October 1
It’s been wayyy to good this week. We started it out by going to a zone conference where we were to bring our goals for October. We had put for our goal, 8 baptisms for October; we felt confident and had enough people to do it. When we got there, everyone gave their goals and it was like 2 or 3 baptisms every area. Then they got to us last and we said 8 and everyone looked at us like what the heck. I kinda doubted for a bit. I doubted the feeling of excitement and assurance that my comp and me had felt. I doubted myself and I feared that we wouldn’t be able to do it. Then I realized I need to doubt my doubts and not my faith. I have faith that we can do it, we will do it.
Then we began to work. We received soooooooo many blessings. We received like four gooooooooood referrals that are all families!!! They’re all so good. We began to work with them immediately and with 2 of the families, we put baptismal dates in the first lesson! Soooooo sweet. They’re all gonna get baptized in this month!!!!!!!!! I’m so excited for them! (Inès and her daughters Camila and Nicol) and (Yuritzi and her son Christian)
I don’t know if you remember Veronica and Dana, but we met them like 3 weeks ago. We haven’t had much time to teach her, in fact we only had taught her how to pray. But she came to church the past 3 weeks in a row and this week she heard something about tithing. She came up to us and asked “What’s the deal with tithing?” We explained it fast in the 5 minutes we had in the church and said that to pay it, we give the money in an envelope to the branch president. After church, we said bye to her and stayed back a little bit to talk with the leaders. The branch prez asked me if Veronica was a member or investigator. I told him investigator. He said “Oh. Because she just paid me her tithing.” Hahah. I was like “Whaatttttt?” We hadn’t even taught the restoration to her!!!!! It was so sickkk!!!!
Also this week was the first week that Chema, Felix, and Clementina came to church. Coincidentally, it was also the yearly kid program, we got them to come early (we actually went with them in a mototaxi) and they practiced and got soooo excited. They sang all the songs and gave their little talk! Their parents couldn’t come so I felt like their dad cheering them on, smiling and giving them thumbs up to make em happy! Hahah! It was so funny! They’ve been praying and reading every night and getting ready to be baptized on the 20th!
Its beeeeeen wayyyy good here and I am soooo stoked for this transfer! We are gonna be the first missionaries to baptize in a baptismal font here in San Gregorio! (Because of the new house of prayer!)
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY TO BE HERE!
I LOVE THE MISH SO MUCH, I really do.
Keep killing it and keep me updated on life!
LOVE YOU GUYS LOTS!
Elder Turner
October 15
It’s been a gooood week, a bit tranquil but it was way fun contacting a lot and finding new investigators. 3 people had their baptismal interviews and all went well. It’s Daphne (8 years old) Yuritzi and her kid Cristian (26 and 9 year old). Yuritzi is Daphne’s aunt and a lot of her cousins are members but her and her mom still no. (I think the mom will get baptized shortly). They’re all way solid. Cristian helped us out these past 3ish weeks by not letting her mom drink coffee, hahaha. “NO MOM YOU CANT!” and he would throw the cup outside the window and make her hot chocolate, hahah. He’s a real good kid.
I talked to a guy that makes faces out of palm tree wood and he’s gonna carve me out the San Diego temple and color it. Send me fotos of things you guys would like made out of palm tree wood; they’re way cool.
We met a really cool lady that let us talk to her. We came the next day to teach her the Restoration and we taught well and tried to make her feel the spirit a lot, but it just didn’t happen. She seemed so indifferent the entire lesson. I was just thinking what the heck!!! We are teaching well. I’m feeling the Spirit. Why doesn’t she feel it?!? So just as we were about to finish, her husband walked in super drunk. He looked at us, especially me cuz I’m white, and yelled “Hey what are you doing here?!” and then he started cussing a lot and saying “God doesn’t exist” and crying hysterically. He brought up his fists to punch me. I was kinda nervous, haha, but I was thinking in my head: “Do I fight him, protect myself? Or do I let him hit me?” I decided to do what Christ would and just sat there staring at him. He hesitated and stopped yelling for a second. I looked him directly in the eyes and said “You are a child of God and He loves you and I love you.” He looked even angrier after that, but then broke down in even more tears and told us about how his mother left him as a kid and he had to raise his 4 younger brothers alone. We decided it’d be best to try to come back another time when he wasn’t so drunk. We walked outside and the wife accompanied us out. She broke down in tears, having felt the spirit AFTER we had finished the PLANNED lesson. We were able to put a baptismal date with her and she came to church yesterday! It just made me realize, sometimes truths can’t be expressed by words alone; we need to act and live how we teach in order for the Spirit to testify to the people. She felt the Spirit and gained a testimony AFTER the trial of OUR faith. (Ether12:6). It was a powerful experience and one I will not forget.
Love you all.
Elder Turner
