I love you all so much, and yes I miss you and all. But don´t. You. Dare. Say anything about my benchmark next week. Please and thank you. :) I love being on a mission, and when people make remarks about ¨Hump day¨ I just feel sad, and start to think about the end of it all instead of the fact that right now I´m supposed to be consecrated to the Lord. If I see one more Elder make the hump day signal with a hand slowly declining and the crashing airplane noises, I might go crazy. Please keep the count-down on the inside, and we can be happy together when it´s all over. You´re all the best, and I can´t wait to talk more about mission experiences when we´re all together! :)
A few weeks ago it was freezing, and everyone was telling us about how the worst was yet to come. Now it´s oddly warm. So warm that we wore just our white shirts, ties, and slacks instead of bundling up. All the people who were ignoring us, began to do their lame heckling again as they realized who we are with those insults that don´t make any sense and just make me laugh. It´s good to be back. :)
This week was awesome! Remember Consuelo who has nieces in Utah? She and her daughter were baptized this Sunday along with this awesome kid named José! (I talked about him two weeks ago in the letter that didn´t come through.) It was kinda rough leading up to the baptism with the ward leaders who are intent on baptisms only on Saturday. We´re trying hard to work in harmony with them, but in this case it was impractical for several reasons, and José´s aunt/soon-to-be-adopted-mom wouldn´t be able to make it. Also nobody comes to Saturday baptisms as shown with Gladys. But after praying together as a companionship, we felt inspired that Sunday was the day that the Lord wanted them to be baptized, and we went for it anyway, praying fervently that the leaders would have a change of heart.
I was nervous the whole morning on Sunday, but when I finally saw the Bishop, he cheerfully greeted us, and I felt at ease. There were a ton of members that came even though it was a Fast Sunday, and nobody made the investigators feel awkward by complaining about the baptismal service. It was a miracle, just as all baptisms are, but I´ve come to realize something: if there´s ever a baptism that goes smoothly beforehand without any difficulties presented by the Adversary, it´s an infant baptism, which the Lord heatedly denounces in Moroni 9. The Lord´s way´s the harder way, but the only one that makes any sense. I know that baptism is an essential ordinance that EVERYONE must take to recieve their Celestial inheritance, and I´m so grateful that three more were able make this covenant.
Okay one more story: our ward mission leader is this stud, Jared, who´s just about to head out on a mission to Brazil. We were in a lesson where I was feeling frustrated with a sister complaining about the hypocrites in Church. I was feeling pretty steamed up inside, and trying to be gentle in reproving her to come to Church. But I didn´t have the Spirit, and I didn´t feel good. Jared decided to come in and assure her that she would always be welcome to church, and lovingly testify of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The Spirit was intense. She still refused, but man, I felt humbled by Jared´s example. How could I have forgotten charity? I really felt Moroni 7 slap me in the face. ¨If ye have not charity, ye are nothing.¨
I love you guys so much! Thanks for all of your prayers and efforts to drive forward the work of Salvation for our family and the family of our Heavenly Father!
1 and 2 The baptisms
3 So last Pday, we went to go find Messi jerseys, and were nervous that we waited too long after the World Cup. We found a guy on the street selling them for a decently cheap price, but we were in a hurry. So we were like, ¨Good material? Check. Doesn´t look too fake? Check. Number 10? Check. Okay, lets get out of here.¨ On the bus my comp looks at me and says ¨La talla.¨ We forgot to check the size. Chanting L-_L-L in my head, I checked it. And I saw... XXL. Crap. We got it switched today, but it was pretty hilarious.
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