She's in the Dominican Republic!

Hola.... I am Alive... they are giving us 5 mins to tell you this....lol, I am officially in another country the Dominican Republic yah yah!!!!! I only saw the country at night when we arrived, so I don't really know what it looks, but I'm sure its beautiful. We did see some spots that looked rough or poor, which was sad, but it still seems beautiful. The MTC CCM here is nicer than the one in Provo, like the rooms and the view outside our window is a giant gorgeous temple. The center is in private area and is very nice, also the people are very kind and personable, funny! There are 39 of us all together.... 24 US, a group from Haiti serving mainly in Port au Prince for three weeks... then in 3 weeks a Latin group... Things are great but gotta go!!!!

 

 

Love you and have fun!!!

 

Hermana Jessie Comoletti

 

Don't send normal mail only dearelder and no packages.... one letter takes 2 weeks!!!! BUT please please send dearelders.... i love hearing from you!!!   (This is the DearElder.com website I mentioned in an earlier post.)

 

Centro de Capacitacion Misional

Ave. Bolivar 825

Esq. Genesis Los Robles,

Santa Domingo, D.R.

Pictures from the MTC

Letter dated 10/21/10

Hola mi amoroso Madre....

 Let me first off say YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks so so much for the apples we loved them! Mi hermanas got some and my cute prima Tricia got one. And we were able little girls..... One thing tho we are getting fat if you don't want to buy anymore clothes for me I suggest cut down on all the yummy chocolately treats. ;p Love them and they are delicious and great sharing tools... heheh but when some are not eaten we become fatty's lol cuz we also eat the cafeteria food which we usually eat more than usual, plus the treats......  (she's talking about caramel/candy apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory)

Thanks for all the letters, I love them, all these RM's totally knew what they were talking about... cuz you seriously do crave letters and pictures. So on the blog let people know about DearElder.com cuz it is great!!! 

So it’s really hard to type and tell you as much as i want so I'm going to give you bullet points:

............

* So I leave on Thursday and we have to be at the travel office to leave at 3am and the flight leaves at 6am, so I believe I get to call you but we won't be able to see one another. So be prepared for  a 4am call ;) We go to Dallas, Miami, and then the DR.

* I heard the DR MTC is super super small... I talked to a sister whose sister just came back from my mission and she said when her sister went to the mtc there were only 26 missionaries in total.... talk about tiny eh and personal.  We also heard she hit a bunch of islands and she had to eat monkey... not digging that meal plan. Also there instead of fake investigators we will actually proselyte in the Dominican neighborhoods, the real deal SCARY!!!!! especially cuz Spanish is hard, I completely forgot everything, but I have seem some of the gift of tongues working. I've learned more in these last two weeks than in the entire 7 years. We are now challenged to do contacts in spanish about the restoration and families. 

* Yesterday was really neat because we sat in the main building to study and it was new missionary day, but while we sat there we talked to a bunch of Senior couples... one of them is going PCC, the other where our elders are serving, then one hawaii temple, and the best was a couple who are going to there 6 mission to the Ghana Africa Temple and they are 85 years old, talk about true servants of the Lord and who are dedicated to do his work. And he got teary eye was he was thanking us for serving... definitely a beautiful moment. It was so fun to socialize with them!

*Last night was our fake investigator training and we taught a literal 12 year old about the restoration, it was good, but hard teaching a young girl about the gospel. We tried our best and she was so cute! Also bad thing we forgot her name, cuz when we asked for it, we were worried about our next thing to say in spanish, and doing something like that is a no no so we learned our lesson... with the prayer for her we were like please bless our friend...  so hopefully she didn't catch it ;)

* I'll send my camera disk today.... its  been hard to cuz I tried getting photo copies and i waited 1.5 weeks machine  broke, lost my photos, and had to reorder, so hopefully they will come now but I will send it tho!

* Today I got my shot, not fun, but at least its over....

* Tricia's company is extremely sick and it is just awful to see her and her companions going through it.... we get to see each other everyday and eat and talk. It's such a wonderful blessing to have my cute tricia with me... and this is the most we've ever seen each other! :D

* I still absolutely love my roomies, we are having a blast, and enjoying one another.

*Please send me more cassettes but to the DR

*Letter from Ryan Johnson (referring to the letters written at her farewell open house.  I'm sending one a week to her.   They're chosen at random, a stamp put on them, and then they're sent.   Most don't have names with the return address, so I never know whose letter is going out.)

* We have a lot of mexican leaving missionaries way awesome, tell him congrats and he might have a really hard time getting a visa, many of those elders have been here for 12 weeks.  (about our friend, Boston, who was just called to the Mexico Villahermosa Mission.)

