Saturday Rocky went through the Cardston Temple to receive his endowment. Ryan baptized him just over a year ago - WONDERFUL PAY DAY for a missionary!
Making time to to help with a food drive
Que onda!?
Transfer news: Elder Brandon and I are staying put and continuing on as ZL's. This is our 4th transfer together plus one more when we served together in June last year. The Lord has his plans for us. It'll be great and I'm excited for some baptisms this month!
Best experience of my mission happened this week, as you can imagine. Juan Carlos is now an endowed member of the church! It was the coolest experience ever. He picked us up about 8 am and we drove down to Cardston. It was very windy and just a little chilly, but not terrible as you can see in the picture. We got there and he asked me to be his escort. It was a really neat experience. A lady took us into a room and she checked over his recommend. Then, we met with the 1st counselor of the temple presidency, and he welcomed Rocky to the temple. We went and got our temple clothing, and he went straight in through initiatories while I waited for him. Then we changed into our whites and met up with the 1st counselor again, and he spoke to us for about 15 min about the temple ordinances (that was just a joy to translate haha). Then, we headed to the chapel to wait for the session to start. When the session started, it was in English and everybody was super confused, so after a brief delay they got the Spanish going. I guess that's what happens in the Spanish session. He had no problems during the session. I went into the celestial room first anxiously waiting for him to pass through. I saw him walk in and the Spirit just overpowered me! I gave him a big hug and welcomed him in. What an experience! All I could think about was D&C 19, about the joy we will have when we see those we bring into the church in the kingdom of God. I really feel like I experienced that that day in the temple. Something I will never forget. We grabbed an amazing temple cafeteria lunch and headed home. Can't describe how I felt seeing him go through that. I imagine that is how it is for your children when they first go through. Love it!
Well there was so much that happened this week that I don't know where to start. I am glad that we are staying busy at the end of the mission, or else it would be super difficult I think. On Sunday night we taught for the first time Victor. He is the nephew of a Spanish couple here. They are actually adopting him this week, so he will be their son! He is 19 and has such a good honest heart. He knows a good amount of the LDS doctrine, and he is like 100% committed to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. He is preparing to be baptized on the 25th. I love him, such a good friend. Estefania...sheesh I have never been more spiritually drained than after appointments with her! I love her too, but just soooo tied and getting impatient with her Catholic beliefs. We got her to contradict herself several times last night about infant baptisms and the apostasy. She is standing at the edge of the baptismal font, leaning over the edge looking in, so we are just about to push her in! Haha we have done our best job using the scriptures to show her the truth, so we are just praying that she makes her decision now, whether to get baptized or discontinue meeting with us. We taught 4 other new investigators this week, all ladies. They were all referrals from members (yay members!). 2 of them seem very interested, while the other 2 seem to be mas o menos interested. We also taught Diego and Sara again, a Colombian couple. I love this family and hope they will make a little more time for us so we can help them. Super humble and would be solid members of the church. So yeah we are insanely busy now teaching people. It has been really neat to see how the teaching pool has grown drastically in my 2 transfers here. I think it comes down to us seeking way more revelation and diligently following it. I'd say there has been times in my mission where I was doing the work and making the decisions, but lately it has been the Lord making the decisions and us doing what He inspires us to do. Revelation is absolutely key to our salvation and success, and I'm grateful I have been able to learn how the Spirit works with me.
Well that is about it for this week. Maddie I feel bad for that girl that she would say those things to you. I don't know how to say this in English, but no le hagas caso. Like, just don't even pay attention to her. She doesn't know a thing about what Mormons believe. But thank you for sticking up for the truth and what you believe, we need to do that better, like President Monson says.
I love you! And I love the rest of you! Only about 12 more weeks left, let's make it count!
Take care! Love Elder Draper
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