12/26/17 more stories and photos

Dear Ya'll

Merry Christmas!!! OH MY GUSH I LOVE CHRISTMAS

And Christmas in the CCM is Amazing!

But first:

if you want to send me mail, www.dearelder.com

www.dearelder.com -- A fantastic way to write your LDS missionary serving in any LDS Mission. Send Care Packages, Write your LDS Missionary, and Make Your Mormon Missionary an LDS Mission Website www.dearelder.com

is the fastest and most secure way. Use this address  while in the CCM (I'm here til Jan 9) 

For Letters 

Sister Rayna Breann Pollard
Dominican Republic Santiago Mission

SDQ 8013

POB 025725

Miami FL 33102

United States

my mission address

Sister Rayna Breann Pollard

Dominican Republic Santiago Mission

Ave. Estrella Sadhalá 

#10 2nd Piso, Frente a Univ. UTESA,

Santiago 51000

Santiago

Dominican Republic

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENDYL!!! 

and a few others, I love you!

Now onto Christmas: 

Last week we went to the store. I bought a few boxes of Christmas Lights and strung them all over my room. It makes me so happy to see them ☀ but now that Christmas is over, it might just look like Stranger Things 😉

Christmas Eve:

Brownies and pie and chocolate. And the ever present rice, duh.

Before bed, all of us (26) went caroling to the senior couples that lived in the CCM. Many of them (and me) began crying. None of us are with our families on Christmas. We are each other's families now. We don't call each other "brother" and "sister" for nothing.

Christmas Morning:

All of the Senior Couples made breakfast for us, and the cafeteria was decorated so beautifully. It was the best breakfast. And while we ate, they sang Christmas Carols. They started with Angels We Have Heard On High. And I Heard Angles, I couldn't stop crying.

After that beautiful breakfast, we found Santa had been in the chapel. Every Elder got a new tie and every sister got an angel doll and earrings or a ring. We also each got a CCM T-shirt.

We then played at the awesome park across the street, like children.

Lunch was a beautiful thanksgiving feast. NO RICE??

And then I called my family. 

I love you guys so much, and I loved hearing your voices

I was one of the few missionaries who didn't cry after talking to their family. I was blessed when I was set apart as a missionary that I wouldn't have great homesickness. 18 months is nothing, I'm with my family for eternity. 

I Love you all so much!!

Merry Christmas!!

PICTURES

1) My Christmas Lights

2) Senior Couple Breakfast

3) All Girls in CCM playing at park

4) My Gifts

With merriness and sunshine,

Hermana Pollard ☀

12/26/17

Dear Ya'll, again

At the beginning of last week, about 20 or so missionaries that we here left for their missions in Haiti, or Santo Domingo. It was just my district of 7 left for 1 day

And then we got a lot more missionaries!

One of them, is Hermana Diaz, she is from the Dominican Republic. She's going the same mission, but since she already knows Spanish, she only needed 3 weeks at the CCM. Hermana Soriano was supposed to come to (also from the DR also going to my mission) but she got sick. I don't know exactly what, but she was in the hospital the first week she was supposed to be here. So she's delayed her mission for 3 weeks. 

But that means for the entire time Hermana Diaz is here, she doesn't have a companion

She doesn't even have a district, because she is the only one here not learning a language. 

All of the sisters are english learning spanish

All of the elders who already know spanish is learning creole

So she's always alone in class, and when she's not in class, she's kind of like an extra companion with me and Herman Henry

She is such a sweety! I love her so much

The Latino Elders are super protective of her, and treat her like a little sister. It's so cute,

Here's a picture of me with all of the Latinos, in a cave at the park. 

I'll tell you more about her next week

With smiles and sunshine,

Hermana Pollard ☀

Pictures 12/19/17

I have pictures now:

1) Nativity at the Temple

2) The view from my room

3) All of the (english) girls in the MTC

4) My companion and I 

5 Everyone in the MTC

6) My district

12/19/17 Volleyball? And can a shrubbery hold a Missionary?

Dear Ya'll,

Our teachers love telling us "Cada Dia Mejor" (each day better)

The Elders love screaming "OBEDECER" (obey)

So Elder Call still hasn't gotten the alarm clock out of the wall, but they found a way to turn it off. And Elder Taylor woke up to find his inflatable dinosaur (Elder Saur) had been hanged with a belt. It was a sad day for Elder Taylor.

