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| this is us at la jolla coves |
i did something sweet today and read your emails first. :) well, parts of them. haha. lov eyou guys!
okay let me just tell you something.... WE HAD A BAPTISM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT REALLY HAPPENED!!!!!!!!!!!! it was... wow. it was just the best thing ever. we realized early on last week that hermana alamillo (la que se bautizo) was WAY more prepared than we realized. she... she has such desire to follow jesus christ. on friday we had a HUGE scare--her husband found out she was meeting with us to get baptized and if she didn't come to the church at 4 (for her interview!) she wasn't going to get baptized. ahhh. we found that out at eight in the morning. so we decided that EVERY time we'd pray we would pray for her to be baptized. we knew it could happen. and when they drove up to the churhc..... i fell to the ground. hahaha we were SO happy!!!! it was spiritually draining i'll tell ya. but she passed her interview and was there on saturday and we had a really sweet service and then... she was baptized. to say the least, it was one of the most uncomfortable baptisms i've ever had to watch, and i was reeeeeeeally nervous she was going to back out because she just COULDN'T GET ALL THE WAY UNDER.. but she didn't. she finally got all the way down. ................... huge sigh of relief from EVERYONE present. but seriously. (she's way afraid of water... and to add to that she can't lean back because of a surgery she had... so she was literally ON HER KNEES and president was literally trying to push her under the water and she was blowing bubbles and almost crying...oh my gosh. BUT!!!! SHE DID IT!!!! hahha. and afterwards she shared her testimony (i did'nt think she'd do that either!) and it was more like a prayer, but it was so sweet! and she said that she just felt sooo different and so happy and she couldn't stop crying. and on sunday, after she'd been CONFIRMED A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS!, she participated a TON in our sunday school lesson. this coming from the lady who used to HATE church. hahah she was always so bored and wanted to leave and kept asking how much time there was... hahah but we gave the lesson about the spirit world and we got talking about the need to act now, and hna alamillo raised her hand and straight up was like, "my husband doesn't know i got baptized, but i knew it was the right thing to do. i feel so happy and i know i did the right thing! and it was hard, but i know it's worth it." uuuuuuum okay. it was BOMB. and its sweet because she totally prays tha ther husband will accept the gospel. :) and one of her main reasons for wanting to be baptized is because we talked SO much about doing baptisms for the dead for her son who recently passed away and for the baby she miscarried like 40 years ago. it's going to be a joyous day when she does their baptisms, but even more so when she and her husband are sealed.. .then those kids can be theirs for FOREVER!
ah. i love this. i love what i'm doing. i'm so thankful. SO SO THANKFUL. i love my mission. i feel so privileged and so blessed and so fortunate!
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| IMELDA'S BAUTISMO!! hna delgado and presidente curtis |
so in my studies the other day i was reading about christ's church bearing His name. I'm reading in doctrine and covenants and guess where i was that day? wow perfect--section 115. verses 3-6. what really struck me was when it says (in vs 6) "a fin de que el recogimiento en la tierra de Sion y sus estacas sea para defensa y para REFUGIO contra la tempestad y conta la ira..." with that i was thinking about the branch. about how Christ's church is meant to be a REFUGE from the anger of the world. guys, things are coming in our little branch. on sunday, there was laughter in our gospel principles class. people comforted each other. people were friendly. it was really neat to see! I was thinking about la mesa, and how when i first got there i felt... well, remember how sad i felt? haha. ridiculous. because i wasn't in chula anymore.. left my ward of 900 for a branch of 30 and it was a shocker. but in my ten months there, i watched that little branch change. and i saw people grow TOGETHER and closer to the Savior in suuuuuuuch a beautiful way. so i KNOW it's possible. maybe that's why heavenly father put me here... in this branch that's been a branch for thirty years. i know it's possible that they can love each other and be there for each other and make church a haven! i know that the way to do this is to USE them more, and to take them out with us so that they feel that love Heavenly Father has for each child and to help them feel it too. Aaaaaaaand? this past week we only had ONE LESSON without a member! it's neat. so we're going. we're already seeing progress!
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| this is where we llive. and kristen, i got many a compliments on that necklace! |
but continuing on with that thought, i realized that's, too, what a home is. it's a refuge. it's a haven. it's a safe place. and in the mission manual it says "church members may dedicate their homes as sacred edifices where the Holy Spirit can reside and where family members can worship, find safety from the world, grow spiritually, and prepare for eternal family relationships." and then i was so thankful for you guys. really truly. i 100% feel that way. home is such a refuge for me. and that's what it's intended to be. i know that doesn't sound like anything profound, but wow. the other day i was thinking about how a lot of my friends are now married and with children, and how i probably won't hang out with them like we used to.. and it made me sad. but THEN. guess what i realized? well, i pictured kaylynn and colby and me watching a movie with tabstar crawling around... just totally chilling. willy was on the couch behind us and kristen coming downstairs with a treat. and wow. i realized that "hanging out" with friends is totally just mimicking what goes on at home. being together! and just passing time together! that's what it's ALL ABOUT! eternal family relationships.. my best friends. wow. it sounds silly, but it was this big beautiful spiritual confirmation i had that everything's going to be okay and that i've got this incredible family bubble that are the funnest, funniest, BEST possible people to be around. so i love you guys! home is where my heart is! what a sacred refuge from the storm!
random--the other night i had a dream that you all came to church with us. and i held tabby. and then in the middle i was like, "wait! i can't hold children!" and then i woke up feeling guilty... haha. but it was super real to me. it was good to see ya in church for a sec!
This is the info on Henry Boyle at the Battalion: On December 8, 1846, he wrote, “I have heard the sound of the everlasting Gospel, have been convinced of it’s truth, have been driven from my parental roof for obeying it & here I am in the service of a government that has driven the Saints from its borders & we are as a people wanderers in a strange land. But all is well, all is right. I love the people I am associated with & the principles of the Gospel better than all else & my heart leapt for joy when I contemplated the situation I found myself in compared with what it had been.” wow. isn't that beautiful!
well. off to another week in the most blessed work of eternity. hope all's well. thank you for all you do for me! love you dearly! can't wait to see your profiles! (except WILLY!!!!!) :) YAY!
--us feeding the squirrels (REMIND YOU OF LONDON?!) the... TAPATILLO DORITOS! haha he loved it!
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