Hola!!!!
Erika is getting baptized today!!! And Jorge is going to baptize her!! YAAAAAY!!!! I don't know why, but it's always a fight to get our people baptized, but they always do in the end. Anyway, we had successfully convinced Jorge that he could baptize her despite the fact that he's got a bit of a strong character, but then he got scared again and was like AHHHH I'm not prepared!! So he wanted the bishop to do it. Well next thing we know, he was like, I'm going to talk to the bishop tonight. Ummmm . . . . okay. Next thing we know after that, the bishop calls us and says, Jorge's gonna baptize Erika. Ummmmm . . . . Okay!!! Cool!!! We talked to the bishop later and he said that their whole family came in for the interview, not just Jorge. He asked Erika, why do you want to be baptized?? And she said, because I believe that this is the true church. So he didn't ask anymore questions. Haha. He didn't need to!!! I'm still not sure how he convinced Jorge that he could baptize her, but I knew as soon as Jorge told us that he was going to talk to the bishop that he would be doing it. Because I knew that if we couldn't convince him, the bishop could. Our bishop is pretty much amazing.
Other news is that Eduardo will be getting baptized the last week of this change!!! It's been a fight with him too, but finally he's gonna do it. We brought the zone leaders to a lesson with us, and when they got there the first thing they said was, Eduardo, do you like barbeque?? Of course Eduardo said yes. Then they said, do you want to come to a barbeque with us right now?? So then they took off with our investigator!!! We were like uhhh . . . . we wanted to have a lesson with him!! So after our other lesson we went to the barbeque too and the elders told us that Eduardo had told them that he wanted to get baptized in 2 weeks!!! We were like . . . . WHAT??? Okay!!! But then they were like, uhhh . . . . . and he's got pornography on his phone. AHHH!!!! We just taught the chastity lesson a few weeks ago!!! So we talked to him about it the next day. We asked him when he wanted to be baptized and he said 26 of June. So we said okay. There's 3 things you need to do before then. Read 3 Nephi 11, pray about it . . . . . and take everything that´s bad off the phone and off your computer. HNA Foster just said it straight up-if you have things like that on there, you can't feel the Spirit. Then she was like, so do you have things you need to take off there?? He goes YES!!! YES!! It was so funny, although I did kind of feel like a bishop at that point. But he told us that the next time we saw him, he would let us look through his phone to be sure. So, vamos a ver!!!
So THEN (it's kind of been a week of miracles, to be honest) 2 days ago we saw Jacklin and Judi in the chapel, just randomly. Jacklin is the less active that's recently coming back, but she's married to someone else and living with Judi's dad, so she's got some work to do, but her daughter wants to be baptized. Judi walked right up to us with Jacklin and she said, Judi's getting baptized the 24th of July, and her dad said it was okay. We were like . . . . WHAT??? Okay!!! So we've got a pretty set in stone baptism for next change, although her dad could change his mind, but we'll keep praying that that doesn't happen and working hard.
We're still teaching Yoconda, Jorge's niece. Usually we teach her in her mom's house but one day this week we went to her own house, where she lives with her mother in law (yes, the prostitute) and her daughter. This house, I'm not kidding, was probably the size of my bathroom back home-it was so small that I almost couldn't believe it. There were two mattresses on the floor, a tiny TV, and a toilet sitting in a corner. I didn't see a stove or a shower or anything like that. I kept looking for another part of the house but I couldn't find it because it wasn't there!!! I was like . . . . wow. I thought I had seen poor, but this is the absolute poorest I have ever seen in my life. It broke my heart to see her in that situation. So we were teaching her about the priesthood, and I thought we were coming to the end, but HNA Foster stops and looks at me!!! I was totally caught off guard because I thought we were done, so I´m like I have no idea what to say!!!! Then I thought, oh, I should ask her to be baptized!!! Oh no I can't!!! No no no!!! Then I had a thought, clear as day-JUST DO IT. So I did. She said that she's not prepared still, but she didn't say no!! I was kind of bummed that she didn't say yes straight up, but HNA Foster said that EVERYONE says that they're not prepared at first and we'll work on a actual date later, so then I felt better. So then she's like, oh by the way, my mother in law wants to meet you guys. Sooo . . . . we're gonna teach the prostitute!!! And we're really excited about it!!! Family at home-please don't freak out, we'll be fine (Katie I know you're loving this, haha-maybe you can help my mother start breathing again) and wouldn't it be cool if she changed her life and got baptized??? Right??
So that's all the spiritual stuff. Now for the funny/crazy stuff!!! It is true that a volcano exploded in Quito a few weeks ago and the ash was pretty heavy for about a day but I didn't hear anything about the end of the world. It was fine the next day. Anyway, we've had a lot of near death experiences in cabs lately. One day this past week, we were in a cab going back to our area and the driver stopped in the middle of the intersection. I was sitting on the right side and I looked out the window and saw the METRO coming straight at the cab!!! I was like AHHH!!! HERMANO!!!! Literally I thought we were going to die-it was coming straight at us and stopped right outside the window, I'm talking RIGHT outside. Then it started honking at us. I about had a heart attack, de verdad, we were SO scared. Our taxi driver was like totally not paying attention and was like, oh whatever, we're fine but we were terrified!!! Then the next day the same thing happened with the bus!!! I'm seriously sick of the crazy driving here-it's making me have mini nervous breakdowns I think!!!
So then last night our stake had a going away party for President and Hermana Johns. They invited recent converts from all the wards in our stake, so we were there with Fam. Criollo and HNA Mendez and the Fam. Suarez, who was baptized in September. The first part was very spiritual and nice, HNO Suarez bore his testimony and President and Hermana Johns did too and we sang Each Life That Touches Ours For Good and we all cried and it was just very bonito. Well then we passed over to the dinner part and while they were serving we had musical entertainment. It was all fine until they announced that Ninoska Suarez was going to do a flamenco dance. Well I'm sure you can imagine how the elders felt about that-I've never seen our zone leaders look so uncomfortable and the table with the office elders all turned around and refused to watch. HNA Foster and I laughed our heads off the whole time because Elder Harris and Elder Jackson just looked like they didn't know what to do. It was the funniest thing ever.
Oh so THEN, we went to this barbeque with the zone leaders on Monday and we walked into the chapel to find something and as we walk in we see this man with his back turned to us who's hands are apparently very busy with the crotch of his pants. We were like uhhhh . . . . what?? Then he turns around and we see him tugging on his zipper!!! We were like, uhh . . . hola hermano, and ran to the safety of the gym where we burst out laughing. Unfortunately there were people in the kitchen there and they were like HERMANAS!!! WHO ARE YOU HIDING FROM??? Thanks so much. But it turns out that he didn't hear any of it. Although I am curious as to what he was doing with his pants . . . . .
Well thats about it for me this week!!! Don't worry, weird things happen every week, so I'm sure I'll have some more weird stories next Saturday. Take care, be good and don't do anything stupid!!!!
MUCHO AMOR
Hermana Chamberlain
No comments:
Post a Comment