Yesterday
was my sweet little Honduran, Dina's baptism. She is seriously just like
the best ever. Like, I could spend all day every day with her. She's so feisty and so little she reminds me of my mom, and I just want to be
with her everyday :) She has come such a long way since we found her.
She was found through contacting at a local thrift store in November.
She wasn't interested in learning at that time, but was interested in
the free English classes we have at our church. Bless those English classes. We get a lot of referrals through those. Anyway, she came and
then began taking the lessons but she was raised super Catholic, and
LOVED her little Maria Guadalupe like nobody's business so she had to be
dropped because she just wasn't progressing. In January, when my
companion came to the area, she began to teach her again. It was okay
for a few weeks, but she still wasn't prepared and ready to change her
life.... yet :) But in that time, her son had just gotten out of jail
and was living with her and opened the door one day (I know I've already
told this story before, but its so good I have to share it again!). He
had read the Book of Mormon in jail, and knew it was true!!! So when he
met the missionaries, he immediately asked how he could be baptized!
Uhhh, talk about a blessing from GOD!! The sisters referred him to the
Elders and a month later he was baptized! So this was in February, and I
got here February 12th. They hadn't seen Dina for a few weeks because
she refused to come to the baptism and just didn't seem interested
anymore. But one day, my companion was like, I want to try an old
investigator, so we went to Dina's door. She answered and said she was
so happy to see us and said she couldn't stop thinking about us after
her son's baptism. We made an appt and came the following week. So that
was the week that I was DYING. Like, legit dying, I wanted to go home, I
hated everything, it was bad, so I was just not in good humor, but we
went to our appt anyway. As luck would have it, the was the day Dina's
heart was softened and she felt the sweetness of the Holy Ghost pierce
her heart and testify to her what we were teaching was true. I still
can't get over that day. It was one of the hardest/ best day's of my
life. Everything changed after that day, she committed to baptism, and
here were are.... Now she is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints. She is so strong, and such an example for her family.
She has had a very hard life, and has lived a life very different than
the standards God requires, but she changed because she knew what God
wanted from her. She knew God had things planned for her that she
couldn't receive without following his sacred commandments. She is such
an example of repentance and truly embracing the Atonement. I know I was
sent to this area for her. She is the best and I love her with all my
heart.
On Thursday we went to see one our of favorite part-member families. It's
literally the worst situation ever, and I hate Satan because he has a
hold on divorces, and I seriously loathe him over it. This family is so
freaking cute, I can't even handle them. The mom had 2 girls, and was
living in Mexico, and met her "husband" online dating :) Only problem
is, she's still married. BAH. Her first husband was super abusive and
left her and her kids a long time ago, and she has no idea where she is,
so she literally couldn't divorce him. But she wasn't LDS, and I swear Hispanic "marriage" laws are so much diffferent. If anyone is in a
serious relationship, they're "married". Pretty annoying for us
missionaries when we're trying to baptize people. lol. Anyway, she came
up to TX, and they moved in together and have the cutest, chubbiest
three year old I have ever seen. He was a member, but very inactive. In
their time together, the missionaries found them and began to teach
"Yesenia". She instantly knew it was true, and had her daughters
baptized. She can't be though because she's technically not keeping one
of God's major commandments, but they can't get married because she
can't divorced. It makes me angry just thinking about it. Yesenia is
like probably one of the strongest "dry Mormons" I have ever met.
Although, she isn't baptized, she encourages her family to keep ALL the
commandments, they do FHE, they read the scriptures together, they pray
together, they have all the missionaries over every week, she talks to
everyone she knows about the Gospel. She's amazing, but she still has
the pain in her heart, because she can't have the fulness of the gospel
because she can't be baptized....yet. Ugh, it breaks my heart. Anyway,
she's been having a real rough time the past month. Her mom had a stroke
in Mexico, and is now paralyzed and unable to talk AND her boss told
her she couldn't have Sunday's off anymore because her job was more
important than church. Oh man, I freaking hate people like that. She was
so upset because they were two situations she just couldn't control.
Well, when we saw her on Thursday we shared Alma 37:37, which says "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good;
yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may
watch over you in your sleep; and when thou riseth in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."
She began to read it, and instantly began to weep. She
looked at us and said, "This is my answer to my prayers! God sent you
today to answer them!" Dang. We were like, holy crap. She told us she
had been praying for a way out of working on Sundays, and wanted to quit
her job, but knew she needed to work, to help support her family, but
that she had been praying if she needed to make that sacrifice to go to
church, that she would. And I guess that was her answer. So, the next
day she went in and put in her two weeks notice. Freaking crazy. We had
planned for them that morning, and I had read that scripture, and felt
impressed to share it with them. I had no idea why, but the Lord did.
These are times when I truly see how I am nothing but a servant and an
instrument in His work. He wanted Yesenia to hear that scripture so she
could have the answer she needed.
With Easter right around the corner, I pray you all
reflect on the Atonement, and what our Savior did for us and WHY. This
video below was shown to me in the MTC. It's about missionary work and
the Atonement, but I think it applies to everyone working towards hard
things, and trying to prevail. It is amazing. Be ready to bawl your eyes
out. I love you all!
Happy Easter!
Hermana Carbajal
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