VOLLYEBALL

I have some adventures whenever we play volleyball. So, every day.

Last week, it rained really really hard during our PE time. Some kids that had come over to play with us started playing in the puddles Our volleyball net is just in the parking lot, which is on a slight incline. So the water just gathers into a stream down the middle. The kids began using it as a slip 'n' slide. Crazy

Lining our volleyball parking lot, is a lot of bushes and beautiful flowers. Sometimes the ball would go into the bushes, and I enjoy getting it out. Usually it's easy to reach. Sometimes I have to crawl through a hedge. One day, I couldn't really reach it. Hermana Duffy, one of the older, wiser, missionary that I USED to trust, told me to "dive in, the bushes can support your weight." Now, I should have thought first. I don't know why I didn't think. I just heard "dive" and I dove. Face First into the ground, under the bushes. I wasn't hurt, it was just super funny. And yes, I didn't reach the volleyball.

Hermana Hoskins somehow drop-kicked it into her face...how?

So the rope on our net broke. Connecting it to the pole, right? We were sad and tried to find a way to tie it back together, but I didn't reach. Hermano Antonio, the sweet old handyman, came out and used one of his own ties to put the volleyball net back together. It was so sweet, and it holds better than ever. :)

I think that's all my volleyball stories...

And I'm running out of time, so my other stories will have to wait til next week.

The older districts just left for their missions yesterday. So it's only been my district of 7 here today. But more missionaries are starting to come in. Now I'm the oldie. I leave the MTC on January 9th

I can't receive packages, but if you want to send me a letter

Sister Rayna Breann Pollard

Dominican Republic Santiago Mission

Dominican Republic Missionary Training Center

Avenida Bolivar #825

Los Robles

Santo Domingo

Dominican Republic

I'm not sure if your letters would even arrive before I leave. If they don't, they'll probably be forwarded to my mission home. I can send that address later. 

I'm disappointed I spent my whole time writing about volleyball and didn't get to tell you the really good stories :/

I bought christmas lights to decorate my room. I'll send a picture next week. 

Oh, President Gulbrandsen dislocated his shoulder. He also tore a bunch of ligaments and muscles, and it's pretty bad. But he's such a nice man, and hasn't stopped smiling, even when he's in a lot of pain. 

Good stories coming next week. 

I love you all so much! Merry Christmas!

With Smiles and Sunshine, 

Hermana Pollard ☀

Dear ya'll

Email hour is the fast hour of my life. Sorry I didn't have time for one last week.

Many of you wanted a copy of my farewell talk. I forgot who. So please let me know again if you want it.

AT THE AIRPORT

I met Elder Call and Elder Lillywhite, They're going to my mission too.

ON THE PLANE

I saw Pentatonix, and a spider. cool right?

And my stewardess was form the Dominican Republic, so when she realized I was going there (this was on the way to New York) She began giving me A LOT of food, 4 bags of pretzels, 7 granola bars, and a banana. she just automatically loved me. It was a good first impression of what Dominicans will (hopefully) be like. When we landed, I saw a sign in the airport that said "Th Dominican Republic opens its doors" So far I've been well received. In the airport we met Elder Lualemaga, Elder Fenn, Elder Taylor, and Hermana (Sister) Henry. 

CCM

We had an absolutely terrifying car ride to the CCM (MTC) but at the CCM, it's like were'e in a bubble, protected form any craziness. THE CCM is right next to the temp,e, and surrounded by a beautiful white wall. 

OTHER MISSIONARIES

There are only 26 of us in the entire MTC. Next week, 19 of them will leave for their missions, but we'll get more. There are 4 districts

7 Native English Speakers going to Santiago (Me)

8 Native English Speakers going to Santo Domingo West

3 Native Spanish Speakers going to Santo Domingo West

8 Native French-Creole Speakers going to Haiti.

A FEW FUNNY ELDERS

Elder Jackson is just like Jackson Dean. Because you have to say his name at least 20 times before he  hears you.

