Elder Graves estaba grave‏

Hola!

Well this was a bit of a slow week cause Elder Graves was pretty sick, but we still got a lot of good work done and I had some time to think and reflect a bit.

One of the cool experiences of the week was on Thursday when we had a few lessons in the evening and Elder Graves was getting worse, but we decided to visit the Caceres family before finishing the day. We got there and Julio didn`t want to come out and talk to us cause he had a fight with his daughter, so we were just gonna leave, but at the end he came out and offered to take us to the church in his car. So we went and on the way he told us that he doesn´t want us to waste our time on him cause he doesn`t want us to lose a chance with someone else. So we asked him a bit about how he felt with us and explained a few things and as we came near to the church he wasn`t budging a lot so I told him we were gonna give him a tour of the church. He laughed and said "Que bravo!" Which is not really brave it is more like bold. But anyways he agreed to go in and it was the first time he had really been inside and seen the church. So we showed him a bit of everything and we turned the light of the baptismal font on and at the end brought him over and talked about baptism. The Spirit was so strong. He asked us what we believed about the Holy Ghost and we explained that it is what he feels when he talks with us and that it helps us as missionaries to help people know the truth. He said that he has felt it a lot with us and it was one of the first things he noticed. Then he started to leave but I told him top come back for a second by the font and I put him in front of me and we got into the baptismal stance. I told him that when he was baptized the one who baptized him would say his name and then say "Habiendo sido comisionado por Jesucristo, yo te bautizo,en el nombre del Padre y del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo. Amen." He just kind of stood there with this look in his eyes and then I told him that he knows that what we teach is true because he has felt it and I know that he has felt it. I told him the only thing left to do is follow those feelings. I asked him if he would follow what he had felt and even though the Spirit was so strong and his eyes were watering up he put his head down and just said "I`m gonna miss you." He left and we said goodbye. We then went into the sacrament room and I just felt the Spirit so strong because I had said and done what the Spirit had told me to do. I prayed for Julio and for all of the people who I have met who have felt the Spirit with me but haven`t haven`t followed it yet. One day they will.

Graciela was baptized on Saturday by Dario! I got to be in the font to support her back cause she has some problems. It was awesome to be right there up close to see it all. The Spirit was way strong. She was worried that she was going to have problems with her legs and back while being baptized but she said she didn`t feel anything! She is way excited to try and go to the temple in April to get the work for her son done who passed away. That was really what got her excited in the first place and it will be incredible to help her do that work. She is way excited and the ward is supporting her a lot. There is a new light in her eyes.

 These are the moments that makes it all worth it. I know that I am only an instrument, but I am the happiest instrument ever! haha Maybe not everyone will have the strength at this time to follow what they feel, but when I do my part I can be happy and know that God will make sure they find the way one day. Either way they may not remember a lot about me (often not even my name which is difficult for many) but I know that they will never forget the strong Spirit that we felt together. I love this work.

Con amor, Elder Hawk

Graciela's Baptism Fotos