Spiritually charged experiences!

We had a pretty normal week, which in mission terms means a week full or miracles and spiritually charged experiences! Haha. I´ll share a few.

On Thursday, we had a District Meeting with the zone leaders, and they talked to us about how we aren´t focusing enough on families, and that we need to do something to get things changing. One missionary gave the suggestion that we draw a picture of a family that we want to baptize, and then try and find it.

I knew that the mission had done that right before I got to the field, but had never done it. Elder Young and I drew one each, and then left to go work. My family was a family of four: a husband, wife, child, and baby. At about 5:30 we contacted a 19 year old who already has a wife and child. He seemed cool, so we gave a Book of Mormon. We told him to show up at the church in an hour, and we would read it with him and with the branch. Normal contact.

About 15min into reading the BOM with the branch, he showed up!! I was surprised, and he looked a little shy. He sat as we started the book from the beginning, and occasionally a member would comment on it or bear their testimonies.

I thought he looked kind of confused. Afterwards, we asked what he thought of it, and he said he really really enjoyed it. He said that he loved the discussion format of the activity, and said that he wanted to learn more.

We started showing him the church a bit, and then we got to the font. He immediately started asking about what would be the requirements to be baptized. We explained a bit, and he told us about his wife and kid. Then... the kicker.

His wife is pregnant!!! There it is! We drew it and found it the same day! And they both seem really really receptive. It was so cool. God really does just put his signature on things sometimes. If we baptize no one else, I hope that it´s this family.

On Sunday morning, we left to go pick people up for church, and no one wanted to go, or wouldn´t answer the door. Then we just started trying to get someone there. Anyone. We just started inviting everyone we saw, and not one person would come. That is kind of normal, but in this country I´ve seen success in pre church street contacts. But it wasn´t our day.

We went in, defeated, with zero investigators in church.

Then, Nolvia, a return missionary, came in with a friend.

Later, Krispel (recent convert) came in with her mom, Ligia!!!

Then this guy that we only knew via telephone came with his member friend. Javier.

Finally, Edwin (our 17 year old friend who said he wasn´t coming) showed up!!! In the end, God sent us five people, and I was so grateful because the Spirit was really strong in Sacrament meeting, and the Gospel Principles class we taught after was really good too. So, we have people to work with still, and some well progressing investigators. Next week, I really hope that our family will progress!

This work is the BEST! There is nothing better. It is as good as it gets, being a missionary. I don´t like to think that now it´s half over. Now I´m going down hill, and all it has done is scare me into wanting to baptize more now that I have so little time. FAMILIES!!!

Side note. We hit a group of inactives hard on Thurs with some hard truth about how they had been behaving in regards to going to church. It was tough, but the Spirit was there. All four of them showed up to church this week!!! They seemed re-determined to come back to church, and one of them could leave on the mission very soon. I would love to see that. So cool.

I love you all! Don´t miss me too much, I´ll be back all too soon.

Love,

Elder Thalman