinner with several Self-Reliance Services leaders to welcome us! It is inspiring to get to know them and the life-changing work that they do. All of the people we have met so far are incredibly friendly and welcoming. They do good things and are always trying to have a good time and be funny as much as possible!

We stick out a lot as Americans. The first thought that the members have is that we are sister missionaries. (It makes sense, since we are foreigners in skirts, holding scriptures and going to a lot of Church meetings.) But we explain to them that we are interns from BYU here to work with the area manager in the Self-Reliance Services, and then they get it.

I feel incredibly blessed to be here!! I'm amazed by the opportunity that Heavenly Father has prepared for Carolina and I. The Spirit has confirmed to me that His timing is perfect, and he knows me as well as his other children individually and all of our needs. This country is BEAUTIFUL! I wake up so happy to realize that I'm within miles of the beach and the sun is shining outside and people are waiting to welcome us. I also realize that there is a lot of need here for the Self-Reliance Initiative; there is a lot of poverty as well as people who are searching for help to reach the next level of finding ways to succeed in living happily and comfortably with their families. 

Hno. Alvarado, who is in charge of a the Self-Reliance Initiative in several countries, said that we have the potential to influence many, many lives through our efforts here. The work we do can impact thousands of members in the Caribbean. We will travel a little bit in the DR, but can also do work online that will help the Self-Reliance efforts from a distance. 

Depending on how useful our time is here will determine whether future interns from BYU year-round in Santo Domingo to assist our specific manager. We are the first ever to come as interns from BYU to the Dominican Republic under the LDS Self-Reliance Initiative as it was established a little over 2 years ago.

I feel that the Lord has been preparing me for this internship in many ways. To me, life in the Dominican Republic is a kind of a mix between Hawaii and Mexico. Living in both of those places is helping me adapt to the culture, climate, and lifestyle a little bit! 

My mission in New Jersey provided experiences for me to interact with many Dominican Church members and investigators who we taught and interacted with. So the thick accent hasn't caught me too off-guard! I've even met several members who have family members and friends in New Jersey, because there is a large concentration of Dominicans there. One is headed to visit his sister next month with the reason of sharing the gospel with her and her family. I promised to search for the ward mission leader's contact info for him before he goes there!

I know I have a lot to learn while I'm here. For me, this is the best way to do it! My major in Latin American Studies and Spanish skills are going to benefit from this experience mucho! More than that, along with credits I'm taking at distance from BYU, I have the chance in a to consecrate a large part of myself to Lord's work, leaving behind much my personal life, and to become more converted to gospel principles as I learn, apply, and teach them to others. 

One important lesson that I've been learning is that the Savior can help us in EVERY aspect of our lives, and he wants us to! We can "cry unto him" about our jobs, studies, homes, relationships, and life questions, and he will guide us. And he knows what truly makes us happy and brings us joy. Our purpose is to return to live with God, but then with experiences, skills, and knowledge that will qualify us for eternal life! (Mosiah 2:41)

Arriving in the Caribbean!!

2 long flights: From Salt Lake City, to New York City, to Santo Domingo! The anticipated view of the green fields and tiny huts was breathtaking and the passengers cheered as we touched island!

When we stepped off the plain, I felt the hair folocles of my head sprung up from the humidity and haven't gone down since! I forget how much I adore the sunshine and being near the ocean!!

A kind-hearted man from the Perpetual Education Fund office, named hermano Lugo, was there to pick us up after we made it through cash exchange, immigration, baggage claim, and customs. He drove us alongside the shore and let us use his cell phone to call home. It was hard for me to express to my mom and dad how astounded and excited I was to be there right by the beach in this paradise that I get to call home for the next 3 months!!

Hermano Lugo took us to a special restaurant he used to manage, right by the edge of the water! He let us sample several types of new Dominican foods, including mofongo  and a smoothie made with passion fruit!

Hermano Lugo drove us right up to the Santo Domingo temple. It's enormous and just stands there as a beacon of peace in the middle of the city! We walked around the grounds and met lots of Mormons, including a pair of senior couple missionaries who we'll be working with, the Wilsons, at the MTC and church housing center for temple attendants right next to the temple grounds! We'll be moving into an apartment in the next few days that's within walking distance to this block of LDS sanctuary!

It really topped off our arrival in the Dominican Republic to see the Santo Domingo Temple. The Spirit there was tangible and it made me even more excited to be here while we'll be involved with the inspired cause of self-reliance!

So, why am I going to the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC??

I'm excited to be off on another Latin American adventure. This will be my second time ever leaving the United States. (The first time was 8 months ago when I visited Mexico!)

From Jan. to Apr, 2016, I will be participating in a program made possible through the Kennedy Center for International Studies at BYU to volunteer as an intern with LDS Self-Reliance Services. I have been assigned with a companion to the area of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic!

The Dominican Republic (DR) is located in the Caribbean! The national language is Spanish. (Yay!)