Baptisms!!!! - pictures too.

Dear Family,

As I read your letter, I was laughing the whole time. What a week you all had. I couldn't believe about the being pregnant part though but that's good that it came out negative. ( yes, people I haven't been feeling well lately and the doctor called me and suggested my symptoms were due to pregnancy! Made me laugh and cry. Test was negative. Checking other things now. But really, what could be worse than my age and pregnant?) Yeah I also really loved the pictures you sent. Fall looks so good there. Here its still warm and green. I keep asking the members when the snow is coming. This week though was such an amazing week. So many things going on and also some amazing miracles and the baptism. 

I will be sending the report not this week but next, the only next time ill be in Oakland to send in the report. 

Monday: Today's P-day was something else. We weren't able to even buy groceries at all because of a district activity and then having to figure out how we were going to give an emergency blessing to a lady in a hospital  45 minutes away from us. We spent quite a bit of time trying to get some Elders on that side of the zone to do the blessing. It ended up well, but the man that had asked for the blessing for his mom was pretty mad at us. I felt horrible. I was doing everything we could to get there, but we couldn't just leave the bike Elders we had at the activity with the sisters and also it was so far away we wouldn't make it back in time for our appointments. The Elders that did it though saved us. I spent the rest of the day worried about that and the man asked us for our names so I don't know what he is going to do with that. 

We taught  one of the recent converts in our area, Juana H. and the member we had with us started going off on how all other christian churches are wrong. We were doing all we could to control it. It turned out well in the end. We then visited the Romero family that night. We taught them about tithing and fasting and they accepted it with no problems. The dad is there but not accepting the invitations. He just says he doesn't feel prepared and needs more time. 

Tuesday: Today we did some service for Mica, the mom of Alvaro. We moved her dryer from one side of the garage to the other. Alvaro was really happy to see us. He is being taught now by the East bay singles sisters and so we had to explain to him that we won't be exactly teaching him anymore. It was sad but we would still be over there to see his mom and uncle once in a while. He really wanted us to be at his baptism. 

We then visited a sister, Virginia. We had to teach her about D&C 58:27-28 about being anxiously engaged in a good cause. She has let herself and her health go so bad. She had one of her toe nails tear off and didn't do anything about it. She didn't realize it was that bad. We felt so bad for her and she asked for a blessing and so the member gave that but she needs some medical attention. We have been trying to talk to everyone we see and we have seen a lot of success with that. There was a an hour or so where we contacted a lot of people, 2 of them were friends of a member and had been invited to the baptism this Sunday so that was a blessing.

We then were looking for an old investigator and they weren't home but we knocked around the street and I saw a blue house just like the Romero's and wanted to knock it. We did and contacted a family that is super great. It was such a powerful contact and we were really excited to be able to teach them! We are finding so many families! We ate dinner with the Lopez family. Bless this family, the dad had a shoulder accident at work and the mom is somewhat paralyzed on one side of her body. She can walk but at the end of the dinner she collapsed because her left side gave out. We all got scared but gave her a blessing of health and it was all better.  We then met the East Bay singles sisters at Alvaro's house to give them his teaching record and set some plans for his baptism. We are so excited for him. We then visited the Romero family again that night. We taught them a short lesson of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and then ran over some of the questions that they had about the interview. The mom Norma and Jacky and Kim are really excited for the baptism. 

Wednesday: Today we had the idea to go to Home Depot and contact the Spanish people that were out waiting for work. We actually found some good success from that and talked to quite a bit of people. I learned something though, one guy I talked to was kind of bashing me and then when I shared about the restoration and living prophet and being called of him to be a missionary he said that he was also called by a prophet in his church. I didn't know quite what to say other than to testify to him, but he was not accepting of what I was sharing at all. From that moment and throughout the rest of the day I learned about the power and authority that we have especially the power.

I was super bold today with everyone. Something just clocked with me and we were able to teach brother Romero just by himself to try to figure out what his concern is.  We got down to business with him, but man he was desvaindo (I think this means, just raving about)everything what we were saying. I finally got really bold with him and promised him as a representative of Jesus Christ that if he prays with a sincere heart he will receive an answer. I then invited him to be baptized right then and I felt so much power in my words. It wasn't me but it was another testimony to me of the power that we have. He still said no but he felt it, he was quite for a bit and then said his same concern of not being prepared. 

We then taught another new investigator Brother Bailon that afternoon and that was a bold lesson. We dove right into teaching and also through the restoration and we were asking questions and we could feel and see the spirit working on him. When we got to the restoration he paused and he was tearing up and asked if that really had happened. We testified to him that it and then showed him the Book of Mormon. He committed to read it and also to be baptized as he comes to know. It was quite the lesson. 

That night we taught the Romero again and that was also a really good lesson. We taught about living prophets and studying the scriptures and got everything all ready for the interview and the preparations for who they are inviting to be there. Kim, the daughter offered the opening prayer and it was such a sweet prayer and after she ended Norma the mom began to cry and we paused for a while feeling the spirit so strong in that room. The mom said that she had never heard Kim offer a prayer out loud and also so sweet. It was such a powerful moment. I love this family. Jacky afterward was asking us more questions about all sorts of stuff. Good questions though. 

