Dear Ya´ll
Lemme explain-
My Area
Is called Hato Mayor. It´s a huge area because it used to be two. I'm kinda stressed about that. Dominicans are loud! They play music all of
the time and they´re so loud it shakes their houses AND their neighbors houses
too. And there's also roosters crowing and dogs barking and motorcycles revving.
The first few nights were difficult to sleep, but I´m used to ignoring all of
those sounds now and only waking up to the small beep of the alarm.
We walk almost everywhere unless it´s super far or we´re
late, then we take ¨routas¨ which are little cars that drive on a route, kinda
like a bus but a lot smaller and they don´t have designated stops, you just
flag them down like a taxi. But the routas are also really really...junky.
Like, a pile of scrap metal held together with...faith? Like, not even duct
tape. I actually love them because they remind me of Dad´s Jetta, and then I
just get all sentimental. But they´re actually in worse condition than the jetta!
And, they pack people in them like a clown car. We just sit on top of eachother
with random limbs hanging out the winds. They fit 7 people in a car built for 4
or 5. It´s so fun, and a good way to contact 😉
My Companion
is awesome. She´s from New Zealand (I love you more Maddy!!)
She´s my trainer, so I call her ´mom´ (I love you more
Mom!!!)
But I also call her ´hermana (sister) Kennerley, so I guess
I should also say- (I love you more joslynkrissikendylsiennalilly!!!)
My language-
I can´t understand very much, but I can speak very well.
Especially during lessons, Hermana Kennerley tells me my Spanish is perfect
during a lesson, and I don´t even remember what I said. Many members that I
meet tell me that they can tell I have the Gift of Tongues. cool! I just wish I
had the gift of interpretation of tongues too, because I have no idea what
anyone is saying.
I´ve also been told I have a Russian accent...so okay
And I feel like Sienna, because I don´t know how to say my
name. Dominicans can´t pronounce Pollard right, so I try to start saying it
they way they like to, but it´s hard to go against 19 years of training.
The People-
I met a woman named Rayna! And when she said that, I just
made a little gasp and was about to say ¨that´s my name!¨ but I wasn´t sure if
I should, because now my name is Hermana Pollard, not Rayna. But then my
companion said it, so it´s fine
The other day Hermana Kennerley and I noticed we had
scheduled a lesson with somebody named Kristina, but we could not remember at
all who she was. We checked our addresses and area book and everything else,
but couldn´t find anybody named Kristina. We prayed that we would remember, but
nobody came to mind. So we made different appointments and went about our day.
Well, those other appointments fell through, and then we felt prompted to visit
Anerys, a young man who took a few lessons with his friend. We go over to his
house, but he wasn´t home. His mom was, and we had contacted her once before
and decided to have a lesson. Before hermena Kennerely said the opening prayer
she said ¨okay, and your name is..Kristina¨ and in that moment we remembered.
It was so cool that we were led back to her without knowing it!
Measles? chicken pox? acne on my legs?
Nope. Bug bites
I either forgot to use my repellent one day, or it wore off,
or it just plain didn´t work.
But I am covered in mosquito bites on just one part of my
ankle. So I think I just missed a spot one day. I don´t have a picture, but it
honestly looks like chiken pox or something because there´s so many in just one
area. But it doesn´t bother me, I don´t scratch it and I´m not sick. It just
looks bad and everybody thinks Hermana Kennerley is a bad mom. But you know,
I´m allowed to wear pants on my mission for this exact reason- mosquitos. So I
decide to wear my pants one day. But every member judged me! they kept asking
Hermana Kennerley if I´m allowed to do that. Yes. Yes I am. But when I wear my
pants I don´t feel like a real missionary and the members give me weird looks.
Plus I honestly prefer skirts. So I´ll just remember to thoroughly put on bug
spray.
okay, that´s enough stories for this week
Tell me about what´s going on in that place!
I´ll try to send pictures
-first baptism
-companion
-movie night snacks
With happiness and sunshine
Hermana Pollard ☀
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