We started out the week without a car so we had to bike everywhere. The problem was that El Paso was having a crazy sand-storm, and we had a baptism to get to and our church is way far out of our area. Well, it wasn't really a problem...just a set back. I just threw all of the food and baptism stuff in my backpack and put everything that didn't fit in plastic bags on my handle bars. It was cool until the sand blasts ripped the bag open! I wish someone could have seen us biking up hill, one handed, in the wind with a bunch of white clothes in my arms haha!
Jose and Blanca
The baptism was SO BEAUTIFUL. Jose had fasted all day to be ready, and Blanca has been waiting for the day that she could be clean since we first went to her house. They were so nervous and excited. Blanca wore her heels all the way to the font haha. Then when she got baptized she came out of the font, with tears running down her cheecks, and gave me the biggest hug. Then Jose got dunked! He said he felt at peace for the first time. It was such a beautiful experience. All of their non-member family was their to support them and afterward Jose told me that it was the anniversary of his mother's death and that he knows she was there.
Holy cow I'm running low on time. I'm probably just going to send like 25 photos and let you look through those haha.
Joel
Joel's baptism was so so great! When he went into the water he yelled "DANG THIS IS COLD!" it was so funny. We took a bunch of flexing pics because pretty much all he does is flexes and talks about his muscles. We thought we would play along.
20!
My birthday was INSANE. Thank you to everyone who did something!!!! It was such an awesome day! Nora (one of our members) did a cake and a bunch of Mexican traditions for me. Our investigator Myra gave me a locket with a note from her inside and the sweetest letter in the world. Joel gave me a present that was kinda flirty so we actually have to pass him off to the elders now (he sprayed the card with cologne hahahahha) and I came home to the COOLEST presents from the COOLEST family. My zone leaders even tried to get me a present! They called Hna Garcia and asked her what my favorite drink was and she was like....ummm water? So they got me a case of water HAHA. It really was one of my favorite days of my whole mission!!! I felt so loved through the simplest tiniest things.
The Temple
We got to go to the temple yesterday!!!! SO incredible. I missed the temple a ton. It is such a beautiful place. It makes me so excited to go with Mayra, Angel, Joel, Blanca, Jose, and Pablo. I can't wait for them to go in for themselves!!! We are already planning a road trip to do baptisms with Jose and Blanca! They are so excited to baptize their parents and her brother.
Man, the church is so true. In Alma it talks about how our joy will be so great if we just bring one soul to the fold of God. When we look at it through the eternal perspective, I can see why! Each soul has hundreds on the other side waiting for their work to be done. One convert could mean a whole family tree of converts who have already passed on! I know because I have felt it. I know that the angles that are "on our right and left bearing us up" are the family of the people we are teaching. I know it without a doubt. I have felt it! Mayra even told us the other day that she heard the voice of her daughter before she was born, and waaayyy before she knew us, saying "mom, we have to follow HIM and then we can be a family.". Now she knows what that means and her little baby is going to grow up with married, sealed parents.
Well thank you again for all of the love. I have no idea how I got such great friends and family. I feel so humbled and blessed to have you all. Getting so spoiled on the 4th made me want to work 100x harder so that maybe I can deserve a FRACTION of all the love I have received. You people are AMAZING. I don't know what I would do without you.
LOVE,
Hermana Johnson xoxoxox
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