Baptisms!



Dear Family!!

  I love you all. I love how quickly each monday comes. I'm sorry that I have not been able to send one letter this whole month. I want to write quickly. I'm trying to send photos as well, and it takes forever. Plus, my joints in my fingers are sore from handwashing my laundry again. It's so nice to just have a washing machine. And a dryer.  When it rains, the clothes don't get to dry. So I promised I'd tell you the story of Olivia and Alberto. It was really special. Last Thursday came and they STILL didn't know if they should get baptized, if it's the true church, etc. They'd been going to church. They'd really been reading the Book of Mormon. And they'd been praying and asking if it was all true, but they felt that they weren't getting an answer. As we walked to their house Thursday evening, an idea popped into my head. A lesson plan. First we'd sing "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" and then watch the twenty minute movie "The Restoration." After that we'd each bear testimony of what we know to be true. Then we'd say we wanted to do something different, kneel down and each of us take turns offering a prayer to know if Olivia and Alberto should get baptized. Then we'd planned to do a moment of silence and let the Spirit answer the prayer. We'd go from there. Well, everything went PERFECTLY according to plan. While we waited in silence, I kept trying to end it, but the words would not come out of my mouth, so I knew to wait. (I felt like we were on Felix Felices). After about seven minutes, I asked, "¿Que están pensando o sintiendo?" (what are you thinking or feeling?). That's all I had to say. The family got in a calm discussion of what they've been feeling the whole three weeks we'd known them, what changes they've felt or seen in each other, etc. And when it was right I asked, "Will you be baptized this Saturday?". Both said yes! What a beautiful weekend it was! And how I love them! Olivia let me baptize her. Alberto picked Elder Willett.

  This week Elizabeth as well still felt like she hadn't got an answer. We knew that her problem was that she was always SO busy that she never left time for Heavenly Father to answer her prayers. So we did almost the same thing, except out on her sidewalk (the houses are right at the sidewalk) (we can't go inside when there's not a man older that 18 inside--mission rule). She as well thought that life after baptism would be much better for her family than it would if she didn't get baptized. Yesterday I had the priviledge of baptizing her. She couldn't decide who she wanted to do it, so she actually made us do rock, paper, scissors.

  People think that Elder Willett and I are brothers, that we look SO much alike. I'm thinking it's just that we're white. You know how people say that all japanese or other asians look the same? (just what they say, not what I think). I think people here feel the same way about us. Oh. And the aunt of Chicharito came to church with us!!!! WHOOP WHOOP.

  This Tuesday in our weekly planning (which lasts two hours and it's just us in a room in the chapel planning the week, what our investigators need, etc), President Jesperson knocked on the door and entered. He said he had a question for us. Can he trust us? Can he have confidence in us? He wanted to know that we'd 1) be 100% obedient and 2) be SUPER successful wherever we are working, that we'd be little power plants. I told him that as for obedience he can of course trust me. But as for success (remember that the mission expects missionaries to baptize EVERY single week as well as complete those weekly goals WEEKLY) I felt I was getting better and better, changing to become the man God needs, but that somewhere there was a problem and I didn't know what it was. He told me right away, "time management." That we weren't managing our time right. Well, this week was AMAZING in the miracles we saw and in our time management. We completed the Standard and baptized for the second week in a row. We might baptize this week too! I really hope and pray that we do!

     That's all I have time for!

 I love you all!

ARIZONA OR DC!!!!
    Love,

  Elder Mitchell Poirier

Elizabeth's Day