How is life in Highland? Guatemala is the best. Sunshine. I love it! Favorite winter of my whole life. Chilly, stary nights and days that are just gorgeous. We are truly blessed to be here. Transfers coming up... who even knows what is going to happen but we are just laughing and working. My whole ward keeps teasing me that I will just stay here forever. I love this ward. All my homies are here and I love them so much. Definitely a close second to the Highland 15th ward.
Watching Alex enters those waters of baptism was the best. He was so happy and his darling wife was just radiating. They keep telling me that I have to come back to be in the temple with them when they are sealed in a year. Anyone have a couple thousand I could borrow? Oh man.. but Hermana Call will still be here so she can tell me all about it. The baptism was beautiful but it was also... a classic Guatemalan baptism. We filled the font that morning when we were there cleaning the church and then the other ward came and thought the baptism already happened so they pulled the plug... that was great. It takes 3 hours to fill and we got there a half hour early just to see it almost empty. So we started filling it again and had to attached another hose... of course- the hose had holes in it and at one point burst and all the young men helping were soaking and the wall and floor and everything... Oh how we love to smile and laugh and pray. But it all came together and the meeting was beautiful They are so happy and the gospel is their way of life now. Their home and family are so different. I love it.
On the other hand though... Ashly had her baptismal interview on Wednesday and passed and was all excited and doing great and was going to be baptized with Alex. Then on Thursday morning her husband showed up and I have no idea what he said but now she is pretty shut off. It is heart breaking! She was so ready! She is so smart and has such a testimony... but his words and whatever happened made her say no. We are still working with her and hoping and praying and inviting but it is hard. Keep her in your prayers. Husbands are so hard. They are so great when they support the wife and so hard when they don´t! We are looking for more families to teach so we don´t run into so many situations like this but... I think I can count the number of families in this city that have a mom and dad that are married. It just isn´t real here. Pray for the families of Guatemala :) I know you all do and I am so grateful for that.
Presidente and Hermana Bautista came out with us this week and we learned so much from them! Presidente is a rock and Hna Bautista is so kind and has such great ideas. We went and taught a guy named Alex and the lesson was so powerful. He shared an incredible experience about a time in his life when he was literally starving and had not eaten in days he was on a journey and had to beg people for food and money. Nobody would give it to him. He went on to tell the experience like this ¨I knew I had not been perfect in my life. I needed to change a lot but I was humbled and asked my Father in Heaven for forgiveness for all that I had done and that He would lead and guide me to save me from this hunger. I FELT something say in my heart and mind that I needed to go down a certain road. As I did, I met a lady that gave me a bus ticket to get home and there was water and food on the bus sufficient to sustain me. I know it was a blessing from God.¨ We were able to talk about how the Spirit speaks to us and can lead and guide us. How the Spirit is not manifest by thunder and voices rumbling the earth. But the Spirit speaks through feelings. I loved that lesson. I think I learned more than he did.
We also taught an investigator named Alejandra that is so awesome but it´s hard to get commitments with her. She feels a lot of pain and sadness from things that happened in her past so we wanted to focus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how she can be made clean through the steps that the Savior set for us. We studied a lot about the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5 and her experience with being healed. It was such a powerful study and planning session for me. Can you imagine having that burden for 12 years? She had gone to so many doctors and tried so many methods to be healed but nothing worked... she probably just cried every night- in pain, burdened down by the side effects, regected by all those around her, and just seeking the slightest source of relief or help. But...
27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his agarment.
She is faith. She heard of Him, followed Him, reached out in faith, and was healed. Immediately. Not two weeks later or after a few more trials. The minute we act on our faith we receive blessings and miracles and see the fruits of our faith. She felt the change inside of her. The same happens with us. We receive immediate help in some way according to the will of God. Alejandra was really touched by it and told us that she wants to do anything necessary to be clean. She talked a lot about wanting to start her children on a path different from the one she walked in life. We hope to really see some progression in her this week.
I love my mission. I am different than I was before. Not physically, although these tortillas are getting to me... but really. I just feel different. I am more dedicated to my Father in Heaven. I am closer to Him. I am more in tune with the Spirit and better at hearing His voice. My heart is a little quieter. I am changed. I am still changing. And I have a lot left to change before I will be ready to stand before my King and my Maker, but I feel as though I have a portion of that opportunity every day. Each time that I pray, I bring my soul and my feelings and my life before Him and He is able to teach and guide and mold me. I want to be better at doing what He asks me to do, right when He prompts me to do it. It is the little things that matter the most. Talking to that one person in the street, giving that one little compliment to your companion, listening for one more second before speaking, pondering the scriptures instead of closing them at the end, kneeling for a bit after saying ¨Amen¨, and showing a little more love than what is fastest or easiest. I love it! I love everything we can learn and do and become. We just soak it all up every day and go to bed tired and happy.
I love you guys so so so much!
Hermana Jane McGill