*I'm doing well still overwhelmed, alot  to take in gospel wise and definitely trying to fight satan... can't wait to leave here tho...

*Goldfish only have had 5 and the rest to everyone else, many happy girls and the box is almost done. Thanks a bunch for the goodies!!!!!!!!

Love Hermana Me 

Jessie's Testimony (received in the mail 10/16/10)

Today Jessie sent us her written testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.    Since she is in the Missionary Training Center learning Spanish so she can communicate with the people of Puerto Rico and its surrounding islands, she sent us her testimony in Spanish.   I don't know Spanish and Jessie is still learning, so please forgive any blatant grammatical or spelling errors.   I simply typed what I thought I read on her handwritten note.   For those of us who don't speak or read Spanish I will try to get this translated and then post the translation, too.

I forgot to share my testimony with you madre,

Me gustaría compartor mi testamonio con usted ese se´que Jesucristo es el hijo de Dios y él murío por las persononas en el mundo.   Jesuchristo tuvó el expiación por mis percados y dar felicidades.   Sé que Dios o mi Padre Celestial es un amoroso Padre Celestial y él envío nos aqui aprender y progresar en nos vidas.   Creó que José Smith y Thomas S Monson es llamadieron de Dios y tambien el evangelio es verdadero sé que la iglesia de Jesucristo de los santos de los ultimos días es verdadero y el libro de Mormón tambien.    Se que nos Padre Celestial ama sus hijos!   En el nombre de Jesucristo.   Amen.                                                           
                                                                                                                                                    

My dear friend, Rossana, translated Jessie's testimony for us.  

Here's the English version:

I would like to share my testimony with you: I know Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and I know He died for the people of this world. Jesus Christ atoned for my sins and gives me happiness. I know God, my Heavenly Father, is a loving father, and He sent us here to learn and to progress in this life. I know Joseph Smith and Thomas S. Monson have been called of God, and that this gospel is true. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, and so is the Book of Mormon. I know our Heavenly Father loves His children! In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

PARTS OF A LETTER HOME (dated 10/14/10)

¿Qué tal? Which means what´s up?... Las cosas are bueno y estoy consado cada dias. Alrighty so I only have 24 mins to write and answer everything... fyi you write alot, I don't have enough time to answer everything. We only have 30 mins to email and then one day a week until 6pm to write ahhhh lol.... I'm doing good madre, things have been super hectic, spiritual, and I'm so pooped out! Thanks for the pic of Kyle Love IT!!!! I'm glad you got my letter and thanks so much for the awesome box of birthday fun! It is my roommate not companion, we room with 3 sisters who are from a different district and are called to Argentina. They like it and it was nice to have some color in the room! I just recently met my branch president and he is a sweet man and yes tricia and I are in the same  zone which consists of 7 girls and a bunch of elders. We have the exact same schedule and the great thing is we get to see and talk to each other everyday!!! oh yeah I got to see Natalie as she was heading to her room for the first time. She was nervous, but she'll fit in here well.  ......

My spanish is getting there, but not as well as I hoped. I am in the beginners, but we are doing things that are advanced. We are actually accelerating faster than Tricia's district. We have to bear our testimonies all the time in Spanish and teach the first discussion also in Spanish. We did it in spanish before english weird eh.. I have seen hermano reed and he has been kind to me, every time he see's me he asks if there are any messages i would like to forward on to you.

 

I keep seeing more familar faces and it's great seeing all these friends from all over the place. I'm fitting in well and still loving my companions and district... the elders are a total hoooot, really funny boys. I bought a tape recorder cuz I'm really bad at the whole journal  thing, so i'll try to record my stories through that. We have to study at 7am, then breakfast, then class for 4 hrs. then lunch, another 5 hr class, then personal 3 hrs study, and the dinner, gym, and more studying... we run around  and study that's about it. We can only write letters on thursday, but i love getting them. Everyone is right, letters are so fun to receive. And yes i would love to talk your ears off, that would help me so much, cuz I can't call and do it and then i don't have time to write it all, also my hand is seriously cramping with all the writing and typing, i'll be buff only in the arms and hands, and flabby from all the food here everywhere else. jk

 

........ the food here is not that great! PUR-SJUW 1028 means Puerto Rico San Juan West leaving 10-28........ 

 

So so so so glad to hear Kelly got a job and it seems like something good, let her know I'm thinking of them and give them a big hug from me. ........I'm going to soon send you my camera card, can you please download them and send it back.... Thanks a bunch for all the yummy treats love them!!!! Keep doing dear elder, tell people to talk to me that way too along with my address.  (side note from Mom......DearElder.com is a website where you can send free letters to Jessie at the Provo MTC, online.   Just click on the Provo MTC icon on the left of the homepage and you can write her a letter which they'll print and send at noon.   They do it daily Monday through Friday.   Don't forget, she leaves the Provo MTC for the Dominican Republic MTC on October 28th, so your letters need to get to Dear Elder before noon on October 27th.)

