Week 33: ¡Feliz día de San Valentín!

This week was full of so many ups and downs. Daniel Tapia and his dad, Miguel, are still good to go for their baptism next Sunday, so we are excited for that! Hopefully everything will go as planned! The rest of the family needs a little more time before they're ready but we are definitely still working hard with them.

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than by having SEVEN investigators show up to church?!? About 5 minutes before the meeting started Hermana Bushman and I were all sad because no one was there yet. But then in walks Joel, a member had gone to pick him up! We waited out in the foyer for about 10 more minutes when Tony walks in! So we go in and sit down, and after the opening prayer Roberto comes in. After the sacrament, the Ruiz family shows up. And then after the intermediate hymn, part of the Tapia family finally gets there. (Hey, better late than never!) We were pretty excited. We've been trying to get all these people to church, and what a miracle that they all decide to come on the same day! And on Valentine's Day too!

Exchanges this week was with Sister Boyd. We had a super successful day! We went to knock in a trailer park. The vey first lady we met opened the door a crack, looked at us, and said really grouchy, "I don't have time for this" and slammed the door. We didn't think much about it, but an hour or so later when we were walking back towards our car she was sitting out on her porch and she called us back over. Then she apologized for being rude!  That never happens! We shared some of our favorite Book of Mormon scriptures with her and she said she would love it if we came back to teach her more about the Book of Mormon.

That same day I met the CRAZIEST lady I have ever met. She was a referral from a member, so at about 7:00 Sister Boyd and I go knock on her door. She yelled at us through the door to go away, but we were persistent and she finally opened up. We told her the names of the members who had sent us there because they thought she was ready to hear our message! That's when she changed and was like ohhhh I think I know why they sent you here, and she invited us in. So we went in and she told us all about how back in 1996 God gave her this prophecy that one day a man (specifically her daughter's ex-boyfriend named Phil) and his truck will go up to heaven in a tornado, just like Elijah went up in a chariot of fire. And how a whole bunch of people will disappear. And how she will marry Elijah, a black man. And how all of this will happen on a Sunday at 6:15 central time. She's called the FBI a whole bunch of times about it and everything. She literally is psycho. We taught her the restoration, but she's like nah that Joseph Smith stuff is crazy. I just wanted to shout at her YOU THINK THIS IS CRAZY WILL YOU JUST LISTEN TO YOURSELF. But don't worry, we kept our cool haha.

As missionaries we're always trying to help people understand that they need to be baptized by someone with the PROPER AUTHORITY. And this week we found a perfect example of that in the scriptures! Mosiah 21:33-35. It's golden.

That about sums it up! I love the Book of Mormon, I love the mission, I love the warm Texas weather, I love the package I got this week (thanks family!), and most of all I love my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Love always,
Hermana Baker

Me, Joel, Fernando, Hna Bushman, and Alejandro (a recent convert)