Week 29! "Another Baptism! [And Lots of Photos]"

From 8/18/14

I forgot to tell you all something very cool that`s been going on recently.....TEMBLORES!!!!!!! Two Fridays ago we experienced the very first one. We were in the house of an investigator. The 2nd story house we were in started shaking with a very deep, earthy rumble. Our investigator practically launched herself out the door as Hna L and I just sat there staring at each other. I was still trying to decide if we were actually in the middle of a tremor or not....as I watched the room sway, stared at the walls, and thought, "Wow, this is really cool."

The investigator made her way back into the house through the front door with her shoulders a little slouched and a confused look on her face. "Aren`t you going to come outside?" she asked. I didn`t know that`s what we were supposed to do. It didn`t seem scary enough to panic about it...but according to Hna L, who`s been through a few earthquakes in her day, they can get really bad really fast.

Since then, we`ve experienced a few different occasions where we feel temblores and even a little bigger ones that would be considered "earthquakes". Now I do know that I'm supposed to go stand under the main door frame or by a sturdy column of the house and wait.

Well, I don`t know if there`s international news about it, but there IS one child who died because, during one of these temblor episodes, one family went running outside and left their little boy inside sleeping. Several barrels of rice or something rolled out and killed the sleeping child. It would have been completely preventable if the family hadn't panicked....But if that is out there on the news somewhere, that accident happened about 200 yards from where we live, just around the corner. It happened in my sector.

"C Y" WAS BAPTIZED!!! It was funny because Bishop came in towards the end of correlacion misional Sunday and told me, guiltily, "Hna Fernelius, I did a maldad...I sent the picture of you doing the praying mantis pose to your parents." ...ohh Bishop. I love him; he always makes me feel so special jaja. He always takes good care of me.

C Y is a very special person with a very special story. Hna H and Hna M, the 2 hermanas before us, contacted him in the street. For THREE WEEKS they were trying to get in contact with him again. But, very literally, he hid from them. He confessed to us that he would actually peek through his window and tell his brothers to be quiet because the missionaries were there. jaja But, they were perseverant and kept looking for him.

Finally one day, they knocked and he wasn`t home. They were about to leave, but decided to go contacting down the street instead of returning back up the stairs like usual. It was a street they`d never contacted down before. As they did, Hna H saw C Y walking in their direction. She stopped him! She`s a beast. and they taught him then and there in the street.

This whole process began a mere 3 weeks ago, when C Y finally began taking the missionary discussions. When we got to him, 2 weeks ago, he was already in 2 Nephi 25 and had one church attendance. As we continued teaching him, he said that he felt uncertain about whether he wanted to be baptized or not....he didn`t feel prepared. But, we gave him a little sheet of paper called "Camino de Fe en Jesucristo", which helps the investigators see their progress and feel prepared for their baptism. On the side, we wrote an "extra goal," which is that he wanted to feel internal peace about the decision to be baptized. He promised he would pray for that internal peace.

We invited Hno C, our ward mission leader, to come with us to a cita with C Y. Hno C brought such a strong vibe...and extra excitement filled the environment as we taught the last of the commandments. C Y commented that every time we visit him, he feels more and more sure that this is what he wants to do.

C Y even prepared the Gospel Principles class that Sunday (HIS 2ND SUNDAY ever going to church) and was prepared to teach the class. He`s a go-getter.

The night before his baptism, he sent us a text message saying, "I prayed to God to feel sure about my decision, and I do. Thanks be to the Lord." C Y received the inner peace he was looking for. His hermanador played a very important role in the conversion process as he took the initiative to invite C Y out to eat and to visit him at his work. And, Saturday afternoon, C Y arrived early, all dressed up, with 3 nonmember people he invited to his baptism.

C Y received the gift of the Holy Spirit right after because it was a rare Sunday where he had to work. In the blessing that Bishop gave him, he said that C Y would go to the temple and would be an important instrument in the Lord`s hands for missionary work. I feel very good about C Y. He is one of those people who did everything from their part to receive an answer if this is true...and who is in it 'til the end.

