I feel so much lighter!

Gratefully, this applies to a lot of feelings this week. First: Every day when I get home I take off a good 5-10 pounds of clothing. Not even joking. Shall I tell you what I wear? It includes: socks, thermals, thick tights, medium tights, two skirts, three shirts, sweater, my coat, scarf, thick furry boots, gloves and a hat. Not even joking. Did I miss anything? Don´t think so. Anyways, and then when I get home I take the grand majority of that off. So great. I feel 10 pounds lighter, literally.

But then, on to real things. This week was amazing. Because Alejandro got baptized!! Ale Alejandro. Yes we do think of Lady Gaga every time we teach him. But it was great. It was crazy. But we have been teaching him for about a month now, and he was just so affected by reading the Book of Mormon. In one of our first lessons he said "I know that there is not a more perfect book then this one." And he was so ready to do everything. He´s ex-military and in all of his prayers he kept saying "Lord, I am your soldier". It pretty much made me want to cry everytime. And we had his baptism last night, and he was just so happy. Not like jumping up and down running around happy, because he´s a soldier, very serious. But he was actually smiling. It was so great. And I just felt so much lighter. Hermana Erickson and I were talking about it last night. And if we were to go home right now, we both feel like our missions would have been successful (this is her first baptism that she was really a part of). Because we followed the spirit. And we were able to be a part of the process. We really were instruments in the hands of the Lord. And we know this, because we kept messing up, and Alejandro still got baptized. We didn´t do anything. The Lord did. But we were worthy enough to receive the direction of the Lord and to follow His counsel. And now I am more experienced, and the next baptism will be even less chaotic/messy. I get better every time (P.S. planning on having a baptism on my birthday because that would be the best miracle ever to see, Yes I´m turning 24 soon. You remember right?)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWINNERS! I´m glad your all married and happy. But I didn´t forget your birthday.

That was a tangent, so, we are teaching to pairs of parent and child. First, there is Rosa and Hernan. We went to go teach a recent convert who decided that she had made a mistake, and never answers the door. But we went anyways. She didn´t answer the door. But there were these two kids in the stairwell so we start talking to them. But they look about 10, so we ask his mom´s name and where he lives (always better to talk to the parent. They get peeved when you don´t.) So we go knock on the door - which we are know awesome at because we did a choclo de fuerza again. I seem to attract districts that need that. Where all the Elders and Hermanas go to the area and knock doors/talk to people on the street for the whole day - anyways the mom answers the door and when we tell her we were talking to her son her first reaction was "oh no, what did he do?" Poor woman. Anyways, we talk to her and set a return appointment. And when we return she tells us that they are a family of 7 kids, with no constant work. The dad can´t find a good position, and they just barely get by with what they have. So we start telling her about the restauration of the Gospel, and the hope that we have through Christ. And in the middle her son gets home and we invite him to listen. Hernan is 15 and actually listens pretty intently the whole discussion. And afterwards we invite them to read and come to church and they say yes! When we called back the mom even said that Hernan is reading. Blessings.

The other family is a cool story. We went to a baptism of the Austral Elders and took a taxi to get there (we were a bit late) anyways, so we go and talk to the taxi driver on the way. I think I told this last week, anyways, Reader´s DIgest version, we teach the family and the mom is more interested then the dad (Evangelical Dad). When we come back, Hermana Marina tells us that she was reading with her daughter, they read both the chapters we had left for them and that they know a family from our branch. And are now super excited. Plus! They actually prayed, and we had a recent convert with us who testified of how she received an answer about the book of mormon, and Marina replied "that´s exactly how I felt." It was an incredible experience. And pretty much this week I have realized how little I actually do as a missionary. I just invite and open my mouth and God fills it. But I´ve actually been doing it. And for that. I do feel lighter. Because I´m doing my part. And it doesn´t matter what I want to say or what I want to do, because when we do it my way it usually doesn´t pan out. But when I follow the direction from God, everything works out the way it is supposed to. And I feel so much lighter.

And I love it because, okay, back up. So we have agendas right? Which, without I would lose my mind. And we decorate our agendas usually with cutouts from the Liahona, our only available reading material. And mine tend to have themes. Last transfer was faith in the Lord, this transfer has been faith in myself. And I have two quotes. The front is a picture of a violin with the quote "If ye are prepared, y shall not fear." the back is a picture of a stripling warrior carrying the Standard of Liberty with a quote from Elaine S. Dalton "Believe in yourselves. Believe that you are never alone. Believe that you will always be guided." And that is what I have been doing this transfer. Poco a poco, because it is always hardest to believe in yourself. Believing in others isn´t nearly as difficult. But we have been sent at this time and this place to serve the people because God knows that we can do it. And he wouldn´t send someone who isn´t prepared, just like he doesn´t make mistakes. We are who we are because that is what God wants us to be. And I don´t know if I´ve ever shared this with you, but I remember writing to myself in the MTC. And I wrote a little letter and in it I told myself. "Look, I know I´m not the missionary that I want to be. BUt I know I am the missionary that God wants me to be right now. And I will change. And I will get better. Because God has promised me that. But until that moment put forth your efforts and work with the knowledge that God has trusted you with this great work. And He will make you the missionary that you want to be. And then you will be. Because God doesn´t lie, and He doesn´t fall through on His promises." And I promise all of you that this is true. And I said that to myself to give me hope. But I continue to read it. and everytime I do I fell the Holy Ghost confirming the truthfulness of these words. We are who we are right now because that is who God wants us to be. And he is helping us to change in to the people that we will become. Because He loves us. Believe in yourself. God does.

I love you all.

Hermana Reed