Smashed Windows and Baptisms

Helllllooooo!!!!!

I know I know, I've been super behind on writing emails!

I'm sorry! I've been crazy crazy busy lately!!

Feliz Navidad y Año Nuevo!!!

Not gonna lie, these last two weeks have been pretty tough. We've had quite a few sleepless nights, days where we realise we hadn't eaten a real meal in over two days, and just lots and lots of problems that have continued to come up. I had gotten used to being busy, but this was on a different level, it just seemed as if everything that could go wrong, did! We had no Preparation Day last week, because we were trying to figure out how to get an Elder home with brand new travel restrictions that went into place the day of his flight and then got a call finding out that someone had smashed a window in one of our office cars, so yeah we had quite a bit on our plate. After thinking about it, I've probably been more stressed and felt more overwhelmed in the past month than I have in a really long time.

I share this because there's another side to all of this! Four months ago, I had never ever done anything like what I do every single day now, I never received any real training, I am definitely not qualified to be doing everything that I do! The most beautiful thing that I've seen is just how The Lord makes it all work! I have grown so much faith and trust in my Father! Somehow, even though it all seems impossible sometimes, God makes it work! I don't even know how! Sometimes I get home and lie down and just reflect on my day and just realise that, by some miracle, it all just worked out! God is so so good! He has lifted me up so so so much recently and it's been incredible! I absolutely 100% LOVE it here! I really really do! I have witnessed pure miracles! God works!!! Anddddddddd here's another amazing miracle from this last week...

We baptized an amazing woman named Gloria the other day! She is seriously incredible! A member who lives in a residency home introduced us to her about two months ago! Gloria has been studying different religions her entire life! She has literally been through just about any religion you could even imagine and has liked many of them, but never felt complete. She even met with missionaries years ago, and tells us she was really rude to them and slammed the door in their faces.

She was very cautious when she first met us, she had a million and two questions about literally any small thing we would say. The thing that changed everything was the fact that she LOVES to study! She has a hunger to just know everything, and thankfully, is willing to do the work necessary to learn it.

We gave her the Restoration pamphlet and the next time we met with her, she gave us pages and pages of questions and notes she had taken! After a while, and talking about God's Plan of Salvation, and the beautiful fact that families really can be together forever, the Spirit touched her heart in a way she'd never felt before. She received her confirmation, after a lifetime of searching, God showed her what she had been looking for. Gloria got baptized on her 88th birthday! She shared the most sincere, powerful testimony, it was truly beautiful! She is an amazing example to me. She is one of those people who is truly converted to Jesus Christ!

God is a good God! I share all this because I think it also really relates to everything that's happened this past year! It's very easy to see that it has been a really really hard year. We've probably felt overwhelmed and confused many times, but let's take a minute to reflect on just how good God has been to us this year! How even through everything, He's made it all work! He has been lifting us up through all of this exhaustion!! I love my Heavenly Father, and I am so grateful for the trials He has given me, because they have been nothing but testimonies that as I am, I am not qualified or enough, but with Him on my side, it just works, always!

Love you so much! I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and New Years!!! I am so completely happy with my mission and I am so grateful for this opportunity I have to serve in such a unique time!!

Have an amazing week (:

Pictures:

1. Finally pulled out the real camera today, keep tuned for the edited pics