Thursday Nov 27th 2008

So I don't remember were I left off but I'll just start. Saturday my district went to the university to practice Spanish and proselyte. And guess what companionship got the most phone numbers from people cause they wanted to talk to the missionaries.That's right - it was yours truly!  My companionship!  We got 8 phone numbers in a space of 45 min. The next closest of all three districts was 6. So we are beasts. One of the lady's was so interested. She was talking about how her nephew was talking to the missionaries and how she has Mormon missionaries living in her apartment complex but how she has never talked to any before. And then her pregnant friend came over and she was just chatting away about Joseph Smith and catching up her friend. It was awesome.  So that was a real good experience. And I found it ten times easier to talk to girls. They smile. Guys just gave us evil glares until we talked to them. Then they were nicer. Tuesday we went to the store and there is one thing that i found out.  It is not cheaper to buy anything here in the Dominican!!!   Anything that's not made here is twice as expensive. It's lame, but o well. There isn't much else going on right now. We are heading to the museum in a little bit so I'll probably write you later tonight to tell you about that.

Thursday Nov 20th 2008

First of all thanks for all the up dates. I love the Dominican Republic. It's awesome. I haven't been out of the CCM yet but the CCM building (or MTC in English) is way nice. It is literally right next to the temple. A stones throw away. For we are inside the walled off area for the temple. Talk about awesombroso - which is espanol for awesome except espanol doesn't have awesome in there vocabulary so we made it up. Anyways, we get to walk around the temple all the time and there are little lizards/gechos everywhere. It's way bonito(beautiful). My companeros are way cool guys. One is Samoan and he gets excited about the funniest things and i love him for that. But he snores like a freight train. It's horrible. He makes a million different noises a night. Luckily though he gives 1 minute breaks every 10 min, so you have to try to fall asleep in one of those not as loud time periods. lol. My other companero, cause we are a threesome, is from Utah and an all around good guy. He works hard and is better at spanish than me so that's nice. He doesn't snore, or if he does and I just can't hear him over the other Elder.
So far I am still just studying super hard with the espanol. My district gets to go to the university Saturday to try and place some pamphlets and what not. So I'm way excited for that. The only thing that I'm struggling with at this point is the language but that's only expected, right. I am pushing though. We have three different teachers and they are all totally different teachers. And what makes it even better is that I can only understand half of what they're saying when they speak slow. When they speak to each other I'm totally lost. But that's still better than half of the other Elders in my district which is good. The temple here is awesome. I just finished a session in there and in some areas you can tell it's not made for tall people. Which is kind of funny but it was gorgeous on the inside. The paintings were like nothing I've ever seen. So all in all I'm doing pretty good. Pray that I sleep well, learn espanol faster, and don't do anything stupid. Which reminds me; one of my districts jobs is to change the water jugs for the water dispensers. So one day after doing that my district leader and I came up with a brilliant idea. People here are way good hearted and joke around all the time so we decided to stack the empty water jugs and lean them up against District 2's door. It was hilarious. The teacher comes in - we start the lesson - and then we hear the jugs go crashing. 3 seconds later a teacher opens the door and goes "who did that?" My district leader raised his hand and the teacher just said; "you almost killed me" and then left. Our teacher just started laughing and then we did too. It was so funny. We then had to go clean up the jugs but it was priceless. That's it. Oh - and the currency exchange if anybody is interested is35 pasos to a dollar.
love ya lots
Elder Woestman

I've Arrived - Nov 14th 2008

So, I have 3 min to tell you that i arrived safly at the Dominican
Repbublic MTC and that I didn't lose any of my luggage and I'm ok. My
MTC president is awesome as well as his wife. O - and tell me if you
have the pouch mail address and if you do please send it to everyone.
and don't send me anything for christmas just send me the money.
love you
bye
Elder Woestman

November 10, 2008

Note from MOM:
Andy leaves for the Dominican Republic tomorrow. All mail to him now
needs to go through the "pouch mail" system. For those of you who
have been using the www.dearelder.com site, you can still use that
for free. Just change the location: when you use the drop down tab
to select his mission location choose "Dominican Republic MTC" for
the next 6 weeks. If you prefer regular mail – his address is:
Elder Andrew Woestman
Dominican Republic Santo Domingo West Mission
POB 30150
Salt Lake City, Utah 84130-0150
Remember that you can only send post cards or one page letters folded into
three panels and taped at the top.
Thanks for being interested in and supportive of Andy. – Laura Woestman

1/10/08
Hi:
So first of all I didn't get a letter today. I think I'm going to
melt. I need letters. lol. OK, so mom I don't know if its possible
but can you get back on my laptop and please send me more. Send me
the picture of the family making funny faces at Anna's wedding.
please. Have Ben look on my facebook account to find other pictures
that I have. If you could get that to me by Wednesday then please do
it. I am leaving at 3:00 in the morning on Thursday the 13th. Thank
you.
I did get the tent, ties, belt, etc. I bought a new bible, and I
got the chocolate chip cookies, the brownies, and the nachos and
cheese from Dan. Thank you for I am one loved man because of those
brownies. lol.
So MTC life rocks. Not much has happened since I emailed you last.
Lets see. Um, I'm learning a lot of Espanola. And, I'm memorizing a
lot of scriptures. Did you know that if you memorize a verse in the
scriptures everyday on your mission that by the end you will have
something comparable to photographic memory? Well, just so you know
I have been doing that. I
have part of the introduction memorized. The good stuff that is. I
have 1 Nephi 1:1-9 memorized and a bunch of other random good
scriptures that I find in my daily reading that I've liked so, O YA,
I'm going to have a photographic memory.
But, ya that's about it. Nothing huge going down in the MTC. Just
way excited to get to the Dominican on Thursday. Later.
-Andy

November 3rd, 2008

The past week and a half has been long and amazing and I have to know that God is my Heavenly Father and He loves me and has set forth a plan to allow me to return to him. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and brother. I know that he atoned for my sins in the garden of Gethsemane. I know for a fact that the repentance process works and because of Christs atonement that I am forgiven

from my past transgressions. I know with all my heart that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and in the year 1820 he saw God the father and his son Jesus Christ. who commanded him to restore Christ's church on this earth. I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Book of Mormon is a true book containing the fulness of the everlasting gospel, was translated by Joseph Smith through the power of God, there is nothing in this world or the world above that could shake this testimony. For I have had a confirmation in my heart that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints is the true gospel on this earth. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen