Buh-lessingggggs

 How is everyone?! I expect you are all doing great!! I got another computer with no USB port so no pictures AGAIN this week...sorry. ):

My week has been awesome! We have two baptisms coming up in the next couple of weeks, an older man named Rafael and a 9-year-old named Leonis. They´re both doing great and we couldn´t be more excited!!

This week we had this thing called a ¨Mission Tour¨ which is when a general authority comes and talks to us. He talked to our zone and like. 4 other ones. His name is Jorge Martinez and he´s a member of the Seventy. It was AWESOME. *If you you´re not a member of the church and you have no idea what I´m talking about, visitlds.org! (: He talked to us about how are purpose here is in a nutshell to Find, Teach, and Baptise. I love it. His wife talked about obeying mission rules and stuff. Ya know, I always thought it was kind of silly that they emphasized obeying the rules...I mean why would you be disobedient, ya know? JUST OBEY. FOLLOW THE RULES. WE HAVE THEM FOR A REASON. Then I was told that I couldn´t paint my nails red as a missionary and...I understood why it can be tough sometimes...don´t worry mami, I´m not painting my nails red...hahaha.

Also, it´s hot here. super duper hot always. BUT. Blessing: we´ve had lots of rain and clouds. Sure, the rain gets a little out of hand sometimes, but I´d much rather have some shade than the possibility of getting skin cancer.

We had a pink eye scare in the apartment this week. Hermana Petersen, my companion (Who is the sweetest human alive!!) was walking around with a pink eye all day on Wednesday. I was freaking out because it´s super contageous and I´ve never had it, plus she wouldn´t have been able to go out like that! But we did some prayin´and it went away! SUCCESS.

Mosiah 2:41. Favorite scripture of the week

Funny:

Hna. Petersen: Hey, that smells so good! Is that a campfire?!

Me: ....no....that´s definitely a cigar....

Hna Petersen: ....what?

Me: ...Yeah. Definitelyyyy a Black&Mild. Not a campfire...

Hna Petersen:...oh.

I´m doing great, working hard, you knowwww. I hope everyone is doing swell! RIP, Robin Williams, that broke my heart when I learned about that. Poor guy.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
Till  next time,

Hermana Cuevas (:

Rain Rain Rain

Hola everyone!! No pictures this week because the internet cafe that we use...only two computers have USB ports and they are both currently being used. I´m so sorry! ):

This past week we had a storm. A big one. Usually, I´m a fan of the rain. I love the smell of it, I love dancing in it, I love watching it...but things are a little different here in the Dominican Republic....

The streets get CRAZY flooded because the roads are so uneven, and, the SEWAGE rises up into the streets.

That´s right, folks.

Poop water.

I WALKED. IN POOP WATER.

For about half an hour on our way home from a zone activity. The activity was a lot of fun, we played a lot of random games inside the stake center and played basketball in the rain haha. I took lots of pictures, I´ll try to send them next week!

But anyway, back to the rain. So the sewage rises up and mixes with the garbage that´s already in the street, plus the dirt and the rocks and everything. It´s not a pretty sight...but ya know what? We made the best of it and had fun. After getting home SOAKING wet yesterday afternoon, we called our zone leaders and told them we couldn´t go out to teach people becuase we literally couldn´t walk anywhere. So we got permission to stay home the rest of the day! I studied and read and stuff throughout the day.

So yeah! That´s why I couldn´t write yesterday, because it was storming so bad. But we are all okay and safe and happy and dry now!

Last week this lady stopped us in our tracks and started asking us a bunch of questions. I loved it! I love it when random people want to know more about the church and missionary work, and aren´t afraid to ask. Like my friend Jessica Baker! Hey, if you´re reading this, I love you! (:

Don´t be afraid to ask questions about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, missionaries, The Book of Mormon, or anything of the like! We missionaries are friendly folk and LOVE to help an answer questions. The Lord was definitely watching over us this week with the rain, as well as the members of the church here.

I love you all and miss you so much!!

Chris. SO glad you got a new companion hahaha. (:

Hope all is SWELL!!

