Week 42: The Waters of Baptism

Monday:  We had our very first Noche De Hogar (family home evening) as a group this Monday! It was way fun. We watched the Christmas video that the church put out (if you haven't seen it yet, watch it!! christmas.mormon.org) Then we played chair bingo and holy cow it was a blast! we had a huge turnout to the activity! 33 Hispanics! that is a lot!

Tuesday: I got to open my first 25 days till Christmas package from my family! that was so much fun. Hna James and I are opening a present every day and it makes it really feel like the Christmas season! thanks mom!  Tuesday is always our service day. we did about 4 hours of service and it was way fun. then we had dinner at a members house, and then we taught Bartolo at the Johnson's house. that was crazy....  Sister Johnson's parents from Spain were there and man.... they were intense and I COULD NOT understand their accents!! crazy.....

Wednesday: We ran over a squirrel.............. he was so dead!!! we were driving down this back road out in the middle of nowhere, and we came up on a squirrel. the dumb thing didn't move, so we hit it..... woops.

Bartolo had his baptism interview!!! We talked to Elder Moe (he held the interview) afterwards and he said that it was one of the most spiritual things ever and that Bartolo is so prepared and ready for his baptism! woohooo!!!!!

Thursday: We were in the Stillwater Christmas Parade!!!!! We decorated the Zone Leaders truck with christmas.mormon.org and put our Christmas tree in the bed of their truck and hopped into the parade! it was so much fun. We saw a lot of members there and every time they saw us they got super excited to see missionaries in the parade! haha miracle. So we had a generator in the back of the truck to light up the Christmas tree. Before the elders set everything up, they made sure the generator worked. When they got to the parade no one could get the generator to start..... we were all really worried. after about 7 prayers and a lot of faith we were able to get it going so that the Christmas tree was lit and everyone could see us! The Lord answers prayers!!! even for the temporal things!!!!

Friday: 1 more day till Bartolo's baptism at this point! We met with him at 8, so our last appointment of the day. Holy cow... I think it was the most spiritual lesson of my time here in Stillwater. We were in the chapel, just talking Bartolo through everything and seeing how he was doing. The whole time he just testified to us that the church is true. He knows it. man. I have so much to learn from him. We also found out that he is going to be moving in January. so our time with him is limited. I am sad, but I know that he will go on and touch so many peoples lives!

Saturday: The bid day!!! Everything went super smoothly!!! When Bartolo walked in he had the biggest grin on his face! The biggest grin ever!!! he was so happy!!!!! The whole service was beautiful. Guess what else!!! we had 3 other investigators of ours there too! two of them were Bartolo's really good friends. They were super happy to see Bartolo so happy. The spirit was there and everyone felt it!!!

Sunday: The busiest sunday of my life!!! Bartolo was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!!!!! He just kept telling us that he was so  happy and he kept asking us how we felt. SOOOOOOOOO HAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was fast and testimony meeting and when they opened the meeting up to testimonies guess who hopped up crazy fast and went.... yup! Bartolo!!! he bore his testimony! He was so sincere and so genuine. You could see the spirit working in and through him. While he was up on the stand, I looked over next to me where he was sitting, and there was a tithing envelope. He paid his tithing. *tear* His faith is so strong!!! After sacrament was over,  Bartolo recieved the priesthood!!!!! Oh my goodness I couldn't believe it! he was gleaming! He kept saying that he was super "contento y feliz" I wish you all could have been there.  that night he also came to the Christmas devotional and he watched the whole thing with us. We gave him a gift, which was his own set of scriptures (triple and bible), for the strength of youth, true to the faith and a letter from us.  He told us that night that he read our letter with his mom in Mexico and that they were both crying.

This week has been such an amazing experience for me. I hope you all had a wonderful week and that we can all keep in mind the true meaning of Christmas which is Christ and his love for each and every one of us. I love you all so much!!!!!

Alma7:15 
Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism.

Hna Hilton