ThE AdVeNtuREs of A GReeN-EyeD GiRL: Word of the Week: Pavo (Turkey)

Mon, November 29, 2010 1:20:37 PM

This was another great week--Monica got baptized! It was a beautiful baptism, despite the heat! We had to run and track down the baptismal clothes at the last minute, but it all came together GREAT in the end. Monica invited her neighbor (Carolina) with her little 2 year old son as well as another family friend. Her son Santiago also came, and after seeing the font, he got all excited to get baptized as well! Santiago came to church Sunday, and even though he was too shy to go to Primary, he participated in Gospel Principles and Relief Society! The Primary program was Sunday during Sacrament Meeting and Santiago was all excited that he could invite a friend to church like the Primary kids said during their talks. He has a baptismal date for December 11th and we're excited to help him get baptized and to help unite Monica and Santiago as a family forever. Monica was so calm and excited to get baptized. Elder Allen baptized her (his first in the mission) and definitely a memorable baptism. As she came up out of the water, she just stood in the font and sobbed...for about 2 minutes....no one knew what to do (including Elder Allen!). What a powerful moment: to watch someone's life change forever! She was so happy (as you can see in the "after" photo). She truly is converted to the Lord and to being a faithful member of the church. It's been wonderful to watch her change gradually over the course of the past 6 weeks. I am so grateful that I was able to watch this miracle unfold and participate in Monica's life changing experience. In other news this week, we taught some very devout Catholics. They are few and far between, but when you come across one, they are difficult to forget. We taught Ruth and Raul, who listened to the Elders years ago. Raul is very Catholic and told us that we were welcome to chat with him, so long as it was in regards to the beliefs we have in common (ie: the Bible). He told us he doesn't believe in the Book of Mormon. He said he read about half of it, and decided it wasn't for him. As we talked and as he shared his beliefs with us, both Hermana Alvez and I were shocked by what he said. We decided that he either doesn't understand what Catholics believe or he understands too much and has studied A LOT! Everything he said--doctrinal--was spot on truth. He told us that to him, families are the most important social unit in the world right now, and at the same time, the social unit most under attack right now in the world. He talked about marriage as being only between a man and a woman. He talked about prophets as men called by God to preach repentance and to testify of Jesus Christ (note: NOBODY understands prophets as well as he does). We ate up everything he gave us and used the Book of Mormon to help him understand better and to compliment his Biblical knowledge and understanding. We left him, very hestitant to read the Book of Mormon, but nonetheless with the challenge to read it and ask God if it is His word. His wife, Ruth, who was cooking through our lesson but nonetheless paying close attention, has Catholic/Buddhist beliefs, namely, she believes in reincarnation. Raul believes in eternal families, but what he didn't see was that his wife believes that she will potentially come back to the earth in the form of another person until she reaches perfection. He didn't see that if his wife comes back to the earth in the form of a dog or a queen, they can't be together forever as a family....there are very obvious problems in his plan.... As we left and were talking, Hermana Alvez and I were so sad: how difficult it would be marry someone who didn't have your same beliefs and convictions. How difficult it would be to live in a world without the guidance of a modern day prophet to help us understand who we are, where we are going after this life and how we can get there and enjoy ALL the blessings possible. Raul didn't see it. We testified. That was almost all we could do because his belief is so close....he is simply blinded by the traditions put in front of him. Ruth and Raul are wonderful people, devoted to their families and the Lord. We are anxious to visit them again and help them have an eternal family. In other fun news, we saved a turtle this week...We were walking one morning trying to look up some street contacts when low and behold, there was a turtle walking in our path on the sidewalk. We looked around for an owner, but came up empty handed. We knocked the nearby doors, but nobody came out. We saw a nearby gate that had a gap below the bottom of the gate and the dirt. It was the only possible escape route close that the turtle could have taken, so I bravely lifted the turtle and tried to put it back under the gate....but it didn't fit! Even more confused, I set the turtle back down (sanitized my handed with my trusty hand sanitizer), then headed back on our way because there was nothing more we could do. As we crossed the street, two women entered the house where we'd tried to squeeze the turtle under the gate, so we hurried back to see if it was actually there turtle. Sure enough, it was. Little "Tortuja" (Tortuga is turtle in Spanish). She petted it and baby-talked to it and thanked us repeatedly. Whew...if nothing else, we save 1 soul....all turtles go to heaven, right? Today, for P-day, we had a Thanksgiving feast and what a feast it was! Here's our menu: -"Turkey" disguised as chicken :) -stuffing -mashed potatoes -candied carrots (thanks for the recipe mom!) -salad -corn -rolls (smelled just like home) -deviled eggs and PUMPKIN PIE! I am repeatedly impressed by the elders here and their inventions. They are surprisingly good cooks! Elder Reynolds adapted a pumpkin pie recipe and made a DELICIOUS pie! I was so impressed....it tasted just like a pie from home....I still can't figure out how he did it, knowing the limited supplies we have. It was a great feast and like all Thanksgiving meals, we were ready for a long nap afterwards! Thanks for the love and support. I am so grateful for wonderful families and friends and to have the opportunity to serve the Lord full time. How blessed I am! Love you all, Hermana Pelton