27 August 2012

Baptism of Sister Sandra Astete and the twins.

Dear the family,

Haha.  I've sent you some pictures of the baptism. I look a little cold, because it was pretty cold that day!

This week has been really bitter sweet. Sister Sandra Astete (I thought her last name was Ostepi until I filled out her baptismal register). Her baptism was very, very sweet. I had the honor of baptizing her and while recently we have been working to make sure a member gets to baptize the converts, she beat me to it. It is always very special to baptize. I was a little worried since there was the Primary anniversary activity at the same time making a lot of noise a few rooms over in the gym, but when we descended into the baptismal font, all the noise seemed to just go away. I taught her what to do, and they opened the doors, and she was baptized. After she was born again, she stood there for about 6 seconds with her eyes closed enjoying the strong spirit that was poured out into her heart.

After changing she shared a little her feelings and spoke of how great she felt and that she is going to stay active for ever. The service was shared with two twins from another ward that is by ours, and Elder Avila , our district leader and his companion Elder Castillo that he is training. Those twins were crazy.

Wow, the time has totaly beat me... five minutes more... ummm

The bitter part was that we had two other girls who were ready to be baptized and they never got to be baptized. Their mom is a little bit of an impediment... she thinks we have lots of wives, and no doubt thinks we want to get married with her daughters... we were planning on looking for her and responding, when she says that, "Of course! You've raised them well.... wait just kidding really no, but the point is, is that we don't teach plural marriage. I think the real difficulty about the mom is the principle of tithing. Ysabel, the older daughter of 24 years started crying as we read the Book of Mormon the other day. She had been feeling strongly that she should be baptized and didn't know how to do it.. we read in 2 Nefi 2 and 1 and she broke down in tears because she felt the Love of God in that moment. We invited her to be baptized the next day, but the dad of one wanted it to be Sunday in the morning, and when Sunday in the morning came the mom got back....

We shall help them this week

Love Elder Johnson

 “No hay ninguna Otra practica
   Que tenga un efecto más saludable
   En la vida  de una familia que la de inclinarse
   Juntos en oración.
   Las pequeñas tormentas que parecen afligir a toda
   La familia adquiere Poca consecuencia cuando uno  se     arrodilla
   Ante el señor y se dirige a el en suplica.
   Al Orar, el amor entre matrimonio  se fortalecerá,
   y los hijos se verán bendecidos
  Con un sentimiento de seguridad, Que deriva de vivir  en un
  Hogar en donde reina el Espíritu e Dios.
  Los hijos aprenderán a amar a padres que se aman entre si
   Y  nutrirán  sus corazones  con un espíritu de respeto.
   Y así la familia crecerá con unidad en la fe.”
   --Presidente Gordon B Hinckley.

There is no other practice
That has a more healthy effect in the life of a family than to bow together in prayer. The little torments that appear to inflict every family have little consequence when one kneels before the Lord and directs himself to Him in supplication.
When praying, love between a couple is strengthened, and the children will be blessed with a feeling of security that comes from living in a home where the Spirit of God reigns.  The children will learn to love the parents who love each other and their hearts will be nourished with a spirit of respect and in this way, the family with grow in unity of the faith.

President Gordon B. Hinckley

20 August 2012

Dear family,

AAHHHHHHH this week has been pretty great. We didn't do splits with the missionaries because we decided to take a week to focus on our area, so that the example could be a little better, and it worked excellently. We raised almost all of our records as companions, we found more in one week than I've ever found in the mission, we had 8 investigators in sacrament meeting, and an excellent coordination with the ward leaders to help them all feel great and at home there (all the investigators were grabbed and loved immediately after the prayer and taken to their classes). That was way cool. To make that happen we wrote on some little sticky notes a little note to the leaders of each organization about the investigators who were there for their classes, and gave those to the brother who is secretary, who passed it to them. 

We had a little miracle with the family Chita. I don't know if you remember that, but we had a while ago a really cool family who we were teaching, but the dad never wanted to come down from the second floor or talk with us, nothing. We were planning one night and the thought came that we should go back to them to find them. So we passed by unannounced one afternoon, and we found the mom, a few of the sons, and all at once the dad drives out of the driveway! (they have a wall between the lawn and the driveway, and the street -- which is a really rare feature, even rarer than having a car even though he isn't a taxi driver ---- He didn't stop to talk, but we passed a few mintutes with the mom making plans to pass by his bookstore to get to know him, and he got back with his daughter! He parked outside and walked past us and we were able to talk with him! We did our best to get his confidence and we agreed to visit him with his wife Sunday.

