Whelp, this week was one of the more interesting thus far!
On Monday night we had another Family Home evening with Desereé, Elvis and their adorable little boy Edward. We talked about our Eternal Potential as individuals and as families, and we talked about the need to stay focused on Christ in order to achieve said potential. The conversation reminded me of a Conference Talk that Elder Meek shared with me. The speaker talked about a childhood experience when he was learning to plant seeds in the fields. His dad told him that if he picked a point on the horizon and walked straight towards it his corn rows would always be straight. His dad left him for a while to plant a few rows, and when he returned he found a bunch of wiggly, uneven rows... He asked his son what he used as his focal point, and the boy said, "that big, brown cow in yonder field." haha. His father then lovingly explained that he needed to pick a static focal point next time... ha. The speaker then related this experience to our lives; if we pick the things of the world as our focal point (always moving, like the cow), our path through life will be far from "straight and narrow," but if we chose the Rock of Christ as our focal point, we will be guided STRAIGHT Home! :) Christ is there, and he is never going to move, or change on us. He, like a light house, will guide us safely home! He is the "light and the life of the world," and if we put our faith in Him, NOTHING is impossible!
On Tuesday night we went to the Fam Bam's house and told them the bad paperwork news... Dioni immediately called his mom up and got to work on getting the ball rollin' out in San Juan. His mom said that all of his siblings have had the same problems with their certificates, and that it shouldn't be too hard to take care of. So we're hopeful! On top of that good news, we talked it out with Dioni and Adriana and they told us that they didn't want their kids to have to wait to be baptized because of them. So we asked the kids what they wanted to do. Yoel and Leidi want to wait for their parents, but both Adoni and Esperanza were still full speed ahead for baptism! We finished the visit off by reading 1 Nephi 3:7 together, and testifying that with faith, God will help this family with the paper work, and He will help them be baptized. Dioni closed the lesson with one of the more fervent prayers I've ever heard. He asked for help with his birth certificate, and he asked a special blessing over his family. Very Powerful. I feel extremely blessed to be a part of this family's conversion story.
On Wednesday in the afternoon we had a lesson with Anni. She asked us about baptism and we explained to her what it means, and why we do it. She said she's already been baptized in the last church she was attending, but then she left them for our church... So what's to stop her from just leaving our church after she's been baptized? We explained to her the need to receive a witness from the Spirit that the church she's in NOW is the TRUE church. She told us that she'd start praying now for her answer, and that she wasn't gonna get baptized til she's sure. She's spent the last 20 years moving from church to church looking for the truth. She says she feels like she's going through the motions, but that she still doesn't feel like she's "saved." It's been cool to see her gain more and more light and truth, and I am still praying for the day that it all clicks for her. She's desperate for salvation... She just has to open her eyes and realize that she's found it! It's right here, under her nose!
On Thursday the mail came!!! That means Elder Mooney finally got his birthday package! Thank you family! It's perfect! Elder Fassett also sends his Gracias. He was goin' a little crazy when he saw all the Dots. haha. Plus, we were mutually pumped to get started on P90X! No more boring push ups in the mornings! haha.
Then that evening we went to the Fam Bam's house to get Adoni and Esperanza prepped for their baptism. And we found out that Dioni actually doesn't have to go out to San Juan!!!! His mom is taking care of everything out there! Woo Hoo!! If everything goes as planned, the birth certificate should be here within the week!! :) God is good to us!
Friday morning we got up and started P90X. ha. So great. Thus far we've both noted that it's easier to drag ourselves out of bed in the morning cuz we've got a real work out to look forward to!
Then in the afternoon we went back over to Anni's house. Yoel and his buddy were chillin in the barber shop playin some cards, and we had some extra time in our schedule for the day, so we sat down and played with them. I must say, Dominican card/board games are funner than ours. haha. We played a game called Casino, which is a four player card game played in teams of two. I guess it's a popular game in the Casinos here. ha. It was ridiculously complicated (I think if I tried to explain it all out, I would butcher it... So I'll just teach you all when I come home), with lots of random rules, but we held our own, and we had lots of fun! haha.
Then we had a little Plan of Salvation lesson with Anni. We've been taking it slow with the whole thing, and we finally got through it and re passed it with a little visual aid! :) I think she gets it! ha. If not, she will understand it with time.
Our last lesson for the night was with Amparo (a recent convert) and her Husband Manuel (not a member). Manuel had a question about the Plan of Salvation, specifically, how do we know we existed before this life. He's a pretty hard core Catholic, and doesn't quite accept the Book of Mormon as scripture yet, so we went with the Bible instead. ha. When we had him read Jeremiah 1:5 he about peed his pants. ha. He just kept grinning from ear to ear! I have never seen someone so happy after having the light click!
Saturday was a crazy one...
We got up and headed over to the Church to get the baptismal font filled up and the water wouldn't turn on... Ha. I'm about fed up with all these ridiculous road blocks in the way of getting this family baptized. Satan is unbelievable... But he isn't unbeatable! haha. And we beat him again!
We spent the morning messing with the water pump out in the back shed, and found that if we left the pump on and the valve closed, water pressure would build up and then we could release it and a little bit of water would come out. haha. Not fun. We did that for a while, and then went home to get some lunch. After lunch we came back and still weren't having any luck... We called the bishop and he told us to do what we were already doing, and that he would get there when he could. We kept slowly filling it up, and we tried using empty garbage cans to carry water, but gave up on that idea pretty quick. ha. By the time the bishop showed up at 5:30 we had filled the font up to my ankles... He and his counselor tried to work on the pump for like 30 minutes before finally giving up. Ha. Then the Bishop pulled a hero move... He called the fire department. i guess he's good friends with the local fire chief, so he can do stuff like that.
Anyway, long story short, three big, burly firefighters showed up in a van with a giant water pump and a bunch of hoses so we could pump the water from the sisterna (well) out by the shed, to the font. haha. Within 45 minutes we had a little over knee deep water, and then had to call it good cuz it was already 8 pm and we had to be finished with the baptism before nine so we could make it home on time! ha. So we baptized both kids in knee deep water (they both had to be dunked twice, but I didn't even have to change my underwear cuz the water was so low. haha), had a short talk and a testimony, then called it a wrap. haha. Craziest baptism ever. From this experience, I know that God truly does answer prayers. It may not be how we want or expect it to be (i.e. He might send the fire department), but if we pray with faith, He will prepare the way. :)
Yesterday the kids got confirmed. The Chapel didn't collapse like I thought it might... so we're happy. :)
Today we woke up to a hard core work out, cleaned our house, and then had an empanada party with our Zone. :) Empanadas are like baby calzones. We made a ton of them with ham and cheese inside. Someday I'll come home and cook you one. ;)
Anyway. I'll letch y'all go. ha. I love you dearly, and hope your week is a grand one! The church is true, and God is always there for you. Never forget it!
Love,
Elder Cade Mooney
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