Well, this was quite a week. It was probaly the best week of my mission so far, mostly because Magda, Chris, and Justin got baptized. It was also kind of a strange week because Hna Mortensen was getting ready to head home. I dropped her off at the airport this morning and am once again a solo sister. haha, actually I'm just hanging with some other sisters for the day because transfers aren't until tomorrow.
So last tuesday Magda, Justin, and Chris had their baptismal interviews and everything went perfectly. Then we couldn't see them on Wed, but on Thursday we went over and showed them a clip from these missionary training dvds that has a baptism filmed so that they could see what what going to happen and know what to expect. They all seemed really excited about getting baptized, especially Magda.
Friday was the big day. In the morning Hna M had her departure activities (aka going to the temple with Pres. Donaldson and talking about dating and stuff like that haha), so I went with Hna Johnson and Lee for the morning to their area. They went to the batallion at 3 and I waited there for Hna M to get back. Showed up at about 3:45 so we rushed off to the church, where the elders were waiting, filling up the font for us because that font takes 2 hours to fill up. haha luckily we found that out the night before, or that would have been bad news. We got there and made sure that everything was ready and Magda, Justin and Chris got there at about 5 (when it was supposed to start...but that's no surprise in the latin culture). They changed into their jumpsuits and we took a couple pictures. Two of the sisters who taught her before were able to come to the baptism, so that was nice. We got started around 5:30 with the service. We had been worried that people wouldn't come because it was kind of last minute and they couldn't announce it in church, but so many people came. It was perfect.
There was a prayer, by Maria Rivas, who has come with us to visit them before, and then a talk by Hna Morales, who came to a lesson with Jorge and Magda at the beginning with her husband, our ward mission leader. Her talk was perfect. She said that she had been praying since the first time they met that Magda would choose to get baptized and then she talked about how she looks forward to seeing her and her husband go to the temple together and how wonderful marriage is. It was perfect. Magda was crying by the end of it. Then after the talk we did the musical number, and yes, I played the violin. I played "cuando me bautice" aka When I am baptized...the rainbow one that megan played at Emily's baptism. But I played it and the sisters sang. It went really well. I could see Magda while I was playing and she was crying again.
After that was the actual baptism. Magda went first, then Chris, then Justin, and Hno Morales baptized them. It was so great. We stood off to the side of the font at the top of the stairs, and the spirit was so strong. It was amazing.
While they changed Hna M and I showed a couple of clips from the special features of Joy to the World and then we bore our testimonies. Then Magda bore her testimony. It was so great, she just said over and over how happy she was that they could get baptized and how it took her going through something really difficult to realize that this is what God wanted her to do, but she was so happy she did it. It was fantastic.
Then the meeting ended (there was a slight confusion there about her being confirmed, I think the bishop forgot to communicate that to his counselor who was conducting) so after the closing prayer she was confirmed, which was really nice. The boys were confirmed in sacrament meeting the next day.
It was such an amazing experience to take part in. I am so glad I had the opportunity to teach them. THey are a great family. I hope I stay in the area and can continue to work with them. They live in the same apartment complex as Adam, so hopefully she can just come along to the lessons with him.
Jorge has his court date set for November 9 now I think, so after then he will probably be sent back to Mexico, and then who knows what will happen, but I feel very confident that no matter what happens he will be baptized soon and then will be able to go to the temple in a little over a year. The timing should work out just perfectly that it will be right after I get home, so hopefully I could attend their sealing. That would be just amazing.
The baptism was kind of the main focus of the week, but we also taught Adam, and hopefully he and his girlfriend, Martha, will have a baptismal date soon. Last time we were over it was just Martha there and she just talked to us about how she just wants to know, like Joseph Smith did, which path is the one God wants her on, so that's a good sign. She just needs to read and pray about the Book of Mormon and she will know.
Things have been good at the batallion...for one, I saw Greg there. haha. I'm sure he already told you all about it, but I had to switch shifts on saturday, so I wasn't there when he came, but the sisters called us and told us there was something at the batallion for us, so we went over, and there was greg wearing a straw hat as a disguise. haha. pretty funny. It was fun to see him and nice to meet Melissa. They came back at 3 so I could give them a tour, which was fun. I will include a photo from the experience.
Sunday night (Hna M's last night in our area) we went to a ward activity that was awesome. It was an iron rod activity, and they blindfolded everyong and had them walk through the church holding onto a rope. There were rooms with different temptations and people trying to get people to let go of the rod. That was an understatement though. Only one person made it safely through. People were literally being yanked off of the rod and dragged into the rooms. hahaha it was way funny. I wish I had had my camera with me. But in the different rooms they were taught how to better hold to the rod and then they were allowed to return and made it to the tree of life and got to partake of the fruit (a snickers bar). THe young women sang and hna M played the piano. IT was a way fun activity. It was planned by the young women and turned out really well.
Then yesterday we went to our area in the morning and visited a couple of people. WE didn't have a car, so we had to walk, so we really only saw like 2 people. THen the other sisters (Latu and Werner) picked us up and we went out to lunch with our district since it was Hna M's last day in the mission. WE went to Mimi's and it was really run. We have a really great district. Then we were at the batallion. I just gave one tour last night, and it was to 2 people from Thailand and one from Korea. They were hilarious. They were teenagers probably and in the outfitting room they had us pose in pictures with them and made us stand in some funny michael jackson like pose. hahaha. (I gave the tour with hna johnson). We asked them to email us the picture, so I hope they do. haha.
Then the Stutz (the senior couple who was on) bought pizza to celebrate hna MOrtensen, so that was fun. After we finished eating, she brought hna M outside where a bunch of people from our ward had come to surprise her. It was really fun. They brought food and we ate and talked and laughed and it was so fun. All the missionaries from our district came too.
Basically it was a really good week and I am excited to see what happens tomorrow with transfers. I can't believe I've already been out for 5 months today!!!!! and in less than 2 weeks I will only have a year left. Craziness.
I hope that everything is wonderful at home. I love you all!!!!!!! Thanks for your support!!!!
love,
hna livingston
p.s. I am sending another email in a second with pictures, don't you worry!
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