Rollercoaster

Hey family!!

My week was a mental and physical rollercoaster! Both horrible and amazing!! To start this week off, it was the week of Luis's baptism so we went into the week knowing that Satan would work really really hard to mess this up. But the Spirit will be there the whole time fighting to keep us on the right track.

Monday was like any other normal day. We did go and meet Luis in the plaza to make sure to review with him. We wanted to make sure everything was going great for him and to review the baptism questions. So a good day, no a great day!

Tuesday, we went with a Sister in our ward to meet with Luis again in the plaza. Once again we waned to see how he was doing. It was amazing to see how happy he was to know that everything was going great.

Wednesday was a super hard day for us because other then Luis we had basically nothing. No one wanted to listen to us and no one wanted to accept us. Nothing.

Thursday! Thanksgiving! I can officially say that it was the worst Thanksgiving of my life. So I get a call from Luis about 10:30am telling me that he was not going to get baptized simply because he didn’t want to. He called us back around 11:30 to say he was sorry and the real reason was because he didn’t understand why he needed to be baptized again since he was baptized in the Catholic church. My heart broke! As I turned to my companion, she saw the look on my face and couldn't decide whether to be extremely sad, to cry, or to be mad. We head in to our Thanksgiving lunch after that. Best part of the day because the lunch was pretty amazing! We had rice, pasteles, turkey, yuca root, cheese flan, and coconut flan. Trying to forget all that happened that morning, we spent the day helping Madeline and Wanda decorate Madeline’s house for Christmas! It was so much fun putting up lights and decorating the Christmas tree!

Friday hit us like a ton of bricks when we woke up though. Literally, it was Black Friday for us. We did though put on our plaques and went to work. As we head down to the Plaza, who do we see sitting on the bench? None other then Luis himself. Of course, we headed over to talk to him. It turns out that he just got super nervous and scared of what he was going to do because he realized how serious this was. I turned to him and said, “Luis do you know why we asked you to be baptized?” He said no and asked me to explain. “Well, Luis, we are representatives of Jesus Christ. We didn't ask you but He did, because he loves you and he wants the best for you. He is the one guiding you to the waters and He will be the one forgiving your sins.” After that we said our goodbyes and started to walk off when he said “hey I want you guys to meet this friend of mine.” So we start talking to this amazing Puerto Rican/New Yoker who is the same lady that we gave as a reference to the elders. So in the middle of talking to her, Luis says to her that if she wasn’t busy tomorrow that he was getting baptized at four and she should be there. Our jaws dropped to the floor! But okay!! We got to work immediately calling the elders to arrange the interview and everything went perfect! When he came out of his interview, Luis was so happy he almost yelled, “now I'm going to be a new member!”

Saturday was just perfect! The baptism went really well and the Spirit was super strong.

It is weeks like this that I truly know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and He is the one that is working in this Obra (work) and I am only his servant!

I love you all and hope all is well!

Con Amor Siempre

Hermana Harris

God of Miracles

Hey family!!

I just want you all to know that I love you and am extremely grateful for all you do for me! I know that you each are a huge blessing in my life and I could never replace!

This week for my Ponderize scripture I am studying 2 Nephi 31:12:

“And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.”

If you get the hint… We have a baptism coming up this week! It literally has been the biggest blessing and miracle that my companion and I have seen this month. So his name is Luis Morales. We met him on November 6th. We had the impression to go and visit a less-active that we haven't been able to find in awhile named Nora. It was a huge blessing that when we walked up she was outside her house doing her laundry. We went up and started talking to her about everything like that we are newish to the area. We asked her story of when she got baptized and so on. She had just happened to have had cooked some food for two of her friends and invited them over while we were there. 

We started talking to the group. This is when we met Luis and Ismael. Both have been investigators of the elders before so we kept talking to them to see what they remembered, share a scripture, and head out to our next appointment. We invited all three of them to church the following week even though we knew that the next Sunday’s church they wouldn't be able to attend because it was at the stake center in Ponce. So the following week, they just left our mind. We were running to and from different areas and didn't get the chance to see them. Saturday, we were walking from another less active’s house when we passed Luis in the street. He said, “So did you guys get a ride for us to come to church?” With shock on both of our faces, we said, “well of course we can get you both a ride.” I literally have never in my mission had an investigator remember an invitation that we had made two weeks beforehand! So they both come to church and just loved it! They participated in all of the classes and the Spirit was super strong. Then in sacrament, Luis turns to my companion and I and said “so when can i get baptized?” You all should have seen Sister Taylor’s and my face! We were in shock! But we totally seized the moment and set a date for the following Saturday. He said, “okay at what time can I be there?”  We are seriously in awe. This is literally what we had to have been looking for.

More background, Sister Taylor and I have gotten to the point of frustration this past month on finding investigators. We have talked to so many people yet dropped so many investigators that haven't been progressing to the point that we didn't have anyone to teach. So we keep on walking and keep on contacting, we just really weren't seeing the fruits of our labor. Luis is our miracle. My companion and I both know that he was the person that Heavenly Father prepared for us to find and to teach. Since day one he has been ready for this gospel!

I do know that God is a God of miracles like it says in Mormon Chapter 9. I know that our Savior lives and this really is his work. I know I work day by day with the Lord. We have days that are hard but He is there holding our hands leading us on to the next day. I know that He is the one that places everything in the perfect place and position so that we can help more people come unto Him. I know that is the work of missionaries. Coincidences don't exist; the Spirit guides everything! The Spirit has been so strong on the days that I can't even imagine my life without Him. I know that by his guidance everything will be okay. We have trials so that we can learn and be humbled enough to accept the blessings that will come along!

I love you all dearly and hope that this Thanksgiving you can show those you love why you are truly grateful for them! Even more importantly, show your Savior how important He is to you!

Have a great week and

Happy Turkey Day!!

Con Amor Siempre,

Hermana Harris