We are teaching a couple of people that are preparing themselves to be baptized really soon and I want to tell you all about them:
Eva: Eva is a 55 year old really awesome Paraguayan women that I found doing divisions with a missionary in my district named Elder Caballero. We walked up to her house, not knowing what we were doing, and we decided to clap (in Paraguay instead of knocking on doors they clap). We went into this door and the wife of her nephew greeted us with a really nice smile and it turns out that she was a member. She let us in and Eva just started telling us about her struggles and how she is looking for peace and how she wants to find it. She told us how she prayed to God to send his messengers to her door and what do you know, good old missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints showed up. The first thing she told us is that she loves it when we smile because we always look happy. She is getting baptized this Saturday.
Ana Maria: Ana Maria is another really nice lady that at first did not like the church at all because she is from an Evangelical church. We got her to come to church and she told us that our church did not have any vigor. She told us that she had her church. What we decided to do was to keep stopping bye and saying hi and she told us randomly one Saturday that she was going to go to church Sunday and low and behold, SHE CAME! That was awesome and then she told us that she really likes how she feels welcomed in the church and she never feels like that in any other place. She also came to church again yesterday and she is getting baptized this Saturday.
Belen: Belen is a girl that is 12 that is the only member of her family that is not a member. Her parents are not members either because they don't want to get married, but all of her brothers and sisters are members. I asked her one day if she wanted to get baptized and she told us that she would never get baptized because she is Catholic. She then started coming to church every Sunday with her cousins that are really active and her cousins started teaching her a lot and we would occasionally ask her if she wanted to get baptized and she kept saying no. One day, actually this last Saturday, we passed by her cousins house and she happened to be there and she came up to us and told us that she wanted to be baptized!! That is a testimony of member missionary work. She is getting baptized this Friday.
There are many other people here that we are teaching and I love it. There is a girl named Maria Nancy that almost got baptized with her mom and sister but decided not to, but she keeps coming to church and I know she will get baptized some day. I'm really seeing the blessing and miracles that come daily as I'm here in Paraguay.
Today is Monday. Right before this typing letter. Elder Goodell and I, (Elder Goodell is another missionary in my district) decided to by 1 kilo of ice cream and eat it. Today is the 21st birthday of Elder Goodell so we went all out. I have pictures :D.
Also, I had a really wonderful experience talking to a girl that told us that her mom had just died. She told us that she would never see her mom again and how she is sad and prays every night to see her mom in her dreams. We started teaching her about eternal families and about the purpose of our existence and how with the power of God we can see our families again after this life. She didn't believe us even though we testified to her over and over again, but even if she doesn't believe that, I'm extremely grateful for the opportunities that I have to teach the people here. I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to live with my father in heaven after my life and to have my whole family there with me. I know that families are eternal. I love being a missionary. It is a short time in my life, but it has been the most blessed and enriching experience I have ever had.
Thank you all for the prayers and for the support. I love each and every one of you and I hope you all have a great and fulfilling week.
Elder Jessop
No comments:
Post a Comment