Good Week, Meeting Israel‏ - March 16, 2015

So, this was a really good week.
I had Exchanges on Tuesday with Elder Bravo, it was really good, I got
to visit an awesome investigator that is progressing toward baptism,
named Ronulfo. I was super excited to interview him as district
leader, but it turns out that later when they did a pre baptismal
interview, he had some problems in the past that he needs to talk to
president about. He is an old man on crutches who is super humble. … I
hope the best for him. It was also raining a ton that day! I have
since lost my umbrella, left it in a taxi… oops. That morning we also
had a Zone Meeting, and we learned the importance of being obedient in
order to have the Spirit with us, and about true conversion. And then
they trained us on something that I am really excited about…. Now,
instead of inviting investigators to be baptized on a certain date, we
are inviting them to put their own date, and their own goals. It is an
Amazing idea!

We were able to have a really great experience with that the other
day. We have been having a hard time finding people to teach, but we
found someone that I know is ready. His name is Israel, we found him
in the street outside his house when he called out to us in English.
In the lesson with him, which we taught in English, which was actually
really hard ;), we were doing How to Begin Teaching, and he shared
with us that he wanted help to stop drinking, and wanted to know if we
could help him with that. Of course we could! So we help him put his
own goals on how to stop, and helped him realized why, and he decided
he would do it for his son. Super powerful. And then we told them that
by being baptized, he could have a new start. So, we applied what we
had learned, and after he accepted to be baptized, he let him set a
date, for the 19 of April. It was so cool, and he is super excited
about is coming to visit him. It was the best How to Begin teaching I
have ever taught I feel, as the spirit was there to guide us and to
help us teach to his needs. It was an awesome experience and a huge
blessing from the Lord. We are excited to keep teaching him.
On Thursday we were able to help a member in the ward move, from one
house to another in the same colony. I was surprised that we were the
only ones asked to help, no one from the Elders quorum. I guess they
were all busy because of the activity they had planned that day to
clean the church and have a barbecue. But it is ok. We were able to
lend them a needed hand, and then they bought us hamburgers afterwards
to say thank you. We also reorganized our house for something new, to
change things up a bit.

On Friday we talked with everyone! We had an activity to try and talk
to the people on a market as a Zone, giving out cards, pamphlets, hot
chocolate and shining shoes. It was a good activity, and Elder Weiss
and I had ended the day presenting ourselves with 50 or more people!

On Saturday, we had the treat of visiting Israel again. We invited
Ignacio, a super awesome recent convert to come with us, because 1, he
is super strong in the gospel with a huge testimony, and 2, he too has
passed through a super strong Alcohol addiction. We passed by Israel´s
house and… he wasn’t there! We were super bummed. So for an hour we
looked for other people without success, and tried to go back and see
if he was there. As we approached we saw him sitting on his porch
with a beer can at his side. His neighbor had just given it to him,
and he just barely opened it and taken a sip when we arrived. Elder
Wiess asked him if he would like to throw it away, and he went and did
it, and he tried to beg our pardon. We entered, and Hermano Ingancio
introduced himself and basically started to give him a pep talk and
confess everything he had experienced on his journey to quit. They
clicked right away, and Israel felt super supported, and as we taught
more about the Word of Wisdom, his girlfriend joined in, and confessed
how much his drinking affected him, and how much she wanted him to
stop, and as she saw that we were there to do that, she was in tears
by the end for the lesson, and even said the final prayer. An awesome
experience! We did get back a little late though because of it, but it
was where we needed to be.

I began fasting on Saturday in preparation for the 5 baptism
interviews I had planned to do. By the end of Saturday night, I
realized it would only be one, Hidai, whom I had interviewed last
week, but who hadn’t passed. I was able to talk with her again, and
seeing that she is now living the Word of Wisdom, and feeling the
spirit as she attended a baptism service, she was now ready to be
baptized herself, and she was so happy to hear that she could, at
last, be baptized. I was super happy for her too.

So, it was a good week. And I am hoping for another good one J
we are excited to keep on working and contacting the world, my
district is doing great, and I am trying to have the spirit with me
every day.

Thanks for everything, I send my love,
Elder Redford