What a glorious time we had serving in the Republica Dominicana!!! I am grateful to my husband, my companion of 24/7 diciocho meses, my children and grandchildren, the missionaries that worked in the office, and our Central Ward! If I could have all of you with me, I could have stayed there forever!
Besides leaving all of you, speaking here today is the hardest part of the mission. So I pray that I might say something that will bring honor to Our Heavenly Father, to missionary work, and the importance of families.
It's important that we all be missionaries. We should share the gospel wherever we can. If we can't serve away, then we can send our money.
When we got our call to the Dominican Republic, we hardly knew where it was. About the only thing we knew was when we were trained for our humanitarian mission at welfare square, they said that instead of sending supplies to Haiti when they had the earthquake, that they bought the supplies in the Dominican Republic and they were trucked into Haiti. (What good people, I thought.)
I learned the importance of mentors. Someone who goes before us and shows us the way. When we landed at the airport, we headed to those name tags and we were taken care of ever since. We worked with 21 elders who rotated in and out of the office. I was not prepared for the Spirit that was in the office. The elders sacrificed, served, were clean and pure and the Spirit accompanied them. I also liked their music. While working they would break into song. There was lots of music, and when they didn't sing they would put on church tapes. Always kind and gentlemanly.
One Mondays we had devotionals with President Raul Osvaldo Rodriguez Morel and his wife. I will always remember everyone singing. The President had a big strong voice, as well as Elder Schmidt. I'll miss the messages and spirit that was in those devotionals.
The people there are all different shades of black and brown. They have bright eyes and bright smiles. I won't tell about the cockroach that was so big I could hear it coming down the hallway. Or the 300 teeney ants crawling up and down my toothbrush. We had guards by day and night at the mission home and by our apartment. One alerted our housekeeper that people were waiting to rob us as we came out of the office. "You'll never walk again the president said when he came to the office to speak with us." You'll have a car every nigh, said Elder Bryner.
We met with 40 couples for FHE on Monday nights, all the area missionaries and their wives. Where else could you go to dinner with the Temple President, MTC president, A mission president and area doctor and their wives and us around the same table. We could go snorkeling and see some of the country. Go see my country the president said.
There is a beautiful plant there with tubes or stems with thorns and on the top there are beautiful pink flowers that bloom all year. Also there are trees called the Flamboyan trees that are bright red. So here are all these green brown trees then suddenly beautiful flamboyant trees that come to life. The trees are like the people. They keep going and bloom amid much adversity, dirt, poverty, etc.
When new missionaries arrived in the mission we prepared their welcome packets and trained them at the San Geronimo chapel. I took their picture with the mission president and his wife to send to their families. Then we would upload their photos on the Church's web site. It was always amazing to see the old picture (one they had taken special to submit with their mission pictures) disappear and a new one taken after they completed the weeks of training at the MTC or CCM. The difference in their countenances was amazing. They looked like ambassadors of Christ!
We forwarded health information from the President's wife to each missionary the week before the missionaries arrived. We also had better health. Leaving home with a bad shoulder, eyes that saw spots, hips that wouldn't let you sit, aches and pains of old age, they disappeared within about 2 weeks.
Elder Zivic of the Quorum of Seventy came to tour the mission. We met with him in the office and he wanted us each to tell a little about ourselves. He had counsel for us then the AP next to me whispered, they want you to give the closing prayer, and he stood and announced it. I thought, what! I stood and gave a prayer in my best Spanish. After the Amen, he congratulated me on my prayer. Where else could that happen to me? Have you ever said a prayer before giving a prayer?
When we trained the missionaries when they arrived, we had a meal with them. The same rice with corn or beans, little bit of chicken, candied banana or guineo, little cup of chinola drink. Where were the chicken breasts I used to wonder. Never saw them unless we served them. The missionaries weren't allowed to eat with families or off the street. They could come eat with us. We had a lot of fun looking for American labels. I remember the first time I saw Kelloggs Cornflakes. I have been on enough pioneer treks or girls camps that a few days out you would hear, "when I get home I want to eat or drink such and such. We had our own money and did some of this. It was fun. We enjoyed trying to treat the missionaries.
We shared a truck with the missionaries. We tried not to make it hard on them because they had so much to do. I remember when they wanted to cook dinner for me for Mother's Day. We got there a little early and went around the block. Then a big truck plowed into us! The side of the truck was pushed over on Elder Schmidt and I could hardly see him. Then it seemed to move back. I looked again, and it moved back again. It was like the angels pushed it back. Then he was alright and there was just a big dent. The Lord had protected us! Then once walking into the Church's big distribution warehouse, I tripped and sliced off the whole top layer of skin on my forearm in a strip about 2 inches wide. I looked for something to wipe the blood on, then I looked back at the scrap and it was about an inch wide, then less and less. Then I needed a bandaid. The Lord took care of us.
Yo se Dios vive! Yo se Jesucristo es el hijo de Dios, el Salvador del Mundo, El Rendentor, Mi consejo, mi Consuelo, mi Amigo! Families are eternal! The purpose of missionary work is to tell families that they can be sealed together forever!!
We went to a branch every Sunday where the people loved us and we loved them. Elder Schmidt left some money there for the 3 elders preparing to go soon. They have hardly enough to eat, so how will they come up with the money to purchase clothes for a mission.
I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for all that he does for me, also for all of you! En el Nombre de Jesucristo, Amen.
Hermana Schmidt
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