Hola de Hermana, 9/7/12

Hola mi familia asombrosa!  :)

This week flew by, and we are so grateful to have the chance to rest today.  Next week we are probably going to Chicabal again, so we'll probably be online late.

This week was crazy.  Our manipulative investigator told us that if we attended her church she would attend ours.  So Wednesday night we showed up in front of her house ready to go to our first ever Evangelica meeting, and she was fairly shocked we'd actually showed up.  The preacher was more shocked when we walked in the door.  The church is a bit smaller than the Little Red Church, more like a big salon of a house with plastic chairs and the drum and piano set in front.  We sat in the second row.  Loud energetic songs with messages about the Savior I couldn't really understand.  My favorite line I did understand was "Nuevamente, Jesus!" They didn't dance, but they still rock it out to the songs...  After an hour, the preacher gave his message.  So interesting.  Preach My Gospel hits the nail on the head when it says powerful testimonies do not come from the loudness of preaching (or the spit, in the case of this preacher), but in the conviction of the testimony.  Like Elder Holland.  He's passionate, has conviction AND authority and that's why I get chills every time I listen to him.  This preacher was very very very animated, walking back and forth, grand hand and arm movements, and more spit, and VERY loud.  

After he finished preaching, he called out to his congregation that he could give them blessings.  Dear Evaline was the first to go up.  She probably said something wonderful like Ï think the Book of Mormon is true, and he put his hand on her forehead and proclaimed "Your faith has saved you" and other stuff I didn't understand.  Someone was standing behind her, and then she collapsed on the floor and they kindly put a large white cloth over her.  We looked at each other like, oh great, now what are we going to do?, and after about five minutes she fluttered her eyes and slowly got up.  I don't get it.  Just the phrase "received spirits ye did not understand" from DyC 50 tells me what the source is.  And the preacher continued blessing the other people, and Evalines uncle, a Deacon, stood behind them waiting to catch them if they fell.  After he blessed his congregation, he was kind and came to us and blessed us too (hand on our arms).  

Then the preacher announced that he and others were going to travel to Las Vegas to preach the word, and he called members, including women, to go forward to bless them while another women prayed blessings out upon them.  So one read out loud a prayer, while about five others were laying their hands on the men's head's, arms, shoulders, also praying and pronouncing blessings.  I had never up until this whole experience understood why when so many of our Church members talk about the Church, they say, "La iglesia de Dios es una iglesia de orden."

And as we walked Evalin to her home, she happily chatted how we needed to repent or we wouldn't be saved, and that Joseph Smith didn't exist.  

One totally crazy night.  Glad we felt the Spirit as we went home.  If we can't contact or teach Carlos, her companion, this week, we're going to move on.  

Last night we were blessed with a miracle to find Alex, the father I taught with Hermana M about three months ago.  He got home EXACTLY as we were in front of his house and he couldn't hide from us.  :)  He totally opened up and talked to us for an hour.  He amazes me, and I would appreciate your prayers for him to read and feel the Spirit confirm that the Book of Mormon is true, and that Joseph Smith was called of God to be the prophet of the Restauration.

BLESSINGS from Sandra and Faustino, the family that contacted us last domingo.  Faustino says he knows the Book of Mormon is true, and the only reason we don’t' have baptismal fechas is because the fecha is three days from when Sandra is supposed to have her baby.  (She says she has "dies meses" and she's so big it's believable).  :)  We're going to fast that Faustino can change his workdays to have domingos off, and if you'll pray for them and that he'll receive that change in his schedule that would be a saving grace.  :)  Sandra assisted church with us yesterday, her daughters Cindy and Juli loved primary, and the Familia C are the PERFECT members to befriend them.  We are so grateful.  :)

I love you all so much! I'm so proud of the good you're doing!  Hannah, I wish I could have heard you in marching band!  Way to go for committing to and fulfilling such a demanding (and awesome!) organization!

I love you!  I testify Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer!  He lives and LOVES us!  And you are sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father!!!  And He has given us everything we need to become like Him!!!  

LOVE YOU TONS!

--Hermana Ivy [-]