Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Miracles and Baptisms


Wow It sounds like you had a wonderful week in Utah!
EXCELLENTE PAPA! ME GUSTO MUCHO! HABLA MUY BIEN! haha
 
I think for FHE activities you should have language lessons. Fun?! I am so proud of my older sister for graduating!! Wooooo hoooooooo!!!!!´Time goes by so quickly. I can distinctly remember the morning she left for BYU as a freshman. Early morning. I was so so so sad. And look. Now she has finished. Wow. And it was cold in Utah? How odd. I think I was mildly cold the other day. It was 8:30 at night and it was raining and I was wet. I think I was mildly cold. But overall, it´s the same weather here. Hot, humid, at times rainy at times really sunny. It´s great! I love it. So predicable.

This was a week of MIRACLES. Raul Mindiola and Hector Vargas were baptized. I could hardly believe and neither could the ward members. Raul is the son of members and he has listened to missionaries for about six years off and on. Hermana Rosas and I taught him all of February and he was maybe going to be baptized in March. When the time came for his baptism, he told us he needed more time, likes things slowly, and etc. So we stopped teaching him. Sometimes he comes to church, so when he came to general conference, my companion, Hna Falls told me she felt like we should teach him. We went and he hesitantly, half heartedly, possibly, accepted a baptism date for just a week and a half away. To make a long story short, finally Saturday at 3 in the afternoon, he said YES. Without a smile on his face. Just four hours before the baptism. The miracle of it is that he was baptized and after he shared his feelings, and said how happy he was, that he felt like a new person, and he was thankful that I told him he needed to change. Sunday he was at church early in his white shirt and really does seem like a new person. AHHH!! This work is SO AWESOME!

As for Hector, let´s just say he is one of the coolest 76 year old men that I know. Everyday he feeds a whole group of pigeons at 6am, 12, and 5 pm. He was a sailor and is rad. I love teaching him because we share a doctrine and he shares his life experience. It´s so neat. I am just really excited for him because his wife died a couple of years ago and he LOVES her so so much. I know that she is happy with him and now he can do her work in the temple so that they can be together forever. Sigh. This is beautiful.

I love being a missionary. I know that our Savior Jesus Christ lives and loves us. This is the work and the glory of the Father. I am so thankful for the people here in Ecuador who accept Jesus Christ in their lives.

Stay tuned...Next week to come is a thrilling story about Marcelo, Sami, and Marcela Ayala. A family who has waited a long time for this gospel.

Thank you for your letters!
Love,

Hermana Garlock

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