Till next time,

Hermana Cuevas

In the Mission Field!!!!

FAMILIAAAAAAAA.

Hola, friends and family.

I am officially in the mission field!! Know what that means? It means I am being trained by a sweet, sweet girl named Hermana Petersen for 12 weeks! She´s from Lehi, Utah and she´s the BESTTTT. I lucked out, for real. Also, her hair is like goldylocks´hair.

So yeah everything has been hunky dory here in the Dominican Republic. My first area is called Mi Hogar. Our apartment is fine, my fan is my best friend, I don´t have to shower with buckets, so that is pretty darn GREAT, and we have a washing machine...sort of. It´s this machine that lets you wash your clothes on one side...after you fill it up with water yourself...and then it spins the clothes on the other side. And then you hang it up to dry! Kind of time consuming, but it´s better than washing by hand, so.

The people I´ve met here are AMAZING. Everyone here is so welcoming and open to listen to our message. I´ve been improving on making eye contact and being more confident in my Spanish. I feel kind of embarassed when they ask me where I´m from...assuming I´m born and raised in the DR...and I have to tell them I´m from America...hahaha they all get disappointed...but whatever, I´m proud to be an American, with Dominican blood flowing through  my veins.

We had a SUPERRRR rainy day this past week...none of my shoes were waterproof...mami, Crocs would have been great...and EVERYONE here wears them...like the cute ones...but no matter, I bought even CUTER plastic shoes that aren´t Crocs, so. 

I´m trying to type a smiley face but this keyboard has different shortcuts so I can´t...

I have 7 mosquito bites thus far, but I´m fine! I still go out everyday with a smile on  my face, ready to share the gospel with the beautiful people of the Dominican Republic.

I wish I could send more pictures but it takes a hundred years to download. Also, thank you all SOOO much for the love and support.

1. Happy anniversary, mami and papi!

2. Happy first day of school to Eli!!

3. Happy first day of school to mami!!

4. Chris has been out for almost three whole months WOW!!

I love you I love you I love you,

Hermana Cuevas

Kim's first week in the MTC or "CCM"!!!

                              


 Okay so I don't have too much time to write today. I only get 45 minutes but out in the field we usually get an hour. I did READ everyone's emails though, thank you SO much!! Feeling super loved. (: Also, I can only send two pictures in an email at a time, so that's pretty obnoxious. GooglePlus, get your crap together.

Anyway.

BEING A MISSIONARY ROCKS!! I absolutely love it!! A few things:

+We have 15-hour days filled with studying, eating rice and beans, some exercise, and more studying.

+I have TWINS in my district!! *District: group of missionaries that stick together, I guess? They're Peruvian twins and they're identical and they're 5'2" and both weigh 120 pounds. woah.

+Most missionaries are 18 and 19 years old and from Utah...of course they are.

+There are about 67 missionaries total here in the MTC or "CCM" which is the same thing but in Spanish...didn't know that...hahaha

+We eat three meals a day, lunch being the biggest meal.

+I miss my family and I miss my friends but I haven't cried ONCE since being here because I'm SO HAPPY.

+I'm still not used to wearing a nametag everywhere I go so I've forgotten that once or twice...

+The CCM is on temple grounds so we get to go and walk around everyday.

+My companions' names are Herman Bernal and Hermana Perez. They're both Mexican.

+MEXICANS AND DOMINICANS ARE NOT THE SAME, I REPEAT, THEY ARE NOT THE SAME. Man, our cultures clash SO much sometimes...but it's okay, I love them.

+I am learning SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much EVERYYYYYYYYYYYY day!! 

+I thought my Spanish sucked until I came here and heard all of these Utah kids trying to learn it...they're doing SO well though. They're all learning really quickly!!

+I shower twice a day because I feel gross when I'm not home for a long time.

+I shower in flip flops because I don't trust other bathtubs.

+I absolutely LOVE being a missionary.

Thank you all for your prayers and emails, I feel SO blessed!!

I'll write more next time! 

I hope!

And send more pictures!

Love,

Hermana Cuevas (:

**PS. Mami, te escibo en espanol la semana que viene. Te quiero mucho (: