Sharing Testimony Through Music, Sharing the Gospel, and Sharing Skirts

We are so happy because last Saturday, Hermano A. was baptized! The service was beautiful and many people came to support him! He is excited to serve a mission in a year and already has made many friends in the ward. It was such a blessing to get to work with him! This past week, our district had 4 baptisms total! We had the one with Hermano A., and another companionship had 3 in one day! How cool is that? For the first baptism, one of the Elders asked me to sing a duet with him a Capella. It actually turned out pretty good but I was so nervous! It was the first time I can remember singing in front of people without being in a choir! For the other baptisms, I played the piano. The piano books that have the hymn arrangements have been such a blessing to have! I love playing out of them! I have had lots of opportunities to play the piano for sacrament meetings, baptisms, and mission meetings. I'm trying to do what you said and share my testimony through my music, and I love it!

Hermano A.'s baptism service. Wonderful day!

Today, I studied some really great stuff in Predicad Mi Evangelio. We have been struggling to find people to teach, so I thought I should read about it. God is preparing so many people to hear the message of the Restauración. (Read Alma 16:16-17) Many people around us are looking for the truth, they just don't know where to find it. We need to have the faith that God will put in our path those that are ready to listen. This counsel isn't only for full-time missionaries, it's for all members of the church! Everyone is a child of God, and so we are all brothers and sisters. When we were baptized, we promised to serve our fellowmen and be witnesses of Christ. Therefore, we must work toward sharing this Gospel with those around us, because we are there with them for a reason, and we know that this knowledge can bless and change their lives. If we pray for opportunities to share the gospel, the Holy Ghost will not only help us find those that are prepared, but will also help us know what to say! (Read D&C 100:4-8) All we need is faith the the Holy Ghost does the rest!

Anyway, we are super excited for this week because we are helping another one of our investigators prepare for her baptism this Saturday.

So, I took my memory card to a Kodak tienda and the guy was really nice. He tried to get my pics back, but couldn't. But, he was able to debug my memory so I can use it again. Unfortunately, I already bought a new one, so now I have two memory cards. I also bought two USBs to back up my pics. Hopefully, I won't have any more problems with losing pics again!

For Easter, we're not planning anything special. Hermana Jaramillo told me about a tradition that they have in Mexico. For a couple weeks before Easter, they eat lots eggs and hollow them out. Then, they fill the shells with confetti or flour or stuff like that. Once made, we can use the egg bombs to throw at people! So, we are thinking we'll make a few. We're planning a little bbq for Hermano A. this weekend with other Young Single Adults, and we pull them out and have some fun -- ha ha.

There are lots of Catholics here in Peru, and so this week might be a little interesting. I don't know a lot about their traditions, but there is a huge Catholic church down the street from our chapel and there have been lots of services there the last few days, and lots of people walking around with flowers. Every day this week is another specific day of celebration, but I'm not sure what they are exactly. Lots of people also have work and school off this week, so there are more people out and about. I'll have to ask around and see what each celebration means.

So my mother noticed in the picture last week that my companion, Hermana Jaramillo, was wearing one of my skirts. Ya, she likes to wear my clothes. I'm fine with it so long as I am not going to wear it that day -- ha ha. She really really wants a BYU shirt, so I might give her one of mine. Also, the skirt in the pic is her favorite of my skirts. She has mentioned that I should sell it to her before she leaves. I'm not gonna sell it to her, but when we have our next transfers, I'll surprise her by giving it to her before one of us is transferred. I don't wear it very much any more anyway because one of the Elders told me I look like a little girl when I wear it. Ugh! I really liked the skirt until he said that! But ya, she absolutely loves it, so I plan to give it to her at transfers as a surprise.

The time is starting to get shorter, and so I've set some goals before I finish my mission. It seems weird to think that I'll be home before the end of the year. Now, I just need to work and really focus and enjoy every moment. Happy Easter everyone!