Sister Samantha Sue: Week 5

This week has definitely been interesting.

SO many people here have gotten sick this week! A few weeks ago, Elder Ekberg ate a hot dog that the comedor served and got sick, so on Saturday night when the comedor served this pasta with hot dogs in it, he warned us not to eat it.

BUT Hermana Lucas did anyway, and the next day, Sunday morning, sure enough, she was sick. She came to the devotional anyway, and we were singing in the choir, when all of a sudden she turned to Hermana Bailey and said "I don't feel so good..." and then she passed out and after the song was over we carried her out of the auditorium. And she just went downhill from there. They took her to the enfermeria here and hooked her up to an IV, but eventually they had to take her to the Mexico City Hospital! When I went to go check on her and found that out, I was kind of scared because who knows how good the hospitals are here. Turns out she was severely dehydrated from being so sick, and maybe she got some sort of Typhoid? So we don't know exactly if it was because of the hot dogs, but I'm pretty convinced that was at least what started it. So a word of advice: do not eat the hot dogs. From Sunday to today, I would guess that at least a hundred missionaries have gotten sick. When we would go check on Hermana Lucas in the enfermeria, the waiting room would be packed with sick missionaries. Luckily, Hermana Kemple and I are fine! We've been doing a lot of splits so that Hermana Lucas's companion could attend class.

Hermana Lucas is doing much better today though. And I don't think people are getting sick anymore, it's just a matter of getting everyone who is sick better. Pray for all the sick missionaries here, it's hard to miss so much class because we are learning so much every day!

On a happier note, HERMANA EYESTONE HAS ARRIVED. The whole week before she got here, I had been praying that I would get to see her a lot while we were both here. And my prayer was definitely answered. She is in the new district in our zone, which means that we have the same schedule, we classrooms are in the same hallway, we are in the same branch, it's so awesome. Just a little tender mercy from the Lord. Also last Wednesday, Bridger Allman (another Orem High friend) got here, and tonight Quinton Dickerson is coming! It's like a mini OHS reunion! So fun!

This week's TRC was my favorite experience so far here at the CCM. Why? Because we taught a REAL INVESTIGATOR. Usually you teach members, but this time Hermana Kemple and I got assigned to teach Juan Carlos, a volunteer who literally knows nothing about religion. Nothing about God, nothing about Jesus Christ, let alone anything about the LDS church and the Book of Mormon. We actually found out after that he's a legit gangster, so that's pretty cool. Anyway, Hermana Kemple and I taught him that God is our Heavenly Father, and then we taught about how we can pray to God, and how He will answer our prayers through the Holy Ghost. He has some problems with his back because he's been shot twice in the spine, so we taught him how Jesus Christ knows all of his pain and his problems. We invited him to pray and pay attention to his feelings during and after his prayer, and if he received good feelings and could feel God's love, we asked him to be baptized. And.... HE ACCEPTED!! Right before I asked him to be baptized, I got that pounding heart feeling that comes when you know you should bear your testimony (aka the prompting of the Holy Ghost). We may never see Juan Carlos again, because things are different here at the MTC than they are in the field, but I pray every day that he will want to learn more about the church, and that he'll eventually get baptized.

This experience made me so excited to get out into the field and teach real investigators with real lives and real families and real concerns and real desires to find the truth. The feeling I got while sharing my testimony with a non-member and inviting him to be baptized is one that I will never forget.

The next time you hear from me, I'll be in Texas! My flight leaves Monday morning (August 3rd) around 9 am, and I'll be flying with Elder Barrett and Hermana Kemple who are also going to the Texas Houston East Mission. It's crazy how fast time has gone by here, and to see how much I've learned.

I love you guys so much and I pray for you every night.

Les amo,

Hermana Baker

One night we pulled all our mattresses on the floor and had a big sleepover with all the American hermanas in our casa and called it "Pangea". I definitely recommend it.

(Hna Kemple, Hna Christiansen, me, Hna Areno, Hna Lucas, Hna Bailey)