BAM

So. Let's just call this the most beautiful week ever.

First of all, my hija is doing well, she gets sad sometimes but she always tells me and is really cute about giving hugs.

So! We went up on Tuesday to get my new daughter and this whole hoard of missionaries comes, and then WHO do I see in the distance after almost a YEAR.....Hermana Hickman!! That was a reunion like very few I've ever had in my life. We were so happy to see each other and I was so happy to hear her Spanish and see how strong and happy she's become. I've always heard rumors she's a little fireball :) Anyway we spent the rest of the day catching up and it was beautiful.

Then! We had a great meeting in which our wonderful assistants gave us awesome words of wisdom as well as some promises. President has set a goal of 400 baptisms in this next transfer, which is a LOT more than we've been having as a mission. The goal is one family per companionship at the least, and the promise is that if we seek with a spirit of prayer and fasting we will be able to find this family. Well I've been praying to find a complete family that will go the distance my whole mission, and I was more than ready to put that to the test. Hermana Conde and I set out to searching and inviting everyone, and I prayed specifically to be able to recognize the family that is now ready, because right now we've actually found a lot of really cute families. 

Well. We went randomly one day to one who we've only taught one or two times--last week when we were on divisions Sister Coronado and the other hermana went to see them and said it went well, so we decided to return. We found them a few weeks back contacting their daughter who invited us but was never there, and her mother who was there let us in. She's very good but seemed pretty passive. When we went this week, she invited us in and her daughter came to listen as well. The mom said she had read a little of the Book of Mormon (huge here, nobody reads), and watched the Restoration again to understand it better. She still seemed pretty passive but we've since discovered that that's just her personality. B., the little girl, got really excited about going to church but said she didn't want to go alone. The next time we came, Saturday, we focused the whole lesson on coming to church, giving promise after promise, talking of families, and all the blessings that await them. S. (mom) said B. wanted to go but not alone, so she would talk with her husband and hopefully they'd come the next day. We said we'd come at 9:30 for them, and started a fast that day for them specifically, that they would come TOMORROW. Because in order to get baptized this transfer, they've got to come. 

Well, the next beautiful day we passed and what was our beautiful surprise, there was the dad whom we'd never met pulling out the car, and S. and B. getting ready, almost there. Not only that, but suddenly all of C.'s little cousins came running out of their house up the block and wanted to come too, and they let them hop in once they asked permission. We had the primary program, which I played for and turned out really beautiful. The chapel was nearly TWICE as full as usual, the program was GORGEOUS, the stake presidency was there, Susana's husband, R., suddenly knew everyone "Hey, that's my cousin! Hey that's my friend from forever!" And they were all welcoming them. B. loved primary. We got cake (for playing the piano and "making the program"--I guess they'd never had a piano before) and afterward we all piled in their car and went back to their house and talked about it. They're now excited to go to the ward activity Friday, the baptism Saturday which happens to be a family friend, and church Sunday, and B. asked us if we could come back tomorrow instead of Wednesday. 

Promise, Action, FAMILY OF THREE. Just beautiful. 

Meanwhile, soon after church we were told that we were to go to Tuxtla and wouldn't return til the next day, so we went up and stayed with Sister Pugh and Cruz which is the best ever. And then we ran back home to wash clothes and write and are now going back to Tuxtla in a couple of hours because tomorrow is the CHRISTMAS PROGRAMMM all day for the missionaries. We're going to the temple, I'm singing in some play that I don't understand, and it'll be beautiful. So in case y'all didn't know that Christmas was tomorrow, it is. 

Have a merry one!

(Side note: C. DID get baptized and it was beautiful and I don't have any good reason to not have included it in the email except holy week love you bye!)