3-19-12

Dearest Family,

 

Well, Ana Laura was not baptized yesterday. At the last minute, her mom decided that she didn´t want to give permission yet. She thinks that it´s too fast. We seriously did everything possible to make it happen, even leaving the house early in the freezing snow to get to talk with her before she left for work. We also went to visit with our zone leaders so that they could just do the interview right away. These Elders are AWESOME and the lesson was really great, but she still didn´t sign the paper. It was rough, because everything was fine and happy up until Friday. She is going through some hard things, so it must be hard for her to think about change, but we know that as we serve and love her that she will come around. We are going to do everything possible so that Ana Laura can be baptized this Saturday. Please, please, please, pray for her.

 

Our manuals came in!!!!!!! We finally got the George Albert Smith manuals for Relief Society and the Liahonas from the last 6 months finally came in. I really do take things like that for granted. One of the Brother´s in the branch said that he felt like he would finally be able to feel like he was in the right path after so long without receiving the word of the Prophet. Wow... that is so true. Do we take advantage of having the Ensign every month? Do we treat it like it is, the word of God?

 

We went with some of our investigators to the activity for the 170th anniversary of the Relief Society. It was really fun! We couldn´t stay for the whole thing, because there is just so much to do, but what we saw was really great. How awesome that we have the blessings of Relief Society!!

 

This week has been really good! We had 4 investigators in church and they are all doing well. It was really cold and rainy, so that one of the excuses for the others, but we are really going to step it up so that EVERYONE can attend church this week.

 

Anahí is doing well and she really loves learning about the church, but she is SOO shy and doesn´t love actually being in church. Also, Griselda is still up in the air with if she wants to try to get permission from her mom to baptize her. Anahí is the 10th of 12 kids and comes from a really rough situation, so it is hard for her to accept love and she is very very quiet. We will definitely keep working with her.

 

Deborah is a good friend of a recent convert, Veronica, and she has been in church for the last 2 weeks. She is very religious and has grown up in a Christian church where her dad is a pastor. She told us that she has never felt so much love and peace as she did when she was in church these last 2 weeks! She told us that she would like to be baptized, but doesn´t know if she can give up the cigarettes. We are working with her and praying hard.

 

Virginia is still awesome! We just adore her!!! We are still waiting on the papers, but they should officially be in this week... they got them recent about a week ago and they said that they should be here in 10 to 15 days. We will baptize her just as soon as the papers get here and they can get married! She says that she would like to be married and then baptized right away! It was really cute, because she was participating a ton in relief society yesterday, and one of the sisters asked her why we weren´t just filling the font right now! haha. The sisters all really love her and are doing a great job fellow shipping!

 

Leo is still super cute. He didn´t make it to church this week, which is really sad, but he is still chugging along and we will keep working with him.

 

German is an awesome 80 some year old man that we met last week. He came to church yesterday all by himself, in a full suit and everything! It was so great! We tried to give him a baptismal date, but he said that even though he really loves it all, that he really respects that his parents died Catholic and that he thinks he should do the same. He did accept to pray about it and we are going back tonight to see how it went.

 

There is just SOOOOOOOOOO much work to do! As we are catching the vision that the Lord has for this area, we are just booming! With all the investigators who ARE reading, praying, and coming to church, we have little time to make it to our less active members and recent converts. We do get to see them all about once a week, but we really just have to use the branch to get all the work done. I love it! Working together is the key!

 

Speaking of recent converts, Enrique is still doing great! He is even going to visit some of our less active members to invite them to come back. So great!

 

Cesar is also great! He is so cute. This week, it was his turn to be the greeter at the door (our teachers and priests take turns doing it) and he seemed to really enjoy it. Everyone loves Cesar.

 

The Díaz family is passing through a difficult time, but things are starting to look up. Karen had to move back in with her mom and stepdad and her stepdad won´t let her come to church, but we are still trying there. Danisa is a bit sad about everything that is going on, so she has been a bit distant, but she is starting to heal. David is doing great still. They put him in a cool program so that he can go play sports before school so that he has some more to do.

 

Fabiola has started reading the Book of Mormon story book (the one that the Church puts out with the pictures) and LOVES it. It´s cute when she tells us all about what she is learning.

 

Wow... there is just so much going in my head that it is difficult to keep it all straight. haha.

 

OH! I almost forgot! There is a brother in our branch that is from Columbia... maybe I mentioned this last week, but I don´t remember... and he told us that he has a friend that has been investigating the church for about 2 months or more and that she is all ready to be baptized, but she is about to move here and since it was not too long a wait, wanted him to baptize her! She should get here on Friday morning, and if all goes well with communicating with her Bishop there, we are hoping to baptize her this Saturday! Awesome!

I love you all tons! Thank you all for your love and prayers. I keep you all in my prayers as well. Thank you for everything. I don´t even know how to begin expressing all of my love and gratitude for all that you all do for me. I seriously have the best family ever!

 

Love you all!!!
Love,

Hermana Shelley