The water was freezing!!

Hola Familia,

I love you all so much! It sounds like it's going to be an exciting month for you! It's always good to be busy, but it makes it feel like summer just flies by. I'm so excited for you to be finished with school, Mom! You are awesome! It sounds like you've had some really neat experiences doing clinicals, I'm kind of jealous.

We've had quite the week this week. The best part: Jhoana got baptized! We got there plenty of time early and filled up the font and thought everything was going to go perfectly. Turns out that Hna. Sorensen turned on the cold water instead of the hot water, so the water was freezing. And then both speakers were late and we were worried that they weren't going to show up. And there was a quince so almost no one from the branch came. But all of that stress aside it was the most beautiful experience. I wish my heart could speak because the words that I have don't adequately describe what I want to say. As soon as it started the Spirit was so strong. I felt like the room was just radiating goodness and light. And after she got baptized, Jhoana was just glowing. She just kept saying, "I'm so happy, I'm so happy," and "I never thought I would make it this far." It was as if a literal load had been taken off her shoulders. And really, it had. Six weeks ago when we first met her, she felt that she wasn't ready and really wasn't worthy to progress and experience the kinds of blessings Heavenly Father wants his children to have. She felt like she had made too many mistakes. But the Atonement is real, and I've never seen it work so strongly as I have in her. It's been a beautiful experience. She has changed completely and has a firm testimony in Jesus Christ and in the Restoration. She knows it, and she's let it change her. And she's not afraid to share it. I just love her so much and I'm so proud of her. I know that this is going to bless her for the rest of her life. We turned on the Restoration video while she was changing and she came back just in time to watch the First Vision. She got so emotional and the Spirit was so strong. Her sister Adela was there too and she loved it. She was so sad that she wouldn't be able to come to church to see her receive the Holy Ghost. We told her next time it could be her. I think she was a little shocked by that, but she has the desire to learn and I know that the Spirit is working on her and softening her heart too.

Yesterday was a bit stressful. Jhoana's phone doesn't work and so we had to stop by and see if she needed a ride. She did, so we called the member that usually takes her. The member got lost and they were way late--like after the Sacrament late. We were so worried because we had absolutely no idea where she was and we were worried that she was going to have to wait another week to do it. But she finally got there and in between talks the second counselor stood up and said that Jhoana was going to get the Holy Ghost. A little unconventional, but it worked. And it was lovely. She told us after that she was so nervous to go up in front of everyone, but as soon as they put their hands on her head that she didn't feel like that anymore. It was beautiful.

So we've really focused on Jhoana the past week to make sure that she was doing okay and that she was really prepared for her baptism and it has just been a really lovely week. Esperanza (Jhoana's sister) moved out, so we got to go and teach her too. And we are seeing miracles with her as well! She has been taught almost everything, but she hasn't been able to get baptized because she's not living the law of chastity. She's been working on trying to figure out how to get married and to find a balance between affording some sort of celebration and just signing papers. We talked to her more about it this week and she's completely changed her mind. She said that she just wants to get married and that if she just has to sign papers that that's fine. And now her boyfriend wants to be able to get her a ring and stuff, so they've kind of switched sides. She told him he could just buy her a 25 cent cheepy thing for all she cared. But we talked to her about it some more and gave her a new baptism date for next month. We told her that she could definitely do it and she was asking us about what she needed to do to get a marriage license and everything. So we are seeing miracles with her. Now if only we could get her boyfriend on board too. This family, though, is amazing. They've been through so much and they've experienced a lot of trials and seen the consequences that come from not living the commandments, and they want the gospel. Seeing them progress has been the most beautiful thing. And even though I've had such a hard time here, teaching them and seeing them progress makes it all worth it. As much as I love and miss Old Town and the friendships I had with my other companions, if I could go back there right now, I don't think I would. All the trials and disappointment have been worth it, just to see Jhoana's face as she came up out of the water, just to hear Esperanza's testimony of the Book of Mormon. I'm so thankful to the Lord for allowing me to be a part of this work and for blessing me with the opportunity of teaching them. Because of them I'm learning to put things into perspective and I'm learning to savor the beautiful moments and to deal with the hard ones because I know that it's all worth it. I feel like the past eight weeks I've been going through the refiner's fire. I probably shouldn't speak too soon, because it's probably not over yet, but I'm thankful for what the Lord has blessed me with. I know how imperfect I am and that I still have a lot of changes to make, but He's so good and he blesses us anyway, and day by day (hopefully) I'm becoming better. He's working on me to teach me what I need to know.

We have exchanges this week and I'm so excited. I get to go down to Fredricksburg, which is not going to be part of the mission much longer. I'm excited to go there because that's where both Hna Stewart and Hna Wallis started out, and I've heard some great stories.

So that's about it for this week. Oh except for the mosquitos. They are bad here. I just have big welts all over my legs and I'm so itchy! I think I'm even more allergic to east coast mosquitos than I am to west coast mosquitos. Saturday night we were outside for almost three hours straight and I got eaten alive. That's okay though because we made a couple of contacts and got fed carne asada by a potential investigator who we are going to start teaching tomorrow. So I'd say it's worth it. Opposition in all things, I guess.

Anyway, I love you so much, I hope you're doing great and that you have the best week ever! I love you. I could just say that all day, because I just love you so much! I feel silly saying it so much--like every other sentence--but I just want you to know that you're my favorite and maybe the more times I say it, the more you will feel it. So. I love you.

xoxo

Hermana Simpson


     

 

 

 

 

Me, Hna Sorensen, Adela, Jhoana, Kevin, Jordan, and Cindy. Kevin and Cindy are Adela's kids and they are so stinking cute. They asked us to move in with them yesterday.

All of us with Elder Macias too. He got to baptize and confirm Jhoana which was neat, because it was him and Elder Young that found her.

Jhoana and the missionaries. She's so tiny!