This week has been so good! I wish I could give you so much more detail of everyday, but that would take forever.
Tuesday we went to the temple, and it was amazing. Probably one of my favorite times I have gone. I just had such an overwhelming feeling with just having listened to General Conference and then going to temple that I just want to be a better disciple! It has just been an extremely busy and enriching week.
Ok, so Jose is one of the most amazing people ever! I don't know if this is very silly or not, but every now and then throughout my whole mission I would pray that I could be apart of the entire process of someone's conversion from being found, taught, and being baptized, this week we have been extremely busy trying to finish all the lessons so Jose could be baptized this Sunday. He is honestly the most prepared person I have met. The first time he came to English class he asked for a Book of Mormon and started studying it. This week we were teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to him and I was filled with SO much JOY! I had to have so much self control to not just burst out laughing because I was so happy to watch Jose be so changed and really learn by the spirit as he has read the Book of Mormon. Then this Sunday was going to be his 2nd Sunday and then he was going to be baptized next week on his 3rd Sunday. (it's a requirement to attend at least 3 sacrament meetings). During my prayers Saturday night I decided that I wanted to fast the next day for him so he would be able to get work off on the 27th and be baptized. As church started he still wasn't at church so I just started praying as hard as I could because if he didn't show up in time for the sacrament it wouldn't count and his baptism would have to be pushed back. Long story short he didn't show up, and needless to say I was super disappointed because the 27th is the Sunday of the transfer and I've never stayed in an area for more than 6 months. Turns out that he showed up to church at 9:10 and the doors were locked, so he just went home. We went home to do personal study and I was reading in 3 Nephi 18, and this is the chapter where they talk about not casting people out of the sinagogas and I thought to myself, "aahhh that's what happened to Jose! We locked him out of sacrament meeting and now he can't get baptizednext sunday!". I continued to read and in verse 32 it says to not cast people out, and continue ministering unto them because they might return and repent and come unto him with full purpose of heart.(loose translation). So I just thought to myself, "ok, it's ok. He still can get baptized and if I get transferred and I'm not there physically there to watch him be baptized it will be ok. He is still determined to become a part of this church" As I was thinking throughout the day about fasting for Jose to be able to be baptized on the 27th I thought that I wasn't fasting so that he would make his baptismal date, but that when he didn't show up to church I would be ok and would be able to remember to have an eternal perspective and that if I get transferred next week it won't be the end of the world:) Later on Sunday we went to a baptism with him, so he could be a little more prepared for his. We could just see it in his face how let down he felt because he knew he couldn't miss church if he wanted to make his baptismal date, but we were talking before the service started and we began talking about how this was just a little set back and he told me that it was ok and that this might just be a part of God's plan and we talked about having an eternal perspective and that this is only the beginning. Seriously, he is so amazing! I had to translate for the service because it was in English. It was a little bit easier translating this go around, but I can definitely tell that I'm serving in America and not immersed in the language, but I can't complain, because he understood:)
Jose is pretty much the the note worthy stuff that is going on. We have a bunch of new investigators that are in the beginning stages which is always fun, the less actives that we have been working with have been coming to church and progressing spiritually and Sister Mocellin is getting better at shopping in a mexican grocery store in America:)
Exciting news! Elder Ballard is coming to our mission June 1st! I think I'll consider that as my birthday present:) I think this is like the 3rd general authority that has come to our mission. I feel like we have been so lucky! I'm excited to go and receive a little extra help and revelation for being able to help our investigators better.
As far as I go I'm doing great! I'm loving live and just drinking in the scriptures as much as I can!
I hope you are all doing great and the summer comes to you all soon:)
Love, Hermana Ford
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