anchors

Okay. List style this week. It`s a lot easier this way.

1. On Tuesday we went to look for a reference with our bishop. Last week some random guy showed up at the chapel looking for the missionaries. He had to run off to work, but we took his address and told him we`d stop by during the week to teach him. He was super stoked about church and getting baptized, and we were surprised that he just randomly came to church. Miracles are real. 

So the bishop took us in his car to go look for this guy because he lives really far away. But when we got there we realized the house is actually in the boundaries of another ward...so that`s a big fat bummer for us. The sisters in that ward have had a very hectic week...full of broken bones, sick companions, and frequent trips to Guayaquil, so they were never able to look for the guy. 

This Sunday (yesterday) he showed up to church again and loved it. We introduced him to some ward member of his ward (they meet in the same chapel right after us) and he is preparing to be baptized in December. I always thought stories like that about people who just show up at church were made up for the Ensign. Guess I was wrong.

2. Our bishop is the coolest guy ever. Bishop Freire. He was baptized 5 years ago. Before being baptized he drank a lot and they had a lot of family problems...but now he shares the most powerful testimony and has the most sincere love and desire to help all the member of the ward. Attendance and ward membership has gone up significantly in this ward since he`s been bishop. I am definitely learning what it means to magnify a calling from him and lots of leaders in the ward. It`s crazy the difference one person can make in the attitude of an entire ward. I hope I never become a lazy member who only half-completes my callings.

3. We met an inactive guy this week who had a pretty interesting story. A few years ago his oldest son passed away suddenly. Distraught by the loss, his other son ended up committing suicide shortly thereafter. The rest of the family was left mourning the tragic loss of both of their sons. They fell away from the church because they didn`t feel like anyone cared about them. They became bitter and angry towards God and religion and withdrew from everything that leads to happiness. 

I sat there way overwhelmed by his story. I can`t even imagine how painful it must be to go through something like that. I hope I never have to go through something that hard. But the most saddening part of the story was how he lost his faith. He let go of the Savior`s hand in the moment he needed it most. He Lost the only anchor we have in this life, and instead chose to suffer alone, doing things the hard way. 

4. Baptism!

Our ward mission leader`s mom, Rosa, got baptized on Saturday! I think before I told you she`s 95. Well turns out when you age you lose your memory. She`s actually only 79, but she has a lot of health problems. It`s almost impossible to understand her because she has no teeth but she just laughs at everything anyways. This week she quickly became my favorite person on the planet. 

Rosa is in a wheelchair because she had a stroke awhile ago. For her baptism we had to have 2 men help her stand up in the water. We tried heating the water up for her, but nothing worked so this poor little old woman had to get baptized in cold water at night...plus the first time she didn`t go under all the way. She stood in the water and cried and cried because she was cold and miserable. 

Afterwards I had to help get her dressed. Mom and dad...please don`t be offended if I put you in a care center when you`re old. I`m not good at that sort of thing. Ha. Luckily after we got her dried off she was back to her regular old laughing self and was stoked about her baptism.

We even got a cake to celebrate and she tried eating it but mostly it just got all over her face. I adore that woman.

5. My companion and I had to give talks in church yesterday. We had the rest hymn before it was my turn and we stood up to sing. For some reason I kept blacking out and getting all dizzy. I got all nervous that I would faint at the pulpit. The good news is my talk went well. I talked about what it means to take upon us the name of Christ. I told the story about how embarrassed I used to be of my middle name and how I would always turn bright red in elementary school when the teacher made a mistake and called me Kathleen instead of Merrit. But then I talked about the legacy of our names and how the best name we take upon ourselves is the name of the Savior. We need to live up to that legacy and never be ashamed to be disciples of Christ. 

6. I have a thousand other things i want to say. Like how in one day we got free juice, watermelon, and starfruit from random people. And how we went to Guayaquil for a conference. And how I have a giant hole in my shoes. 

Love you all more than Thanksgiving turkey and mashed potatoes and yams with marshmallows and pumpkin pie. (Enjoy all of those things for me this week!)

Have the best week of your lives!