Hey everyone! I don't have much time at all but I'll try and summarize what's been going on. We were supposed to have 3 baptizms the Sunday before this last one but only had one. Rene, an adorable 9 year old boy, got baptized. The room was packed with people because there was also 4 other kids who were baptized. Rene was sooo excited and during a song the primary kids sang after the kids were baptized he bursted out in tears. He kept saying I feel the spirit so strong. The spirit was so strong it's amazing. If you ever have the opportunity to attend a bautismo, go.
As of the other two who were supposed to be baptized that day, Maria Concepcion Molina and Karina, they both weren't ready yet. We pushed back their dates to this coming Sunday but it doesn't look like they'll be ready for that either.
Maria is a cute 80 year lady and for the past few weeks the Jehovas witnesses have been coming by and teaching her and slowly she has been denying things she testified to be true before. We just met with her today and she is so confused because of all the different things she is hearing. We pretty discouraged and don't know what else to do, all we can do is pray like crazy. Thank goodness this is God's church and He is on our side.
As of Karina, who is the 20 year girl who went to visit with her parents who don't want her baptized, she came back here to our relief and things seemed to be going good but this last Sunday she didn't go to church and wouldn't return any of our calls. We went by her casa to see why she didn't go to church. She didn't have much time to talk but told us she needed to talk to us. We asked if she was still planning on being baptized and she said she didn't know anymore we need to talk. We going to go see her tonight to see what's wrong. So that's pretty discouraging but all we can do is keep trying and praying a lot.
Militza is having a hard time with her family still but is strong as can be and this last Sunday her husband took her and her daughters to church. That make us so happy. Her daughter, Mariana, who is 11 years old hated it though because she understands ingles better than spanish so she couln''t understand very much. We're going to talk to the teachers and see if they can at least teach in english some because most of the kids speak english better anyway. Militza's other daughter, Adre, who is 3 years old loved it though, so that was good. So exciting!
Militza asked if she could bare her testimonio in relief society and she testified that the church is true, the Book of Mormon is true, y que Jose Smith was a true profet. It was amazing! So anyway, things are going good. We way busy everyday and meet some awesome people.
I wish I had more time and I could tell you about them too. But yeah things are good. I love my companions. We have funny and Hermana Kelson y Lowry are so funny. It's sad because Hermana Kelson, mi primera mami, es being transferred to Sea Side (Montery) so it'll just be Hermana Lowry y yo.
Anyway, I'm out of time so I will write next week! I hope you are all doing well and had an awesome Holiday!!!!
Love you all!!!!!
Love,
Hermana Alvey =)
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Hello Everyone
I've been here for 4 weeks now!!! I cannot believe how fast this mission is already going, yikes! So much has happened this week. I'm picking up the spanish well although I wish I could say so much more but I'm learning little by little and trying to have more patience with myself =) I'm still struggling a lot with understanding spanish but I know with time it'll come.
Thank you so much for those of you who prayed for Militza Paulin and her family. We went to teach her again and she just broke down and cried to us. She told all kinds of things that she has gone through in who life and it has not been easy. When she was young she was abused, in ways a little girl or anyone should be, by her step father which really scarred her. In her life she has never asked for anything from others but has always been very independent and faithful to her mother and husband. In the last email I told you that she is paralyzed but actually she has muscular dystrophy which is progressively getting worse. She can't do a lot of things alone and her mother and husband often do not help her when she needs them. She has gone a month at times because they would not help her bath. She cried and told us that she was scared and didn't know what would happen because she's getting worse and needs them but they don't help when they don't feel like it or if they're in bad moods. She said a lot more. She has gone through so much, yet stays faithful and never asks why me. We all cried together and testified of the Atonement. She called us her angels and told us that she knew we came here for us. I said a prayer to end our lesson and the spirit was so strong. I prayed that her husband and mother would soften their hearts and help her more. Among many other things, I prayed that she would have the strength through the Atonement to endure her hard times. We left and told her that if she needed help with ANYTHING at all to call us. She thanked us over and over and we were on our way. We prayed so much for her. My heart was broken but I knew that through the Atonement she would be ok and I felt very strongly that Heavenly Father is providing a way for her to be baptized in His church.
We thought we were going to have to get members to help her with everything because her no one in her family would help her besides her sweet 13 year old daughter who cannot do everything, but a miracle happened. We met with her again and she was so happy and excited to tell us what happened. She said after you three left my husband and my mother were so sweet to me. Her mother even told her that she would try to be more kind and patient. When she was telling us this I immediately thanked Heavenly Father because I know this was a miracle that He brought about. She told us that she knew she was being blessed because she was reading the Book of Mormon. She told us that she didn't know how to explain how she felt except that she felt thirsty and wants to learn more and read more. We were all in aw. This came from her mouth.
