Tuesday, January 5, 2016

The Gospel is for Families

This was an interesting but really great week. I just love this area, our members, recent converts, investigators, and all of it. I'm stoked I will most likely be staying another transfer her with Sister Rasmussen! 
New Year's is a bigger holiday here than Christmas. New Year's festivities last for three days, and they're basically three days of buzof (creole for like, "looking sharp!") people in the streets, and drunks. So teaching was interesting. 
We had four baptisms this last week... giving a total of 12 this transfer. Is Heavenly Father raining blessings in Palmarejo or what? But with that, we now have the happy problem of having baptized all of our investigators. And so... the search is on for new people to teach.
Our goal this transfer is to finish families... we baptized a lot of part families last transfer... and we are hoping to have a lot of Family Home Evenings in our recent converts’ homes and help the rest of their families join the church, because the Gospel is for families! 
I have to tell you about my favorite little family and our Family Home Evening last night. The mom's name is Annie and she has two cute kids, Edson and Etssani. We just helped reactivate Annie and her son Edson was baptized on Saturday. So now we just need to help them stay active. They live on the top floor of a big cement structure on the outskirts of our area.  It takes us around 45 minutes to walk out to them, and after a year on the mission I walk like my Grandma Hanzel now, which means it takes them no less than an hour to get to church. But, they have come every week this transfer and you can already see a difference in their family. 
FHE at Annie's home 
They have never had a Family Home Evening before and so I made them a typical LDS "Family Home Evening" board to help teach them about Family Nights. I had to explain the board several times because it was such a new concept to them, but once the kids caught on they loved it and are excited to switch up the names and pick who will do what every week, just like I remember doing when I was little. The little things in the Gospel make all the difference.   Our "pensamento espiritual" or "spiritual thought" was on the roles of everyone is the family: mom, dad, brother, sister. I think Pai Celestial wants to help us finish families as well. At the end of the night Annie brought out a darling cake she had made, complete with candy on top Elder and Sister Carnell had given them for Christmas. 
This is just one of our amazing families here, seriously, I love Palmarejo
Until mais logo!
Sister Hanzel


Sister Rasmussen, me, Suely, Bishop, Tracy (Suely's sister, a potential investigator)

Sister Rasmussen, me, Jamilson, Bishop, Edivandro


Sister Rasmussen, me, Edson, Bishop, Annie, Etssani, Sister and Elder Carnell

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