Buen día! :)
Do you want to hear another miracle story?? I am sure you do!! Well....
Our
investigator had a date set for her baptism and everything was
good. Then her mom said no... She said she could wait until she was 18
if she wanted it. (5 years..). So she started to hide from us and did
not show up to her baptism interview. She felt embarrassed and did not
want to tell us that her mom had said no.... So she ignored our calls
and had her brother lie to us and say she wasn't home...So we gave up
hope. If the mom says no, the mom says no. And plus, I am pretty used to
investigators hiding and lying to us, so I got over it. But it was new
for Hermana Gividen. So there we are, with no hope.... And our district
leader Elder Henry suggested that we fasted for her. And I was seriously
doubting that it would do much... But I knew I had to set a good
example for my baby, so we did Saturday night. Yesterday she came to
church! And she begged us to let her be baptized on her original date!
So we talked to the bishop and got it all set up. She called her dad and
got permission from her dad. She passed the interview. And then she
told her mom.... And her mom said she will support her and even come to
the baptism!!! :) With fasting, praying, and working hard, we were able
to see how important Faith and Hope are in missionary work. :) And now she will be baptized today! :) We are so excited that she made the
decision and was brave enough to stand up for what she believes in. She
is great. :)
Afterwards,
Hermana Gividen asked me why fasting and praying for others helps them?
If everyone has their own agency? And that is something I learned here
in the mission too... It talks about this in Mosiah when Alma the
younger was being wicked. He did not want to change. He wanted to
destroy the church and was doing a good job at it. But his father prayed
and fasted for him and an angle visited his son, helped him repent, and
then he turned out to be one of the best missionaries ever! Alma the
younger had no intentions of changing, but the faith and hope of his
father helped him get where he needed to be without taking away his
agency. So yes. Praying and fasting for other people really does help.
God wants us to progress together as families and friends. He will help
us to help others. Always.
Everything
is going pretty amazingly here. It's P-Day. Hermana Gividen has her
first baptism tonight. And we are full of faith, hope, and charity
again! I am grateful for the opportunity I have to help train because it
is helping me to remember the little things and be strong and to rely on
my Heavenly Father. :) Hopefully Hermana Gividen doesn't think I am too
bossy yet. ;)
Well
have an excellent week! Do good things! Help, love, and forgive others!
I love you all and am excited to see you soon! But not too soon.
Love,
Hermana Markle. :)
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| For Independence Day, a member of our ward had us dress up for a photo! |
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| Independence day food! |
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| Hermana Markle and Hermana Gividen |
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| Hermana Petersen's last day. I am glad she lives in Utah - so I will still see her again! She will me missed! |
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| Independence Day. |
