This afternoon Hna. Johnson and I went to the “Centro de Capatacion Misional” (CCM - this is what they call the MTC in Santo Domingo). We had our hair cut again by Hermana Furcal, the same sister that has cut it twice before. She does a good job. While we were there we also did several other errands. One was to purchase items at the “Temple Store” at the CCM. They sell most of the same things you might find at a poorly stocked Deseret book Store. There isn’t much selection but it’s the only store like it in the whole country.
Hna Johnson had a whole list of items to buy at the Temple store. Most of the items are for Elders and Hermanas that can’t take the time to go there themselves. We picked up things like key chain vials for consecrated oil, DVD’s of church productions, the new Spanish “Santa Biblia” and garments for some of the Hermana Missionaries.
On our way back to the office we stopped at Plaza Lama, a huge department store to buy some of the last items we will need for our trip to Duverge and Nayba tomorrow. While we were there Hna. Johnson bought Christmas decorations for the mission office. Hna. Johnson had fun making a small budget stretch far enough to decorate the whole office.
Back at our apartment this evening we parked our blue Corolla in its usual spot. It’s really a small parking space and I have to back in. I’m always guided in by the evening security guard that lets me in the gate. He’s a nice fellow but he has a very long shift. He is there from 6:00pm to 6:00am every day.
Our security guard in the parking lot is one of the very few Dominicans that smokes. When Hna. Johnson and I first got to the Dominican Republic one of the first things we noticed was how few Dominicans smoked. We don’t know why, maybe it’s the cost or a culture thing or maybe the training they got as children from their parents, who knows.
Don’t get me wrong. Dominicans have plenty of vices just like the rest of us. For example they drink like fish. It just seems to me that for most Dominicans, smoking isn’t one of their bad habits. When Hna. Johnson and I first got here I was so taken back by the lack of smokers that I started counting the smokers I saw. Mind you this was not a scientific study but the first month we were here I only saw 10 smokers. I the states you can see 10 smokers in an hour every day of the month. I kept up the count for 3 months and I counted exactly 30 smokers. I’m still amazed.
And speaking of counting months… today is 4 months to the day since we entered the MTC in Provo. Hna. Johnson and I discussed how we felt about the past 4 months of missionary service. We were both agreed… we have come so are, seen so much, worked so hard, traveled so far, driven so many miles, met so many people and learned so much that it feels like we’ve been on our mission a whole year. The interesting thing is that we are so busy the individual weeks seem to be flying by. We start work on Monday and the first thing we know it’s time to drive to Neyba on the weekend. Time really flies when you’re busy. Another thing we agree on… we love our mission here in the Dominican Republic. We are so blessed to have been sent to this part of the world to serve our Heavenly Father’s children.
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