Thursday, October 23, 2014

Baptisms, Righteous Indignation, and Walmart


Hola Familia!

This week has definitely been interesting.  We have seen some crazy miracles and had some flipping weird experiences as well. 

Mom, remind me to tell you about our experience with S______  this week.  I will tell you in about 10 months when I am home, not really a "through email" type of thing to share.  But it was crazy.... Super crazy.  Let's just say I am super grateful for priesthood holders worthy to cast out demons when necessary.  You will appreciate it later.

In other news:  Our five baptisms from last week all got confirmed this week.  It was AWESOME! C_______, one of the jovensitos, received one of the coolest blessings I have ever heard.  In it, the bishop promised him that he would be the clave (is that a word in English?) to carry his family to the Celestial Kingdom.  It also promised him that he would serve a full time mission.  GO C________! I can't wait for him to confess to his future companions that he asked the sister missionary, Hermana Wise, who taught him the lessons if she would baptize him. 

Que chistoso

It was nuts to get them there to be confirmed, NUTS!  Sunday morning we made divisions to get all of our investigators to church on time. As a result, I was with A_______, the daughter of our bishop, and Hermana C_________ was rounding up other investigators to take to church.  When A______ and I passed by, we discovered that NO ONE in the familia C_______ de la Parra had set an alarm.... Which means that we woke all of them up at 9:40 (church starts at 10).  Remarkably, we were able to herd all of them  through the process of getting ready for church (A_______ and I ran all through that house looking for shoes), we left the home at 9:57 with everyone and literally SPRINTED ten blocks to church. 

But we made it at 10:03.  It was a miracle.

Other interesting thing that happened this week:

Thursday morning all of our plans were falling through leaving Hermana C________ and I with nothing to do but knock doors (knocking doors in Guatemala before lunch is impossible because EVERYONE is eating.  Guatemalans refuse to listen to you if they are eating.  It's weird, but that is what happens).  Anyway, I felt really strongly that we needed to go visit two of our area converts, K________ and M________.

Here's the thing:  K_________ and M_________ have been listening to the Jehovah Witnesses who have been giving them anti-Mormon literature and teaching them all types of crazy things (the testigos here believe things completely different than the testigos in the states).  The last time we went to visit them only M_________ was home and she screamed at us until we left her house. 

So you can imagine how happy we were that The Lord wanted us to visit them again.  But, away we went.

When we got there, they were both there reading their New World Bible from the testigos.  They agreed to listen to us so we started with a prayer.  Our plan was to re-teach lesson 1 with them to help them regain their testimony however, when we started pull out our BOM, they started yelling horrible, blasphemous things at us about how Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon and how we don't believe in the Bible and how they were fooled into being baptized.

It was intense. 

I kept trying to bear my testimony but every time that I tried they just started screaming at us louder and louder.  They then started quoting the anti-Mormon literature to us. I didn't know what to do so I hurried and said a quick prayer that Heavenly Father would show me what to do.

In this moment, I stood up.  My soul felt like it was on fire and in a voice that I have never heard come out of my mouth, I told them:

"STOP! In the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who I represent I command you to stop and to listen to me!" 

I then began sharing the strongest testimony I have ever shared.  I testified that Jesus Christ lived and that we were His representatives.  I explained that they had hardened their hearts against their Lord and called them to repentance explaining that one day, if they did not repent, they would have to stand at the judgment bar of Christ with a perfect remembrance of their guilt.  But I promised them that they could change if they relied on their Savior.

You could have heard a pin drop. 

I wasn't angry, I was just following the Spirit.

I think a lot of times, I doubt my authority as a sister missionary.  But we have just the same amount of authority as the elders.  We are set apart by the priesthood to represent Christ.  Sometimes that means calling people to repentance.

It was a really crazy, but spiritual experience.  Hermana C________ told me I looked like I was literally on fire.

Crazy, eh?

Also, C_______ got baptized! YAY! little by little this whole family is accepting the Gospel. She is adorable.  Insisted on sharing her testimony after her baptism and did a great job.  She is excited to receive the Holy Ghost.

Craziest part of this whole week?  Walmart just opened in my area.... WHAT?

That's about it folks!

Until next week!

Hna Wise

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