April 18
Well, tomorrow I will be heading to a new area! I have loved my time here in Cerrito del Maiz, and I am already looking forward to coming back and visiting all of the members and converts here in this awesome area. We had the best weekend to end this change. Faustina got baptized!!!! And one of the niños who I talked about in another email (the ones who are in extreme poverty). It was such an amazing day. It has been such a priceless experience to see the change in Hermana Faustina. She shone with brightness after her baptism and we could just see the happiness in her eyes! Saturday we bought Dominos and had a little celebration with her and her two grandkids in the church. I am going to miss them SO MUCH!
It was a miracle with Faustina from the start. We recieved a reference from other missionaries that had been teaching her for a couple of weeks because she moved to our area. We talked with her daughter over the phone and put an appointment with them, but the day of the appointment we couldnt get ahold of them and we didnt know where they lived, we just knew it was up in the mountains far from our house. So we tried calling a couple of times more but got nothing. So the next week we were contacting in the street, there was a lady with two kids that we stopped to talk with. As we got to talking the little girl said that they are members of the church, but there grandma, who they were with at the time wasnt. We then realized that their grandma was Faustina and that she was the reference we had recieved! We set up another appointment and the next Sunday when we went they were in their house and we taught them. Well, this first day we were able to put a baptismal date with Faustina. It was for the 6th of February. As you can see, this date fell through many times. There were a lot of times that we thought maybe this isnt her time, maybe we should stop teaching her. There were a lot of times when our leaders asked us the same thing, "Maybe you guys should think about not visiting her for awhile and see if in a few months she is ready..." There were a lot of times we were sad because she told us she would come to church and didnt come, that she was going to pray, and didnt pray. But everytime we had the thought or recieved the advice or felt the disappointment, Hermana Godoy and I both felt the Spirit telling us that we couldnt stop teaching her. That we had to be patient and that we had to keep helping this hermana. After 3 months of teaching her and the last month visiting her almost everyday, we could see the difference and the change that happened in her. She wanted to come to chuch, she understood what we were teaching better, and we could tell that she really had the desire to follow Jesus Christ and be baptized. I have learned so so much from this little lady. Patience, love, and humilty are a few of the things she has taught me. I am so extremely grateful that I had this amazing experience with this hermana.
I know that this is the true church of Jesus Christ. I know the Jesus Christ lives, and that as a missionary, I am only acting as an instrument in his hands. I know that through the gospel of Jesus Christ, one day we will be able to be in His presence, and that we will be able to be in the presence of our families for eternity.
I love you all so much, and am so thankful for the support that you give me.
xoxoxoxo
Hermana Baird
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