Ten Trillion Degrees and Two Baptisms

Let's just start off by saying it is like ten trillion degrees here. Well, not literally, but it is 120... so that's basically the same thing. It was 100 degrees at 6:00 this morning!  

Sugar-free Popsicle’s are my new obsession. They keep you cool and are pretty much the best. If we are at home, I eat popsicles all the time. 

Even with the heat, this week was amazing. Sister Sneidere and I were able to witness so many miracles. 

Our first baptisms were on Saturday and we had 2 investigators there (our third had to work a lot this week, so we are postponing his baptism). 

So I think I told you a little bit about Edna, one of our investigators that was getting baptized on Saturday. Her parents are very against her learning about the gospel. Whenever we have appointments with her, her parents make sure she isn't home. When it's Sunday, they offer to give her a ride to church and they take her somewhere else instead. It has been quite a struggle to say the least. Her Mom would always pretend to be really nice to us, but she really disliked us. We went to their door one day and Edna wasn't home, so we left a note and our phone number on a card with her Mom to give to Edna. We checked back later that night and finally Edna was home- and she told us that her Mom had said we had never come to visit. Her Mom had given her little brother a Jehovah's Witness pamphlet to give to Edna and told her that it was from us... uhhhhh.  So she was working really hard to keep us away from Edna. 

On Saturday, the baptism was all set up, and our other investigator Cristal was there ready to be baptized. Except, of course, Edna was missing. We tried calling her, and her brother, and her family and we sent someone to her house - it was a MESS. We finally talked to her brother and he said that her Mom and Dad were going to drop her off at the baptism. We panicked, because in the past her parents would just take her somewhere else. We were really upset. 

The baptism started and during the first talk, Edna and HER ENTIRE FAMILY walked in. It was a miracle. Literally. We got her changed, and then Cristal and Edna were both baptized. Cristal had to go under 5 times because her foot kept coming up. 

Then we had them each share their testimonies. Cristal had written it down, but instead, she gave it straight from her heart and it was really awesome. Then Edna got up.  She said she was going to share her's in Spanish because her parents only speak Spanish. So there was an Elder, Elder Alvarez, who was sitting behind us and he translated for us. Edna said that a long time ago she tried to commit suicide. She tried three times. And then the missionaries (Elder Alvarez and Elder Slick) came and started to teach her family. She said she felt really good when they would read the scriptures and pray. Even though her family discontinued their visits with the missionaries, Edna wanted to learn more. She talked about how she had a really strong connection with the missionaries, but when the sister's (us) started teaching her, it built her up so much and she was able to connect with us even more. She has done everything that she can to learn about the church, despite the efforts of her family, and she bore testimony to them that she knows without a doubt that it is true.

The Spirit was so strong. Her family was crying. They felt it too, we know it. 

Afterwards, one of our members, Abraham, came and talked to us for a few minutes. He explained that the night before the baptism, he was dropping Edna off from a YSA activity. He is Hispanic, so he stopped in and talked with the parents. He answered their questions and explained the importance of what Edna was doing until 2:00 in the morning! He said he had been talking to them for most of that day, trying to get them to come, and helping them. We started crying again.  We were amazed! It really was a miracle that he was able to help them, we were so grateful. 

While everyone was talking and having refreshments after the baptism, Edna's parents invited us to come to their home after to have dinner! Her mom hugged us and kissed our cheeks.  She likes us now. We went there, with Abraham as well, and taught them about the Restoration.   A little side note, for dinner we had some sort of soup that had meat in it, and it turns out that the "meat" was skin from a pig... so I guess I've eaten something weird now. 

Edna's family came to her confirmation at church the next day. They are so great. Her little brother and sister looooove us. Her sister, Leslie, drew me a picture of her mom and me and wrote, "I love Mom and Sister Coltrin". 

Anyways - the baptism was AMAZING. Heavenly Father really does answer prayers. 

So for the rest of the week… Well, earlier last week at morning sports we were playing "crazy ball" which is basically kickball but there are 5 bases and they are scattered all over the gym. I was running from one corner of the gym to the other and Elder Tongi (an Elder from Tonga) was running from the opposite side to the other corner. Basically, we were both running full speed and were watching where the ball was going. We met in the middle, ran into each other, and BOTH of us fell down. I was mostly just mad that they threw the ball at me and I was out!  The whole left side of my body is bruised and hurts and I hit my head on him and the floor. But it was so funny. 

Another day, we were playing ultimate Frisbee outside and I was running for it and well, dove onto the cement (we're pretty intense...). Both my hands are bruised, so it hurts to touch anything and whole left leg is bruised and I can't kneel to pray, so I sort of crouch, and Sister Sneidere always makes fun of me. Funnnnnnny. 

On the way home from sports, there was a little puppy in the road and we stopped to try and help it. Eventually, everyone had stopped their cars and we were all chasing the puppy in the middle of the road to try and save it from being hit by a car. 

Sister Sneidere and I are obsessed with learning languages. We wish we could speak Spanish so bad! There are so many Hispanics here. I started reading the BOM in Spanish, so hopefully I can learn a little.

We got to go to the Temple on Friday! It was amazing and so beautiful! I got to see my whole MTC district, and it was so awesome. It was like a mini "family" reunion. 

We had a mission heat warning the other day - it was crazy hot! Up in the 120's. When it was 8:30 at night the words, "It's ONLY 104 degrees," came out of my mouth. I didn't think that would ever happen. 

Our investigators are doing okay: 

Eder: Eder is amazing. He loves coming to church related things. He has made good friends here and he asks them church questions all the time. He meets with us a lot and he is really progressing quickly. We are hoping and praying that he starts to recognize that the "good feelings" that he has are the Spirit. I think he is waiting for some big huge confirmation from the Spirit. 

Tony and Adrian: They work a lot, so it is hard to meet with them. Adrian texted us and told us that he still reads the BOM everyday. We are meeting with them this week and they both still seem really interested. 

Lenny: Lenny will hopefully be baptized next week. He was supposed to be baptized on Saturday, but he just got another job, so he works basically all the time except Sunday. 

The work is going well. We try and street contact a lot. We try to get our members involved a lot.  I love it!

 

I love you and miss you!

 

Love, Sister Coltrin

 

 

 

 

Edna and her family

 

 

 

Cristal's mother, Sister Coltrin, Cristal, Sister Sneidere