Happy Halloween

Hello to all! Wow this week was so awesome and really hard! First, we have been teaching around 5 families and they are all so cool! Wow two families have been reading everything and they really want to go to church this week! We really need them to go so that we can put a date with them! We are gonna work so hard!

My comp is Elder Vake is still new and hes working on his Spanish. Its pretty hard because its something new for me not having a companion speak Spanish but we will work harder on his Spanish and it will all get better in time! Its helping me a lot with my patience but I totally love it such a new experience! I know that this is to help Elder Vake to become a better a missionary!

I am really excited for La Herradura .....its going to grow so fast! I know this is my work to help build a firm foundation in the DR so that other missionaries will come and pick the fruit! love you all have a great week! 

Good Bye to Elder Perez

Hey guys! How is it going today was a sad day. My comp left to go to another area! Now I am a step dad! I am helping a missionary finish his training he only has a few months! We are gonna teach him Spanish! I cant wait to work with him! Hes from Texas he is a Tongan. Hes so dope I cant wait to work with him we are gonna see miracles! We are very excited to work here and to show the Lord what we got! Hes super happy and has a great attitude! I dont really know him that much I will get to know him more this week then I will let you guys know how hes like! I am so happy to be with him I know he will help me a lot to be a better missionary and I hope I can teach him more as well!

This week was a little wet.... there was a lot of rain so we didn't have too many lessons because we couldn't get to the next lesson but all was well! My last companion Elder Perez wow what an amazing missionary. He helped me so much last transfer we worked hard! My comp taught me the importance of love and kindness he taught it on another level! It was a great lesson! I will forever remember that transfer! 

I am here to make an area very strong! I love this area! The people are amazing. It's a little hard to get there attention but I know we will help a couple people this week! Love you all! Miss you all! Have a spiritual filled week! 

Love, 

E.Santacruz

Elder Perez is leaving :(

We made kites out of sticks and bags :)

Spreading the Gospel like Wild Fire

Hey guys wow what a week and wow the transfer is almost over what? My week started out with a talk on Sunday! It was different to see only 20 people in front of me but definitely easier to get everyone's attention! I talked about the Savior and his atonement. I talked a little about how we should understand the feeling of that pain that Christ felt so that we may realize, we needed those things to happen for us to be able to repent of our sins! I talked about Alma 7:11-13 so that the people would be able to understand and have a better experience taking the sacrament! I loved that opportunity and I definitely felt the spirit!

The branch is getting better, we are starting to have branch night in one of the members house each week! It was so cool even though it wasn't a big turnout we still bonded as a branch! President will finally get a 1st counselor soon. He did everything by himself, so now he will have someone to help him! how great! It will help us also because we do a lot for him to take the pressure off! 

Its crazy that a member left with us everyday this week! It made me so happy that the people really do want to change things here its so cool! Everything is getting better every week! Thanks for all the prayers, they are working! I really do love this gospel its truly amazing to have the truth it just keeps me going! Hey we might not have a lot of people but I know that things will take time here and it will just spread like wild fire! I know this gospel is completely true and I want my testimony to be so firm so that I remain faithful to the day I see my Savior! I know this church is true! I love the work of the Lord! 

peace! 

Elder Santacruz

I have a CHICK in the mission

Four year old Emanuel

Mission Leader to Guatemala

Spiritual Gym......... ONE YEAR

Well this week was so bomb! I was able to hear the words of the Prophet! It was so great and I learned so much. Wow what a spiritual hunger I had! I was so active in the conference, I was writing everything down that called my attention! I would have to say that Holland just called my attention the most with fasting and fast offerings. I love it! I was listining so closely! I hope each and everyone of you guys paid close attention to everything that they said to us. Wow I love conference I was thinking........  its our spiritual gym. We have to get strong and we have to get ready for the game and be ready for those 6 months to fight against Satan! So I hope we worked out hard!Other than that we had found more familes this week and we have been trying to meet our goals and have most of our lessons with members. It was so great! Its a little hard though to take the members with us because we have so many mountains to climb hahah by the end of the day the members are so tired! We had a blast this week! We are always having fun! My comp is a beast he always gives me "animo" (encourages me) I love him hes such a good example to me! We are contacting a lot and we had so many good experiences of finding people. We love our area! There are so many people that are poor! Its great, because they are a little easier to teach them I love these people! Also...... I have officiallly completed one year! Yep now I am old in the mission haha but wow how weird! 1 year ago I left my life to serve My loving God! I love my duty as an Elder! I know Christ lives and I am so happy to be here do something really important! I know the gospel is true! love you all! - Elder Santacuz

One year tradition.... Burn a Shirt!

