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Another Soul in the Waters of Baptism

Date: April 11, 2011
Area: Saltillo, Mexico
Companion: Elder Elzey

 

 Yes it has been very hot here lately!! Some of the members have told me it has been 45 grados celsius or around 115 F in monclova which is in our mission! Okay so a couple days before conference last week, me and Elder Elzey were walking in this colonia and we were really discouraged because we weren´t having much success finding anyone and we didn´t know what to do. I saw a light on in one of the houses and someone watching T.V. and just had this impression that we needed to knock that door. I told him and he said yeah sure go contact them. So I knocked and a lady and her kids came outside. I told her we were missionaries and she said oh I´m busy right now. I said well, we help people understand some of the teachings of Jesus Christ and one of those teachings is about families, I know that our families are important in this life, my family is important to me, and I can see that yours is important to you too. She went quiet and told us we could share more with her. We did, and she came to conference with us on sunday. Her husband participated in some of the lessons with us last week and this week but he works a lot and there are some issues with the word of wisdom and other things that are impeding him from participating with us all of the time. Well we asked her to follow the example of her savior Jesus Christ and be baptized and she accepted. The baptismal date was set for this last sunday the 10th of April. We asked her daughter who is 10 years old but she didn´t want to because of her grandma who is taking her to the catholic church and is having her 1st communion soon. We went with ____ (the mom with the baptismal date) on friday and she asked us why God lets her suffer and gives her family trials. We shared with her 2 nefi 2 and she started telling us all the financial trouble her family has been having and about her husband crying at night because he doesn´t know what to do. Also because her family doesnt want to get baptized with her and her husbands family is doing everything but supporting her with this decision. I shared with her D&C 121 and explained that it is a record from the life of the prophet Jose Smith and revelations he had. I told her about all the people that were following him and doing the right things by following the prophet, God, and Jesus Christ and how people persecuted them, killed them, and Jose smith was in Jail asking why they are suffering these things then I read her verses 7y8. I looked up at her and she was in tears. We sat in silence for about a minute and I explained satan is going to do everything possible to keep you from getting baptized this sunday but the blessings you will receive after will be more than you know. My companion shared with her Mosiah 2:24 and she said ¨I will do it.¨ I will do it for my family and for God, no matter what anybody else says. Well, Satan worked hard on her the 3 days before her baptism. we visited with her everyday and when Sunday finally came we waited for her at the doors of the church. We waited, church started, We still waited for a half hour.She didn't arrive. We decided to walk to her house and see what happened. We got there and her husband invited us in. We came in and She sat down and told us a bunch of reasons why she didn't come. The biggest reason was her husbands mom came over the night before, right after we had left and started telling her that if she did this then she would be divorcing her husband because she got married in the catholic church, and she wouldn´t be able to go to parties anymore, and she would have to wear a long dress the rest of her life and just stupid stupid stuff. We told her none of that was true. She asked her husband ¨is it all right with you if i do this?¨ He said, ¨Honey if you really want to, I´m not stoping you, its your decision¨ She said okay lets go! haha so we went to the stake center, she attended another sacrament meeting (because our ward was already over) and I had the opportunity to baptize her. It was a strong testimony builder and I´m happy to be a missionary, no matter how hard it is.
     Okay, mom your not going to like this, haha  I have had a little bit of trouble con mis pies.. haha my feet. I will include pictures so you can see but I arrived home 2 nights ago and my toenails just looked disgusting on my big toes. Its from all the walking and playing futbol. Well I said to elder Elzey ¨hey I dont think this looks normal¨ and then I squeezed my toe and blood gushed out.. haha so to make a long story short ¨¨ Se me cayo las uñas de mis dedos¨ Todo. haha  Hermana Romney suggested I wear Sandalias so it gets some air and doesn't get infected. I have been putting alcohol on them so they dont get infected. They dont hurt so it doesnt impede me from working hard still :)

   Because the weather is getting hot, the cucarachas are starting to come out more! Our Gas tank ran out this morning! Perfect timing because when we wake up in the morning its so hot, so a cold shower feels goood!!!!! We don´t need hot water. Elder Elzey cut my hair this morning. Your probably thinking it looks to long in the pictures I send home today. Oh dad, We drink a lot of bottles of water. No one drinks water from the tap here, most everyone buys the jugs or bottles of water. Sometimes it still has floaties in it, but we dont get sick from it. Thanks Mom I will wear sunscreen don´t worry :)

Like I said before, we baptize very fast here and in south america. Faster than in the states. our Investigators go to church one sunday and they are baptized the next week after they have attended church two Sundays. We usually set goals to baptize 4-8 people a month as a companionship and 300 as a whole mission. People are waiting for the restored gospel and saving ordinances. We work our best efforts to find those people that are ready. Oh we also took a great idea from the sister missionaries here in our zone. Its called ward missionary KEN ! We found a ken barbie doll at one of the pulgas and dressed him up as a missionary. Every sunday the bishop will have a ¨Missionary Moment¨ at the end of the sacrament meeting. He gives Elder Ken to a family and they have to find a non member family to bring to a noche de hogar with us there. The next sunday the bishop congradulates them at the end of sacrament meeting and passes Elder Ken off to a new family. This will hopefully increase the number of New investigators we find and its good cause it gets the members involved.

  OKAY GOTTA GO.

Love,

Elder Moklebust

 

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