So, transfers came in, and I had felt pretty secure about the probability of me staying in San Juan at least another transfer. Well, jokes on me! Real fast, let me educate you on the layout of the mission. There are 10 zones. Five zones are in the capital, and they're all really close together. Then we have 5 zones in ´´the south´´. The Capital has La Sirena (a huge supermarket), wards and stakes, and American fast food. The south has a more cool climate, and it consists mostly of branches and districts. Well, I was kind of hoping to at least stay in the south, and I am! I'm being transferred to a little pueblo in the zone of Barahona that's called Neiba. My companion's name is Elder Torres from Guatemala, and he's the Branch President. Also, I've been called to be the Branch Secretary! I'd probably feel pretty chill about that calling except I'm still trying to learn the language so it'll be interesting!
Our Noche Blanca went well! It definitely wasn't as big as I expected it to be! The goal was 20 baptisms, and we had 5 total. 3 from my companion and I, and 2 from the hermanas in our zone. I was really happy to see our 3 though! One of them I've talked about before. Hironelis finally got married last week which was awesome! Except for the fact that her husband showed up drunk... I felt really bad about that. Then the next day, she was able to be baptized, and her husband showed up drunk to that as well. Then, the next day she was confirmed in church and her husband wasn't there. I am very proud of her though. She's been coming to church as an investigator for 2 years and finally she's a member!
We also had a girl named Katherine! She has some special needs, but she asked us a few weeks ago when she could get baptized and we got permission from President. Lessons were very simple, and we taught her about Jesus Christ, Baptism, and what commandments are. She's a very sweet girl, and I'm so happy I was able to teach her. We also baptized a girl named Rayza. She was a reference from her cousin and she's a very cool girl. We also had a member named Melanio baptize her, and he's awesome! His name is Melanio, and he teaches with us twice a week!
Although it was a little sad to say goodbye to everyone here in San Juan, I'm very excited to see what my next area's like. It was a weird thought, but some of these people I may never see again in this life. Something that really touched me was when I said goodbye to this little old lady named Argentina. She's in a wheelchair and she was baptized about 6 or so months ago. I told her I was leaving, and she gave a little speech about how much the missionaries mean to her. She said she never had any brothers and that the Elders are her ´´Hermanitos´´ Then she looked at me and my comp and said ´´Ustedes son mi esperanza´´ with tears in her eyes. I didn't really feel as though I had done enough to be called someone's hope, but as I think about it. As missionaries, we are representatives of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the only true hope any of us have. So even though I haven't done anything personally that gives someone hope. Christ has, and my job is to bring that hope to others. Our message is the light and the hope of Christ.
Thank you for all your support! I love you all so much! Love,
Elder Anderson
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