Caminando en Chiapas: A Marvelous Work!

FELIZ DÍA DE PADRE!!

It has been an interesting week to say the least.

First off.... WARNING: THE DOG REPELLER DOESN'T WORK. In fact I think it just makes mad dogs madder. And calls dogs. Because as always, we had an incident with the crazy missionary eating dog, but this time it broke through the barrier. Not so luckily I pulled out my nifty (cough cough SUPER CHAFA) dog repeller just in time..... to call out 2 more dogs that were inside the house.

Our missionary eating dog was constrained by a chain, but the 2 other dogs WERE NOT. And so I officially receive the award as "worst companion ever" or maybe better put... "Triste Gringa". Because I just stood there safely at the top of the stairs frantically pressing the button on the dumb dog repeller as the two smaller but equally as feisty dogs tried to eat my companion. Luckily my companion was wearing boots and was able to somehow avoid the teeth of the wild beastly things... just as one of the kids ran out and calmed them down. She's fine. Just has teeth marks in her boots and a dumb companion as evidence that it all went down. Word to the wise: DON'T TRUST SKETCHY DOG REPELLERS. THEY WONT DO YOU ANY GOOD IN YOUR TIME OF NEED.

Second, as we were heading back to Tuxtla from intercambios with Chiapa de Corzo, we got caught up in terrible traffic from the triste maestros manifestaciones. Our taxista was like, "Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm heading back to Chiapa."

We were like, "Uh no way. we have to get to Tuxtla and you said you take us there!" So he ditched us on the side of the freeway, telling us that we would only have to walk like 1 or 2 kilometros to get on the other side of the teacher bloquade. LIES. We walked for like 1 kilometro and we were like okay... we are nowhere close.

Ditched on the side of the freeway because the maestos had blocked off the way to Tuxtla

So luckily we found a random combi headed to Tuxtla to take us. But with all the traffic, it took us 3 hours to get there!! It was so hot that we ended up giving out pamphlets to all the passengers to fan themselves (mwahaha missionaries in cada momento). Many of them started reading them because they were so bored and asking us questions. So we ended up teaching a lesson about the restoration to everyone in the combi. Woo!

Now, for the miracles.

We had two baptisms this week!! Hermana P and Hermana R! Both were completely prepared and golden investigators with miraculous stories. I´m more and more amazed by just how much God prepares his children every day.

So, Hermana P. We found her about 3 weeks ago. Our zone leaders had set a goal and made us a promise that every companionship could help 4 people to the waters of baptism this transfer..if we all strived to be consecrated missionaries...and if we exercised all of our faith in the Lord and completely relied on Him. We took their promise to heart, and got to work. We started praying specifically for these miracles. We put our faith into action and dropped all of our investigators that weren't progressing...even though it was hard and we loved them. And, the most important, we strived to be exactly obedient.

So we did all of this, and randomly after sacrament meeting the Hermanas de Palmas come up to us super excited, "We have a super escogido reference for you!! She´s been to our ward 3 times but she lives in your area! And she wants to get baptized ASAP!!" And that's how we found Hermana P.

We visited her in her house the first time and immediately knew she was totally prepared. There were trials for her. Her step dad wouldn't allow us to visit her in the house because he doesn't believe in religion.

But, she was determined to learn more, so we ended up teaching her in the house of different members. She progressed so rapidly, she even started coming with us when we were proselyting. She even came to a district meeting with us! She always dressed up in her cute skirts or dresses (all totally modest) and so all the members thought she was a missionary!! They would ask, "Oh! So you´re in a trio now? Where are you from Hermana?" Haha it was super funny!!

Next, Hermana R. Along with all of this other stuff we started doing a BUNCH of service, and trying to gain the Bishop's confidence. I wrote about this story in another email, about how because we gained the bishop's confidence through service he presented her to us.

She also had a super fast and amazing conversion. We had a really powerful moment with her when we invited her to be baptized. The date was for last Monday (because it's the only day her husband doesn't work and she wanted him to be there). She was super scared to be baptized, so we invited her to kneel down with us, right then and there, and ask God what she should do. It was one of the most powerful prayers I have witnessed in my whole mission. So sincere we were all practically crying.

When we asked her what she felt afterwards, she said, "Well, I honestly don't feel like I should get baptized Monday. I'll get baptized Saturday. Hopefully my husband can get work off." We were so happy! The power of praying in the moment really is amazing.

The baptismal service was amazing. Both of them were crying almost the whole time. We sang "Daughter of a King". Haha it wasn't very good but the spirit was super strong.

The next day when they were confirmed, the spirit was equally amazing. Hermana P's confirmation was more like a public patriarchal blessing...haha the Hermano giving it said that she should go on a mission two times! And said that she would be sealed in the temple. It was awesome. I really can see that these investigators have had a true conversion. Just like in Mosiah 5:5 "And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a neverending torment, as has been spoken by the angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God."

I'm not worried about them. These are converts that really will endure to the end, serve missions, and get sealed in the temple. I can feel it. And it's all because God prepared them.

Aún mas es que we miraculously were able to complete with the Normas de Excelencia. We tried something out this week that I honestly don't know if I've done my whole mission.... 20 contacts daily. Usually I just think of it as we need 140 contacts every week... it doesn't matter how we get there...even if it's 15 one day and 30 the next. But we really tried to get 20 every day this week.. and we saw miracles. According to Elder Diaz, there's a promise in this mission made by an apostle that if we contact 20 people every day we will have a baptism every week. So we did it. And we had not one baptism, but two, and miraculously 4 investigators in sacrament meeting.

Sunday morning, we stopped by to pick up Mario and his son, only to find that he had gone to run an errand, which meant his son couldn't come either. As we were walking back, we found another investigator who was supposed to come with his two daughters drunk in the street (Seriously....worst part about being a missionary... is seeing the people you love and pray for fall back into addictions and bad habits.... heartbreaking). His friends then cat called at us as we walked past...triste borrachos.

But, Hermana J. came!!!!! POR FIN. Unfortunately, her son was sick and couldn't come. So we walked in with 1 investigator instead of the 6 we had planned on. Luckily, Hermana A. showed up, along with a random joven who doesn't want to listen to us...but likes the church and has friends there so comes pretty frequently. But we still only had 3, and the meta is 4 por lo menos. I honestly had lost hope, like there was no way it could happen, and it really sucked because we had all of the other goals President had set. Then suddenly I look to my right, and there sits Hermana J´s dad!! He had come to church to surprise his son for Fathers Day! QUE GOZO LA VERDAD.

I now know more than ever without a doubt that when we try our hardest, God completes. D&C 82:10 "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise."

I know this promise is real and oh so true. Although we weren't perfect, we tried. We tried to be obedient. We tried to have as much faith as possible, and we contacted 20 people each day. And God completed with His promise.

God is a God of miracles, and I'm loving being a part of this marvelous work.... you should all be jealous you aren't here in Chiapas doing the same!!! ;)