Hey FAMILIA.
Estoy muy agradecida por esta dia. This week has been a long one. It's been emotionally draining and I thought it´d never end.
We had a baptism on Saturday! Cristina. She´s so great and I love her. Her brother got to baptize her. Even though I didn´t go through her whole conversion with her, it was still neat. It was a good reminder of why I'm here and what covenants I've made too.
To be honest, this wasn´t my most fun week. I got super sick and so did some other girls and no one knows why or how, so we might visit the Doc and see wazup. OH AND, our whole zone got a stern talking to from the president. So we sat in a hot chapel for five hours and that was fun..and stuff. What I love about President Rodriguez is that he´s the most kind and forgiving guy I know, but he has to put up with so much nonsense.
Before I forget, Grandma and Grandpa Allred, have you been to SweetFrog? There´s a ton in FL, one in London and one here. So I'm just curious if you´ve been because we love it! We go in the city every p day and get froyo!
I have seen the Lords work and hand give me the sweetest tender mercies. Por ejemplo, I was in a lesson and a scripture came into my mind, and i was like ¨Lets turn to Romans 8 18...........this better be the scripture...¨And it was! It was perfect. PLUS Sundays are the worst days here. They´re stressful and everyone yells at you and you get a Spanish headache. I was on the verge of tears before we went to sacrament, but RIGHT before we walked in, an office elder gave me Mom´s package with my patriarchal blessing and a letter Laura Dahl had sent me! Both had everything I needed to hear. I was so happy and the timing was perfect. Because God´s timing is perfect!
One of the hardest things for me about the mission has been that even when I'm doing everything within my power, the external fruits of my labor are ultimately determined by others´decisions. My own efforts don´t guarantee what I'm aiming for and that's strange and hard to deal with. I'm learning to do what I can and content with that. Which I GUESS is what every missionary has to do.
The thing that sticks out to me most about the DR people, more than anything else, would have to be how warm and open they are, even when they are complete strangers. There are a lot of unfair circumstances that people have to deal with, but they deal with it by finding joy in the simple things and in their relationships with others. People are kind here without calculating what will happen to THEM. In general, everything is really casual with Dominicans, unless their Latin comes out then I get scared. And when they drink. Their laid back attitude makes them extremely likable, but sometimes their chillness can be taken too far and result in apathy, flakiness and lack of commitment. There are plenty of things to get hung up about, but when viewed as a whole, there´s a lot too be learned from the people here if you ask me.
I´ve had experiences already that have helped me grow, be challenged and confront people and personal weaknesses in a way that probably wouldn´t have been possible for me in any other mission in the world. The trials seem and will seem custom fit to my needs. Even though everyone´s mission experience is radically different, even within the same mission, i firmly believe that everyone´s experience on the mission is exactly what they need it to be. Simply put, I feel like I´ve learned more about life here than I possibly could have in any other way. Of course, being stretched and tested doesn´t always feel great, but in the end its extremely rewarding. And I´ve learned that the rough and difficult moments in life can turn into the most sacred if we let them. And that pain does not mean that we aren´t progressing. If fact, in many instances it can mean that we are doing just that.
THANKS MOM for that package! And for all of the wonderful letters and emails I receive. I definitely feel the love and feel spoiled. I love you guys so much and am so thankful for you all.
Con amor, Hermana Buhrley
Ps. I asked Hermana Lara if she remembered Hermana Buswell and she smiled and laughed and said CLARO. Haha.
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