Right now, even though we're in the 'rainy season,' it's been WAY. TOO. HOT. It feels like actual summer, even though right now is technically winter. But we love it! The other thing about lamina, if you remember my last email (or the one before?), is that it traps in heat like a sauna, so when it's hot, you go into a house of lamina and come out three pounds lighter from sweating so much. But it's a beautiful part of Guatemalan life.
On Tuesday I was in divisions with one of the sister training leaders, and we were able to teach a part-member family, Nefi and Mary (guess which one is the member). Nefi has been inactive for about seven years, but we recently started visiting him and his wife, who is VERY receptive. We have about three weeks with them, but we had never challenged her to be baptized, because we never felt it was the right moment. But on Tuesday, we were teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I invited her to pray about baptism, and the room went silent for a minute and she said 'Ever since you started visiting me, I've been praying about it to know if it's something that I should do.' My heart kind of jumped out of my chest. It was one of those moments where time and space ceased to exist and I could see the change this decision would make in the whole life of their family and the generations to come. It was trippy but beautiful (kind of like all of missionary life).
Yesterday we had a kind of disheartening experience, and I was feeling a little down, when I remembered my scripture study from the morning. I finished the Book of Mormon, and the last verses of Moroni 10 really hit me:
33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.
We are in no way perfect, and sometimes the mission feels like a pressure cooker of guilt and shame and inadequacy. I'm painfully aware of all the ways I fail every day, and I know there are many more faults I have that I don't even recognize. But God loves us, and if we have faith in Him, He will help us become the people He wants us to be! We shouldn't lose hope. All things are possible, but first we need to believe.
Well, my cheesy ramblings have come to the end for the week--until next time.
Love,
HC
p.s. here I am on my new mission transport. I expect great results in proselyting.
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