Rene's Baptism

I guess it was MEA weekend at home. Sorry you were sick dad. In case you want to know, hot water, with a little lemon and honey mixed in goes a long way. It´s the cure to EVERYTHING here. Maybe you might want to try it out to help with the cough...

Great week here! So René got baptized! He was so excited! At the end of the service he bore his testimony. He shared his life story, how he grew up in the church. His mom and dad were both active members. However, when René was 4 years old, his mom began to work on Sundays and gradually they fell away. A short time after, someone offended his grandmother, who at the time was an active member as well. She stopped going as well and so did many of his other family members. Over the years, his dad would go every once in a while but his mom became a member of the Evengelico church. René wanted to be baptized when he was 8, but his mom wouldn´t let him. Again he wanted to be baptized when he was 12, but again he was denied the opportunity. Gradually over time, it was little experiences like going to other churches but never feeling that it was 'right', that prepared René when he found us in the street. It’s exciting that he’s made this desicion with his new family to be a part of the Lord´s church.

Me, Rene, Elder Flores

Side note-His baptism had to be performed twice. I guess his forehead didn´t go under the first time. When he got out of the water, he was smiling and just said that all his sins weren´t washed off the first time, hence the second baptism jaja.

Me, Rene, his wife, daughter, and Elder Flores

And still more miracles-my companion and I found a new family! She is a single mom with 3 daughters. We visited them last Saturday and when we invited them to church they accepted! I love inviting people to church. All of them came and had a wonderful experience. We challenged them to be baptized and all of them accepted to be baptized in November! They are a great family who wants to do what´s right. The mom is really struggling right now, but she knows our message can help her and her family. I really want to help this family.

Then there is Christina, who is super pilas. She reads everything we leave her, sometimes more. She shares her most spiritual experiences with us. She has a boyfriend who is already a member of the church but she wants to make the decision to become a member for herself. We invited a family to come with us to teach her, and they all hit it off together right away. So much so that Christina went over to their house to make a cake. I guess that´s what friends do. Thank you for members who joint teach with us!

Right now I´m studying chapter 8 in Preach my Gospel. At the end comes a part where it talks about accountability. It talks about how we as missionaries are accountable for everything we do, first to the mission president and also to the Lord. How do we report our dealings with God? Through prayer. At the end of each day, we can kneel down and tell our Heavenly Father about our day. What did we do? Did we push ourselves to work hard? Did we help someone in need? Did we stand for what´s right? What direction were we going that day, towards Christ? These are just a few questions we can ask ourselves at the end of the day. I´m so grateful for repentance. When I ask myself these questions and more, it´s through the Atonement that I can be forgiven and continue to progress.

I know Heavenly Father loves each and every one of His children. I know that he sent His son to pay the price of our sins. I know the Atonement is real. We can be cleansed from our wrongs and sins. I know that God has called a living day prophet to guide us in these latter days. I know the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. What a blessing to be a part of this work!

Have a fantastic week! Bendiciones

Elder Hicken