We have heard from Seth and his experiences in the Dominican Republic during the earthquake in Haiti. Thankfully, all the members and missionaries are safe and accounted for. This is his report to his family: "You are probably wondering if I felt the earthquake that was in Haiti. To answer your question, yes I did. My companion and I were in the middle of a lesson when it happened. I was kind of observing the reations of our investigators at the time. I noticed one of our investigators point out some to her mom across the room but I didnt see anything. All the sudden I felt really dizzy and kind of sick. I finally realized it was an earthquake so I jumped out of my seat and was ready to run out of the house. I was waiting for my companion to do the same thing. I did not want to be in that house. Most of the houses here are just made out of cement walls that are held up be posts that are in the ground. There is no foundation at all usually. I did not feel safe at all. The member that was with us ran out right away. My companion eventually casually walked out and I followed him. Our investigator and her mom got on their knees and started praying to God for forgiveness. Eventually the quake stopped after 30 seconds. After everyone was calmed down we continued the lesson. Later on my companion said that he could see the house shaking a little and trees swaying like crazy. He said one of the first things he thought was that it was the second coming. I told him I thought the very same thing. I guess the quake was about a 5.2 where we were. Nothing where we are fell or was damaged. I have heard that Haiti is in disaster though. I´ve heard the capital has been destroyed, everyone in their government died except for the president who is in the hospital, and that there are 2 million orphans headed of the US. I am not exactly sure what is true and what isnt but I know the situation isnt good. I have heard though that the church headquarters there was one of the few buildings still standing and that all missionaries are accounted for. I guess Elder Coleman of the area seventy is working closely with the secretary of state in Haiti over relief efforts from the church. So ya, that was my experience with the earthquake."
I am also pleased to report that we heard from Travis. After over two weeks of waiting he has finally written home. This is what he has to say: "Hey everyone! Sorry it took me a while to get to a computer. I sent a letter, but apparently it takes 10 days to arrive. Japan is definetly different. There`s no insulation or central heating, so it gets a little chilly. We can usually see our breath in the apartment. summer is supposed to be warmer though. my trainer is elder anderson, he`s from Idaho. We get along pretty well. My area is called kochi, right in the middle of the big city. Our area is enormous, it takes about 6 hours by car to cross it. Since we`re on bikes, we can`t cover it, but there`s more than enough work for us here around the main city. The missionary work here is a little slow; most people have no interest whatsoever in christianity. We have several investigators who are progressing slowly. We had one lady who was doing great, but then her family found out and now we aren`t sure what will happen. many people here just don`t like christianity, even though they know nothing about it. We did find one guy in a park who was interested, he was even willing to read the Book of Mormon! it was a good experience. I can probably understand about 10 percent of what I hear. I`ve only been here for a week and a half though, so I won`t get discouraged. I managed to put together a pretty good talk for sacrament meeting, it went really well. I know enough japanese to get my message across, Its just understanding and coming up with things quickly off the top of my head. It will come with time. I heard there was a massive earthquake in Haiti, I hope Seth is doing ok. well, I`ll write again asap. Love you all!"
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