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| Nora and I at her baptism |
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| Hna Rivera, me, Nora, Hna Busenbark, Hna Rife |
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| Santillan family, Hna Rivera, and Me |
Wow. This week has been incredible. I'm not sure I can describe everything or fit it all in here, but I'll try : ) A really cool experience we had earlier this week was with my companion, Hna Rivera's, aunt who lives in our ward. While here on the mission, Hna Rivera taught and baptized her aunt, uncle, and cousin. She taught and baptized them in another ward she was serving in, and now they live within the boundaries of Houston Six. So we went to help her understand why she needed to change wards and everything that went along with it. For me it was a powerful experience as I've heard her conversion story and learned all the little things that happened to make it possible for them to receive the gospel and be baptized- then as we visited her this week, the Spirit whispered to my heart that he did all those things because the worth of one soul is incredibly precious and He wants to do that for each investigator and member. Heavenly Father put Hna Rivera here in the Texas Houston mission for many reasons, but especially for her aunt and uncle. They went to the first ward first and now are coming to our ward for a reason. How perfect and harmonious is the orchestra of our Heavenly Father!
Our investigator, Nora, was baptized on Saturday in the most peaceful, serene baptism I've ever been to or heard of. I've attached some pictures of Nora at her baptism (with the help of my companion- I bought a converter to put pictures on the computer, but it has some bugs to work out, so she helped me today : ) I was able to give the talk on the Holy Ghost and I know for sure that those words weren't mine- they were straight from heaven. The ward turned out to support her and I know she felt their love and support. Nora is the first member of her family to be baptized, but she won't be the last. In her confirmation on Sunday, she was promised that her entire family would join the church following her example. Whereas I felt peace on Saturday, during her confirmation on Sunday I felt such an immense joy that I thought my heart would burst! Thank you for all your prayers for her- I know they helped her : )
Now our Santillan family, who are so incredibly special and wonderful- I've attached a couple pictures of them. One on Thanksgiving- I know I look all red and messy, but I'd been cooking all day. The other one is at the temple with them from a couple weeks ago. They have been struggling to make the step to get married for various reasons and last night we had a powerful and beautiful lesson with them and they finally committed to get married this week!!! I have a feeling that they will be able to be baptized before Hna Rivera goes home. Two of the kids Randeill and Abby will also be able to be baptized. The oldest son, Alejandro isn't quite ready, but the Spirit promised us the first day we taught them that if Lorena got baptized then Alejandro would follow. Randeill is really special and one day I can see him as a General Authority- he has such a sensitive spirit. Again, thank you for all your prayers for them and please keep at it. If you guys ever have any questions, please ask, because sometimes there is just so much that I don't know what all to put.
Just a quick thought from Enos. In studying in the book of Enos, I loved the phrase in verse three- "the words... sunk deep into my heart". And I stopped to wonder, what causes that? What makes the gospel sink into our hearts? What made the difference between Nephi, Alma, and Enos versus Laman, Lemuel, and King Noah? I'm sure there are lots of answers (and if you have some please share : ), but as I was studying the new Ensign from conference (!!!!!!!!) I found several parts that seemed to relate. From Elder Bednar's talk about conversion he said of the converts of the sons of Mosiah " They never did fall away and surrendered “the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more.” To set aside cherished “weapons of rebellion” such as selfishness, pride, and disobedience requires more than merely believing and knowing. Conviction, humility, repentance, and submissiveness precede the abandonment of our weapons of rebellion. Do you and I still possess weapons of rebellion that keep us from becoming converted unto the Lord? If so, then we need to repent now." We have to clear out the weapons of rebellion from our hearts- the walls of pride and barriers of selfishness that impede the gospel from sinking into our hearts. And then from another talk, Sister Burton talked about what we need to put in our hearts and quoting Elder Holland said: "Maybe a lot of other less-needed things sort of fall out of the wagon. I’m told those handcarts could only hold so much. Just as our ancestors had to choose what they took, maybe the 21st century will drive us to decide, ‘What can we put on this handcart?’ It’s the substance of our soul; it’s the stuff right down in the marrow of our bones.”4 Or, to put it another way, it is what is written in our hearts!" And beyond that, I think that it is in recognizing our innate and profound need for the Atonement that allows the gospel to sink into our hearts and souls. Just some food for pondering.
I love you all lots and I'm so excited about a Christmas package I'm putting together for ya'll. Don't despair- it's coming. Love you tons.
- Hna Kristi Koerenr
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