September 19, 2011

Dear Family,

Well, another crazy week, but down I’ve got a little more time to write. So the motto for this transfer with Elder Petersen has been and will be *Miracles*. Did I tell you about the awesome training meeting by Elder Aidukaitis? I think so. In it, he talked about miracles (see Mormon 9:11-25, James 2:14-19, Ether 12:12-18) and was super inspiring. Then, he made a promise. He said that there is not one area in this mission that cannot have a baptism every single week. Wow. I was pretty shocked. I consider myself a person who has a decent amount of faith, and I work really hard, but up to that point I considered an option like that beyond the realm of possibility. Something that happens in other places, but not here. However, just as Naaman trusted in Elisha (2 Kings 5), the Israelites trusted in Moses (Alma 33:19-22), and Nephi trusted in the Lord (1 Nephi 3:7), Elder Petersen and I decided to trust in the promise given us by a servant of the Lord.

Wk 1 - Our baptism with Monica was a huge miracle. She told us on Tuesday that she didn’t think she would be able to get baptized because she had lawyers coming that week to work out problems with a house she had in another province. We told her to pray for a miracle and trust that on Saturday she would be baptized. Things went well. Friday night, she told us, again, she wouldn’t be able to this week because her husband’s work schedule wouldn’t let him be there and she wanted him to be there. Another miracle: the work schedules got worked out and she got baptized.

Wk 2 (last week) - I think this week we would have had the miracle sooner if we had exercised our faith sooner. Gisela, a super awesome investigator, was progressing well for her baptism for the 24th. Sunday night, we challenged her to get baptized a week earlier (17th) and she got a little shaken up with the idea (didn’t feel ready) and wanted it instead for early October. We kinda lost faith and lived with the fact that we wouldn’t have a baptism this week. Then on Thursday we had zone conference, where President Levrino (super stud) gave us the same promise. With our faith pumped up again, we challenged Gisela to pray to know if she should get baptized on Saturday. Then we started praying with lots and lots and lots of faith that the Lord would respond. Friday, however, Gisela told us that she didn’t think she had prayed with very much faith, but just felt like should do it in October. Saturday. Miracle, out of the blue, an inactive family baptized their 8 year old. I know it doesn’t count for us as a baptism, but here’s why it’s a miracle. Gisela came to the baptism. She loved it again (she had gone to Mónica’s too). After the baptism we sat down and had a talk with her. She told us (Miracle) that Friday night after her appointment she started praying and she woke up three times that night and prayed and all three times she felt like she saw bright white words saying "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Wow! what a miraculous answer to prayer. If we had continued exercising our faith and passed by Saturday morning, she probably would have been baptized that day. Oh well. After telling us that, though, we challenged her to follow that response and get baptized this Saturday. She accepted with a great big smile. Her husband came to church with her on Sunday and liked it a lot. He’s progressing great and on October 8th he’s getting baptized.

We need a miracle for October 1st. Gabriela needs her paperwork to come together so she can get married in time for her baptism. Please pray hard for that to work out.

I love you all so much. The church is true and God is still a God of miracles. Look for them in your lives and you will find them!

-Elder Spencer