I'm Back!

Dear Blog,

Ok! I´m back! How is everyone! This week was great and it was wonderful to hear from all of you. Psads and Dan thanks for the letters. I ate soup at Luis Cuc´s house yesterday, you ve got to come visit! Their house is awesome. Antigua continues to be a dream, although its a dream with an awful lot of Catholics in it. Funny story, so you know how this city was built on the backs of who knows how many primitive Catholics and there are how many Catholic churches here..anyway, its a blast and Ive learned a lot. But last week we were contacting on the bus and I was standing up, holding on for dear life while talking to this guy that was staring at us the whole way. I finally ask him where hes from and he answers in english. So we talk to him for a second and he was going to same place we were so we walked with him for a bit. We invited him to church but he said he was leaving on Sunday and besides, he was Roman Catholic. I asked him exactly what does it mean to be a ROMAN catholic, because people in Guatemala dont really specify that or not, and he goes, ¨Well, have you ever talked to a Catholic question mark.¨ haha we busted up laughing and this time my companion did too cuz she understood haha, we were laughing so hard that we left it at that and he gave us his email address to send him some church literature. I dont know if you had to be there, but it was pretty funny and ironic considering that we casi only talk to catholics every day. Hermana Johansen and I are just loving life.

Anyway, speaking of Catholics, we actually had a really cool experience yesterday with a family that are Jehovahs Witnesses, that was weird and different to hear, here in Antigua. But this family was great. We were out with a cute returned sister missionary who was helping us find references in this one part of our area and we found the kids outside and asked if their mom was home. They all screamed yes and we got to go upside. They live in this cute little house on the side of a very large hill. But it doesnt matter where you are, the Spirit can go anywhere. This was a short lesson but probably one of the most spiritual of my whole mission.

We talked and found out that the mom was baptized when she was a teenager because her dad took her to our church. But when she got married, because of the culture here, the man always decides and she had to drop being LDS and now her and her husband with 8 kids are all Jehovah´s Witnesses. I dont know why, but I just felt something so special about her, like she still new and had her testimony of the Church. We got started talking about the church and how they really could know just by praying and we really tried to emphasize the fact that the mom knew these things and she kept shaking her head in the affirmative. Then I felt impressed to bear my testimony with her about Joseph Smith and the fact that he saw Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I looked straight at her when I was saying it and I dont even remember everything I said, I just know that when I was telling her these things, my eyes filled up with tears and my heart was about to burst. I felt like it was just her and my compaion and I in the room and that we were telling her straight to her face that she knew these things and that they are true. I have never wanted to tell anybody so badly to come back to the church. I think the tears were from the Spirit being so strong, witnessing to me in that moment and to her and everyone in the room, they were tears of sadness because of what her life had become without the gospel and tears of desperation trying to tell her to come back. The Spirit filled the room so quickly and so strongly for those few moments that I knew she and all the others felt something so special. She too teared up a little, and then my tears of course stopped, because what..im definitely not a crier. Dina Cuc, the member then bore her testimony and my compaion did too. But this was a moment that I will never forget. I dont know if this family will progress, we hope so but even still, we know that the mom knows the truth and we can only pray so hard for the family Garcia to see the light. It was awesome. I know that this work is real. I spoke in church yesterday about the power of members and the missionaries together and that with the words and testimonies of the members are so important. This lesson was only possible because we had a member who knew the mom with us. Miracles happen everyday, look for them! I know this gospel is true, with all of my heart. My testimony of Jose Smith has been strengthened a hundred times because no other church or pastor has what we have. The knowledge that a 14 year old was foreordained and called to be a prophet of God to restore his gospel to the earth in its fulness. This truly is the biggest blessing we have. I hope we dont take it for granted, share it always and dont do anything to impede us from receiving all the blessings that God has for us. He truly has given us everything. I testify of that, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I hope you have a great week! Mol, I will pray for no rain, everything will work out just great! Heavenly Father knows what needs to happen, heñll probably just send the rain straight down here and its more than welcome! Thanks for sending that stuff. Oh ps, talked to the familia Santizo a few days ago and they are right on track for getting sealed on the one year mark! They are so excited about their temple class that starts in July and they are the ones taking the initiative to organize the families to clean the chapel because the other ward didnt do it! pilas, love them.

Love you all, hope you have a great week!!!

Love,
Sister Wetzel