I wish you all the very happiest Columbus Day/Canadian Thanksgiving... I hope you're all enjoying it to the FULLEST as Hermana LeSwerickson and I are. Special thanks to Momma LeSuarez for the calendar you sent me last Christmas, making sure the 12th of October didn't go un-celebrated :) As more than just sistas in Zion - cousins from a distance, as we say - my companion and I used our collective Eagle Powers/almost-twin-telepathy and had a serious MIRACLE this week. A lot of 'em, actually. But here's the thing: I got here 2 weeks ago, right? This area has apparently been "dead" for more than 4 months. That is, without a single baptism. And in the months before that, I guess there was just one - and the convert moved. So basically I don't know any recent converts in the area, and getting here, there wasn't an investigator pool, people who were coming to church, etc. Kinda scary. Like "we're going to have to start from Square 1 here." Which is what we've been doing, and we've miraculously been finding people who have already been to church in the past! So, for example we found a family in which the 15-year-old is an inactive member who the ward doesn't know is living here and her parents have gone a million times but never got baptized! Also, we found a family who is related to a few ward members who also has been a few times but has never taken the lessons! And then there are other people like Enimia, who has been to church lots of times and just never got baptized. And then there's a 72-year-old man named Salvador. Five times to church is what a person needs here in Mexico to get baptized. We found him, an old old investigator, he had been to church 4 times. We taught him on Wednesday, set a baptismal date for the 11th of October (yesterday), and he accepted immediately. So. WE HAD A MIRACLE BAPTISM YESTERDAY! Salvador found his Salvador, and was baptized at 4:30 in a sweet program our awesome mission leader threw together. Obviously there was a lot more preparation that went into it all, but there it is. Claveria has its head back in the game and its heart in the...game as well :) We have these families that can get baptized in this cambio and lots of other new people who are accepting. It was a cool week all-around, a LOT of personal progression and learning discipline, and we had some sweet experiences, for example yesterday we prayed after the baptism to thank the Lord and ask for His help in completing our weekly goals and then literally we stopped praying, got up, and found in-a-row and one-by-one 3 different inactive members in the street that we had never met, and we were able to complete our "lessons to less-actives" goal for the week in literally a few minutes. Little little things like that in the mission are so motivating. I'll get into some "life lessons learned" of the week in a second, but first some general responses to this/last week's emails...
Dad's on the Jef Holms hair train and Hermana Erickson and I and I'm sure the whole family are proud. as. can. be.
The must-see movies for YOU guys when I get home are:
Together Forever
The Restoration
Finding Faith in Christ.
(Too good not to share)
I was telling everyone Elder Renlund was definitely going to be one of my new favorites... his talk last session was so good
My lack of iPhone has made it impossible to Ponderize(TM)
haha juuuuust kiddin
Hermana Erickson and I are both psyched the U is #5 in the nation becuase turns out we're both U fans at heart
THANKS TO THE WHOLE FAM FOR THE CONFERENCE NOTES! So sweet!
Other important facts:
Hermana Hailey (oops tehe) and I found a ring in the dirt the other day and we switch off wearing it every day but the rule is we have to present it to the other person every morning in a creative way. Way funny.
I got kissed this week. By a dog. A big dog named Beethoven. Well, at least that's the name I instinctively yelled when he jumped on me and started licking my mouth...
2 little kids on 2 separate occasions this week came up to us and set up appointments in their houses and we're like "sweet" until we shoed up and both times they just needed to record themselves having an interview session with someone that speaks English for school. But, we go lessons with members present, 10 references, and quesadillas out of it so NOT TOO SHAB. Also we're hoping the videos will somehow make us Internet famous and that hope keeps me going when I feel like I can't go no mo.
Okay, more details on everything next week! My camera isn't working in this computer, so next week you'll get some pictures I promise!
More than anything I've been focused on goal-making this week. We've been analyzing our behavior and obedience and such, but more than anything we're trying to get to the heart of WHY we do what we do. We must do it for love, plain and simple. The talk The Fourth Missionary explains, along with the Book of Mormon, that our acts mean nothing if we do them grudgingly. The mission can only change us if we learn how to completely give our heart, our desires, everything to the Lord. En eso estoy, and so excited for the months I have left! I love you all so much, kay?
Beeeeeeg Keeeeeeees Leeeeeeetle Keeeeeees
Hermana LeSueur
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| So happy Emma's companion Sister Erickson's mom sent me some pictures this week!!! Salvador's baptism |
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