I hope you're all well:) We've had yet another wonderful week here and have seen some serious miracles! We had a powerful lesson with Luisa last Saturday night talking about, you guessed it, baptism, and she was two centimeters away from committing!! Right at the end, Elder Stroud threw in an inspired comment: "By the way, you'd have to let us know that you want to be baptized about a week in advance to set up the baptismal interview and service." That got her thinking even more. She promised to pray that night and see what she felt. Next morning, the bishop (her father in law) gives us a call: "Elder Hart, good news! My mother in law wants to be baptized this Saturday!" We were jumping for joy, bouncing off the walls, making all sorts of ruckus in our room when we heard that! That day was stake conference. We showed up early and there was Luisa, already seated in her usual bench, waiting for it to start. She saw us approaching her, smiled, shook our hands, and said just one word: "Positive:" As if it were the results of some test or something haha! We were so excited for her though! She'll be (and really already is) a powerful convert!
So we started the week planning on one baptism, and at that point were up to two. But it wasn't over yet! We've been teaching a guy named Luis for a long time now, and he's been coming to church for the past 6-7 months every single Sunday. He doesn't understand a lot, so we never really even considered baptism for him. However, he's really wanted to be baptized, and in the last few months has been demonstrating fruits of repentance! Our bishop went and visited him Sunday night and while he was there he gave us a call saying, "Elders, Luis wants to be baptized this Saturday as well. What's holding him back??" We didn't really have an answer and just said we would talk to President Rios about it. We talked to him in the office the next day, and he gave it the emphatic yes, so we're planning on three for today! When our district leader, Elder Collazos, finished Luis's baptismal interview and told him he was ready for baptism, Luis started to cry he was so happy!
There's been a problem with crickets here in Trujillo lately, and crickets show up in the most random places. For example, we found on in my backpack on Thursday night, so Elder Stroud proceeded to calmly place it in the toilet, and that was that. Why do I share that? Because late Thursday night/Friday morning I woke up at about 2:00 not feeling super good. I jumped off the top bunk and went into the bathroom, feeling like I was probably going to throw up (sorry for the possible grossness of this story, if you're not feeling it you can just move on haha). Well, it wasn't coming out! That is, until I looked in the toilet and saw that big old cricket just swimming around. Yep, that did it for me! I ended up throwing up one more time that night and the next morning still didn't feel good. I went in the bathroom and was hanging out in there again, when I heard Elder Stroud come up the stairs and say, "Hey Elder Hart, I just took the L downstairs." Haha he had just thrown up too! So we were sick together on Friday!
We taught an American named Benjy this week, the son of a baptist pastor. Definitely a super interesting conversation. This guy has been living in Perú his whole life but has been home schooled so he's been brought up with mainly American culture! His dad and grandpa started the church back in the 60's so it's basically their whole life. He was a nice guy though; for example, we walk in and he brings out a tray of Starbursts, Dum-Dum suckers (you never know how much you appreciate something until you don't have it in your life anymore) and some pretty tasty muffin-like treats. He also had very nice things to say about the tabernacle choir and BYU Men's Chorus, which was another plus haha.
To quickly close, I love Peter's words in the first chapter of 2 Peter. He's about to die, and writes to the members of the church, urging them to remember what they already know:
"Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
It's all real! It's not just some cunningly devised fable fabricated to make you feel good! They were eyewitnesses of Christ's majesty! Those members of the church were likely becoming complacent, like we often do know, and forgetting often-repeated simple doctrines. I hope we can always remember that! I know that Jesus Christ lives!
I love you all!
Elder Tanner Hart
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