words and wanderlusts: BAPTISMO 3! (and a flooded chapel)

It has been a crazy roller coaster week. And it all started with the words "I prefer a pool".

So Miri got baptized on Thursday! It was incredible. But let me back up a few steps. Monday we taught Miri and she expressed that she would prefer certain members at her baptism so wanted to push it to Thursday instead, she also expressed she would prefer a pool...So we scheduled the baptism for Thursday in the plastic font. All going well...and then we are told of the complications of putting up the font and filling it with water...it had never been tried out before and there weren´t any instructions. After some choice words with our "mission leader" I decided Hna Noriega and I would just do it ourselves. (I am still working on the Christ-like attribute of patience). But to no avail, we needed tools which we didn´t have. A wonderful miraculous member put the font up the next day and told us everything was fine and it was filling up with water...and then we get a call around 3:30 asking us to bring a broom because the font broke and there was water on the floor. In my mind I was imagining a puddle...and then we got to the chapel and saw it. The entire floor flooded with 1-2 inches of water- we were standing in a font. Apparently the legs of the font weren´t mounted well and it fell just at it had gotten full. Well to make a long story shot we spent all afternoon ridding the church building of water with small buckets, dustpans, and mops. It was a miracle that it dried up in time for our investigator lesson at 6:30 and the baptism at 8. It was such tiring work and such a fiasco, but I was laughing the whole time at what a strange situation it was. Suffice it to say we are probably doing the next one on the beach.

Miri´s baptism was so incredibly spiritual. I haven´t cried that much my whole mission and afterwards just thinking about it made me cry...she is amazing. Miguel, our first convert, gave a talk, or should I say, two sentences haha. And we sang O my father in Spanish to the tune of Come Thou Fount. Kevin, a member baptized her and the font water was dirty (we may have put some of the water from the floor back into the font ehh hem) and cold, and she had to be dunked twice but she came out shivering, beaming, and crying. She later bore a testimony of how she had been searching and searching and finally that when she had gotten tired the truth came to her. She said that she knew that this was the true church and expressed her gratitude. Watching her baptism and listening to her, I have never felt so happy or so fulfilled. She truly is converted, and I know that this baptism was so special because she is so special. The whole day was so rewarding. Also her two friends, Loli and Johanna, who are also our investigators came so that was great! Seeing our investigators and converts in one place made me want to explode with happiness.

But then there always is a downside to things isn´t there? Sunday Miri didn´t show up to church for her confirmation as a member. She wasn´t answering texts or calls the whole day either. Which is extremely extremely unlike her. She has never missed a Sunday and she usually is the one that calls us first. The members tried with no luck either. I called Loli, nothing. To make it worse none of our investigators came to church and we only had 33 in attendance. Sunday was rough. I couldn´t sleep at night I was so worried about Miri. This morning we called her again, nothing. But finally she called us back and explained that Antonio called all his and her family and told them that it is the church´s fault they are breaking up...which is not true. So everyone has been calling her and sending her anti-Mormon things. She is being bombarded in a moment where she is already heartbroken. We are going to try and see her as soon as possible but there isn´t much we can do. She wants to wait for things to calm down. Please keep her in your prayers!

Also, remember my miracle story about Javea? Well we went back on Saturday to see Elizabeth! And she was home, but Rebeca wasn´t there. We talked with her and she shared with us all of the problems they have been having lately with the inheritance and the family after the death of her husband. It involved a lot of tears and I wish we could´ve been of more help but I think it was just good for her to talk about it and have someone listen. I shared the scripture Mosiah 27:14 about how God always answers our prayers of faith and told her to have patience during trials. I don´t know if anymore will come from it but we are planting seeds at least!

Anyway, time to go! Oh also, I am staying here for another 6 weeks to finish training Hna Noriega. I finally get to see what is past week 6 in the training book! Haha. I didn´t want to leave the people here (I actually had been crying about that whenever I would think about getting transferred) but Benidorm is wearing on me. At the end of this transfer I will have spent 1/3 of my mission here and I am definitely ready for a change of scenery but with September more and more of the tourists will finally start to leave.

Love you all!

Hermana Thompson

pictures!

1. Alejandra (branch pres´s wife) and her new baby Sara

2. Font disaster

3. Us, Miri, Loli, Itzayana