Oh, I can't tell you how much the Lord's hand is in this work. She is so faithful and the Lord is blessing her for it. We commited her to be baptized the 13th of Septiembre. She said yes yes yes that is what I want to do. So now we're working towards this date! Her husband told Militza that he would take her to church but she had done this before and it ended up not happening so we planned on him flaking out. Some amazing member from the ward, Hermana y Hermano Galvez, came to pick her up. To get into the car is very difficult for her but unbelievable. She puts gloves on her hands and then we help her bend her body down to the ground. She is literally folded in half with her legs straight and not bent and her arms supporting most of her weight on the ground. She slowly pivets and shuffels her feet over to the car as her hands are on the ground supporting her body. It's hard to explain but it was azazing. Once she gets close enough to the car she then sits down and we push her shoulders up so she is sitting up. It takes her a while to do this so we were really late to church but we got there and she loved it. She told us that is was very different and kind of nervous we asked how so.
She told us that other churches taught good things but at our church it was much more strong and she felt like family. We were sooo happy. Oh my goodness I could go on and on about her. I feel so blessed to be here at this time and be able to help her enter the waters of baptism. So far her husband and her mother are so much sweeter to her but they are still very heard hearted towards us and I think over time that will change.
Everyday there are miracles that we witness and I am the luckiest person to be serving the Lord so I can be in the middle of them. I'm out of time now though but I have so much more to say about our other investigators. Next week I'll expound more. I love you all so much and hope everything is going great. Please continue to pray for Militza, those who are being taught or ready to be taught, and all those missionaries out serving the Lord all over the world. I love you sooo much again!
Love,
Hermana Alvey =)
P.S. Congrats Sean and Megan on your new baby!!!!
Thank you so much for those of you who prayed for Militza Paulin and her family. We went to teach her again and she just broke down and cried to us. She told all kinds of things that she has gone through in who life and it has not been easy. When she was young she was abused, in ways a little girl or anyone should be, by her step father which really scarred her. In her life she has never asked for anything from others but has always been very independent and faithful to her mother and husband. In the last email I told you that she is paralyzed but actually she has muscular dystrophy which is progressively getting worse. She can't do a lot of things alone and her mother and husband often do not help her when she needs them. She has gone a month at times because they would not help her bath. She cried and told us that she was scared and didn't know what would happen because she's getting worse and needs them but they don't help when they don't feel like it or if they're in bad moods. She said a lot more. She has gone through so much, yet stays faithful and never asks why me. We all cried together and testified of the Atonement. She called us her angels and told us that she knew we came here for us. I said a prayer to end our lesson and the spirit was so strong. I prayed that her husband and mother would soften their hearts and help her more. Among many other things, I prayed that she would have the strength through the Atonement to endure her hard times. We left and told her that if she needed help with ANYTHING at all to call us. She thanked us over and over and we were on our way. We prayed so much for her. My heart was broken but I knew that through the Atonement she would be ok and I felt very strongly that Heavenly Father is providing a way for her to be baptized in His church.
We thought we were going to have to get members to help her with everything because her no one in her family would help her besides her sweet 13 year old daughter who cannot do everything, but a miracle happened. We met with her again and she was so happy and excited to tell us what happened. She said after you three left my husband and my mother were so sweet to me. Her mother even told her that she would try to be more kind and patient. When she was telling us this I immediately thanked Heavenly Father because I know this was a miracle that He brought about. She told us that she knew she was being blessed because she was reading the Book of Mormon. She told us that she didn't know how to explain how she felt except that she felt thirsty and wants to learn more and read more. We were all in aw. This came from her mouth.
Oh, I can't tell you how much the Lord's hand is in this work. She is so faithful and the Lord is blessing her for it. We commited her to be baptized the 13th of Septiembre. She said yes yes yes that is what I want to do. So now we're working towards this date! Her husband told Militza that he would take her to church but she had done this before and it ended up not happening so we planned on him flaking out. Some amazing member from the ward, Hermana y Hermano Galvez, came to pick her up. To get into the car is very difficult for her but unbelievable. She puts gloves on her hands and then we help her bend her body down to the ground. She is literally folded in half with her legs straight and not bent and her arms supporting most of her weight on the ground. She slowly pivets and shuffels her feet over to the car as her hands are on the ground supporting her body. It's hard to explain but it was azazing. Once she gets close enough to the car she then sits down and we push her shoulders up so she is sitting up. It takes her a while to do this so we were really late to church but we got there and she loved it. She told us that is was very different and kind of nervous we asked how so.
She told us that other churches taught good things but at our church it was much more strong and she felt like family. We were sooo happy. Oh my goodness I could go on and on about her. I feel so blessed to be here at this time and be able to help her enter the waters of baptism. So far her husband and her mother are so much sweeter to her but they are still very heard hearted towards us and I think over time that will change.
Everyday there are miracles that we witness and I am the luckiest person to be serving the Lord so I can be in the middle of them. I'm out of time now though but I have so much more to say about our other investigators. Next week I'll expound more. I love you all so much and hope everything is going great. Please continue to pray for Militza, those who are being taught or ready to be taught, and all those missionaries out serving the Lord all over the world. I love you sooo much again!
Love,
Hermana Alvey =)
P.S. Congrats Sean and Megan on your new baby!!!!
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