Monday, March 17, 2014

March 10, 2014 -- Weekly report! Rafael is baptized!



Hello Familia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~!!!!

Como Estan! Hablo su favorita!  Guess what? I think I forgot to tell you, but like 2 weeks ago, I've been out here for 6 months.  Is that crazy or what? It's crazy! I am really grateful for all I have learned out here and the opportunity to work in the Lord's vineyard, and I am decided to work HARD for the rest of my mission, and really step it up.  Anything that is worth it is not easy!

So Thursday night we had a last lesson with Rafael, and we invited a brother in the ward to team up that we haven't before.  He taught very well and bore a powerful testimony on the Word of Wisdom, it was sweet.  After the lesson he said, "Did you know that I've been here with the missionaries before?" And we were like, What? So apparently the missionaries taught Rafael about 5 years back, but nothing ever happened cause he always visited Mexico! So that was CRAZY to know! But cool that we got to come in and take up where the missionaries left off. 


Then he invited us to dinner at his family's home the next day which was a blessing because our ward has been struggling at feeding us recently.  Little did we know it was like a birthday party for their 2 year old.  We helped put up balloons and bonded with them and their neighbors.  One of their neighbors, Oliver and Elizabeth, we've actually already started teaching because I met Oliver months ago, and they came to the party! It was crazy, talk about the Hand of the Lord.  We're really excited that we can go back to teach them and they already have a built-in fellowshipper family. :)

 We baptized Rafael on Saturday.  It was a great service, the ward was all there and so supportive.  I was so happy to see Rafael there smiling big and ready for this ordinance.  He was so happy that he was clean, and had experienced the cleansing power of Baptism.  He was SO excited for Sunday as well, to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  It was just sublime! 

Sojust a refresher with him:  Hermana Button and I were tracting back in January, when we met a man on the street in a sombrero, and his grandson, Jesus, and he told us he'd love for us to come over.  About a month ago we had a scare because he told us about his wife is Jehovah's witness, and we basically thought he was dropping us. But we went back and found out he didn't want to drop us,and that's when we started teaching him again and then set a date for him and Jesus to be baptized! Turns out Jesus only came to church one of the three weeks he was supposed to, so looks like Jesus (who's 10) will still take some more time, but we're excited to keep teaching him and watch him progress. He also didn't come to see his grandpa get baptized :( 

What else did we do this week? I tried Pupulsas--they're from El Salvador and really divine--and we attended some ward gatherings.

Guess what? It's warming up!  It's pretty warm and the sun is coming out, it's actually sublime.  I just love Dalton right now, I love all the members and missionaries and non-members.  It is quite swell! 

Hermana Winters and I are doing great as well.  She ate a habanero the other day (on a dare from the Elders) and almost died, understandably, but other than that we're good!
I have been studying and learning a lot about repentance, because it is so critical to repent ALL the time! And the way we do this is CHANGE, and promise to change.  None of us are perfect, and we all know that! But showing Heavenly Father that we're WILLING to make a change and making the changes with a willing and happy heart draws us closer to Him.

Love you family!
Maddy

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