The Girl with the Veracruz Mission: A Wedding, a baptism, and more!

Hello Everyone,

Well, it´s not snowing, but it´s raining right now.

Angelica and Rafael are getting married tomorrow! Thanks to Hermano Charly and some miracles that happened, they got all their papers figured out, which means Rafael can get baptized.

I´m going to really try to enjoy this week. Transfers are next week and both Hna Casabal and I feel that for me to continue more in my progress, I need to leave so I can become senior companion to someone. I feel ready for it, but I will be sad when I leave . I truly love this area and the members here, the people I´ve helped here to convert to the gospel. But that´s mission life for you, I guess.

Natalie and Aunt Kelly... I got your letters! Thankyou!

So one of the hermanas we ate with this week was asking what we studied before the mission. When I said anthropology everyones said ... that´s so cool! But then I mentioned I plan on changing my studies... I just don´t what yet. Usually they leave it at that, but this hermana said ´´Well then you can study the temple. You´ll be a beautiful returned missionary, what more could a guy want´´ Haha.

Alma continues to be amazing and animated about learning the gospel. When we went to see her on Saturday, she was really excited because she said her husband was planning on coming to church with them. And he came!!! They stayed after for the baptism of...... IVAN! Yeah, you all haven´t heard of him for a while. Hna Jensen and I passed him to the Elders. When I went up to congratulate him and shake his hand, he was ready to give me a hug and I´m said ¨uhhh... I can´t hug.´´ He said ´´Oh yeah... i´m a little embarrased.´´ But it´s all good because he´s happy and baptized!

Other things that happened yesterday.
Yesterday the hermana that we were supposed to eat with wasn´t at church, so I was hoping she´d be there at her house because we were prettty hungry. She was, and when we got there she gave me the biggest hug because it had been a little while. This is the same hermana who volunteered to be Alma Marina´s grandma. She´s been a little sick.

After we were walking and the phone rang and Hna Casabal was talking and smiling so much and basically jumping up and down and I still had no idea what was going on. She got off and tells me that Nora´s little sister wanted to start taking the discussions. She´s 11, and even though she´s primary age she wanted to stay with Nora. She came to gospel principles and Relief Society with us. Nora said that Isabela loved it! She told us last week that she´d wait until she was 15 because she loves watching the TV.

Christmas Devotional last night! I always look forward to it. It´s always amazing. One of the stories I loved was about how a community planned events of halloween, a birthday, and Christmas all in October so a little boy could experience them before he was to pass away. Definitely a spirit of love there.

After the devotional we went to see Alma Marina. When we were walking home, this dog kept on following us and we were trying to lose it. But it was insistent. 10 streets we were walking. To the point where we reached our house...so Hermana Casabal says to me...open the door to the (our white gate thing in front of it) and I´ll distract it. So I open it and hurry in and shut it. Then Hermana comes and we open it really quick and close it before this dog has the chance to get in. Then it starts crying and we said ´´´nice try...but you don´t even live with us.´´

Well time´s up.
Take care everyone.

Love,