October 14,2013

Buenas!

I am so thankful for this week and my heart is full of happiness and gratitude! It`s bursting! On Thursday we were sitting in a bus o nour way home from zone meetings sort of feeling down because we weren`t going to have any baptisms this month and we were trying to figure out what we needed to do better and a miracle just landed in our hands! This guy walked up to us, asked if we were missionaries and could speak English. We helped him pronounce a word he was having trouble with in English, then started talking to him.His name is Mauricio and he is 27 years old. He was interested in learning about how he could become closer to our Father in Heaven and wanrted to be taught right then. We took him to a member`s home, Miriam, taught him about the restoration of the Gospel and he wanted to be baptized! I know with all of my heart that the Lord truly does prepare people because with everything we`ve taught him, he easily accepts and believes. He believed Joseph Smith was a prophet the first lesson and that the priesthood authority has been restored. He is getting baptized THIS MONTH! On the 26th! He came to church with us yesterday and afterwards told us that the church is definitely true. We were delightfully surprised, to say the least. He doesn`t like coffee, tea, alcohol, smoking, or drugs, (I know, it`s hard ot believe he`s real). While we were teaching him about the celestial kingdom, he looked up after reading a scripture, and told us that he HAS to be there. He said there is nowhere else he can be and he will do whatever it takes ot get there. His enthusiasm and excitement about the Gospel and his desire to reutrn to the presence of our Heavenly is an example to me. His faith is so pure and childlike. Like it says in Mosiah, through the Atonement we can become "as a child, submissive, meek, patient, full of love." His baptism is going to be a really, really special day.

Oh, on a more comical note, Hermana Chant and I made a huge innocent mistake this week that still makes me laugh. One of the hermanos in our ward had told us last week that yesterday was stake conference and it was at 11, so all the menos activos and people we visited, we told them church would be at 11 this week not 8. We even called people to remind them it was at 11, thinking we were being so diligent about telling everyone. So Sunday morning comes around, and we`re in our house doing companionship study when the other hermanas in our ward call and tell us they missed us at sacrament meeting.. We were utterly confused and came to find out that yesterday was not, in fact, stake conference and it was fast Sunday as well. We panicked and tried calling as many people as we could but no onne answered. Another little miracle, Mauricio was already ready to go so we were able to go with him to a different ward so he could experience the sacrament. Everyone kept joking with us that they have inactive hermanas in their ward. Needless to say, I never expected to miss church on my mission!

Silvana is going to be baptized in November and amazingly enough, she had zero problems with the Word of Wisdom and chastity. She committed to live them easily. I don`t know where these people are coming from, but I am thankful for them and how prepared they are to recieve the Gospel! One scripture we shared with her this week that I really love is in 3 Nefi 9:13, when it says "Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?" Christ is asking us to come to Him because He wants more than anything to heal us. How beautiful a promise. Que bonita. Repentance isn`t merely asking forgiveness for our sins, it`s changing our lives so that we can more fully follow the example of the Savior. I am learning that more and more here, and it`s so incredible to be helping these people who I love so much take the steps necessary to repent and change their own lives. We taught this 15 year old boy, Alejandor the other day at Miriam`s, and usually when we see him in the streets he is kind of a punk and too cool for school, but as talked to him about the atonement, he told us how badly he wants to change and be able to stop smoking. It was heartbreaking to see this young man so trapped by an addcition and with a desire to change, but just doesn`t know how. This Gospel shows us exactly how we can change! We are all constantly changing and progressing, trying to purify ourselves and draw closer to our Savior. The moment we stop trying to progress is a dangerous one I think.

Oh, you all will never believe it! I am not late anymore! In fact, I love being on time. It`s funny because here the people don`t really believe in being on time, which I can fully relate to, but I now see why everyone used to get so frustrated with me for my habitual tardiness. My deepest apologies. Puncutality is a beautiful thing to me now! 

 

I am in love with being an instrument for the Lord. It`s going by way too quickly, on Thursday I`ll have been here for a month! The time just runs away. This Gospel is the Gospel of joy and I see that more than ever as it touches people`s lives and fills me with love for these people! All my love and brazos and besos go out to you all. Remeber how the Savior`s love is always there!

MUAH!

Hermana Haynie