Elder Hugo Martinez

We look forward every trimester to have an interview with our ecclesiastical leader, Elder Hugo Martinez of the Council of the Seventy.  He is from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and is the Caribbean Area Presidency 2nd Counselor.  He served as a mission president in Guatemala earlier in his life and really makes us want to travel there as he describes the people and its beauty.
When we meet we talk about how we are doing, if our family is well, and our mission experiences.  Due to a major tropical storm and possible hurricane to hit the Dominican Republic, he counseled us about emergency preparedness, making sure we have water, canned food, flash light and batteries, etc.  His advice is always good.

We love this man and his wife Nuria.  They have such positive attitudes and are every-day people that make us laugh, sharing their experiences about their children and grandchildren.  Following our interview, Peggy received her temple recommend renewal interview and was proud to have Elder Martinez's double signature on the lines for Bishopric and Stake President.
This picture is his suggestion that she keep it with her in case the workers at the recommend desk question the signature. He thought that was pretty funny.
He and Nuria are converts to the church and their story is quite touching. He always builds us up and makes us feel that we are important in the Lord's work. We walk out of his office feeling spiritually lifted and knowing that we can do anything with the Lord. How blessed we are to have our area presidency in our presence and teaching us. What a great experience this is. Everyone should serve a senior mission. It really is incredible. We love you all and miss you but wouldn't change where we are and what we're doing for anything! God bless you all, Peggy and Randy.

Familia Mendez de la Cruz

    This has been a very busy but rewarding week for us. The Mendez family from Valiente Branch has touched our lives deeply.  Josecito, Laura, and Jesus (9 years old) were baptized yesterday. Randy was honored and deeply touched that Josecito (the father) asked him to baptize him.  The amazing week started with assisting the six Elders in Valiente  to get the Mendez family officially married.

L-R Elder Lecca, Randy, Josecrito, Laura, Jesus, Elders Nelson,(kneeling), Elder Frampton, Juan

    We were in Juan Dolio on Monday, a beach town about 40 miles outside of the capitol. We had stopped at a local drug store and were sitting in our car eating ice cream, when Elders Frampton and Nelson walked up to our car.  They were walking out to the highway to thumb a ride when they saw us. They told us they had to get to Boca Chica (a city about 10 miles away) as quickly as possible to file papers so that the Mendez's could be married.

Josecrito, Laura, Justice of Peace

They jumped in and we drove them to Boca Chica, where the Mendez family met us. We got the Elders there on time but the office was about to close and two other Elders with other documents were not there yet. While waiting, the office closed. We drove the disappointed couple home. Tuesday was a holiday. so papers couldn't be filed until Wednesday. There's supposed to be a three day wait after your papers are filed to get married. The Mendez's were counting on being married by Saturday so that they could be baptized on Sunday.

Elder Frampton made a call and Elder Reyes knew a judge in the capitol who would let them file on Wednesday and be married on Thursday. So, on Wednesday they got their papers filed in Santo Domingo and on Thursday we met at the East Mission Office and walked two blocks to the court and the Mendez's became man and wife.

Laura didn't have very good shoes so Peggy gave her her shoes.  It was touching to see the appreciation of the "new" used shoes.  A two hour wait for a ten minute ceremony then followed and signing the license made it official.  They were married.

While waiting, Peggy made a new friend--their daughter Genesis.

Peggy and Genesis

 Saturday night, two days later, Peggy and Sister McGuire and several members of the Valiente Branch prepared desserts,and decorated for a wedding reception.  It was beautiful! Josecito and Laura were so cute.  They loved it.

There was dancing, lip-syncing and  a kareoke talent show to celebrate.  About 60 people attended. To conclude the amazing week, on Sunday, the Mendez family was baptized.  Randy performed the baptism ceremony in Spanish which was a little uneasy for him but he did it so well that he got to do it twice! when Josecito's hand didn't get fully immersed.

Josecrito and Laura Wedding Reception 

    We can't say enough about Valiente and all the blessings we're receiving because of these humble people. Sometimes it's difficult, giving up our one day a week, that we don't have assignments, but then an Elder tells us about a new contact that they have made because of the "English class".

     We thank our Heavenly Father for his guiding hand in all things. . He lead Julio Ogando to this small branch in Valiente, where he was called to be the new branch president. He lead Julio to our Pathway class, where he asked us to teach a "few" young adults to speak English.

Elders Lecca, Frampton.  La Familia Mendez

He has lead Elder Frampton and other Elders to Valiente, who see the vision. He has lead several senior missionaries to Valiente to help. The Lord seems to lead us to cross one another's paths at just the right time.