ONE YEAR!

High on a mountain top

Excited for Conference!

Wow! I would like to start out with the coolest thing that happened this week. First we set a baptismal date with a family. It is in November! It was so cool that they accepted the baptismal date! It was so dope! The problem is that they are not married but we are gonna help them get married! So we are so excited for them to get married so that they can be baptized. They are just a little sketchy about the marriage still so we asked them to pray about it so that they can receive an answer! But wow we have a family with a baptismal date! DOPE! The father is so cool! He told us that he knows the church is true because he had felt something in one of the lessons. He said his heart just felt warm and he feels something every time we talk to him!! That's really cool, they went to church for the first time last Sunday! YEAH!

Something else cool about our week is that we had members leave with us everyday this week! It was so cool! No there is not a lot of members in the branch but we managed to have a member with us everyday! We know that this branch is gonna grow so fast! I am so HAPPY to be here because there is so much WORK! There is a lady named Hermana Reyes wow, her testimony is so strong! She loves to help us whenever. The funny thing is that our area  has so many hills like mountain hills and she still climbs without complaining or anything. She is such a good member of the church. She shared her testimony with some of our investigators and some had said, wow what a testimony! It was great being with her! 

My comp and I have been working so hard that everyday we come home, I am so dead that I have fallen a sleep twice in my night prayer hahah oops!
Oh and can you believe that conference is this week! wow I am SOOOOOO PUMPED to hear the words of the prophet! My comp and I have planned to fast the day before just to feel the spirit even more! I am so GREAT! Can't be any happier! 

Love you all guys! Miss you!

9 year old girl with baptismal date set

Hermana Reyes. Lights went out so family night with candles it is!

SERVICE!

Working Hands

All the zones in Santiago 

Professional Chef

Hard and Great

Hello from the DR!!!! This week! was a lit bit of both! Hard and Great!

To start out with the good! We worked so hard everyday that we have had so much success!! We have found so many more people to teach! We have seen so many miracles! W have felt the spirit in literally every lesson! The way we work together is great! We are just two missionaries that are just focused on the work with nothing distracting us and we push each other to be better! He pushes to do more and with that we get home every night SOOOO tired! Wow! 

Also! Elder Cornish came to Santiago to talk all to the missionaries! He is the President of the Caribbean! He was so great! He helped us so much to give us more energy to work harder! He said that we needed to be more organized to work with the members a lot more! 

This week there was some bad news! We had two investigators that had baptismal date set and they dropped us. They don't want continue with the lessons it was hard but we know that the Lord is helping us to focus on the right people! This week was definitely funny,crazy, short, HOT, a lot of rain everything!
Love you all! Have a good week! 

Elder Santacruz

My Awesome Companion

What More Can I Ask For?

Hey everyone how goes it!? This week was so great but wow I am really tired! Haha we worked our butts off this week! We have so much work to do though! There are only 35 members in the branch! Can you guys imagine being in a house and sitting with only 35 members around you makes you feel like the old time when they just started the church! Wow my comp is so cool he is from here in the DR and he is such a humble guy. He is so nice and loves the people! What more can I ask for!?

This week we invited 3 people to be baptized. We talked with everyone its so crazy! I love my AREA but wow there are literally mountains its crazy!!!!!!!!!!!! My legs are gonna be hulk legs by the time I get out of here! 

As for now we are starting to give out a lot of invitations to be baptized. We have to help the President of the branch to build up the branch! We want to bring less actives back to church so we can have a better assistance! Well guys there is not much to say only that I am so happy to have so much work and that we are gonna see so many miracles here in the La Herradura! Love you all and miss you!

love,

Elder Santacruz

New Companions

Our roommates

Church

Inside Church

Elder Hollingsworth

We are cool!

This is how Haitians sell stuff