Week 53

Ahhhhh this week was so unreal amazing i cannot even begin to tell you. where to begin where to begin. okay so A______ got baptized!!! whooooooooo :) okay so sister dubon and i learned a big lesson on this one. so he got interviewed on Saturday evening the day before the baptism. (first mistake) in the interview, something came up that had to be addressed with President Caycho (consejero of presdent taggart) A______ had tears in his eyes when we were walking up to him. it was a really tender moment as we explained to him the power of the atonement. he kept saying, " i was just so excited for tomorrow" it just broke my heart. but i could tell that he has repented. he kept saying, "the person who did that was somebody totally different. i didn't know what I know now" THEN we told the whole branch council and the relief society women making food that it was canceled and would be the next week (second mistake) President Caycho got back to us and told us that he would be at our chapel on Sunday morning to interview him. and.... HE PASSED! which meant... HE WAS GONNA GET BAPTIZED. so good think and stressful thing. stressful thing was that we hadn't even started filling up the font so yikes. also we thought there would be no food and after church, everyone is starving to thats a problem. well luckily one of the women doesn't read texts so... she brought all the food anyway and it was enough for everyone to have seconds!! and the members were major troopers. they whipped up really good talks and everything came together super well :) A_______ felt super good and bore his testimony on his own! and said how grateful he was to us. he said before he was lost, but now he has a testimony of God, his eternal Father and that Jesus Christ is his Savior. what more could a misionera want?? I am so happy.

Then that night we had a huge fireside. all the spanish units of the northern part of jersey were invited and the spirit was so strong. in these firesides, the missionaries perform musical numbers and talks and it was great. i got to see some of my newark homies. that was awesome :) I was asked to speak at this fireside on prayer. I will never get tired of seeing the gift of tongues working through me. Sometimes phrases just come out that I didn't even know I knew. its so humbling to see how the Lord works through me. I shared about how the mission has been the most spiritual experience for any missionary because it is porpotional to how often we pray. we probably pray at least 40 times a day! I talked about how i prayed to find someone prepared to teach and who would be baptized before we left the car on the street we parked at, and that's when we found A_______! As I was telling the story I testified saying that I am a witness that God answers our prayers because that very day, A______ was baptized. There was an audible gasp in the congregation. the spirit was so strong. afterwards, many people introduced their selves to me and thanked me for what i said on prayer. and as far as half of the congregation is concerned.... I'm from Costa Rica ;) hahah i wish.

one more amazing piece of news: While i was serving in Kearny, there was a man who was less active and struggling from a rare blood disease. the doctors told him that he was on a donor list and that hardly anyone would be a match so it would be up to 20 years before he got operated. they said that with that much time he would die before he got the chance. He was confined to a wheel chair and refused to go to church or ask for the sacrament to be brought to him because he thought that would be shameful.To this day I remember sitting at their tiny kitchen table, feeling the spirit overpower me. My hands were even shaking and trying to hold back tears, I promised him, as a representative of Jesus Christ that if he would take the sacrament, he would be healed and they would find a donor for him. I remember leaving that appointment thinking to myself... well flip, that was a big promise. Last night at the fireside, I asked a member from the newark ward how he was doing. He said that he has been miraculously operated on and that he is even walking! He said that he never misses a sacrament meeting. this member said, "sometime he missing an hour or two, but always there for the sacrament, I'm not sure why" I smiled and said, "i know why" I cannot tell you how happy I was. Its amazing to see how the Lord works through a sister missionary like me. I don't have the priesthood, but in that moment, I understood for myself that I do have authority in this work. I love it.

I forgot my camera cord! but I will try to send pictures later today :)

Love you all!

Hermana Mortensen