Hola Familia,
We had a rough week but it ended super well. The rough parts were that our appointments on two of the days this week fell like flies. However, we have three people with baptismal dates for this coming Sunday and they are so excited, each and everyone of them. I enjoy teaching these wonderful people so much and look forward to their baptisms this week.
So a funny and very awkward story...Elder Lubiano and I walk down many streets here in Mexico City and people stare and quite often yell things at us. I finally am starting to actually understand the things that they are shouting at us which is usually just a bunch of garbage. However, one day we were contacting a woman on the sidewalk when a friend of the woman walks by. They chat for a little bit and when the friend of the woman looks at me she starts off about how handsome I am. I'm ignoring the friend because her embarrassing comments started at the point in the conversation with the woman when we were confirming when we could pass by. I was talking to the woman we were contacting when the friend started walking in circles around our conversation continuing to remark "que guapo estas". We started having passer-bys staring and as we settled on a time to stop by we left in a hurry. As I tried to walk around the friend who was still going at it about how I look, she tried giving me a hug to which I nearly and so very thankfully avoided. Laughing
One of the people SO ready for baptism has only had one lesson with us. She is in her mid-50s and when we passed by the first time we were hesitant to teach her baptism. Unexpectedly, I felt that we should teach her baptism before any other doctrine and after teaching we invited her to baptism. She very excitedly told us "SÍ"!!!!! She then explained to us that she never liked the fact that when she was a baby her family got her baptized and she never got the chance to choose it for herself. The idea of a new life and her very own choice were things she said she really needed. Excitedly she has overcome many difficulties in order to prepare for the baptism. One of which is that someone created a fraudulent bank account stealing 16,000 pesos which is about 1,500 dollars from her. Being a bit older, not knowing how to read or write, and knowing nothing about banks, she has had a rough time working all of this out. However, after learning how to pray she told us that it has given her a lot of peace and a sense that she is not alone. We had a lot of pure joy helping her learn these wonderful truths and that she has a loving Heavenly Father. Her baptism will be this week and we are excited to give her the rest of the lessons.
The greatest joy and happiness I have ever felt in my life really has been in the mission and I am so excited to go out for another week of hard work. I hope to have great news next week. I will work more diligent and obedient than ever to receive such a grand blessing. I love you and hope you have a wonderful week!
Con amor,
Elder Janis
