Hola familia otra vez:)
SO frustrating! I just spent like 30 minutes trying to figure out what was happening with my memory card. I let a family borrow my camera last night and they did something to my memory card... thankfully my other adapter is working so you will get pictures of the temple:)
Anyway this was a good week! It started out BAD! For the first time I got so sick this past Monday! At first I was worried it was something I ate but I felt much better by wednesday so I think one of our neighbors little boys got me sick. After we bought groceries and shoes for the temple (they have to be polished and none of my shoes can be polished...) We went home and sadly spent our pday at home... me in bed and hna ramos at our table writing letters or something. I got up at 6 when we were supposed to start working for the day. Another family had made me a birthday cake so I somehow ate that and then we went to another families house and they tried giving me cake too and this time I said no, knowing I'd throw it up. So i took it home to have it later.
The next day I felt better but still not so hot so I stayed in bed until we had to leave for our district meeting. I felt better but was way tired and exhausted!!
By wednesday back to normal thank heavens!!! I do NOT want to be sick like that again! We had a great lesson with Luki and her kids. carlos wasn't there and in the end she told us she knows the church is true and that she needs to be baptized.. .but her doubts are holding her back. We are really pushing her for this saturday, even if it is just her so we will see! My inner personality is doubtful but I am trying so hard to have the faith that she will be baptized. We had a lesson with carlos as well the next day and he is very doubtful. We watched a video about temples and he didn't realize it says in the bible that people were baptized for the dead. I am always amazed at the things that were likely removed from the bible when it was changed in the past and the things that weren't removed. the verse that talks about baptisms for the dead is very short and simple but powerful for those who think we are locos for baptizing those who have died. Carlos and Luki went through the temple friday and we haven't had a chance to visit them yet but I hope and pray it was an amazing experience for them.
So friday and saturday we were in the temple. Friday from 12-530 or so and saturday from 6 am to 6 pm. LONG DAY! At first I was SO nervous to talk to the people but once I got over that all was well and such an amazing experience!
The temple is AMAZING!! I can't even describe in words how very beautiful it is! It is covered in mayan patterns and it is the only temple in the world that has that. So that is really neat! Also... fun fact! Did you know that the mesa temple is very dear to the hearts of the people here? Before the temple in guatemala city was built the mesa az temple was the closest temple. Many people here sacrificed A LOT to be able to go to the temple. So that is neat and the arquitects wanted to include something special from the mesa temple in the xela temple. For those of you who have done baptisms in the mesa temple, remember the foto of joseph smith getting baptized? I learned the mesa temple is or was the only temple in the world that has that painting. The xela temple has it now too and I LOVE IT! It is gorgeous. The other image in the baptismal room is the one when christ appears to the nephites in the americas. SO BEAUTIFUL! The temple is constructed with special kind of stone. This stone absorbs mold and dirt (no idea how!) and it is huge here because with the rainy season the building would be green the first year! So they are expecting around 80,000 visitors in the open house... Saturday ALONE they had at least 26,000 people come! It was CRAZY!! But so fun to see how many people were there to enjoy this beautiful temple. Our first day there, when we got on the bus to go home, we were so excited about the open house that we invited every person on the bus:) It was really funny and I did it... in spanish! haha no idea if it was all correct but still amazing! My ward will be going to the temple tomorrow so we will get to go through again tomorrow and then we will be working in the temple friday and saturday this weekend so that is fantastic!
Just two really neat stories of non members going through. I didn't talk to either of them but these were their comments after they went through. The first was a man who when he was in the baptismal font he felt somebody touch his shoulder. When he turned around there wasn't anyone there... he was the last person in the room and through this experience he wrote he knew this was the house of god. Another person wrote on their card that the night before entering the temple they had offered a prayer to heavenly father that they could receive some sort of sign. Then the next day they entered the temple and said on their comment card that they received it when they were in the temple. SO amazing! I am so thankful for the power of the temple and pray that we will get a lot of references from the open house! It is so beautiful!! The open house goes until the 26th of November and the dedication is the 10th of December. We still don't know if we get to go... I am hoping and praying but we will see. President Ukdorf will come to dedicate it and I am also praying he will want to talk to the missionaries:) So we will see!
Other than that, missionary news is a bit boring. This week with me being sick, the temple and the majority of citas following through wasn't much of a successful week, but hopefully this week will be better and we will start getting references from the temple! Changes are this week.... AHHHH! I am pretty nervous! Normally they happen on tuesdays but this week with the open house and the sisters working in the temple, president wants everybody moved Sunday. If I get transfered to an area that is supposed to work next monday I might not be able to email. I have no idea at this point, but if you don't get anything from me you know why. We will find out saturday or friday and then need to be in our new areas sunday. It is a horrible feeling not having any idea where I will be in a week... everyone assures me I will get used to it... so we will see! I feel like I am going to get transfered and hna ramos will stay in our area but who knows!!! I think president is going to move a bunch of things around so we shall see!
Hopefully you enjoy the pics and the short info about the temple! Have a great week and hopefully we will talk monday... I love you all! Be safe and look for me in the church news:) haha just kidding but there are tons of publicity people here and I imagine they will have some sort of article in the church news. Anyway I LOVE YOU!
Love, Hna Nelson
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