April 16, 2018

Spiritual Paydays :)

First things first,
 
Wow, the baptismal service of Jesus was so powerful. Even more so because he has been very ill from everything, but still coming to meet with us every single day. He is a fighter, and has endured so much, but he has completely changed his life. The power of the atonement of Jesus Christ is real. And more powerful than I can ever image. He got confirmed in the same service because we did it yesterday evening, and when Elder Gonzonlez confirmed him, he gave him such a powerful blessing and talked about how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ were smiling and so happy in that moment. I could just picture it so clearly in my mind. And he was blessed with the strength to continue. Then he stood up and bore powerful testimony and told of his past and testified that the church is true. He talked about the weight just being lifted off of him and how he truly felt reborn with a new light and a new life. What a miracle. We are working with the branch to be sure he has the needed support, because he is going at it by himself. But thankfully, we've got God on our side. 

In the same service, 3 others were baptized, an older couple born and raised here in the island of Mallorca, and AHMED!! I am not sure if I told about Ahmed, but Hermana Garcia and I were the ones who found him, and taught him the gospel and set the date for his baptism, but we found out he lives in the boundaries of the Marratxi Elders. But he kept his date and progressed so quickly with the Elders helping him. When we found him on the bench, he didn't have much hope and was just frustrated with life, but we sat down and told him there is hope! And met with him the next day to teach him how. He got up right after Jesus, and in his cute, very good, spanish, he said he didn't commit any grave sins, just had to quit smoking and drinking it made me giggle. hahaha.

Quick miracle. A cute 15 year old girl we met in a stairwell weeks ago texted us Saturday basically begging to come to church. We've stayed in contact, but with a complicated, quite awful, family situation, we haven't been able to meet with her. Well she came to church and loved it (even though the Gospel Principles class was about the organization of the priesthood that she never even knew existed... haha. ) But we are so excited about her. 

And I'll have to write about Christopher more next week, but he too is hungry for a change and has a very complicated situation, but is eating everything up AND sending it to the mother of his children, who lives in NY!! SO great!

Also the other Hermanas have an investigator that is a good friend of mine that is obsessed with family history, so we were playing on my familysearch tree and followed a line all the way up to 600 BC! 83 generations! It was insane, and he was just blown away and so excited. (He's a big body builder and I was sure he was going to pick me up and shake me like a doll with his excitement hahaha!) And he even recognized some names, like a french princess and a Viking that were married to keep the peace. Pretty amazing, if you ask me!

Challenge for the week: there are people that have been found that are waiting for you! Find a name and take it to the temple this week! Missionary work must move forward on both sides of the veil, and they can't do it without us!

I know the church is true. I love it because it gives me personal access to my Savior Jesus Christ and His infinite love. I love Him!

And I love you all!!
Stay strong and do the little things, they make ALL the difference!
Hermana Read