Week 37

Hello Friends and Family!

Sorry!! I already used the majority of my time writing my Mission President!! (see the email that I sent dad to have him help you with the translation :P haha)

We have some weeks that are harder than others here in the mission field and this week was one of those really hard weeks.  Our investigator, Gonzalo is getting married on Friday and should be getting baptized this Saturday but, as always, Satan doesn't like the idea of anything that will strengthen the family, which is very important and sacred in the sight of God and for our progression, so he throws whatever he possibly can at those who are ready to take steps to strengthen the family unit.  In this case, getting married and the baptism of the father and future priesthood holder.

So among the temptations and trials thrown at this family this week, some more personal than others, was a job offer to take a trip for 15 days navigating of cruse ship through all of Chile.  He just happened to run into two of his bosses when he went to the hospital to pick up medication for his wife and they offered him this trip.  What are the chances that they would BOTH be in this hospital at the same time as Gonzalo to offer him this job opportunity?  This just so happened to be the trip of Gonzalo's dreams and he would have to leave this FRIDAY!! The same day as their wedding!! Amidst other temptations that they were facing, this was a huge temptation but Gonzalo told us that he has a firm testimony of the importance of this decision that he has made to get married and baptized in the church of Jesus Christ and that this was more important than any job opportunity that they could offer him.  So he was still very excited and ready for his baptism.

The next day he had his baptismal interview to see if he is ready to be baptized and make sure that he is being baptized for the right reasons and that he really has a testimony that they church is true. Everything went great with the interview, we knew it would, because Gonzalo has a real testimony and it READY to be baptized!! But yesterday, because of our mistakes and weaknesses as missionaries in teaching and in verifying what we have taught, we had to tell Gonzalo that he will have to wait another week to be baptized.  This moment was a lot more devastating than it might sound.  Gonzalo was VERY frustrated and confused and told us that he didn't want to talk but that he just needed time to think and to pray. 

Sorry I can't explain better what happened to lead up to all of this but I really have no more time.  But the most important thing to understand is that Satan does not like the idea of forever families or anything that will strengthen and give support to the family.  We can see the fight that the adversary puts up when we are on the right path, this happens MANY times before people are going to make covenants with God.  Please keep Gonzalo and Madeline and their son Vicente in your prayers!! And Hermana Jenkins and I also that we might know what to do to help them!!

I love you all so much!!

Hermana Harvey