Hola familia,
How is my companionship? Awesomeness. Extreme awesomeness. We are funny and the coolest cats around we just don't talk to everyone or each other as much as some. Ah well. Today we actually went out on the street to go to the store and get some supplies. The street IS CRAZY here. It is much crazier, dirtier, louder, stranger and probably dangerous than Mexico. But I can't wait to walk it. The humidity is killer though. People here speak spanish unlike anyone I've ever heard. Its rapid and irregular and sounds like lalalalalalala. Woah. The teachers are easy to understand but the people... oh my. The dentist who comes to do my companion's dental work (his salud is not so good) is crazy fast even in English. She gave me this figurine from Monsters University of Sully because my name is Sullivan and such and now it smiles and waves at me from the counter. Maybe a little creepy but awesome. At least I know one person from Santo Domingo West already! Everyone's Spanish is improving and we can all teach to an extent. My companion and I are actually pretty good with people because he understands their rapid speaking and has good responses and I can give responses to an extent also. Just our planning is strange haha, so the lessons are fairly impromptu. I definitely miss sailing and the ocean and have extreme jealousy of you guys, but not really since I have mucho sol and you do not HAHAHAHA. Tomorrow we get to do some contacting at the university and hand out pamphlets and books and do some contact stuff. Yeaaaa. Fun. I like getting to go to the temple every week though and be so much closer to heaven everyday than ever before. I keep on realizing each trip the lasting joy waiting for us all as eternal families in the kingdom of heaven and hate leaving the celestial room and the presence of God to once again wander the dreary world. My companion fell asleep today in the endowment HAHAHAHAHAA. I had to wake him up. HEHE. Otherwise it was awesome as always. There are lots of sports to play everyday and lots of stuff to do and I like being busy on such a set schedule. Being idle is boring. I still get to play the piano here. The shower is... uh... stinky. It drips out of the faucet right over top of the handle so you have to lean over to get any water on you and its usually cold. But every so often it decides to work super well and feels sooo goooood. We have two investigators (fake investigators) right now and one is committed and getting baptized and all and one reads a newspaper at the start of the lesson until you tell him not to or say something interesting. :). By the way, I do know who Hermana Haromoto is and she said she knew cousin Lonnie and all and I taught her some Japanese and she is cool. I do not know Creole or french yet though other than a few phrases. It sure rains a lot in DR. Because of my companion's health we see the doctor Elder Walker sometimes and he is interesting. Tells me so many things about medicine (which are really cool) and he actually talks about China all the time. He travels a lot. Makes me want to go to China and see Hong Kong and Beijing. But not right now. As much as DR is like Mexico, there are lots of differences in the society. Dad's stories about Korean driving make so much more sense now that I'm here. Always horns honking, people shouting and collisions being narrowly avoided. I mean, who needs signal lights or lanes of traffic or rules at all? Life is pretty cool here. Well, not the weather its smoking hot. This place reminds me a lot of Dad's stories about Korea back in the day, not just the driving, but also the stores and people and streets and buildings. This is not a clean place. But that's okay Im not an overly clean person and everyone is nice and friendly when you speak spanish (not english though). Life rolls along here. Everything is pretty cheap and not always great quality. SUPER CHEAP. Anyway, I'm rambling and such. Keep up all that you do and do it super well. Thanks for the stories from the Heningers. Thanks for getting me out here so well prepared (like, actually. I have enough first aid gear that Elder Joseph calls me the farmacia). I'm still the lone Canadian and all but I'm having fun and getting to know people especially my companion and learning language/doctrine and doing awesome things. I hope all the best at home and on the sea. The Haitian missionaries just left a few days ago (only Haitian nationals are allowed to be missionaries in their country I discovered) and the French MTC counselor and his wife sang "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy" in French and it was so beautiful and awesome and the Hermanas cried. Such great voices. I love the hymns about the ocean, and it really feels special to be a light along the shore. I know how the lost sailors feel in the tempest but also the joy of reaching harbour and the gratitude for those who carried the light. I'm excited to carry the lights for the seafarers and each time I enter the temple I realize that that is where the people I teach must go and must feel. They must reach the lighthouse and safe haven, because darkness is only the absence of light, and cannot exist where any light shines. Remember to battle darkness but be joyful always and know I pray every day in Spanish for you especially. I also pray for the others at home, but know I do not worry about what is happening or what will happen in the future.
Siempre y Siempre mi querida familia,
Elder Sullivan
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