Sunday I went in splits with Hermano Dueñas. It was a very, very spiritual lesson. First Hermano Dueñas shared his whole conversion story. He also was Catholic 20 years ago, and he shared about how much he was able to change his life becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. He bore testimony as a father, who let the gospel into his house, and I bore testimony as a son, who grew up with the gospel in the house. He was touched, and promised that before we meet again, he will KNOW that the Book of Mormon is true.

I can't write even the hundreth part of what happened this week.

This morning, reading Words of Mormon as part of my Book of Mormon estudio [study] for the 8th time in the mission I FINALLY understood how the whole 116 pages and the small plates and large plates thing works. Haha. Took me long enough. I thought I understood before, but now I really do. 

Love Elder Johnson

13 August 2012

Dear the family,

Esta semana ha sido una semana hermosisima [This has been a most beautiful week]. We were privileged to presenciate [witness] the baptismal service of our friend Savino Mayta. It was really really especially pretty because we were able to plan with a member of the sumos [High Priests] who sang with his wife and he played guitar a hymn. Also that a there were quite a few people there (after this picture, an activity ended and a bunch of people came). It was also very pretty because afterwards, his two children were able to talk. I was a little unprepared for what they shared. His son, who has 26 years, shared the history of the church in his family. He shared about how his mom was baptized about 30 years ago and how he was baptized 2 years ago and how for a year they were going with their mom and his sister who was baptized at the same time.

They had fallen away from activity a year ago, and like I wrote last week, had decided as a family to come back to the church, even with the Dad who still wasn't a member. He had been thinking that he should be baptized "the day Christ was born, the 25 of December," or that's what they told us. He had held firm that view and thought until last Sunday. Last Sunday was fast Sunday. His daughter had talked to the bishop the week before, and the gospel principles teacher had also mentioned the power of fasting.

His daughter, who is about 30, when she talked at his baptism told of how she had met with the bishop and expressed her desires that in the next trip the ward does to Lima (a 22 hour bus ride) she wants to be sealed with her family. Our marvelous bishop told her how great that idea was, and that it would be important that he can be baptized this month, so that he can complete the one year preparation before the ward trip next August (the whole ward is really excited for the trip of this year, which is going to be the 27 of this month!).

She told us that she became worried, and mentioned to her dad that he should be baptized this month to be able to make the ward trip and be sealed all, he resisted and stayed with the idea of December for his baptism. So, was quite worried. But she remembered the counsel of the bishop and of our gospel principles class teacher. She decided to fast. She said in that baptism that she had never fasted before, and she knew it was going to be hard since at 6 she always gets really hungry. So to keep her fast, she decided to go to sleep. haha. In the morning she said she woke up with a strange sensation. She wasn't hungry, she just felt good. They went to church, they ended their fast, and we went to visit them in the night. That was last Sunday.

While there, just like I wrote last week, we read with him some scriptures, and had planned to invite him to be baptized for the 11 of August.

We read Alma 7 and analyzed it, and the spirit started to work in him. He decided to be baptized and now we know why his daughter was so emotional about that decision. Her fast was answered. They will be able to go to the temple with the ward next year!

Telling that story she got quite emotional and expressed her great great happiness. It was amazing to see that we had been involved in the Lords answering her fast. Good to be worthy of being part of answering a fast.

After his baptism, he invited the 30 or so people who were there to his house to share some food, and they were really worried because there were way way more than they were expecting. But it was somehow more than enough. 

Also, Sunday, we were in the sacrament meeting praying and praying that the Lord could bring his chosen children to church. The two ladies who were going to be baptized next week didn't come for some reason. We have got to find out about how to help them. Anyway, after talking with an investigator who is struggling to get married to be able to make his cohabitation relation after the manner of the Lord and be baptized, we went to the Gospel Principles class. The teacher came up to us excitedly and said: "Elders, this is Sandra, she wants to be baptized." I about fainted.

God answers prayers.

She is the friend of a member. She went to church years ago but never was baptized, and stopped going at some point. But she came yesterday with the desire to change her life once and for all and be baptized. It should be soon her service.

That's all the time I've got.

Love you all,

Elder Johnson