Subject: Quicksand

Hello Family and Friends,
Finally, the weeks seem to be passing by like normal time in the mission. Unfortunately, it seems like the mission work seems to be stalling. This week Hna Reay and I walked alot only to have lots of citas fall through. Our two investigators with fechas have also stalled and now it´s looking unlikely that we will have any baptisms this month. Sometimes it seems like we are just standing in quicksand. And to top it all of we STILL don´t have water in our apartment. However, the mission office promised us that if the water doesn´t come back in two days we can officially move, so we are just trying to hold on.
This week we had the opportunity to go to a zone conference in Gazcue and I was again reminded that I need to keep the bigger picture in mind out here. I love the scripture in DyC 64 verse 33 that says No os canseis de hacer lo bueno (Don't tire of doing good). Now I just have to remember that, even on days when we walk the whole area over and don´t find anyone new. Sometimes we get to plant seeds, and sometimes we get to harvest them. Everything is a process. Something I always try to keep in mind is that our examples speak louder than anything else. How we treat people and the manner we simply walk around affects this work, so we ALWAYS have to be trying to do good.
One ray of hope in the past few weeks that has come in the form of an investigator is Yaritza. Yaritza has visited the church three weeks in a row now and reads faithfully for every visit. She has three beautiful little children and a strong testimony. Now we just have to work with her husband so that they can get married and enjoy the blessings of the gospel as a family. One of the hardest things here is getting couples married, but I know that the Lord will bless us as long as we press forward with faith.
Today I was reading an article in the latest Liahona by Elder Christofferson that I think you should all read called And Always Remember Him. He talks in the article about putting Christ first, through prayer, scripture study, and church attendance. He also talks about the importance of repentance and how every sin we leave unresolved will be brought before us on judgment day. It was a sobering thought and helped me realize that I still have alot of repenting to do. But just as Elder Christofferson testifies in His talk, everything is possible through Christ. No matter how flawed we are, we can change and we can be better. I love this gospel and I am so grateful for a Savior who willingly sacrificed everything for me. He is the reason I am here in the Dominican Republic, and I hope and pray I can continue to do His work as He would have me to it. Love you all!
Hermana Bradley