Hermana Grondel: Easter Week

Well, to start off, I would like to give a very big thank you for ALLL of your prayers this week because we had two BEAUTIFUL days of clouds, rain, and cool weather. :) It was heaven sent.

This week, Hermana Luna and I have had the chance to really see the results of our hard work. We are working hard with many new people, trying to help them all progress.

We had the chance to meet an elderly lady who is just the sweetest!! Saturday was her 85th birthday, so we passed by to sing to her. When we first heard about her, I thought she was going to be a sickly, unhappy person because they said she is bedridden. That was not the case!! She is so lively and adored being with us. Her daughters say that her memory isn't very good, but she remembers clearly songs about Christ, so she sang for us. It was lovely. We met her the Tuesday before her birthday, and her daughter proceeded to tell her Saturday is her birthday. "Not this Saturday! It's not the 12th!" "Yes, this Saturday is the 12th" "Not of April!" "Yes, of April" "*gasp, turns to us* It is my birthday on Saturday!!" It was adorable.

Wednesday, we had divisions!! Hermana Bayles and Hermana Marley came out to Puerto Cortes to help us out for the day. I went with hermana Marley, and Hermana Luna was with Hermana Bayles. It was an awesome day! We both felt the Spirit so strongly through out the day, and we taught well together. It was interesting because we did not have water in our house. We hadn't had water for about 4 days and were using the pila out back to fill our one bucket to shower and clean dishes. We later found out the pipes were dirty, so we got those cleaned up, and now we have water again!! Yayyy. Also, the power went out...but only for about 10 minutes, hahaha.

Thursday was rough. Sometimes being a gringa helps people want to talk to us, and other times it brings unwanted attention. Blech. And we watched a dog get hit by a car. It was horrible. But we did have the chance to run into a member and meet her family, about half of which are not members. Woot! Rose among the thorns. Hermana Luna always counts "rosas en las espinas". I love it :)

Saturday, we had a baptism!!!!! Well, more or less. Technically, she is a baptism of the ward because she is 8 and is a child of record, but her mom is less active and her father is not a member. The members sent us to her because she had been saying she wants to get baptized. She is named Idania, and she is a sweetie! It was so wonderful to help her be ready for this covenant. We have been teaching her for about a month and a half before she got baptized. As always, the day of the baptism was filled with a million and one problems, but as always, everything worked out in the end, and it was beautiful.

Sunday was a bit rough because our three investigators that have been progressing so much did not come to church, and we don't know why *sigh* BUT David, the grandson of the member we ran into on Thursday, came! Also, that night, we had a FHE with them, and he said that one of his goals is to go on a mission (he isn't a member). YAYYYYY! Miracle. :)

We also had the chance to meet with a reference from a member in our ward. Her name is Yolani, and she is really special. She was baptized about 15 years ago, but she was never confirmed, which means she would need to be baptized again. And, shortly after her baptism, she had brain surgery and lost the majority of her memory. So she remembers being baptized, but she doesn't remember why she got baptized and basically began her life over again from her surgery. Well, now she wants to remember and return to church, and her family is interested as well. We are super excited to teach them more about the Gospel. :)

Hermana Luna is wonderful, and she works HARD! We are both exhausted, but we know we have worked for the Lord this week. Hopefully, we will be able to continue the good work. :)

Well, I certainly love you all and hope this week is lovely. Happy Easter, and remember the reason for the season, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Check out this video! http://easter.mormon.org/?cid=HPTU041514694

I LOVE YOU!!!

Love,
Hermana Grondel