Monday, February 6, 2012

Hola Familia:

This was a really good week! We had Griselda's baptism on Saturday and it went very well. She asked me if I would be the one to baptize her, and of course I gladly did it. All of the family of her husband was there. They came from Nogales Sonora, and Cases Grandes. The Bishop made some really nice invitations and we gave them out to the members so that they would be there to support her. There were quite a few members that went but not all the ones we invited. After the baptism they had a little gathering at their house. On Sunday we were kind of getting nervous when sacrament meeting started and Griselda wasn't there, but she got there in time for the confirmation. Her brother-in-law did it, and it also went really well.

On Wednesday Griselda had her baptismal interview. When our district leader finished and we were walking with them to show them where to take the bus back to their area he just kept going on about how ready she was and about how strong her testimony is and how awesome her conversion was (of course not telling us the confidential details of the interview). But this stuff he was telling me wasn't new news for me. I could really see a great difference in her from when I first started teaching her with Elder España. She really gained a strong testimony and was converted to the gospel; not because she felt pressure or because her husband and everyone else wanted her to do it, simply because she wanted to do it for herself. I'm really hoping that she can prepare to go to the temple as soon as possible. She already has a goal of going through the temple in a year from now to be sealed to her husband. (p.s. when that happens I'm going to have to come back down here for that!). We are going to keep helping her and teaching her so that her testimony grows and so she can keep progressing towards her goals.

I got changes today and am now in the offices for now. I don’t know where my area is going to be or who I am going to be with. I’m just here waiting until they tell me or find me an area. It was a huge surprise to me! It will be good and probably my last area.

Elder Jake Hatch