Heeeeyyy :)
This week "J L" was baptized. We meshed his baptism with that of a smaller branch´s baptism of an 8-year-old. So the program was full of good speakers and the testimonies of various people.
When we got to the church, the other elders were still in the process of having one of their own investigator´s get baptized. It was about 45 minutes after they were supposed to get started...! But, that´s normal here. Everything starts late. So, as they were finishing their baptism, we were supposed to be getting started. J L and his friend A were already there, watching the end of this baptismal service RIGHT before he was about to be baptized.
Between them, they own one white collared shirt. So A put on the only other white shirt he owned (with a logo on it) and a black jacket on top to try to make it look more formal. A let J L use the nicer collared-shirt and a little tux jacket to cover on top. J L got a nice haircut. They looked so good.
We were searching all morning to find white clothes they could wear to be baptized....nada. We only managed to get one white shirt and one pair of white pants. So, we pulled out what we had. And A and J L were trying to figure out who would get what.
As I watched them converse, they mutually agreed that J L could get baptized in the white shirt he was wearing and that A would just let him wear the black jacket over his bare skin after the ordinance once the white shirt was wet. Wow. These two are so humble. But, it ended up working out. Elder R, I believe, had an extra white shirt he let them borrow. And A brought the whitest jeans he owned, just in case. And he ended up using it in the font because we had nothing else....they were white skinny jeans jajaja.
"A" was so nervous as he led J L into the font. The elders had to correct him a few times of how he should hold his right arm to the square. A looked so nervous! jaja But, he said the ordinance, and J L was baptized.
I stood at the back with Hna L and just tried to soak it all in. No one else in the room knew them as well as we do. Nobody knew how these two have suffered, or how they collect bottles to sell in order to get by. Nobody knew that J L's mom is in jail and he is also supporting her, or that A has been trying to share the gospel with J L for an entire year hoping one day to see him be baptized. Nobody knew the amazing testimony these two guys have of paying a humble tithe...or of how strong the Spirit was when we shared the First Vision of Joseph Smith with J L on the terrace of his one-room house.
I love being a missionary.
J L and A wanted to surprise me and Hna L yesterday when they invited us over to their house after church. They surprised us with a little dinner they had prepared of verde molido, egg, and agua aromatica. We had a mini-noche de hogar.
I can say it´s going to be hard to leave them from this sector when the time comes. Being a part of true conversions is not a light experience, because the eternities feel so real in the process of it.
The ward has been surprising us too. Bishop offered them a small job cleaning his yard. The elders quorum planned a service project to go to a park one Saturday and help these two guys collect bottles. Elder R and his companion opened the church closet yesterday and we looked down to find 3 large bags of bottles that THEY had collected for these two. And Bishop, before J L's baptism, met with and ordained A to the office of a Priest so that he COULD baptize his friend J L....all this without us even knowing.
Taking initiative is so important. I´m pretty sure the first moments and first impressions within the church was a big factor in the conversion of J L. The little details are what makes all the difference.
Also, in other news, Bishop's son returned from his mission on Saturday!!! So, there´s a lot of exciting stuff going on over here.
And....we had divisions so that Hermana Lider (Hna M), could work with Hna L. That entire day I got to spend with Hna W in the outskirts of Quito. It is fuulll campo ["farms"]. Fullll chanchos and vacas [pigs and cows] and land. It was super cool. It was neat to experience another sector for a day. Although I do love my sector. :)
The mission is not always easy, but knowing in whom to trust sure can change that. For example, there was one solid afternoon that I simply did not put any effort into the lessons. I didn´t feel like my "head was in the game" digamos, and I felt a little cold and distanced from the people we were visiting. It didn´t feel good. I didn´t like it but sometimes it´s hard to snap out of it. I feel bad for Hna L because she is very sensitive and it was obviously having an effect on her as well, because I felt very robotic.
So, I prayed in my studies the next morning to be able to read something that would snap me out of it. I opened the Liahona immediately after, to a talk by Elder Richard G Scott of the April Conference:
"Porque ejemplo os he dado."
It talked about exactly what I was looking for...and I guarantee this fresh perspective did exactly what I needed it to do: snap me out of it. Stop being so tired and get to work. But, this time, with the right attitude. This talk is about how Elder Scott was baptized and later became a missionary because his grandma and future wife loved him enough to share their conviction with him. He changed because of love, service, testimony, and simply because they trusted him to make the right decisions.
So I went out that day and had probably one of the best days of the week. What was the difference? I was still tired...I didn´t get any more sleep than usual. But I didn´t feel it. Because I was happy and spoke to the people with the big love I have for each one of them. It changed everything! And...it felt good.
I love each one of you. I love knowing that God always keeps His promises.
I ran across an Elder at the mission offices today and, as Hna L and I were walking out, he smiled up at us and said, "Thank you for helping me." We were like, "Huh?" We had no idea what he was talking about! jaja But he responded, "You both helped me this week." What? I don´t know how...so that´s what I said back, "What are you talking about? We didn´t do anything!" He smiled again and said, "I will tell you sometime, but you really did help me." And that was it.
Like Mom always tells me: People are always watching. They watch who we are and what we do. I am far from perfect, but we always look for ways to serve and lift people up, no matter who it may be. That´s one of the best parts of missionary work. And sometimes, it happens even without us meaning to.
But the lord uses us all the time in little ways to serve other people. Sometimes without us even being consciously aware of it.
So love deeply, serve consistently, and always live with conviction!
I love you my family! I am grateful for all the little things you do for me when I ask. Usually there are very good reasons why, and I greatly appreciate when you take the time to follow through! You are my hero!
Love you all & have a great week!!
Hna Fernelius
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| "Pigs and Cows and Land, Oh My!" |
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