April 14th Letter and pictures

Hi Everyone.  Michael was transferred last Tuesday and we found out today that he is serving in a more rural setting.  We managed to be on the computer at the same time as Michael so we had some quick exchange of information, as follows:
Family: Hi Son,  are you online?
Michael: Yes, but only for a few minutes, but how is everyone?
Family: Doing really well.  Nice pictures.  Is your new area by the ocean
Michael: Yeah its called Azua Pueblo Abajo! More info in the big email but its really nice and we went to the ocean today
Family:Wow now we are jealous.  Is your companion from the DR?
Michael: No, he is from Belize!  So he speaks english and english Creole
Family: We are very happy for you.  We will stop diverting your attention and let you get to the main letter.
Michael: Haha, its okay. what is everyone doing right now?
Family: Natasha is studying, I am working super hard and Momma is cleaning and cooking.  Christina is at school.  It looks like you got to see some of the country travelling to your new area.  Did you catch a bus to the water for the pictures today?
Michael: No we had a ride from a member and walked back. It was long. But fun. Nice to see and all. I dont have the full group shots, those are supposed to be sent to me sometime and then you can see the district.  Oh quick note! Stay in contact with the Herrmanns! And dont work too much (but when you work, work really hard huh . And eat a banana today for me everybody!

Hey family!

I hope this email finds everyone doing well and being happy. So by the other photos you may have seen I have been sent to Azua, Pueblo Abajo Branch! You should find Azua pretty easy on a map. It is outside the capital in the south of the country, right by the ocean in a desertish kind of mountain surrounded valley thing and the sun here is REALLY HOT. I have an awesome new companion, his name is Elder Peña! He is from Belize and is part of my CCM group. He is a super hard working funny and awesome guy and we live in the zone leaders house here in Azua. Azua is a sort of town thing amongst the guineos (bananas) out here and is actually a nicer area then where I lived before with more receptive people, and very humble. Its more chill and relaxed here and I very much like the people here, although they definitely speak a little different. They put ¨s¨ wherever they want in words. It was really strange to leave Ivan Guzman, and I am sad to leave the people there, but I know they will be fine and now we will work hard here. I live in an awesome house, even though there is just one bathroom, we do lots of cool stuff and I havent seen so many church movies before now. A movie called Charly I think was really really neat and mostly its just nice to be with really cool missionaries.

Azua right now is a district and our branch happens to have a lot of youth and not quite so much melquisedec priesthood (I think I spelt that in spanish sorry). But its super cool and lots of members work with the missionaries really well. We walk quite a bit especially on gravelly dirt roads that will probably wreck my feet ith all the heat, but well worth it for the awesoem progressing invsetigators that live here. We had a baptism on saturday of an awesome youth of 16 named brian. He is really cool, and if we hadnt visited him before I would haev thought he was a super involved member of the youth program. He has lots of friends in the church and hangs out a lot there. Its nice to see. His baptism went well, people attended the little tiny room we have for it, and we sang some stuff. The spirit comes to every baptism the same, such a pleasing feeling. Brian gave a cool testimony about how he wanted everyone to join the church with him haha.

The zone is cool, we teach a lot! We schedule a lot of lessons and have a lot of lessons. Except for the past few days, where we helped the Hermanas in the district move houses and cleaned their other house and had to do a bunch of stuff like that. There are 12 Hermanas and 12 elders in the zone. Elder Peña is a district leader for 4 Hermanas. We do a lot of phone calling. Its bothersome, but cool. You may have seen in the photos we went to the beach close to here and saw the ocean in its beautiful carribean blue glory! Really cool to go and see it and see the mountains right by the sea and do stuff together as a district. I got a little to much sun haha. It was fun to go and see though and eat food on the beach! And ride the truck! So the bus ride from the capital to here was well worth it. So far I am loving Azua and the relaxed people who actually attend church and the opportunities we have to see cooler things in what we call ¨el campo¨or the field. I am glad everyone is doing great coming back from vacations and everything and doing cool things and having fun at church. I have learned a lot already out here in just a few days of how a mission is supposed to be run haha. We keep joking about the sort of Kreyol english thing in Belize its fun. I speak like a jamaican as much as possible in the house and so does Elder Peña and they dont understand us but thats okay they just havent accepted the free world yet. Stuff is cheaper to buy out here, food wise. I have been drinking a lot of hot chocolate lately and working out a lot because there are weights and stuff in the house. Not all the people here are educated, but they are all really nice even if they cant read or nothing. We are preparing thsi lady who lievs out on teh banana plantation for baptism. She cant read, so we just teach her haha. I like going to the banana plantation, even if it takes half an hour. Its nice to teach people with a companion who knows what is going on and can take more lead. We made a lady cry a few days ago with the restauration lesson given from the heart, and committed another to baptism as a family with the restauration kind of thing about prayer, and that lady came to church with her daughter who is already on the way to being baptized next month. Crazy things happening. Really glad to have the new experience and be out in the hot sun helping awesome people find the gospel and have faith and stuff. Elder Peña´s teaching is really cool and is helping me reach better levels in waht I do. I am so glad to haev been sent here even though I really miss what I left. We have one baptism, but are waiting for so many more. Its cool to see real progressing inevstigators, and it appears teh secret is church attendance. I guess that was our problem before. Anyway, it was really cool to do awesome things hre. Living in the zone leaders house is nice, although we take care of a lot of officy things haha. But thats okay, it helps us learn responsibility. Anyway, everythign is going super well, and I really like being here in Azua, and hope I dont mess up the goodness that is being done here rather help it or something. Well, I hope everything continues on greatly, it was nice to see the ocean today and remember surfing a bit. I splashed some water on my face and let the salt burn in a bit and that was cool. Its strange to have an area with Hermanas, they come to our meetings now and stuff and arent just a fable haha. Anyway, we are having fun here I hope everything goes well there and I am so glad to be out here in Azua.

Siempre con amor!

Elder Sullivan

PS For the Poon Boys, thanks for all the sport updates. People dont really get hockey here but oh well. we are having fun in the sun here, and I dont know how to talk to girls anymore its fairly evident inteh way I speak with Hermanas here. Anyway, everything goes super cool thanks for all the dear elder letter things I hope everything slides on smoothly without loud music every night from the store under you. Ya ustedes saben.