This was my letter from last week that I had typed up and everything but for some reason it didn't send and got saved in drafts...
Hello everyone! This week went great. The only down side was that Maria, who was supposed to get baptized on Saturday, decided she doesn't want to get baptized anymore. Her stepdad isn't a member and has been filling her head with a ton of things about the church that aren't true. I know that with time she'll snap out of it. She knows the Church is true, but she is only 10 years old, so she got scared by the things her stepdad told her.
Francisco got baptized and it all went perfectly. I've mentioned Francisco in my past letters but I guess I'll tell you guys a little bit more about him:
Francisco is 60 years old and is divorced and lives alone. He spent the majority of his life addicted to alcohol and cigarettes. He is divorced, but his children come to visit him every now and then.
A few months before we started teaching him, Francisco had already stopped drinking alcohol for good. However, he had basically lost all hope in quitting smoking. We started teaching him, because he came to church with some recent converts that he is really good friends with. After coming to church for the first time, we started visiting him and he was really positive. He expressed to us how bad he felt for all the mistakes he had made in his life and all the problems that his alcohol and cigarrette addictions had cause in his family. He told us that he wanted to become a better man, and leave his past behind him. We began to talk to him about baptism, and how through baptism done by someone with the priesthood authority of God, he could be born again and start over, putting his life in order with his family and with God.
Throughout the first few weeks of teaching him, we saw a lot of changes. He began to appear a lot happier. He often had felt lonely, and our visits always gave him the spiritual boost he needed to keep moving forward. He was able to stop smoking for 2 whole weeks before his baptism, and is determined to never smoke again. Teaching him and preparing him for baptism were reallly spiritual experiences that I will never forget. We had a lot of really spiritual moments when we've all been crying, but also really funny experiences when we've all been laughing our heads off. Francisco is hilarious.
The baptismal service went really well. My companion and I sang a special musical number ¿Dónde hallo el solaz? (Where Can I Turn for Peace?). My companion talked me into singing a solo on the first verse. I think that was the first time in my life I've ever sang alone in front of a group of people! Francisco was teary eyed during the whole baptismal service and he looked so happy. When he got out of the baptismal font he said, "Brothers, give me a little hug!" to Elder Mann and I. We both gave him a hug and got all wet, but it was well worth it! Lots of members came to support him as well.
Thanks for the updates on how all the kids are doing. Keep on enduring in the faith! :)
Love,
Elder Parrish
