[My brother] Dallin and [his new bride] Robyn´s wedding sounded absolutely heavenly. The wedding was one of my favorite topics this week. I was so proud to be able to tell all of the other missionaries, all the members, all my investigators and even people in the street about my older brother´s eternal marriage with his wife. My testimony of eternal nature of the family has grown so much this week as I have testified thereof. I know that there is no other place that I would rather be than where I am now. I know that it was because my brother served a true, full, honorable mission that he has been thus blessed. I want to some day be able to say to my wife, children, and Heavenly Father that I served with all my "heart, might, mind, and strength."
This week was a pretty busy week. We had our usual missionary zone meetings on Tuesday. Then in the afternoon we passed by a "future investigator´s" house. Her name is Mary. She is about forty years old and is the mother of two girls, but also takes care of her niece and her niece´s seven month old baby. About a week ago, we were walking in the street and we saw Mary struggling to push a stroller up a hill. Mary suffers from a muscular sickness similar to muscular dystrophy, and is slowly losing the strength in her legs. Anyway, she was struggling up the hill, so Elder Rowett and I ran up to help her. As we helped her, we talked to her and shared a brief message with her. She accepted a Book of Mormon and an appointment.
This Tuesday we went to that appointment. We brought with us a recently returned missionary named Fank Vicencio and his mother Marcelina. It must have been inspiration because when Mary and Marcelina saw each other, they greeted each other as the old friends that they were. Also, Marcelina was Catholic (as is Mary) before she found the Church, so she was able to help Mary understand. In that appointment, we testified about the Restoration and the significance of that for her family. At the end we invited her to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. We then passed by her house on Saturday. We read more from the scriptures and invited her to go to Church. She said that she would go (but she would need an escort due to her weak legs).
During the week we also taught Ancelmo, Carola and Cecilia (our three investigators preparing themselves for baptism). Ancelmo definitely is doing a lot better and has felt the difference in his life that the gospel brings.
With all the visits this week, we expected a lot of investigators at church yesterday. In fact, I was fasting this weekend to be able to reach my mission goals and my goals for this transfer. To be able to reach those goals, I would need investigators in church. We had about six people who promised to go to church. Sunday morning we passed by a few of them, but nobody was home. Sad and exhausted (it is quite a hike from the valley where Ancelmo lives to the hilltop chapel), we began the church meetings without any investigators. During the first part of the meeting, I prayed and begged that someone would show up—to no avail.
The testimonies began and I listened with a broken heart. These people, my brothers and sisters, needed to come to church to be able to feel of the Spirit of God and progress along the Path. I thought of what I would do this week to avoid that problem next Sunday.
Then at the end of the meeting, I got up to the play the piano. We were halfway through the hymn when I noticed there in the back of the room; Mary was seated with her niece and the niece's child! I was so happy that I got a little lost in the song and had to play by ear until I figured out where I was in the song. My prayers had been answered. Mary had come and had even brought someone else with her!
I love my mission so much. I have grown so much to come to know that I have so much to grow. I love you with all my heart. I am serving with all my heart, might, mind and strength because I love my Father in Heaven and all of my brothers and sisters.
I love my mission!
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