In the past few emails Josh has talked about going to a university that is real close to them. They seem to be giving out a lot of Book of Mormons and getting a lot of referrals. A band of missionaries-who can stop them?
New room-mates came in this week: 22 Dominicans, 1 Mexican and 1 from Argentina.

Our first email from Josh in the DR was awesome.
Some of the fun things he mentioned were:

1. It is so beautiful here and also very humid.
2. Everything here is so green and tropical.
3. It rains a couple times every day and the power has gone out 4 or 5 times.
4. MTC is called the CCM in the DR.
5. 32 missionaries from the U.S. and 13 from Haiti in the CCM.
   
6. Teachers speak very little English which makes it interesting.
7. Sister Perkins, President Perkins wife, challenged us all to memorize the First Vision, D&C 4, and our purpose as missionaries all in Spanish. She said that the record for anybody doing it in the year and a half that she has been here had been 2 weeks-I got it done in 4 days!!! (That's my boy!)

As you can see he is doing great. What a guy!!!!!

Traveling to the DR

On travel days your missionary gets to call at whatever airport they are at to let you know he is safe. Best rule ever! So today being travel day we were able to talk to Josh three times. The first time was this morning at 4:00 am-best wake up call I have had in a very long time. He was leaving Salt Lake and going to Texas. Then around 9:00 we got another call and talked for about 40 minutes. Around 3:00 he landed in San Juan and then at 4:30 he landed in the DR. We received one last call and he got to talk to all the kids. It was so good to hear his voice. He sounded so happy.
Some memories he told us about in the MTC were:

1. Orange juice drinking contest. Of course he won, however, he paid the price afterwards when he threw up.
2. Attending the temple each week.
3. Spanish-being able to sing, pray and testify after only 2 days. (Josh said he learned more the first week than he had learned the 4 years he took Spanish in high school and college.)
4. Using therabands as a gigantic slingshot. They put them between the bunk beds and had a ball.
5. Giving a blessing to Sister Wilde, who they were sure had cancer. After the blessing she went back and there were no signs of cancer at all. She was reassigned to go to Ohio just as a precaution.
6. Eating lunch with President Hinckley's son.
   
7. Firesides.
8. Feeling the Spirit.
   
9. Having to have a prepared talk for Sacrament Meeting. You had no idea if you would be called on to give a talk or not until that very moment. Josh was never called on but give it time!!
10. I asked him what the hardest thing was, which I am glad I didn't know what it was until now. The 3rd night was the worst. He had just gotten letters from us and it hit him hard that he missed us and wanted to be with us. No sleep that night. However, the next day was filled with experienced that let him know he was doing the right thing and was in the right place. Each day since then has become easier and easier.

Now we are on to more experiences at the MTC in the DR.
We love you Josh
Endure to the End.