May 10- 17‏

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! I’M SENDING ALL OF YOU A GREAT BIG KRISTA HUG AND KISS!

What a great week! I love the mission! My companion is the best! Hermana Rivas helps me so much. She is really funny and makes me laugh through out the day. She teases me when I forget something and says that I’m in love with the elders. Ha it is so funny. We have also been counting all of our many blessings through out the day and then we write down all of the miracles that happen to us and to our investigators, contacts and members on a calendar of Jesus Christ. I was grateful that my companion happened to receive a great big box from a friend in the US the same day I received the big box of goodies!

We were able to teach a girl that we contacted in the street called Camila that is 17years old with her mom Marcela, and her sister Francisca. We talked about the Book of Mormon and the promised to read a chapter. Then when we taught them the second time the father was there and he was pleasant at first and we shared, The 3 Simple ways to have a Happier Family, and it was great but then when we ended with the prayer he changed. He put his ugly face on and said that his family was Catholic and didn’t want us to pass by. This made me feel ugly inside at first but then as my companion lead the conversation to end beautifully again we thanked them for their time to share this great message and invited them to always share with missionarys.

This week was a miracle because Hernan Castro the father of Yessenia attended church as a surprise. I have to give the credit to the thoughtful card that my companion wrote to invite him specifically to the church. It was the miracle that we have been praying for. Then he invited us to have a special Sunday lunch with him and his family to get to know eachother more. This was great progress because before he didn’t want us to pass by any more because Yessenia told him that she wanted to be baptized by him but if he didn’t want to she was going to ask an elder. Luckily, the mom Alejandra was firm and said that it was her house too and that she was going to let us pass by to give her and her two daughters the lessons, and to attend FHE night with the members, and all the Sunday meetings. Hernan enjoyed the talk by Hermano Espinosa the first counselor about his conversion story about how the bishop helped activate him so that he could have a counselor and all the blessings that he has received. He also told the congregation the FHE experience he had with Yessenia and was so impressed with her testimony of how the Book of Mormon has answered all of her doubts and now Hno Espinosa has recommitted himself to read the whole Book of Mormon again. Everyone was so proud of her. Lunch was delicious and I enjoyed getting to know him better. Alejandra and Yessenia said that he can be mean but I’m not scared of him because I only see his good side. We taught them the five principles of the gospel, faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End. They have the first four because they are members but haven’t attended the church for 8 years they just need to remember this covenant by exercising the first four daily to complete the fifth. He then shared a scripture in D&C about hypocrites in the church and how this was the last scripture that he shared in a talk before he left the church. He explained bad experiences he had but then he also shared his testimony that he knew that this is the only true church and that it is perfect. He just has a problem forgiving the imperfect members and knows they are just human. He wants to gain a stronger testimony and attend all of the meetings, pray, have FHE, etc. and to be full active in the church never to leave again. I love this test that he went through and he is now refocused on his goal to win this test to return to live with his family with his Heavenly Father. Don’t let the bad decisions of others affect your salvation and progression to your goal. Hernan asked me to open with the prayer and then he offered a sweet prayer of thanks.

We have been working with the members more and I am so thankful to have Hna Loreto that is a faithful member missionary. She is a great blessing in this work for us as missionaries and all of the investigators love her to pieces as well. Even though she has 3 boys 16, 7, and 5 years old she is always ready to leave with us. I’m thankful for her son that is always willing to babysit to give his mom a little brake.

We also have an awesome investigator, Karen, who has a baptism date after 3 days because we brought Loreto to all of the lessons and she invited us to a baptism of the Estrecho ward. It was so glad that I could attend this baptism of my friend Joel that has been waiting to receive this baptism until he was 18 years old as an adult because his Catholic family wouldn’t sign the agreement but I was so glad that they attended. It was an emotional day for him. Karen liked it a lot and felt very special in the church with the members. As we waited after the baptism we watched a video about the church and she liked how it related to the story of Joseph Smith which we had taught the night before.

XOXOXOXOXOX

Love Hermana Wade

I have a family goal for all of us that if we read the whole Book of Mormon by the time school starts again that all of us will have a great change and become that much more closer to that person that Heavenly Father wants us to be by the time school starts up again.