Hey I enjoyed your emails today. Today has just been an awesome email day, as I told dad I’ve received awesome news from all around the mission from people I have taught or worked with. Christian, a man I taught in Molina who had shared with elders for two years but couldn’t get baptized and then moved down to Linares and was baptized two weeks later, he sent me a picture of his mother’s baptism which was yesterday!! Seed planting is awesome! Then Elder Balkman emailed me and sent pics of three of the investigators that we had worked soooo hard for together, Laura, Augustin, and Roxana all got baptized. Laura was a woman who had investigated every church in Molina except ours, and had given up hope to finding the whole truth. She met us and gained a testimony really quickly, but wanted to be baptized with her husband so they could be sealed afterward, so our work was with her husband Augustin, who was a lot harder. He was a great great loving guy, but didn’t understand very much and really didn’t have much desire, but he accompanied his wife to church, and a miracle occurred and they were both baptized on Sunday. Roxana was a Catholic missionary who fought and prayed and searched to gain a testimony. Her family was completely against her decision to do it cuz they’re all catholic, but she prayed and received an answer that it was the truth, and was also baptized on Sunday! I almost yelled out loud when I saw that email from Balkman, I was sooo happy. I love this Gospel, and it’s so rewarding to see all those efforts pay off and see others repent and come unto Christ. Balkman told me that Manuel, my last baptism before leaving, is now a ward missionary and everyone loves him, and that the ward is really excited about the work, and that the Bishop, was crying on Sunday during the baptism. Miracles are happening there and I was a part of it! I love Elder Balkman and know they’re going to tear it up in Molina now that they have the support of the ward.
Sunday was probably one of the most powerful and wonderful days of my mission. First off all our prayers and fasting paid off and Brother José was baptized!! He is an ex deacon in the Evangelical Church ( which is a pretty important position there) and has sooo much knowledge of the Gospel. Many times we went over and he just taught us haha, the best part is that, unlike most crazy Evangelicals, his knowledge of doctrines wasn’t weird and corrupted, but really in accordance with what we teach. We held his baptism during Sunday School (we do things weird here haha) and he was confirmed in Sacrament meeting afterward. He asked me to confirm him, only my second time performing that ordinance, and it was just spirit and power the whole day. After his confirmation he got up and bore his testimony of the truth of living Prophets and of the Book of Mormon, and challenged all the members to make a greater effort to read and know that book. He then bore testimony of the Power of Christ that had changed his family’s hearts, and gave thanks to us for bringing them the Gospel. It was really awesome to be a part of all of it, and was rewarding to see that through Elder Pitcher´s and Keller´s efforts, who were here about a year ago and found José´s daughter´s family, we were able to continue this chain of connecting this family in the Gospel. We afterward went over to their house with several Elders from our zone, who accompanied us, and ate completos (hot dogs but 100X´s better) and watched Joseph Smith: the prophet of the Restoration. Reading mom’s email tells me that we were all on the same wavelength in watching that awesome movie this week. It was crazy spiritual and we went home sooooo satisfied with life. Gosh this Gospel is so worth it, and any sacrifice that I have had to make in coming here has been swallowed up in the hundreds of blessings that have come into my life by serving these people. There is no other work more important, or more rewarding. I can’t wait to be able to see all these people again, and enjoy the blessings of the gospel in their fullness after this life.
We didn’t find too many new investigators this week, but I know that thanks to your prayers and fasting, and the extra efforts that we’re going to put into finding this week, we’re going to find a lot and it’ll be the beginning of even more awesomeness!!!
I love you guys tons and hope you all have a great week, keep sending pics i love it! and tell Landon not to get married until September, he can wait can’t he? hahah
LOVE YOU ALL
Tanner
p.s. In the picture, José is the one on the left, he was baptized by his son in law, José Luis, who Elder PItcher found and who Elder Isom and his old comp Elder Doxy baptized.