Baptism

Hola Familia!! Another amazing week in the mission has passed by!!So first, I am going to try and call sometime around 1230 your time... have all your questions ready because president wants me to stay under 40 minutes between all three phone calls!!! AHH!! Its ok though... we will get to talk and then email again on monday the next day! Next, dont you worry... TIRANTULA 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I climbed up on hna smiths bed while she killed it... when she found it she started screaming which was hillarious because when hna ramos found the spiders I never knew, she just killed them. Then after hna smith finished screaming she thankfully killed it... we all know I couldnt have killed it! Time to spray our house again with bug killer!!!So this last week was AMAZING!! Beyond words!!! We had our baptism with Cecilia and lets just say it was so SO SO amazing!! The day wasn't actually too painfully stressful, but we were running all day long basically. So President Bautista had a meeting with us in our district meeting and he told us that as missionaries we should never give up an opportunity to teach. So from then on he didn't want us just singing hymns or watching a video while the person being baptized is changing their clothes. So hna smith and I decided to make a musical lesson. Everybody loves the violin and Hna smiths voice so it was perfect! We taught a principal (like God is our loving heavenly father, or the gospel blesses families) and then we sang a hymn that went along with it. Lets just say it took about 15 minutes to plan and the spirit was SO much more powerful in the baptism. When we shared the restoration I played the melody for Joseph Smiths First Prayer (whatever the hymn is called) while hna smith shared the first vision. It was SO SO powerful and without practicing at all, I finish playing the first verse of the melody as she finished sharing joseph smiths words. It was amazing! Then we sang that whole hymn. We bore testimony and the members and investigators that were there were touched. We had many people come up to us afterwards and tell us it was one of the most powerful baptisms they had ever attended. We are also seeing the fruits of gaining the confidence of the members too! One sister came up to me and told me that hna smith and I are very very powerful missionaries. She then asked when she could go out with us to visit investigators. That was great and definitely the blessing that came from us following presidents guidance. Another sister asked if she could make our investigators treats and if we could go out and deliver them this week. It was so amazing and that night hna smith and I were so very grateful that we were blessed with an amazing investigator and baptism, and as well that the baptism itself was so very successful. Hna Luki and Carlos came to the baptism so that was fantastic! I hope they felt the spirit and that the next people we will announce for a baptism is them! Cecilia is an amazing person. I wish you could all meet her! She told hna smith and I that before we came into her life she felt alone, but now she knows she isn't alone. Her husband died about 6 months ago and she is the only support her mom and children have. Jordy is 4 years old and she also has another son named bryan and he is 11. Bryan is a member and so is her mom, so just she was baptized this week. She was an amazing investigator and I hope and pray she will be an amazing member as well. She is so humble and happy with what God has given her. She has been one of the greatest blessings so far in my mission and I am so grateful we found her and were able to help her make this step. It was SO SO funny at the baptism we asked luki and carlos if they were going to come to church the next day. They were ify to say the least and then all of a sudden their 11 year old son carlitos, goes... we will be there! we dont have anything tomorrow right? Yeah, we will be there... it was hilarious! I am SO grateful for their children and know their kids are going to be the key! Their children are all ready to be baptized... if their parents would just read the book of mormon and we'd be set!! Please pray for them... if they would read the book of mormon they'd get that testimony and make the step to be baptized! Another fun thing of the week was offering service to luki and carlos for the house they are constructing. The elders helped with the house and we degrained corn (not sure if that is a legit word haha) basically they dry their corn out for like a month or month and a half and then they have to get all the grains off. They use EVERYTHING! after the corn doesnt have the kernals they use that for their fire stove and the bad kernals are food for their animals. It is actually pretty fun and the blisters go away pretty quickly:) I am hoping and praying it is something I can do when I get home. The corn tortillas here are SO SO much better than in the states and SO easy to make. Salt, water, and the kernals! Hna Luki made us all lunch that day and it was also DELICIOUS! I am not sure if I have told you yet but I LOVE the food here! It is delicious and you will all be happy to know that every week I am forced to eat fresh tomatoes... hna smith is convinced I will go home liking tomatoes... not there yet!! But we shall see, I am definitely to the point that I don't gag trying to eat them. Progression wise.. hna luki and carlos aren't reading like I said. We want to try and put another date with them and we will see what happens.MOM something I need!!!! Your carmel recipe! I think you are at work so I cant get it before sunday but will you make sure and email it to me? I dont want to use up time during our phone call writing down the recipe. Basically, I would love if you could forward me a bunch of your sweets recipes.. or maybe aunt shannon can send me some. THANK YOU!!! So this is going to be a great week for all:) Beau and Megan... and everybody else but especially them... I want to know EVERY DETAIL OF CHRISTMAS DAY!!!! what you got, what you did, EVERYTHING!!!! So you better have some emails waiting for me for Monday... ELder Nelson you too!! Let me know everything of how your christmas is! I hope you all have a very fantastic Christmas!!! Look up 2 Nephi 26:24... I am so grateful for all we go through in this life, every blessing, struggle and trial are things god gives us for our benefit. FELIZ NAVIDAD and cant wait to talk to you!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!Love, Hna Nelson