6/13/11

Hello everyone. This week for me was amazing! I have one experience in particular that i want to share that truly was a miracle.

We have been able to have baptisms the last two weeks in a row and so this tuesday the zone leaders called us and told us good job with everything and to keep working hard and then asked us if we had anyone for the next week. i told them that we didnt for the next two weeks. After that they told us to do a special fast to find someone to be baptized this last week. we had just done a fast two days before for fast sunday but we decided that we were going to do it. so we ate that day and then started our fast. I had a few ppl in mind that could potentially be baptized this week, but i wasnt really sure who we were going to find. We started out the day and found a few new investigators and had some good lessons, but didnt find anyone that could be baptized that week. Tuesday we had to be in coatza (about an hour away) because we had a conference the next day early, so we lost about 2 hours of work tuesday night. we had to move our schedule around to try and fit in a few more things. We were on our way to our last appointment of the night about an hour late.. when someone from another street called to us. At first i thought it was just a drunk guy and almost just kept walking, but then seeing that it was in a house i recognized thought id just go say hi. we walked over and the guy introduced himself and somewhat awkwardly stuck his hand through a chainlink fence to shake our hands while asking us if we spoke spanish ha. We were late for our appointment, but i asked him if we could come in and talk with him for a little bit. he let us in and told us his story. His name is Abenamar and had been living in the usa for the last 11 years working. In his time in the US he had come into contact with a member one day while walking in the street and the member brought him to church. from there he started talking to the missionaries. at this time he was very sick and could barely walk and had been that way for about 3 months. The missionaries gave him a priesthood blessing and two days later he could walk perfectly normal and was healed. He talked with the missionaries there a lot and was good friends with them. he said they came over everyday and that he'd been going to church for about 5 months. he was in san antonio texas and had moved a little bit. about 3 weeks ago he was caught by immegrations and deported from the country and came back here to his home where he hasnt seen his family in 11 years. He told me that he had been praying and looking for the missionaries since he had arrived here. there was a strong spirit in the lesson and i asked him if he had been baptized. he said that he had, but not in the church of jesus christ, but taht he'd already been baptized in the pentocostle church. we then taught him a review of the message of the restoration and focusing on the priesthood authority. he remembered a lot of it and he accepted everything we taught and had a powerful testimony. I felt the guidance of the spirit as we spoke. we finished talking about the authority and the restoration and i started to explain the gospel of jesus christ and that we need to complete with the gospel with the power and authority of god to be saved. he agreed. i then taught a little bit more about baptism and i invited him to be baptized. he then said. "i have prayed a lot to know if this is true, and i know it is. yes" He accepted to be baptized and then i invited him to be baptized on the 11th of june, this last saturday and he said Yes! As soon as the words came from his mouth I tried to talk again but i couldn't. I tried to explain to him our part of this story. That we had begun a fast that very day to find someone to be baptized that week, and that we were not where we had planned to be in a time that we hadnt planned to be there, he was looking our way in the few seconds that we passed by his intersection, we were impressed to stay even when we had another appointment, and not to count the other factors that he was deported, and his history with the missionaries, or the factors of what would have happened if we hadnt have fasted and prayed or if we were not obedient missionaries. A feeling of joy combined with a new found knowledge and testimony that the lord guides his work and that all things work together for his divine purposes. It is hard to express the feelings that i have for what happened and the spirit that was there with us. It was a happiness that filled my whole body and an amazement that this truly is the work of the lord. As we talked more he also cried a little bit as he continued explaining his story and situation more. As we walked out of the lesson and back to our house, i turned to elder watts and said "Elder watts, I think the church is true!" ha. We were both amazed at the power of prayer and fasting and i know that the lord lead and guided all of us so that this baptism could take place here on this very day.

His baptismal service was very powerful as well. we had a member who is waiting for his mission call do the baptism. we had to go to the beach again becuase there still isnt water here, but it was really cool. I felt the spirit strongly when he was baptized and as always had a huge smile on my face the whole time after haha. i got to participate in his confirmation and reception of the gift of the holy ghost the next day and it was really amazing as well.

this week we also had the opportunity to hear from presidnete tenorio of the seventy, and he was reallly funny. he gave a good talk and i learned a lot from him. There were a lot of miracles this week, but the experience finding and baptizing abenamar was amazing. i know that this is the true church of jesus christ restored in these last days through a righteous prophet who was chosen of god. I know that the priesthood authority has been restored along with this church so that all those who are sincere of heart, who ask of god with faith through prayer and are willing to take upon them the name of jesus christ, can receive a testimony of the truth of this gospel and receive the blessings of salvation in the eternity and the true happiness in this life. I love you all and miss you and continually pray for you. Hope this next week is amazing

love,

Elder Smith