Easter

Okay. WOW. what a week.

Conference was fantastic! Saturday we watched in Spanish which is a bit difficult because I feel like I´m focusing more on the words they are saying than the actual mensaje. But sounds like Jordan knows how that feels like! And we had a beautiful baptism in between sessions on Easter Sunday. Could it get any more perfect? In the MTC one of my teachers said "God saves a special joy for those who share the gospel." Oh how true that is. As she entered the waters of baptism I just wanted to cry. Here this young girl of 17 was humbling herself to make convenios con Dios. I just felt that this decision is going to have an impact on the rest of her life, and those around her. The ordenanzas de gospel performed by the priesthood is the only way people can access the power of Atonement; to heal, to be forgiven, to progress and to be saved! No other source on Earth could give Melanie this of help and blessing to have peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come.

Ever since we met Melanie she has been a powerful example of Faith. She would read and pray and do absolutely everything we challenged her to. That just makes me so happy because she really wants this relationship with God and to follow the Savior, It is not because the missionaries are pounding on her window every week to get out of bed and come to church (which we have to do for others). She came and stayed for every session of conference (sat and sun) and has been such a fantastic example to the rest of her family. We have started teaching her brother too. He is REALLY UN CAPO. (argentine word for like an awesome person). Alessandro is 13 years old (and in the picture of the baptism) and is the most spiritually minded teenager I know. He said that he has seen a change in his sister and he wants the same thing.

 

This week and during conference I have really been impressed in my mind that God has a plan and it is way better than ours. But a lot of times I forget that and try to do what I think is the best, without even trying to look for God´s plan. Like the stories of the less active memebers that everyone would try to bring back to church. Their family was probably worried and trying to get them back as soon as possible. but God knows they will come back eventually, and that this journey will make their testimonies stronger and better prepare them to live happily in the eternities. 

 

Another example is Melanie´s interview for bautismo. I was looking forward to it all day long, and 5 minutes before the scheduled time we get a text saying that she can´t make it. and I thought "grr Satan!!" We called her and she was going to a birthday party of one of the members (the one who gave her as a referral). In my mind i thought NO she needs to be interviewed right now. that´s the only way!!! now she´s not going to get baptized and she´ll forget everything, and etc. So we decided to still go to her house and try to talk with her brother. As we walked we talked about what we could share with him and decided since he kind of came in in the middle we´ll teach the restauracion. We got to the part of Jose Smith´s first vision and when he saw the picture he said "oh, I saw that last night in my dream". we said WHAAAAT. and he explained that he was wondering how God is and prayed about it, and then had a dream that he went into the woods and saw God and Jesus, THE DAY BEFORE WE TAUGHT HIM. it never would have happened if we were doing the interview with his sister and we wouldn´t have even talked about it. WOW. 

 

obviously I am not in charge of the universe. thank goodness. This week I am going to try a lot harder to focus on seeing God´s plan for people instead of focusing on my own. It is kind of the difference between good and best. average and excellence. God let Melanie cancel her interview at that time because there was a greater work for us to do. ANYWAY lots of preaching. sorry andrew. But it is important. I am so grateful for Christ. I don´t think I even knew anything about Him before my mission. And I cannot wait to learn even more.

 

Happy Easter, and ustedes son los mejores. A lot of talk about family this conference, and I´m just lucky that I have the best one :)

 

kay Adios, 

Hermana Haight

 

p.s. (haight is the hardest name in the world for spanish speakers, so one member said I can go by hermana hi, and then she started calling me hermana hola!) <3