Poor Elder Taylor doesn't have any Spanish background. The rest of us had some Spanish in ?High school, but Elder Taylor took German. He's really struggling, but he's always smiling - si it's kinda funny. And he usually gets called on the most, which makes it funnier. For us. Not him, he's pretty upset.

After a serious of pranks, some Elders took it too far when they set an alarm for 2:20 in the morning and dropped it in a hole in the wall of some other Elders' room. They can't get it out, or turn it off. I feel so bad for them.

3 LANGUAGES

Don't stress about me being in a foreign MTC. They speak a lot of English. All though all of my classes are in Spanish. They talk slowly and simply. The only problem is when we gather everyone for a meeting like sacrament or a devotional. Usually these are in English. So the Latinos have to wear a head set connected to their translator's mic while he stand in one corner of the room. And in the other corner is the Haitian's translator. Oh, and if a Haitian has something to say, it gets translated form Creole into Spanish, and then form Spanish another translator will translate it to English. It's a process, but it works. 

The most spiritual moment so far was when we sang

"Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd"

Everyone sang in their Native Language, it was so messy and chaotic, and my companion was annoyed, but it was one of the most beautiful things I've heard. Everyone singing their hearts out in their home language. Please look up the words to that song. It's one of my favorites.

SANTO DOMINGO TEMPLE

The temple here is the only one in the Carribean. And my companion is form Jaimaica, so she's never been.l So on our 2nd day, I had the opportunity to go with her through the temple It's so beautiful. We actually get to go every Tuesday.

EL DON DE LENGUAS

In case ya'll didn't know, that's "the gift of tongues."

I thought I had forgotten most of the Spanish I learned in High School, but the minute I got here, the Spanish wanted to be in my mouth. I don't even know what to say, but it fits. my tongue wants to speak Spanish.

So that's pretty neat. 

I'll leave you with this profound thought from President Gulbrandsen 

"God cannot answer unasked prayers."

Please send me your favorite conference talks! I love printing them off and reading them!!

With joy and sunshine,

Hermana Pollard ☀ 

1st letter Home

Dear Mama,

I've eaten a lot here...I'm not gonna lose weight in the MTC...maybe in the field.

I'm so glad the Lord comforted you by showing Elder Call's family. I did see him in the airport. And a few minutes later we also met Elder Lillywhite. And we're all going to the same mission!

When I boarded the plane, I also noticed a few of the singers from Pentatonix...so that's cool. 

Snakes on a Plane!!!!

Just kidding, it was a spider on Elder Call...I didn't tell him. 

I noticed a pin on the stewardess's shirt. It was a Dominican flag. So I asked if that's where she was from. When she learned I was going to her country, she basically treated me like her granddaughter. And fed me. A lot.

Everybody gets 1 bag of pretzels on the plane right? she gave me two. And then she walked back later and gave me two more. I don't even like pretzels! And then she gave me a pack of 7 granola bars! I had no idea where to put all this food. I wasn't hungry and bags were stuffed. She came back and gave me a banana too!! 

So I fit the banana in my waterbottle and just over-stuffed my bag with the pretzels and granola bars. She was so nice

When we landed in new york, I shared my plenty with the Elders so we could have breakfast without spending money. 

The plane from New York to Santo Domingo was full of Dominicans, all of them speaking very fast Spanish. I was sitting next to an older couple and after a while worked up the courage to start a conversation with them, hoping I remembered enough Spanish. The conversation went a lot more terribly than I was expecting. Because they didn't speak Spanish. They were from some other Caribbean island that spoke French. So the conversation ended quickly and we kept to ourselves. 

I didn't sleep much on the plane, but oh well. It was fine

When we landed in Santo Domingo, the Elders and I worked our way through customs and such. Working together to find out where we were supposed to go. About 30 minutes behind us were 3 more elders, all going to Santiago Mission as well. We waited by baggage claim while they went through customs and then we had a happy reunion. We were strangers to each other, but it felt like a reunion. I met Elder Lualamaga. And introduced myself to Elder Fenn, I said "Hi! I'm Sister Pollard!" He said "Hi! I'm Sis- wait No! No, I'm Elder Fenn!" I thought it was funny. I then introduced myself to Elder Taylor, and he did the exact same thing!! "Hi, I'm Sister Pollard!" and "hello Sister Pollard!, I'm Sister Ta- No!! Wait." So after we gathered all of our bags (everything made it through okay) and had met all of the missionaries, we walked out of the airport and saw a big guy holding a sign that said "CCM" and had a picture of Angel Moroni. (CCM is the spanish version of MTC). Waiting with him was another sister who had gotten there before all of us. Her name is Hermana Henry, and she's from Jamaica. She is actually my companion. 

