¿Qué tal?
(Soo....I tried to load pics on with my cord, but.... the computer couldn´t recognize it. I guess I need an SD card reader. I will let you know if I can´t find one out here.)
How goes the life? We had a wild week. After getting back from Salto Socoa, Elder Fr***** felt just AWFUL. He had a fever of 39° C (you do the math), and Sister Corbitt advised us to stay inside ALL DAY Wednesday. I was mildly sick too, but by the end of the day and after 7 hours total of personal study, I started to go a bit stir-crazy. But, it was what Elder Fr***** needed, and now all is well. Also, with his heart thing, the doctors in the capitol were saying at first sight that they thought he had ventricular hypertrophy and a complete right valve failure, but they were over-exaggerating and over-assuming. All that happened was that Elder Fr***** was a HUGE energy drink drinker before the mission, and drank at least a couple of cokes a day along with a zipfizz water bottle every day (crystal light with more vitamins and a bunch of caffeine), and has recently been trying to quit. For some reason, over a few days the last of the caffeine in his body wasn´t processing correctly, and it all got released at once, causing the crazy blood pressure, fever, and heart rate. He said that Dr. Regan (the mission doctor) told him the specific medical name of what happened, but that he couldn´t hear very well and so just went with the explanation.
I was hoping to get to stay out here for Hainamosa Stake´s Noche Blanca and to finish my training and to enjoy Christmas here, but... I´ve been transferred! (er, I will be transferring Tuesday). I will be in Los Tres Brazos, Ozama (which is a barrio of Santo Domingo)...Out of the campo straight into the heart of the city. My new companion will be Elder M*****: he´s Panamanian (like my bro Elder Ch***** who came out the same transfer as me and who has become a great friend since he´s been in my district), he´s a district leader, and he likes to work out (he has permission from President Corbitt to get up a half hour early to go to the gym). I´m excited to be in the city to finish my training, and to hopefully be in a house with more than just the two of us (most of the city houses are for 4 elders). I´m definitely going to miss Elder Fr*****, though; through our adventures we´ve become pretty good friends.
On Friday we were in companion study and I was feeling pretty down. Even though our zone meeting the day prior had been with President Corbitt and I got to do a role play with him to answer a question I asked, I was feeling kind of rough looking at how little (seemingly) we´d accomplished with spending Monday at the clinic, Tuesday as P-day, Wednesday as a sick-day, and Thursday in the capitol. I had felt all week like I was missing something, and that the Lord was trying to teach me what that was (and I wasn´t being a good listener). We studied about prayer, and read about the meaning of praying with real intent. In the little "The First Twelve Weeks" guidebook thingy (that is intended to guide the additional hour of daily companionship study during my two training transfers, with the intent that thereafter I´d be ready to train someone if the Spirit so desired) it notes that praying with real intent involves "being willing to act on and accept the answer [I] receive." That struck me. I had been praying as missionaries normally do (immediately upon getting up, before and after both personal and companionship study, before leaving the house, beginning and ending lessons, before meals, before going to bed, and at any other time I need or want some help or guidance), but my vocal prayers had been more focused on not saying the same things twice but still saying what I meant, and during silent prayers my thoughts were easily distracted. However, I have taken that counsel to heart, and already I feel ALIVE. Every prayer has meaning, besides just doing it because I´m supposed to. I am receiving more direct revelation as to how to help our investigators and less actives. I feel truly blessed to have a companion who helped point that out to me.
Anyway, gotta go. Love you all
Elder Rowe
(the gringo who´s not a gringo)
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