This week it was a little harder to stay excited because it was raining almost everyday and almost all day. I don´t mind the rain but it makes it a lot harder to work. Not only is it freezing and wet and windy, but the people (instead of inviting us in for a break from the cold) tell us to come by another day when the whether is better...? I am always confused when that happens haha but it was good nonetheless. We had a baptism for Isabel. She is the funnies old lady ever. She lives in her house with 25 or so other members of her family and they are all her kids, grandkids, or great grandkids. She loves when the missionaries visit because her family doesn´t really talk much with her. They are all busy doing other things so when we stop by to visit, she lights up. She always has a different kind of juice and cookies for us to try and if it is cold, she always has some hot chocolate or something. She is just great.
Her baptism however, was at 8 in the morning on sunday before church and the font takes 4 hours to fill.....you can do the math. We were at the church at 3:30 to start filling the font. Then we came back to our apartment to sleep a little bit more but I couldn´t sleep because my mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts. It wasn´t all bad though. The baptism ended up being awesome and super simple.
Also, this week we have been working a ton with a family that reminds me a lot of you guys. They have a 9 year old son that is a lot like eli in the fact that he has a really strong spirit and is always questioning things. The last lesson we gave was on the restoration and the importance of prophets. He basically taught it all to us. (Their family is less active so we are reteaching them) He used the example of a satellite and the cell phone and how we can´t see the other person but because we have a satellite (prophet) we can recieve the message. IT was pretty great. Another reason I love visiting with their family is because the mom and dad remind me so much of you guys. She has the same books that you like (the mind healing ones) but in spanish haha and he is just super humble and wants to help everyone like dad. The only difference is that she had a bad experience in the church and it made her inactive for the past 5 years or so. Right now we are working hard with them because Diego (9 year old) wants to get baptized but the bishop wants the family to be active first. The past few weeks they have gone to church (except for the mom) and Diego has a date set for the 19th of october. The other day in our lesson I shared 1 nephi 1. I think I told you that story already, but really we are trying to work really hard with her. I know that if she can get going than she will be such an influence for all of the people.
Here is where I need your help. You sent me an e-mail a while back talking about all the "Mind over Matter" stuff and how it really goes against faith or something like that. I don´t remember very well. But She reminds me a lot of you and I felt like you could help me out with something that might help her? She was sick for a while and got blessings and stuff but none of them worked and it was getting worse and worse, so then she went to like all sorts of crazy places to try and find a cure because it was a rare sickness. She ended up finding like a witchdoctor type thing that "healed" her but really it was just the end of the sickness. So now she doesn´t really have a testimony in the priesthood and she thinks that the witchdocotr healed her. It sounds crazy, but she really isn´t crazy at all so I don´t know. haha
This story is all told by her husband while she wasn´t there so it is hard because we haven´t been able to talk to her about it. it is a really touchy subject. I told Faustino (her husband) that the best thing he can do right now is be a strong example. Exercise his priesthood power in every possible moment and pray hard and with her, and search the scriptures for help and strength, and have faith that she WILL come around and she will. He is such a good guy so I have no doubt that it will happen.
Anyway, yeah that is basically the majority of what I am working with right now. It is also awesome because they always cook a meal for us when we come and it is AMAZING haha.
Oh, another family that we are teaching that is less active and have 2 kids that want to be baptized is the Campos family. They are awesome as well but have had some TOUGH trials in the last few weeks. Their dad had cancer and past away just 2 weeks ago, and this last saturday was his birthday so they were having a party and someone knocked on the door and told them that the top of their house was on fire...they lost basically half of their house and a lot of pictures and stuff. We passed by to visit them (unaware that anything had happened) and if they wouldn´t have told me, I wouldn´t have known because they were so happy! IT was a testimony builder to me that the Plan of Salvation brings happiness, This Gospel Brings happiness, and that the Family is the only way to have the most happiness in the hard times!
There is a lot more to say but I don´t have much time. I love you guys, I miss you tons, and I am excited to share those happy moments again when I get home! Have a great week!
Love,
Elder Hazlett :)
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