This week has been great, getting used to my new area. I´m working and getting a long great with my new companion, Elder De La Rosa. He´s only been a member for about two years now and he´s a hard worker. It´s really nice to be with a companion who has his mind completely in the work. He´s also always willing to work until 9,30 in stead of right at 9,00. Most of the members her in the ward are recent comverts from Edler De La Rosa and Elder Valdez. We´re working hard with all of them to keep them strong in the faith and to help them to share the gospel with all of their friends and family. There are a lot more people to teach here than there were in San Pedro and Higüey. We have one couple right now, Geraldo and María, who have been coming to church for two months and are just waiting for a birth certificate to get married and baptised. With a little luck and mostly blessing they should be able to get the peper withing the next week or two and finally be able to get baptised.
The area I´m in has a lot of area that´s covered by wealthier houses and businesses, but we don´t really work there very much. We´re right alongside the river, and as canyon wall dropps down to the river it´s completely covered in cinder-block and corregated tin houses. It´s a giant network of alley-ways and stairs without only one actual street at the very bottom. There have to be about 5 million stairs that we go up and down every day, so I should be in good shape by the time I leave this area. The people in this part (called the Dique Seco) are a lot more humble and receptive to the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. The missionaried that were here before Elder Valdez and Elder De La Rosa didn´t have any baptisms for about 6-7 months because they were afraid to work down in the Dique. In the last six months though, They´ve been working in the Dique and have brought about 19 people into the ward. I´m looking forward to continuing the work and horking with some of the new families that we´ve found.
We have one familiy tat we just started teaching, Marino and Rosmeri, who have two kids. They wern´t able to come to church yesterday because their one-year-old was pretty sick. They still sent their 13-year-old daughter to church though, and she seems to have liked it. We visited them last night and finished teaching about the Retoration. After the lesson we both felt like we should give the one-tear-old a blessing, so we asked the parrents and they both accepted gratefully. We called this-morning to see how they were doing and were glad to hear that Lisamarí, the child is completely better after the tree-day-fever and not wanting to eat that whole time. I´m greatfull for the great trust the Lord has placed in us and the help he gives us in this great work.
Well, it´s time to go again, but I love working here and I love helping these people change their lives around.
Thanks for averybody´s support and prayers. Their helping more than you could imagine.
Oh yeah! Happy Birthday Dad!
Cuidense Todos!
Elder Adam Russell Rich,
Ozama, Republica Dominicana
Pix of Elder De La Rosa and Me and ... i forgot what the other one was, i think it´s the pinata. All of the good stuff from the piniata was in videos, which i can´t send, so I´ll have to show you when I get hom
