Hi guys! Sorry this email is an essay but these last couple of weeks have been absolutely crazy. Sooo much has happened. Buckle up
God has truly blessed us and our area so much these past couple of weeks. I've never gone to an area and seen so much success before. It's been miracle after miracle after miracle and I have been so incredibly blown away at how aware God is of his children here. I feel like a different missionary after just 3 weeks. I know that God has seen the hard work that we've put into each and every activity and it feels like he's blessed us with a good outcome every time. Especially among what feels like 80 other responsibilities and things going on. I feel like there's no time to stop because there's just so much to do! 🙌🏼🙌🏼
However, it's hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows. Here's the story of the week:
We had 2 friends on date to be baptized this weekend. Luis on saturday and Felipe on sunday. We worked all week to prepare them, meet with them, plan their baptisms, etc. Then reality struck. Luis spent the weekend in the hospital getting tests done, so he wasnt able to get baptized on Saturday. And then the day before Felipes baptism, he texted us and told us that he didn't feel ready yet and wants to keep preparing. He wasn't baptized this weekend either
Sadness was an understatement. Hermana Ence and I just felt a sense of failure. We felt like we didn't do enough, teach enough, care enough and because of that neither of our friends got baptized this weekend. Saturday was easily the hardest day of my mission so far. I was in my head all day, wondering what I could've done differently to have changed the outcome of the weekend. I was discouraged and I felt like we worked so hard to help these people and then Satan came in and took it all away from us. We spent all of saturday piecing together a giant puzzle that had been handed to us, figuring out where we went wrong and what we could do to fix it. In reality, there were a lot of outside factors that played into why Luis and Felipe didn't get baptized. After the longest weekend of my life, I came to realize that it wasn't fair of me to blame myself for all that had happened. I did everything I could, how could God expect even more from me than that?
He can't, and he doesn't! We did what we could, and he does the rest. I know that his plan is perfect. There's a lot going on in the lives of Luis and Felipe right now. They both have their own challenges but I know that their story isn't over. I'm so proud of them both for how far they've come. I'll keep you all updated, they'll both be baptized before we know it 😇
Anyways!! Heres some more stuff going on in my island life: 🏝🏝
MLC was so good!! Despite how scared I was it ended up being so good and spiritual. Something about having a bunch of different missionaies with different ideas on how to better our mission brainstorming together was so cool to me. That was also the last time I saw president and hermana Eastland!! I have so much love for those 2!!! Our new mission presidents the Grows got here the week after MLC and I still haven't met them yet but we will next week at zone conference!
We have 4 more friends on date!! Raquel, our sweet peruvian abuelita is getting baptized on Sunday and Katty and her 2 kids next week! They are all so amazing! I've learned so much from each of them and their love for God that just seems to constantly be overflowing! 🌊🌊
Ence and I hit 13 months together!! El tiempo pasa tan rápido guau. We celebrated with acai bowls and they were soo good!!!
Last week we went to Loro Parque which is like a massive zoo x sea world x aquarium and is truly one of the coolest places I've ever been. There was SO much to see. We saw dolphins and sea lions do the coolest flips and tricks, massive orcas that splashed us and left us soaking wet. I found out ant eaters actually exist! It was so so cool!! 🐋🐬
4th of July!!! Truly wasn't anything special. Apparently Spain doesn't celebrate America's independence which is kinda crazy of them but we made the best of it with hamburguesas! The most underwhelming 4th of july to date! 🇺🇲🇺🇲
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I finished the book of mormon this week!! (Por fin) I've never gone through it so thoroughly before and my testimony of it's truthfulness just kept growing each time I opened it up and prayerfully read it. This week we shared a spiritual thought about the liahona, and how it only guided Lehis family through the wilderness according to their faith. We shared this scripture:
44 For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.
45 And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.
I know for a fact that the book of mormon is true. I know that it was written by prophets who were chosen by God to guide us in these last days. And I know that if we read it and follow it's words, we will be guided, blessed, and pointed to a straight course to eternal bliss! I've felt that on my mission time and time again!!!
Les quiero muchísimo!! Chao! ❤️🔥❤️🔥
- hermana anselmo
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