Miracles

17 de Septiembre, 2012

So this last week has been crazy! We ended the week with a baptism,
and we set a ton of baptismal dates. Jesus has been tough, and he was
like a wave, sure about it baptism and then unsure - repeating the
sequence many times over. But now he's baptized and he had a crazy
power experience during his confirmation. This Saturday, we're going
to baptize 7! All in one session! And 2 of them asked me to do it! I
finally have the chance to try out my church-approved white suspenders
for the ordinance! This week we worked our butts off getting these
baptisms (literally, I lost 11 pounds).







One of the investigators who is gonna get baptized this Saturday is
Arturo. He is golden. He accepts everything we say, and puts it into
action. He is pretty excited.
Another soon-to-be member is Isabel and her daughter Gaby. They have a
pile a problems, but Isabel never loses her faith. They have been
waiting (for various reasons) to get baptized for over 3 months.
The other 4 are investigators of the same family, Familia Rios. They
are all pretty much golden, and are all excited for their baptisms.
Working hard pays off!

So in my birthday package (which arrived early and I couldn't resist
opening), I got a man/missionary bib! Thanks mom! It pretty much saves
my ties and white shirts, as I spill all over every time we eat
something red. Proof that Satan is working against us haha. I love it,
and it even has a tie and a pocket where I can put my plaque, so you
can barely notice it. In this picture I am about to eat a crazy
delicious Mollete. Also, thanks for all the cow tails! You have no
idea how much I have missed them - almost as much as Mt. Dew!








This area is pretty green. There's a lot of pastures and fields, and
we get to cross them a lot of times, traveling from colony to colony.
The clouds here are in all shapes and sized, and it's a pretty
beautiful sight at times.

Expect good pictures and maybe a video next week. I'm going to do an
experiment with a few investigators today.

Monica is progressing really well. She is ready for baptism, but first
she and her member-boyfriend need to get married.....and he needs to
get divorced. Her daughter, Mariam, went to Jesus's baptism, a stake
activity, and all 3 hours of church on Sunday! She is starting to
progress a ton!

It's a completely different experience being a white guy here. The
girls go crazy, and a few times even try to grab me while walking the
streets - one actually succeeded in grabbing my bicep before I ripped
my arm away and ran. The drunks shout cursings and throw their beer
bottles from the rooftops, but luckily they have terrible aim haha.
For the most part though, aside from a few occasional things, I'm
pretty safe, and I know I'm protected by the Lord.

My companion, Elder Macedo, is from Pachuca (close to Mexico City). He
has 2 transfers left before he ends his mission. He told me that I
need to open up a little more, and I'm finding that a lot of the
council one of my uncles gave me (hint: Risky Business) is true. It's
hard to open up the emotional barriers I have. Since I was a kid, for
things that have affected me emotionally, I unconsciously distance
myself from others to protect myself. I never really realized how much
I do it until now, and I'm working on putting my shields down. God
will help me.

The church is true, Christ lives, and I'm in his work. Gotta go!