    I have a strong testimony of God's love for each and every one of His children. He never gives up on us. His hand is in our lives. We should never feel like we've done enough. There's so much work to be done and so many people waiting for our help. Senior missionaries are so desperately needed. I'm always impressed at the work they are able to do. We love and learn from them all. I love my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and know that they love each of us, else why would there be an atonement?  Peggy

    I  feel the Spirit of the Lord strongly in our lives at this time.  I can feel that in this small corner of the world--this small island--we are helping to share the "good news" of the gospel of Jesus Christ and to lift the lives of these good people.   (Matt 25:40)  It is an honor and a blessing to serve.  I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. I love it!  Randy
 
 

Valiente Continues,,,

Teaching English at the Valiente Branch each Saturday morning continues to be a part of our lives here. Peggy teaches the 8-11 year old class with three senior missionaries and Miquelina, a non-mermber, who speaks good English and loves to assist and teach too.  The class size is about 65 young students.  The kids love learning English and love their teachers.

Peggy,  Maria (student), Miquelina (teacher)

Leondro, one of our English students and his Uncle Wilkido, were baptized by Elder Nelson.  He came up to me at English class and told me he was getting baptized and said he was "Y0 emocionado," excited to be baptized. After the baptism he bore his testimony. It was pretty cool. He and Wellington were confirmed in sacrament meeting the next week.

Leandro, Elder Nelson. Wilkido

The same day at 6:00 p.m. we returned to the Valiente Branch for another baptism.  The young man, Jean Carlos Pena, who has been coming to the English class, also attended EFY or "SOY"-"Strength Of Youth" camp recently and returned so excited about the Church.  He returned from SOY and said, "Can I get baptized today and I want to go on a mission as soon as possible?" The missionaries got special permission to baptize him after two lessons instead of three. I had my doubts about a solid conversion, but the missionaries said that he's been ready since they first started teaching him. The reason that he didn't get baptized this afternoon is because his father couldn't be there because he had to work.  Jean Carlos is awesome young man!

Elder Salazar, Jean Carlos, Madre,  Padre

We are privileged to be a part of this marvelous work and the happiness we see in these converts. Our friend, Daniel Allred has been a big reason for all of this. He makes friends with all of these young people as he teaches and visits with them on Saturdays. We cannot visit as much as we'd like to because of the language barrier, but he does and includes us as much as he can. He is an amazing young man working here with the Self-Reliance Department on a BYU internship. He found out that we were teaching English in a branch outside of the city and volunteered to come and help us. He has been our greatest asset and most dependable helper. The branch will miss him for sure as he will go home on the second of August to Centerville, Utah. We love him so much and he has been such an asset to the Church and our missionary work. We will miss him a lot.

Valiente Members, Missionaries, Investigators

One young man, who has become good friends with Daniel and us is John. He and his girlfriend  and wife-to-be Erica will be baptized as soon as they can get the money for his previous divorce and their ultimate marriage.  We hosted them and the Elders at a dinner in our apartment prior to taking a tour of the temple recently.   We had an opportunity to explain to them the importance of the temple and the happiness and blessings it brings into our lives. The Spirit was very powerful!  They are so excited and should be baptized in the next several months.  John attends the English class every week and it learning to speak very well.  Erica has a daughter Michelle.  they are a cute couple and are excited about the gospel.  It has been a good month teaching English. sharing the gospel and seeing people's lives change as they come to Christ.

Randy, Daniel, John, Erica, Michelle, Erica's Father, Peggy

Daniel Allred and John

Daniel Allred

We want to write about a special young man that we have come to love over the last three months.  Daniel Allred from Centerville, Utah, is a BYU student participating in a self-reliance internship.

Daniel Allred

We could tell from the first moment that we met Daniel that he was extra ordinary.  This young man wanted to get involved in "everything" going on in the DR. We were impressed with his congenial personality, humility, sensitivity with people, caring heart, maturity, leadership ability and his spirituality.  He and his BYU companion Oliver, lived in an apartment about a block down our same street, Madame Curie.  Daniel came to the Institute dances not to watch but to dance with all the young ladies who didn't get asked to dance.  He has an amazing positive attitude always willing to help people.

Daniel and Leandro (student English class)

He jumped at the invitation to teach English at the Valiente Branch with us each Saturday.  For this young man, teaching is a real talent!  It was a joy to watch him perform.  He had the students "eating out of the palm of his hand."  While here, he has made many friends and was a part of several baptisms from his English class.