After a terrifying ride through the city, we arrived at the gates of the Santo Domingo Temple. The CCM is on Temple grounds! We met the other missionaries and the President and settled in a little. It is a small MTC. There are 4 districts. All of the missionaries that are going to the Santo Domingo West Mission have already been in the MTC for 3 weeks. They are the Ammon district. My district is of those going to Santiago. We are Alma. There's a district for Native-Spanish speakers (Nefi), and one for Haitians (Lehi)

Alma - 7

Nefi - 3

Ammon - 8

Lehi - 8

only 26 missionaries in the entire MTC. So we get to know eachother very well. Except for the Haitians, because they speak French. It's hard to get to know them. 

Oh my goodness! Time goes by so fast!! I have so much more to say, but I'm out of time. I didn't even get to my mass email!

Oh well, I'll get to that next week.

Since I'm out of time to write anyone else, tell Kendyl to send the picture of me by the river

um.. pictures and more information will come next week, 

I love you!

Well there goes another one.

I can't believe it little Rayna has grown up an left for her mission to the Dominican Republic.She left on November 28th just before midnight at the Salt Lake City Airport. She was traveling to Santa Domingo Dominican Republic where she will go to MTC over there. Dropping missionary off at the airport was a new experience for us and I can't say one way or the other if it was easier or harder. At the MTC in Provo they really don't give you anytime to think you pull in unload the missionary and bags and give a few quick hugs and other missionaries come and take your child away and you and think "Ok that is good" they're in good hands now, and then you have the people ushering you along to get your car out of the way for the next wave of missionaries to come. We arrived at the airport and it was pretty quiet for the airport no lines to speak of and just a few people roaming about.  We check Rayna in at the ticket counter and away her luggage goes and we sit and talk for a while we wait for one of her friends from school to come say good bye. We found out that earlier in the day you need to give banks about a week to get Dominican money available. The banks Rayna called never said that they merely said go to the main bank in downtown Salt Lake and you can get money there. Wrong. So we have that bit of anxiety going on while we are waiting trying to figure out if she can exchange money in New York while she is waiting at her layover. Raynas friend finally arrives so head to security to say goodbye. Tears are shed, jokes are told, handshakes between her and Sienna are always fun to watch. We finally watch her as she makes her way through the maze of security ropes and disappears through the body scan machine. Nanette is a mess. She is worried about how she will know where she's going who will be there to meet her. What about the money? She is ALL ALONE! we are making our way back to the parking garage I'm trying to comfort Nanette and not doing a very good job, I'm reminding her that Rayna is adult she has traveled before, she is smart etc.. Yes but she is ALL ALONE!!! this time. The young kids tell us they need to use the bathroom so just before we get to the parking garage we send them downstairs to the bathroom while I'm holding a blubbering wife. When along came Sister Sheila Justice from our old ward in Salt Lake City have not seen this person in 10 years. She too is heading out to her car and spots us (really Nanette crying) and says "Pollards what are you doing here and why are you so upset?" Nanette blurts out that we just sent Rayna on her Mission to the Dominican Republic and that she is all alone. As all this is happening in this empty airport a family just entering the airport from the parking garage overhears Nanettes crys of woe and stops and says. Hey our son (Elder so and so)is going to The Dominican Republic too. (on the same flight as Rayna) Nanette pleads with him to find her and to not let her out of his sight so that she makes it there ok. After that Nanette felt a lot better about someone being there for Rayna. I could not help but think that this Elder was really here to comfort Nanette. It is just too coincidental for all that transpired and how it all unfolded that it was anything but a tender mercy the lord sent to comfort our fears. So Rayna has been out about three weeks now but with the play and all I have not sat down to start this blog until now. Please enjoy the letters from the Dominican Republic. Oh and on a side note while she is in the MTC (CCM) she can not receive packages, or letters only emails. DAD