On Tuesday in the middle of writing we got a call from the sisters and had to leave, jump in a taxi and get to their church to fix the hot water so they could fill up the font for a baptism. Then that night at 8:30 we were teaching in sign language (I´m learning... ) to our deaf investigator and we got a call from some of the other elders. They have an investigator that has been coming to church forever, knows everything and is living all of the commandments, his wife is already baptized too. But he kept telling the other elders "When I am ready I will let you know". So after a lot of praying he finally told them he wanted to be baptized. They were having a goodbye party for a missionary who was going home and he told the missionaries in secret that he wanted to be baptized then. The thing was, he told them at 8:30 that he wanted to be baptized that night and we have to be home by 9:30! So we cut our charla short, jumped in another taxi and gave a baptismal interview! Then watched as they surprised his family and the ward with the announcement of his baptism! His wife cried. It was amazing!
Then on Wednesday we found out that 2 other elders would be moving in with us, that day. So we spent the whole day organizing, cleaning and moving 2 houses. We spent about 5 hours carrying things and throwing things away. It wouldn´t have been too bad, but we live on the 4th floor of an apartment complex and bed frames, desks and washing machine aren´t the lightest things! We were exhausted.
Thursday was supposed to be a normal day, but in the morning we got a call that a younger missionary in the zone was having a hard time and wanted to go home. So we jumped on a bus at 9:30am and headed to a city about 2 hours away from Melo to go see if we could help. On the way to the bus station we got a call from a sister in the ward that has cancer. She was really distressed and said that she desperately needed a blessing. There just wasn´t time for us to go give the blessing and get on the bus. So we promised to send someone else and we got on the bus. It was probably some of the most stressful 15 minutes of my life trying to make calls and find someone to give her the blessing. Luckily we got it all figured out. We were able spend some time with the missionary that needed help and had an incredible powerful spiritual talk! All 4 of us were in tears at some point while we talked. He is doing better now. On the bus ride I realized that we had decided to leave and visit the other missionaries and although we felt inspired to do so we hadn´t asked the Lord in prayer if it was His will that we took the time to travel and spend the morning with those missionaries. So I said a quick, silent, little prayer and asked the Lord fir a confirmation. Immediatly I felt the confirmation that the Lord and the missionaries needed us on that bus headed to them. I am thankful for the little assurences the Lord has given me to guide me throughout my mission!
Friday we had a rough day and walked most of the day, but at 8:30pm we decided to go visit an elderly lady that the bishop asked us to visit. She hasn´t come to church in a while and her son, Rodney, isn´t a member. We have talked to her son a few times in the street and he is super nice,but he drinks. A LOT! He is constantly drunk. When we knocked the door Rodney answered and said his mom was already asleep, but he offered to let us in and talk. We weren´t too enthusiastic about talking to him because we felt like it was a waste of time, but we went in anyway. As we talked he told us that he has gone 20 days without drinking and that he never wants to drink again! He says he is bored of being drunk! Haha! So we talked a little and invited him to be baptized, he accepted! It is incredible the people that the Lord is preparing! I would have never thought Rodney would quit drinking, but he is! I guess we can´t judge anyone!
On Sunday we found a ton of cool people to teach, but the miracles of the day was at 8:30pm, when we found Lorena. We had nothing to do and our last Charla for the night fell through. We were really tempted to go home a little early because we were right in front of the apartments and it had been a long week, but we decided to go knock a few doors for the last 30 minutes. As we walked we had the distinct impression to talk to a woman sitting outside her house smoking. When we started to introduce ourselves she quickly and rudely said, "I don´t care. I don´t believe in any of that!" We were about to just walk away and continue on, but then we asked her why and began to answer her doubts about God. By the end of the 15 minutes that we talked she had thanked us for answering her questions, accepted a Book of Mormon, said we could swing by again and encouraged us to come get her teenage son on Thursday so he could be soccer with us! Right when we were ready to walk away the Spirit touched her and us and helped her open her heart to this message!
I know that this is the Lord´s work! I am glad that He has allowed me to play apart in His work! I come home everyday exhausted, but it is a good exhausted because I know that I held nothing back. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has changed so many lives! I know that it has changed mine as well!
Love y'all! Sorry for such a long email...
Love,
Elder Cole
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