One very touching moment was when Daniel took off his necktie and gave it his friend John who, as an investigator, has never had a tie of his own. Daniel put it around his neck and helped him learn to tie it.

John and Daniel - A New Tie

He went with Elder and Sister Benedict, welfare missionaries on a self-reliance project, and gave his shoes to a young man who didn't have any.


 One day, he brought Peggy a rose and said "Thanks for          being you."

It was an absolute joy to work with him.  We look forward to seeing him again when we get home.  We love him like a grandson.

Pathway Graduation 2016

We celebrated the graduation of our two Pathway classes recently.  Seventeen students completed the three semester, 10-month course which included Life Skills, Math and Finance and Writing.

Front L-R, Ana, Dorian, Sonia, Peggy, Ronda, Ines, Ramona, Diana
Second L-R Wilfry, Ricardo, Elder Park, Edward, Carlos, Emmauel, Ruben,  Emilio (missing Rene and Julio)

We have had an amazing experience teaching Institute classes and helping them with their academics.   It has been a special blessing to mentor, teach, and coach  them through the Pathway program from Sept 2015 to July 2016,  We have marveled at the change from being scared and timid about beginning college preparation, speaking and writing English and providing leadership to where they are now. They are confident in speaking, leading,  working together in groups, communicating, and completing their assignments etc.   Pathway has been a incredible experience and a highlight of our mission!

Elder Julio Acosta, Luis Daniel Santana

Elder Julio Acosta, Area Seventy over Pathway, spoke at the graduation along with students, We were also honored to have our dear friend Luis Daniel Santana, Caribbean Area Church Education System (CES) Director.
Dorian, Ines and Ricardo and Sister Park.  Elder Park sang with his loaned guitar "Hazme Andar en la Luz"  or Teach Me to Walk in the Light" in both Spanish and English.

We gave each student  a  small gift of the Christus statue along with their diploma.  Now they can continue on to BYU Idaho to receive a four-year university degree. Two of our students are going on to LDS Business College on line and one, Ana Rotellini, is going on a mission to Guatamala and plans on returning and completing her degree at BYUI.

We will miss them. Some of them are not eligible to attend the institute because they are too old, so we won't see them. Some live too far away to attend the institute, so they will attend in their local stake centers. But hopefully they will come to the activities that we hold once a month.

Peggy's Class Having Fun!

Some, like Dorian and Richard work the CCM (MTC), and we may run into them once in a while. They have become good friends to us. They are amazing people with beautiful testimonies. We love them.

Randy's  Class

"Hey U.S. We've Got Your Back"

Two weeks ago, one of Elder and Sister McGuire's Pathway students, Victor Santana Ramirez, a colonel and pilot in the Dominican Republic Air Force, invited us and the McGuire's to tour the D.R. Air Force Base and their fleet of fighter planes.

We HAD to jump at this unique and a once in a lifetime opportunity.  With very little security check, we followed behind Colonel Ramirez in our car, through the entrance gates and pulled up to the main storage hangers of the DR's  A29 Super Tucano fleet of eight turbo-prop fighter planes.

These planes look like the old World War II P51 Mustang showing the snarling teeth.  What an exciting and educational experience!  We learned that most of the work of the Air Force is drug traffic patrol and enforcement in the DR air space.

We took turns climbing onto the plane's wing and looking into the cockpit. Impressive what a pilot has to know.  Why was I surprised to see all the writing on the controls was in English?

We also boarded a transport plane in the hanger next door.  Randy sat in the cockpit as Colonel Ramiriz's co-pilot

while Peggy sat in one of the "jump seats" pretending to get ready for her turn.


We took lots of pictures and talked to the maintenance technicians and support the fleet.  Great guys.

Air Force Logo "Fighting Dragons"

We were impressed that we were so close and intimate with their equipment.

We then toured the Dragon Room, (they are the "fighting dragons,") where the elite fighter pilots share their camaraderie.  Victor's plaque

Colonel Victor "Langosta" Santana Ramirez

hung proudly on the wall n the middle of his fellow pilots with his call sign "Langosta" or locust.

We concluded our trip by going to Victor's residence on the base, meeting his family, walking his yard and enjoying time with he and his beautiful family.

By the way, Colonel Ramirez is an excellent student in Pathway.

I got to know him helping him register and answering his questions in the beginning of the Pathway program.  We are proud to know him.




A few days after this writing, Colonel Ramirez retired from the Air Force and took a job with the Church as the head of Security over the Caribbean area.  He is a special man.  It was a great day!  Randy