Monday, October 28, 2013

Week Two and On a Roll

Elder Santacruz is seriously rocking his mission! Thursday is his P-day and it is our family's new favorite day. We love hearing from him and love hearing about the spiritual experiences he is having. You go Elder Santacruz! Enjoy.
 
 
    Hey guys my week 2 was awesome I seriouly love it here and I am not homesick at all! I hope it stays like that! My spanish is doing a lot better I'm working harder and the conjugating is getting easier! They assign fake investigators here and we have to teach the lessons in spanish and that is one of the hardest things to do! We have been giving lessons for about a week now and it has been so helpful because the investigators are the teachers and they tell us what we should do to improve what we did! My companion and I are getting better everyday, if there is a problem between us we try to tell each other to try to fix it or help eachother with the problem. This week we had a devotional and we got to hear a broadcast from Elder Bednar he gave this talk about a year ago and only missionaries at the MTCs can hear it! I seriouly heard the best talk my ears have heard! The spirit was so strong here that there was nothing to do but to cry. It felt like he was talking to me personally and he told me ways to be a better missionary. He told me to not just gain a bigger testimony but to convert unto Christ! Christ was so willing and loving, he would always turn outward and that the natural man would turn inward. That talk gave me the things I needed to hear and made want to work harder and sacrfice my time, my body, and my spirit! It told me when I'm out here to stop thinking about myself, stop being so selfish, and stop complaining about the things that are not happening. He told me that these two years is the time to bring souls unto the light and give them what the members of the church have!
 
   On Tuesday we went to "la tienda" (the store) it was kinda like a Walmart but smaller! We had to walk like 5 blocks to get there the oustide world is crazy! haha There is a park that is right across the MTC, it is huge but inside the park that day they were playing Zumba music! Mom that remided me of you haha and I just wanted to go over there and dance! Any way we got to the store and I had to buy batteries, pens and some other stuff because they took that stuff out of my bag at the airport but its all good at least it wasnt anything expensive. I also got junk food of course because there is none in the MTC but dont worry I only eat one a day mom. Also they have the best fruit at the MTC, I eat that stuff like candy! haha so don't worry about that!
 
   The teachers here are amazing. They all served missions in the DR so they all know the people and they are amazing! They are the funniest people and they love us! We get to go tomorrow to the University and go prosleyting so pray for me that I get to give out a Book of Mormon. They speak super fast so idk if I will be able to understand them! For a couple of days, we have been alone. The missionaries that were here before us left to their missions. It's crazy that I have been here for two weeks and that I only have 4 weeks to go. It is going by so fast! Today we got another group of missionaries and now we have like only 45 missionaries here at the MTC. It is way better that there are barely any missionaries at this MTC because we all pretty much become a family and the MTC Pres. is really close to us! I like that he know us all by name!
 
   This week was amzing and I seriously love it here except the fact of how humid it is hahah but it's actually not as bad as it seems! We have to do physical activity outside and that is funny because I come back inside looking like I went went swimming ha! I love my mission already guys I have learned so much and I cant wait to work harder LOVE you all so much and cant wait tell you what happens next week!
 
love,
Elder Santacruz



Our Handsome Elder Santacruz at the DR Temple


Elder Santacruz with the MTC President and His Wife


Elder Santacruz and His District


His FavoriteTeacher Hermano Nunez


Studying hard


On his P-day


Going to La Tienda


A little of the Dominican Republic
 

Thursday, October 17, 2013

First Email Home


We were all excited to hear from Elder Santacruz! What an awesome first email home. Enjoy!

HOLA Familia!!
Hey this is Elder Santacruz!! How's everything going!? I just wanted to say that I am LOVING it here and that I am so happy here in the CCM(MTC). I feel the spirit here every day! The first couple of days were really long but now I am getting the hang of everything. I love waking up in the morning because I get to learn so much! I have learned so much Spanish that I am speaking it all the time I can pray and bear my testimony in Spanish and we learned how to do that the first day. The food is amazing here and also the fruit and the juice is the best!!! So don't' worry dad, I am getting fed! ha every day I feel the spirit and everyday I find a reason to serve my Heavenly Father more and harder. He gives me the strength and I love it! My companion  and I are working hard and we are learning a lot. His name is Elder King, I'm so thankful for him because he works hard and he loves the gospel as much as me. I have to help him with his Spanish a little but it is okay! I love serving him.
This last Monday we had a devotional and one of the area 70 came and talked with us his name is President Civic, he gave us some advice and it was the best. he told us to love the people and to believe every word we say and to try our best to get those baptisms because they need this gospel as much as I need it! Also today for our P day we got to go to the Temple! so my day started out great it was amazing to be in such a beautiful building and to be close to my Heavenly Father! I did my first sealing today so when I did it I was thinking of my family of how wonderful everyone is and how blessed I am. I love each and every single one of you , I Love you guys because you're my everything and because you helped me get here to have this wonderful opportunity! Everyone has been so nice to me bringing me in. There are about 60 missionaries at this MTC I have met a lot of great missionaries. The MTC president is the nicest man you would ever meet! All the time he says thanks for being here to me and says Heavenly Father is so proud of you. That means the world to me it feels like he is saying it himself to me! Guys I seriously LOVE my mission already and I'm not home sick at all! but I Miss you guys! but I know that this place is where I need to be!



 



Thursday, October 10, 2013

And He's Off!

Hi everyone! This is Ronald's sister Cynthia and I will be the one keeping up his blog for him while he is away. Yesterday morning October 9, 2013 we all woke up early to take Ronald to the airport and see him off. It was a beautiful and perfect morning for his departure! I am not going to say much because we all know how goodbyes go but I will say that he is super excited to go. He had a long day yesterday because of all the flights he had to get on, but we know that he should safely be in the Dominican Republic(DR) now! We have a cool story already, my mother tried calling the Dominican Republic temple to put Ronald's name on the prayer role and without knowing she accidentally called the MTC in the DR. The man who answered was President Freestone(hopefully I spelled that right). My mom was a little confused as to who she called and when President Freestone told her it was the MTC she apologized and said she was trying to call the temple to put her sons name on he prayer role because he just left for a mission to the DR. He told her that it had been the second time someone has tried to do that but accidentally called the MTC. He continued to talk to my mom, asking where he flew out of. My mother told him his flight route and he then asked..... Is your son Elder Ronald Santacruz? The look on my mothers face was amazing as she replied, YES!! She was happy to hear the President tell her that his flight had just left Dallas TX and that they are keeping track of him. He also told her that he should get to the MTC in the DR around 12 am their time, 9 pm our time and that he would probably get to sent a quick email letting us know he is safe. President Freestone was so nice and was willing to answer any of my mothers questions. She didn't want to intrude with a wave of questions but she did ask what day they had their P-Day on and he said Thursdays but he also said that Ronald wouldn't get his first P-day because Thursday (today) is practically when he gets there and he needs to do orientation. He told my mom not to worry because he is in good hands and said that we should be hearing from him soon in one way or another to let us know he is OK. The little talk she had with President Freestone helped a lot with her knowing that people are looking out for her baby boy. It is just the beginning of many awesome stories to come and we are so proud of Elder Ronald Santacruz and his desire to serve the Lord. We know that he will be blessed by his decision and that he will have the time of his life! I will leave will a few pictures from this mornings departure. They are a little sad but normal for goodbyes. We love you Elder!
Elder Ronald Santacruz