What a week...the weather has been super strange here in Arica. There have been huge wind/sand storms and on Sunday it rained! It didn't
just drizzle, it actually rained!
Anyways we have had a really hard time contacting our investigators. They have all seemed to drop off the map. But that didn't stop us
from enjoying our week, and it forced me to look for all the miracles.
We planned the ward activity on Wednesday and it was super
fun! We had everyone start together in the cultural hall and we explained that
we had 8 activities planned, some related to the gospel and others just to have
fun. They had an hour to use their time doing what they wanted. However, after
participating in an activity they received stars. In the end we all gathered
back together and our ward mission leader had decorated the cultural hall and
separated it into 3 separate places. He started talking to everyone and told
them they had just been resurrected and were waiting to be judged. He ended up
diving them in groups according to how many stars they had. We were able to
illustrate the importance of filling our lives with good things, that help us
progress spiritually if we want to get to the celestial kingdom. It was super fun!
We had lots of contact with Rosalia this week being that her
baptism was scheduled for Saturday. On Wednesday we visited her and reinforced
the importance of keeping the Sabbath holy. She asked what we needed to bring
to her baptism and we got everything planned. On Saturday Hermana Gemin and I
went to the chapel about 3 hours before the baptism to start filling the font.
We locked up the chapel and left to work. We had a lesson and then went to pick
up Rosalia. She wasn't in her house and wouldn't answer her phone so we decided
to just sit there and wait. It got closer and closer to 5 and we didn't know
what was happening! We asked our ward mission leader to come pick up the keys
and open the chapel for the members that were there waiting. Rosalia never showed
up and when she finally called us she asked if we could postpone her baptism.
We decided it would be best to cancel her baptism until she is really prepared
and keeping better her commitments. We called the elders to ask them to tell
the ward mission leader we had decided to cancel the baptism and they asked if
he had told us what happened. We ran to the chapel to find that the font had
overflowed and flooded the church hallway! Oops....we helped clean up. I never
thought I would be able to say that my investigator didn't show up to her
baptism and that the church flooded as a result... (when it rained Sunday, the
soccer court flooded too...wasn't the best week for the chapel).
We felt
we should visit a woman that wasnt in our plans. As we got to her apartment
complex we realized the lights had gone out. As we knocked her door a man
walked down the stairs and said "my son is a member of your church". We asked if
he was there and he said there was no problem if we went and visited. We climbed
the stairs knocked the door and 3 people showed up in the door. Mauricio is a
less active that moved here with his family a month ago from Santiago. They
invited us in and we sat down and started talking. Mauricio was baptized 6
years ago and his family often went to church with him. When we started
talking he said, just about 2 minutes ago I told my mom that she shouldn't worry
because the light would come. Then you showed up on my doorstep! I was right!!!
He told us his birthday was the next day and that they were waiting to
celebrate. He also told us he had lost his Book of Mormon in the move. So i told him we
had the best birthday present ever and handed him a Book of Mormon. He started weeping and
told us he was beyond happy because he had been asking God to help him find his
way in life again.
I love feeling that the Lord puts me where I need to be
exactly when I need to be there. He is aware of all his children and he loves
us all equally. The gospel is the brightest light we have to offer to the world
and we should never be ashamed to share the gospel!
I love you all so much. Be lights!
Hermana Freedman
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