 

I only have 6 mins and i'm a slow typer but i want to share another story with you...yesterday we did a training where we had to pretend to teach someone and we had an old man. We planned to teach the first discussion but the lesson shifted with his needs while getting to know him. He was mentioning about how so many religions are contradicting each other and how he would ponder about the things they teach... such as God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost ... I got to share Grandma's story and we were able to talk about prayer and the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. Definitely a touching discussion and drew close to my heart... it was beautiful and spiritual.... sorry they are going to log my off soon....

Jessie and her cousin, Tricia, in the MTC

JESSIE'S FIRST LETTER HOME

Hello to all of Jessie's friends and family following her blog.   Yesterday her first letter home arrived in the mail.   Here's some of what she said:

ALOHA.......Oh, I now mean HOLA!

     So, they are now finally allowing me to write you and Kyle a letter.   They just have us moving 24/7, but in all honesty I'm absolutely loving it here!   The Spirit is definitely powerful here and it's amazing how many missionaries there are.   I've run into so many people, people I wasn't even expecting to see.   Quite a few from Hawaii (BYU) and a girl from Springville (the one going to Ecuador) and a girl from one of my classes in Idaho, and my friend going to Sweden, and Tricia.   So, so awesome seeing that cute prima (cousin).   We ran into each other the first day and found out, crazy enough, we're in the same zone, same exact branch and schedule, except for classes.   Crazy thing is there are only 8 sisters in our zone and maybe 15-16 elders and we got to be in the same one!   SAWEET EH!
     I adore my companions, Hermana Curl (Houston, TX, Puerto Rico and 26 years) and Hermana Kamisese (California, Dominican Rep, 22).   Also, she's Tongan and I know her cousins in Hawaii (they work in the PCC).   I was so blessed to get cool, chill sisters and it sounds like we have similar reasons for being here.  They are going to be fantastic missionaries.   We are all having a rough time with Spanish, but we're trying to practice on each other.   On our second day we already had to pray in Spanish (and for) the rest of the mission and possibly teach the first discussion (20 mins) in Spanish on Monday.   Yeah, so not ready.   They seriously haven't given us enough time to even have personal scripture study.
     So far I'm fitting in my small district of us 3 Hermanas and 6 Elders.   We get along well and I'm so impressed with how mature these 19 year olds are.  They are complete gentlemen and definitely have their own unique story of why they are here and how they gained a testimony.   Very powerful group we have.   We are all outgoing personalities trying to work hard....2 elders - Columbus, Ohio & 4 elders - Paraguay.  We definitely know how to invite the Spirit into the room.   Oh, also the two teachers we have are fairly new returned missionaries, so they are my age.........Funny small world - my Maestro Hermano Gentry is from Alpine and totally was friends with Arah Heath from middle school to high school.   Crazy, eh?!
     Our first day was overwhelming, but good.   One of the activities they had us participate in was a mock interview where they had fake companions come and teach this fake investigator.   Once the missionaries came and started the discussion, a staff member stopped them and asked us how we felt about the discussion and what we would want to change or add.   It was great listening to different missionaries teach what they knew and testify.   I had one chance to answer the investigator's questions and the Spirit was so strong and I testified that despite the fact our family is a little broken here on earth, I firmly believe we will be together forever.   It was definitely a special, uplifting moment for me and the Spirit was speaking through me.   It was cool cuz after an Elder who basically kept answering for these mocks, who seemed to know what he was doing and saying, came up to me and thanked me for making that comment because apparently that is what he needed to hear that day!   That made me so happy, that I can use the Spirit to guide me to inspire and touch others!    This gospel is so beautiful and true.   I feel so blessed to have it and believe!   I love my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ so very much!

*****Jessie also sent a scripture reference..........2 Nephi 31

Everyone LOVES Letters!

Hermana Comoletti entered the Provo MTC on Wednesday, October 6, 2010. 

Hermana Jessie Comoletti
MTC Mailbox #258
PUR - SJUW 1028
2005 North 900 East
Provo, UT 84604 USA

(Hermana Comoletti LEAVES Provo on OCTOBER 28.
She will then be in the Dominican Republic MTC.)


Dominican Republic MTC
Av Bolivar #825
Los Robles
Dominican Republic


Puerto Rico San Juan Mission
Urb. Jardines de Caparra
500 Calle Marginal Norte
Bayamon PR 00959
Puerto Rico