Baptism

¿Que ondas muchá? Well, things are going very well in my neck of the woods.  Sounds like things are going ok over there. I hope Mom and Dad are doing well in Ecuador.  Sounds like the house was a bit of a disappointment... mwat.  Oh well.  I guess sometimes it takes a wake up call to get us thinking strait again.   Well, I will start out with the big news of the week.  We baptised!  Guadalupe Herrera Coc is officially a new member of the church.  It was such a great baptismal service.  Everything worked out so well.  I think it was one of the best baptismal services ever done in the history of baptisms in Guatemala.  Usually baptisms start 2 hours late, there's usually people playing soccer, and there never seems to be water to fill up the font.  Well, this time things all worked out and it came together really nicely.  Our ward is the stake center so it has been really nice having really responsible members to help us out.  On Friday we were actually really worried because we didn't have any dessert for the service, so we called the Relief Society President and asked what we could do.  She just told us not to worry about it because she had already made a couple cakes and a punch.  Amazing!  That never happens in Guatemala.  They really support us.  The baptism was so great because Guadalupe, 57 years old, was the last of 3 sisters to get baptised and prepare to be sealed to the family.  Her 80 year old mother has prayed for 40 years that this day would come and it finally had come true.  They were all crying, including Guadalupe, and the Spirit was incredible.  She's going to be a great member of the church.  1 year she'll be able to go to the temple.  Exciting. On Tuesday night we went to the Lopez family, the poor family that we had been teaching.  We hadn't been able to pass by due to trunkiness of my last companion, but we thought we really needed to go past.  When we went back, they almost didn't want anything.  They were completely opposite to what they were like before.  It was a tense lesson because I felt at the beginnning of the lesson that they were going to tell us to leave and never come back.  They just had question after question, ridicule after ridicule about the church.  One of their main concerns was that they felt so bad at church because of how poor they are and their clothes.  It was a long lesson and after all of it, we were able to testify to them and we all felt the Spirit.  When we ended the lesson, Marvin told us that they needed 4 days.  At the end of 4 days of reading and praying, they would have their answer.  Well, we invited them to an activity the following day and told them we would be passing by Saturday night.  Well, we showed up late to the activity on Wednesday because of an important appointment we went to, and right in the middle of the cultural hall was the Lopez family, laughing and having a great time talking to friends.  It was great.  They also enjoyed the baked chicken which was a huge plus because they never have food.   So we knew that we needed a miracle if they were going to get their answer.  We knew we weren't going to be able to do it alone, so we started praying and fasting like I never have before for them.  We showed up on Saturday night for the appointment and the family was there waiting for us.  The first thing Marvin and Mary said was, "Oh we're so glad you're here, we thought you weren't going to come."  They invited us in, we sang and said the prayer.  After the prayer we asked how they were doing.  Marvin said, great.  We couldn't be better.  We asked if they had been reading the book of mormon.  They had read from 1 Nephi 5 to 2 Nephi 1 and had been praying in those days.  He said he wasn't sure about their answer until right at the end of reading.  In the begining of 2 Nephi 1 it talks about the covenant the Lord made with Lehi and his family that they would recieve the promised land as long as they kept his commandments.  Marvin asked, "Do you think you could recieve a promised land spiritually?  I think that the Lord, if we follow him and are baptised, he will give us that promised land in our life."  We asked him what he thought he and his family should do then.  He said, "I think we need to make that covenant."  It was amazing!  They're so good to go and we put the goal for the 17th of June for their baptism right before sacrament meeting.  That way we can really prepare them and make sure they are ready.  If they are ready before then, we will baptise them the 12th of June.  It's so exciting.  They're so strong, and the Lord has worked miracles with that family.   We also were contacting and I felt like we should go back to a family that we had contacted a couple months back, familia Paiz Gomez.  They were the ones that had a book of mormon and didn't know where it had come from.  We went back and say the Mom out front.  We asked if we could talk out front with her and her kids.  Her name is Maria.  We sang and prayed, and started asking her questions.  After about 5 minutes she told us that she wanted to change.  We explained to her that that change is called repentance and that that was what she wanted.  We then read her Moroni 8:25, which talks about the first fruits of repentance being baptism.  We talked about it for 5 minutes and challenged her and her two kids, Otto and Cindy, to be baptised on the 16th of June, and they all accepted.  The Spirit was strong and she knew exactly what she had to do.  We went back and taught them last night and it was great.  At the end of the lesson she told us that she just asked her mom how she could know which church was true, and knows that this is the church she has been waiting for.  Amazing.   So all and all we were able to put baptismal dates with 6 investigators this week.  As a zone we were able to put 18 baptismal dates.  That is a tremendous growth here and we are feeling the Spirit of the work.  We are hoping to find and put dates with 4 more investigators this week.  It's just going to be amazing.   I am loving being with Elder Proctor.  He's great and has a love for the work that I admire.  I know that we are going to be able to do great work here in Coban if we are willing to trust in the Lord.  Well, I had to do a survey for the mission so I have kinda run out of time.  I love you guys and pray for you everyday.  It's super exciting to hear about Jenny's new job.  Hope Mom and Dad are doing well in Ecuador.  I am great and loving the work.  The church is true, the sky is blue.  Love you guys. Elder Lloyd