Hello, family and friends!
Rosa was baptized and confirmed this weekend. I don’t understand how it is possible, but a small group of people arrived for the baptism at 7:30 and a whole gaggle of people arrived at 8:30 for the party afterwards. Someone told me that this is typical. I suggested that we lock the gate doors, to help encourage more people to attend sacrament meeting the next day. We prepared a white-chocolate drizzled popcorn with crushed candy bar for the Peruvians to enjoy. (I have been having a fun time sharing my sweet-tooth recipes with the ward.)
This is top secret (which is why I am having my mom post it on my blog for all the world to read), but Saturday night Hna.Rodriguez and I were washing the baptismal clothes in a tub in the sink. I don’t how it’s possible, but with the weight of the tub, the spout popped off and water was spraying everywhere! My companion and I burst out laughing and then didn’t know what to do, because we couldn’t turn off the water. Luckily, the dad of our pensionista, Vikki, was visiting his daughter and was available to save the day. He turned off the main water, and we had to use the water up from the tank before he could fix the sink. We ended up washing everything we could think of. We got to bed much later than we had hoped but rather enjoyed the mishap (until we saw the bill…).
Our investigators are having some hard times. Well, frankly, their whole lives are hard times. Evingston works the nights, from 4 pm to 6 am, sweeping the streets. He is still waiting for the municipality to pay him. (He hasn’t been paid for 2 weeks.) He wants to be baptized, along with his daughter. Germain, 18, has received the first charla and is reading the Book of Mormon, but his parents suddenly have decided to make family field trips and bonding time a priority whenever we have scheduled appointments with him or on Sunday mornings from 9-12pm. Hmm….I wonder why? Nelly feels the Spirit every time that we visit her. She reads the booklets and prays, but she is subject to the will of her husband, who is opposed to her and her kids attending church. The hermana Juana, a member returning to activity, lives and struggles with the rest of her family, who want nothing to do with the Church and live a very different lifestyle. I know nothing is impossible with faith and with Heavenly Father, and I am thankful for the life that I have. It is a privilege to serve, to be here, and to have the gospel in our lives. I hope we don’t take it for granted!
Love, Hermana Christensen
