Well, another great week! Turns out the "really nice weather" has been hiding since I've arrived and everyone's blaming me for bringing the heat up from Tapachula. But we have high hopes of winter which was supposed to start last week.
So C. is really awesome. She's the one who started out with a thousand doubts and went from "I just don't know if this is true" to "Okay so Joseph Smith is a prophet, but the church?" to "Well the CHURCH is true and I'm going to now get baptized and pray that my family accepts it all and read every pamphlet you throw at me and maybe my son could get baptized too, wouldn't that be cool he's turning eight!" She kind of keeps us on our toes with her surprises. Like we CANNOT READ HER. Last week she came to a baptism of a little girl in the ward and afterward we had a little lesson with her in one of the rooms. We talked about baptism, the holy ghost, and tried to ask some good questions but she just looked SO BORED. She was watching her little kid, kind of nodding, looking all around. So we tried to end it pretty quick, and when we asked her a question to see what she understood she just suddenly spouts out all this wisdom and how everything we said was new to her and changed her perspective and showed amazing understanding. The same thing happened the time before with the plan of salvation. The whole lesson staring off into space or feeding her daughter, and then at the end "Wow I didn't know this before, it makes me want to change my life and reach those higher goals and have an eternal family, etc." And we just get so confused and amazed because what? But it's awesome. My favorite thing about her is that she changes. Like every lesson she changes her point of view, grows, and is ready to apply it. Word of wisdom she started out with a ton of questions, like "why not coffee?" and "where is this in the scriptures?" and we're ready for doubts when we invite her to live it and she comes back with "Well it's a commandment, of course I've got to live it!" And then she does. I feel like that is something we all need to learn to master a little better, is learning how to change. That when we realize something in us is not quite in tune with something we learn (or maybe already know) we just go ahead and change it, and then so much time and grief is saved. That's the problem with humans, is we resist that change or make excuses or postpone it, and that's why it's such a hassle changing our lives and getting all these blessings. But look at this woman, she was way over there with doubts, but in a week already has a ton more blessings and is ready for more just because of this willingness.
Anyway that was cool.
A. didn't quite have his baptism yet which was a bummer for him. President came for his interview and we had a great time going to lunch with his wife and him - American burgers with a Mexican twist. Mine was the Oaxaqueñan. I really like saying Oaxaca. Anyway. After we waited while they interviewed for what we knew would be a very long time, since getting A. to stop talking is a fight we've long since given up and President's interviews are always really long anyway. Sister George played the piano with a book of classics we found in the church, which reminded me of my mom because she plays really awesome.
Well they came out and President says he just needs a little more time but to keep going to church and start acting like a member until he gets the go ahead to be baptized. In talking to him afterward even though he was sad he was more excited than ever. When we had asked him before who he wanted to baptize him he asked for the stake president first, and then for the tall American man who spoke in stake conference (President George). We told him how about someone in our ward. But in his interview he went ahead and asked him and he said yes. We were like, "you ASKED him to baptize you?" and he got super excited and was like "I asked him!!" and he just reached out and shook my hand and kind of jumped out of his seat like he didn't even know what else to do with his excitement. It was so funny. And apparently they're just the best of friends now, he's already talking about when he's going to go to President's ranch in Wyoming and we're just like, wait what? But the really cool part was that his wife who hasn't accepted us teaching her asked him where he was going on his way to the interview, and asked him if he was going to tell everything. He said "Yes. I'm going to do whatever it takes to be baptized." And she looked at him and said "If you are baptized, I will follow."
So he's just super excited. Yesterday he came out of Priesthood and told us they asked him to say the PRAYER. And I was like, "the PRAYER?" and once again the excited jump and this time he high-fived me. "yeah! Me! Like I was a little nervous. You get up there and you're in front of everyone, but you know you just do it!" He's the CUTEST MAN. And he kind of looks like a mini-Obama.
So one last experience. We made plans with Citlaly (the recent convert-wife of our mission leader) and her best friend Viridiana (who's super excited for her baptism in two weeks) to go up to Tuxtla and watch the Womens Conference. It was probably the most beautiful evening in the world. We got there at 6, because that's when they announced it in our ward, only to find the Mormon Tabernacle singing and a counting down clock that said 57 minutes until it starts. No! So we were just about to go find a room to have a lesson to wait, when we saw some elders and a lady in white. Baptism! So we went to watch and it was really awesome for Viri, she's never been to one before. It was this cute lady with an accent and her husband who was already a member gave a talk and expressed his love and excitement for their sealing. Really precious. Then the conference was AMAZING. Everything centered in covenenants, the temple and sealing. It couldn't have been more beautiful. After the mini temple video they show of people bearing their testimonies all over the world, I looked at Citlaly next to me and she had tears in her eyes and we just hugged and watched like that for a while. It was so special. Even though I wasn't there at her baptism, she is just so special to me and I feel like she's my convert and V. is following just happy and strong as can be. We're just happy.
Love you all! Bye!
Pictures at the temple with Cit. and V.
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