 |
| One of the best pics we got after the baptism. Haha Isn't he the cutest 73 year old man you've ever seen? |
This past preparation day was a tough one. I dunno, something about
being forced to think about college and life when all I really want to
do is be a missionary was rough. As I was wigging out about various
things, we called the Pe-Al clan and heard that La Hermana
wasn't doing too well health wise. Our FHE was cancelled, but we still
ended up going over. She may have been feeling sicker, but there was
such a beautiful light in her eyes. She told us about some dreams that
she's been having (God speaks to Hispanics in dreams- it's crazy cool
and totally unfair, haha) that have brought her a ton of peace.
Whenever I'm having a bad day, just going over to their humble little
apartment and listening to their testimonies is enough to turn it all
around. When they're feeling down, they listen to Doctrine and
Covenants.. Who does that? So neat. My testimony of Heavenly Father,
of His promises to answer our prayers no matter how long it takes, and
the simple peace that the spirit brings was strengthened. We left to
go to various appointments we had planned that night, but La Mancha
still hadn't been cleared of snow, which means even if we wanted to
make our appointments, we couldn't find parking that would allow us to
leave at the end of the night. So we just spent the rest of the night
stopping and pushing people out of their stuck-in-the-snow state. It
was such a crazy adventure, haha, we felt like super heroes, or at
least the three (two) Nephites just popping up out of nowhere to help
all the travelers. The least crazy thing of it all is that, by the end
of a night of service, I mostly just felt like flying. So happy and
just grateful to be a human and to be of simple to service to someone
in need.
And it's really silly because I wrote this on Monday and if i knew and
felt then what I know and feel now, I probably wouldn't have written
it haha.
Oh my heavens, the windows of Heaven are open wide and our loving
Heavenly Father truly is pouring out His blessings.
Mostly every night we pillow talk about how in the world we are seeing
so many miracles when we don't feel like we do anything to be worthy
of all the beauty. It's so incredibly conforming that Heavenly Father
is at the helm. He just expects us to be here, to give it our all, to
love and serve and thrust in our sickle and- He provides. He's given
me the beautiful blessing to stay here yet another transfer and to see
changes I never thought I'd live here in the mission to see.
Miracle number one, El and Le. THEY ARE SO NEAT. Okay, so
we've talked a little about how they wanted to wait to get married and
baptized until her mom could be here, right? So, we were a little
bummed just because waiting for things is never a good idea and we
really felt strongly that it was God's will that they just act in
faith but.. It totally wasn't. Gods timing is perfect and, yesterday,
Le and El came to church. The two of them, sitting together
with their niños and I couldn't handle. It was beautiful! And then we
got to go visit them for our monthly ward 'reach out night' after
church and it was the neatest thing. The elders quorum president and a
recent convert that just got sealed in the temple on Saturday came. We
sang families can be together forever and he shared his testimony and
LESTIN, the guy who didn't even want to greet us, let alone talk to
us, was like, "It really is a beautiful idea. To be together with the
family.." And they were there, together, El just glowing and
Le with the newfound gleam in his eye that comes as the innate
light of Christ emerges from its hiding place.
We set their official wedding and El's baptism date for the
12th of this month and invited Le to be baptized too. He told us
some of his concerns, mostly just not wanting to fall away after
taking such an important step. I had the opportunity to bear my
testimony of the atonement, of God's desire to help us change, and
that was so neat because that's something I've really been struggling
with as of late. I know that Heavenly Father sometimes gives us the
opportunity to testify, and in doing so, receive answers to our own
questions. No wonder He commands us to share the gospel!
I just felt so blessed in that moment, there with them engulfed in the
spirit. I felt like Ammon, in Alma 26, when he says..
"My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason
have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started from
the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great
blessings?"
When we began teaching sweet El, I never could have imagined
that God would grant us such great blessings in completely softening
Le's heart and bringing them together as a family.. But He did!
His timing is perfect, as is his love, and when it seems like
everything is going wrong- He knows what He's doing.
And that's such a beautiful truth, because J and Es are
struggling. They were (and still are-faith) trekking towards their Feb
20 baptismal date when J had to quit his job because of some
things that were going on in the company. That being said, Satan is
just working so so hard on them and they recognize it, but it's also
really getting them down. Pray for them, porfies. They are so sweet
and have been through so much throughout their conversion process.
Speaking of the Gramajo's.. J's el Papa was baptized and confirmed
this week! It was the craziest baptism experience I've ever been a
part of, so I'll leave a little cliff hanger for ya and write all the
details next week.. Let's just say that it consisted of dismantling
the curtains that lead to the font, boiling water on the stove to fill
the font, and mostly just not having keys. I was wigging out during
the whole process while Hermana Draper repeated, "this is SO fun!"
over and over. Life is crazy and good! Love you so so mucho!
No comments:
Post a Comment