That night we helped a member try to find this mission investigator that the relief society president had been looking for. We had to stay with these two sisters for a bit because the street we were on were so dangerous and we didn't want to leave them alone. The members care so much about our investigators. 

Thursday: Before district meeting we decided to park far way from the church and walk to the meeting. We did so and the Lord blessed us with two really prepared people to contact. We sent their information to Antioch. The Lord keeps His side of every promise. District meeting was great, we learned about the importance of talking with everyone and it was quite inspiring. We shared our story of contacting those two people before the meeting. We then took the Elders to the bike shop to repair one of their tires.

That afternoon we had another lesson with a new investigator Margarita. She was a friend of a member so that was really good. The lesson went really well we just had to rush it a bit so we didn't get to invite her to do so much. We felt bad afterward. That night everything fell though. We had some really good appointments set up with the family we had contacted and brother Bailon but no one was home. Tough but it happens. We did teach a less active family though and they really want to come back to church. We also dropped by the Romero's quickly to go over the list of people they are inviting to their baptism. We are really excited for this. 

Friday: Weekly planning went really well. That night the only thing we did was went to the Family Home evening of the Lopez family but hosted for the Romero family. It was all focused on how to do a family home evening. It was really great! All the members were talking with the Romero family and trying to help the dad decide to be baptized but he just told them he was hard headed. We talked with Norma, Kim and Jacky about who they wanted to baptize them and they are going to think on that. It turned out really well though! 

Saturday: We had our zone planning and got all that scheduled out for the transfer. Afterward we went by some old investigators we had that we thought could be baptized really soon but didn't find any of them. We did run into another family that we are going to be visiting this evening. We talked to a lot of people though. We found a lot of people at a members garage sale which was a blessing! They gave us a blender and we really wanted to by the tandem bike they were selling. It was more of a joke because of the whole missionaries on bikes and things. That night at dinner I learned how to made Papusas from El Salvador so I am excited about that. I have become quite the chef on my mission. 

We also had the baptismal interview for the Romero family. The members had suggested to us to have brother Romero take to interview anyway and then bring his clothes to the baptism and allow the spirit to work on him. The members that had that same experience because they weren't sure about doing it decided in the baptism to do it. Brother Romero still didn't want to. We don't know what he needs. We fasted 2 times this week so that he would receive an answer. We know he has he just doesn't want to recognize for some reason or another. The interviews ended up being pushed back and Norma the mom wasn't even able to make it because of work. The two daughters passed though. We told Norma that we would have her interviewed tomorrow after church. 

Sunday: Today was the greatest day ever! Church went really well. Jacky wasn't able to make it to church because of an emergency work call in but still was able to make it to the baptism. It was ward conference and because we knew the stake president we told him about our family that was their and about the dad and so one of his talks he gave on was about that directed to him. It was so awesome! We helped translate which was fun. Norma though was contributing so much. The stake president even talked with brother Romero but brother Romero still doesn't want to. 

After church we had a linger longer and then Norma was interviewed. She passed it and during the interview we took Kim and Antonio into a room and taught them and really got down one last time with Brother Romero. We used Ether 12:6 about having faith and the answer will come after the step of our faith. We then invited him right them to kneel with us and to pray and to ask if these things are true and if he needs to be baptized with his family. He did, but the spirit just wasn't quite right. He still didn't ask the Lord because he said he has some things to fix before he can be baptized. We had this feeling that it will all be ok but it wasn't his time quite yet. We then had dinner and then headed to the baptism.

Pictures!

Norma asked me to baptized her. I was excited and nervous because I have never baptized someone before. This was the first time someone has asked me to baptize them. We got the program all ready and then got changed and started. The whole Romero family was their and some of their friends. It was a really good turn out for it. We had three of their fellowship families sing "Families can be together forever" and that was so powerful and touching. The Romero family was all crying. We then did the baptisms. Elder Cardenas baptized Kim and Jacky and then I baptized Norma. Walking into that water to her and getting situated and then raising my hand to the square and saying that prayer was one of the most powerful things I have done. The spirit was burning. It was so powerful because Norma had the strongest testimony and because Antonio was her husband and he was watching this. I then baptized her and after bringing her back up Norma just began to cry and was so happy.

 After getting changed we returned back to the baptistery and they did the welcoming to the Romero family. After the baptism we went to the Fireside "Why I believe" in Spanish and we asked the Romero family, Norma Kim and Jacky to speak. They said they would. That was so powerful! Their testimonies filled the room having had minutes from being baptized. Their hair was still wet and everything. I was so happy to see them as they went up and bore their testimonies. I was then called out of the audience to share my testimony... I went up and shared about my family and having adopted Maylin and going to the temple and knowing that my family was eternal. I then said that For that reason I was here on my mission so that families like the Romero's can also be eternal. I will have to admit I did cry, but the spirit was really powerful. After the meeting we said goodbye to the Romero family and then ran downstairs to say hi to Alvaro at his baptism!! He was so happy to see us and waved at us in the middle of the baptism... He is the best. We were happy for him. So many blessings.

By the way, this is our pet cat "Fuzzy." (Mother's note: No other explanation. Totally disgusting. I hope he wore gloves if he put that face on it. 

Thanks family Here are some of the pictures I will send in another email.

Love you! Elder Hill