Bishop shared during the baptismal service as well that just that day or the day before, one of his converts from his mission wrote to him, saying how grateful she was for the two missionaries that taught and baptized her. Bishop showed me what she wrote on his ipad, and it was very special. It was his little way of letting my companion and me know, "Well done." And to keep working hard, because we have the privilege of bringing many converts to God throughout our mission, and we never know what those fruits will bring in the future.

Also, there`s a gringa lady in our ward named Sister E. Hna E doesn`t speak much Spanish, but she has been so good at helping Hna L and me. She brought over a box of mac and cheese, pasta, spaghetti sauce, chicken noodle soup, and crackers with milk and butter for us one day when we didn`t have a mamita. American food!!! jajaja

What she may never know, though, is that the food she gave us of her own good heart actually helped to feed our hungry district leaders who had less than we did, and to feed two young men who live from day to day. Because we were able to share with these two young men, they were able to come to a noche de hogar at the church because they didn`t have to worry about having something to eat that night.

One of them, "J L", is now one of our investigators. He lives with his member-friend, "A". "A" has been encouraging his friend to go to church for a year now, but finally, they went together. That`s where we met them. Investigators that come to us...what a blessing.

They really do live day to day. They are so skinny and have very worn faces and clothes. They have to be in their early 20`s. But, J L feels the promised blessings of living the gospel. In 2 lessons we have had with them, we shared about the Book of Mormon and the Dia de Reposo. Now, J L has gone to church twice and has his baptismal date set for the 30th of August.....the Lord has really blessed us!! The gospel brings blesses to those who can`t survive for themselves...which is everyone.

When we take a minute to reflect on the commandments we have...Sabbath day, reading the scriptures daily, the law of chastity, our tithing....., wow. It`s amazing how much God loves us that He sets us up with an opportunity to receive blessings to every little spiritual and temporal need we may have. Because, with every commandment, there is a blessing tied directly to it.

This week we`ve had many of those special experiences. Small, but sure proof that the Lord always responds.

Sister E, the lady who didn`t go to church because of her family`s financial situation....came for the 2nd time yesterday.

Seeing our people take these steps of faith fill me with joy. I have complete confidence that, if they put what we proclaim to the test, the Lord will respond :)

HAPPY 8-MONTH MISSION ANNIVERSAY ASHLEY!!!!!!!

I love you all and am very grateful for each of you.

Please tell Grandma Boston that I love her and that I say hi!!

Love you all!!! Yay for loooooong emails!!!!!! Have a great week!!!

Hna Fernelius

Hna L and me trying out our thug faces....I just looked drugged and she looks like she`s the one who drugged me. Didn`t really work jajaja



How in the world do they even build these houses? Not to mention all the furniture that needs to get moved in and out of it.

This is a picture we surprised C Y with at his baptism. He really really wanted this picture so that his artist friend could paint it for him :) jejeje. He liked it because it has a "giant" in the front. He is currently reading that part in the Book of Mormon too...Mosiah 18. But that was a couple days ago...I`m sure he`s way past that part now. This kid is on fire.

Yeaaaaahhh mannnn.

This is now what we do during a temblor!!! Run to the door!

​Sunday afternoon correlacion misional meeting.

Waiting for the bus outside :)

BOWLING today!!! With my district and other missionaries from our zone :)

Do you think we succeeded at taking this missionary party picture?? jajaja

​...because it definitely was a party!! jajaja :)

Crooked....oh well. Many cameras on timer on a little counter. It'll just have to do.

No look at THEM socks. Ohhh Hna L! :)

​And you even get to see what we dined on for lunch today...Yes, we took a few pictures. But that`s only because we haven`t been taking many, so I made it a goal to take more, jajaja. Yay for pictures! :)