"I'll take the shot"

We had a great week!

Finished up our last exchange for the transfer, and it feels to have that done during the fifth week this time. I got to go to Bella Vista with Hermana Miller. She's a fire missionary and I'm so proud of her! I loved meeting all their friends and I love all the labyrinth alleyways they have there. It's a sick area.

On Thursday we had an AMAZING lesson. I might say best of my mission. We taught our friend Nesly who is Haitian but speaks English. I was initially worried about teaching in English haha, but once we got going I was fine. And I actually loved it. It's so much fun to testify in your own language. We were trying to teach lesson one, but instead we just kinda went the way the Spirit directed us and we invited him to get baptized on March 4. He was quite overwhelmed by that. His eyes were big and he was like, "That's nine days away!" The Spirit guided our response cuz I know there's no way I could have helped him get past that overwhelmment on his own. We continually testified of God's love, God's plan, repentance, Jesus Christ, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. And then Nesly said, "I'll take the shot."

He said the closing prayer and said, "Thank you for this marvelous opportunity coming up on the fourth when I will be baptized." It was so powerful. I thought I was going to cry because I was so full of joy and the Spirit.

Satan is real annoying. We had this amazing lesson with Nesly on Thursday. We tried to meet with him again on Friday and on Saturday, but something happened both times and we couldn't. Then he didn't come to church yesterday. That hurt so bad because Nesly understood God's will for him on Thursday, then he lost spiritual momentum and chose to not come yesterday. Satan kinda has a knack for recognizing those who are truly getting worked on by God, and doing his best to pull them away from the amazing and illuminating joy they are just starting to discover. We will get Nesly's momentum back though, and he'll get baptized on the 12th.

We made a goal this week to have 100% member attendance in lessons. That's what my mission standard was in Oregon and we reached it. Then I got here and we have like ten more lessons everyday than I did in Oregon, and I just accepted the fact that that would not be possible anymore.

I wish that instead I would have found a way to make it work. Because it turns out it is possible. We accomplished it this week. It was so awesome to work so much with the members. Also sometimes frustrating because they are not as punctual as we are and frequently cancel at the last minute. But they are our best tool to help our friends get converted and stay converted, so it's worth the hiccups. And God makes miracles happen according our desires.

About six months ago I was lucky enough to serve with one of my best friends Hermana Cook. During the month of September, she read the entire Book of Mormon, cover to cover (In Spanish; what a legend). Then right after she finished, general conference happened and she told me about how much of a spiritual boost it was to have read the Book of Mormon so fast and so recently right before listening to the words of God's ordained prophets and apostles. She said she wants to continue doing a read through the month before conference starts in the future.

I've recently been on a quest to become a more spiritual missionary. I've been doing a lot of things differently, reading part of my patriarchal blessing every day, listening to conference talks in the morning when I get ready, praying out loud, asking God what I should study every day and waiting for a prompting, trying to keep a prayer in my heart in the street. It's made a big difference and I like the missionary that I am becoming (still got plenty of room for improvement). Yesterday while we were setting goals for the week, I was thinking hard about what other ways I could be more spiritual and Hermana Cook's Book of Mormon speed read popped into my mind. Then I realized the timing and I was like, no way is this a coincidence. 

So starting today I'm gonna be reading 18 pages of the Book of Mormon every day to prepare myself for general conference. I already have a testimony that it is an amazing experience from watching Hermana Cook last September/October. If you want to do it with me, email me! I can't respond but I would love to hear updates.

"Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do" (2 Nephi 32:3)

Thanks for reading another long and kinda rambly email from your favorite missionary in the Dominican Republic, you'll get another equally long and equally rambly one next week! Love you all!

Hermana Cazier

 Pics are mostly food selfies and spikeball shots 😂