Montebello Week 8!!!!

HEY EVERYBODY!!!!! 

So... I'm getting to the point where... I don't remember what I did in the week?? I think it was really good! Our numbers say it was pretty successful but I don't really remember what we did.... let me think. 

First off, everybody out there who reads this should remember what the real point of our church is. Yea we talk about Joseph Smith and all that, but the reason we do is so that we can learn how to be EVEN CLOSER to Christ. And I just want y'all to know that through this church and the teachings it has one can come to understand what Christ did for each of us and become closer to him and have greater joy than with ANY OTHER CHURCH OR ANYTHING AT ALL IN THE WORLD!!! It is crazy. And I know it to be true, I see it change people all the time out here. Never forget what our church is really about. 

OH!! So Maria del Carmen? The one who has been waiting for a divorce in Mexico forever? Well we have been talking to everyone, President Becerra, lawyers, the whole deal about her marriage certificate. And well this week we had a nice get together with President Becerra and we were talking to him about it and he was like, "you know what? I don't think this marriage certificate is valid. The only thing that can happen if we just marry her now is if her ex husband comes up to the states to contest the new marriage which he can't do since he's illegal, so go ahead and tell her to just get married." So, yesterday, we gave her and her husband the news and invited her to get baptized, finally. She was just in shock. She is so excited. She is the best most faithful member of our ward and she is not even a member. So we are in the process of arranging a marriage! We are all so excited. 

OH AND HERE'S ANOTHER MIRACLE!!! This girl, Myrna, who has been taught FOREVER, like 2 years, we gave a baptismal date to a month ago and she accepted, but she still had major doubts about Joseph Smith and authority. And we would always address her doubts, but she'd always come up with more. She said she had been praying about all of them but hadn't gotten an answer. And this week, she texted us saying she wants to push back her baptismal date. So we were kind of worried, like, what in the world did this girl come up with this time. So we prepared for like 3 days for this lesson with her, prepared for everything, we even had President Becerra roleplay with us about her. And then we get there and she is like "So... I want to move my baptismal date to September 7th" and we were just sitting there like.... .... ... And then she was like "because I have a wedding on the date you gave me, but I've been thinking about it, and I really believe Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and I really want to get baptized into this church if you will let me". And we were just like, floored, I don't know what made her get over her doubts, but we had this whole lesson planned and then we were just like.... "huh... this is unexpectedly amazing. What do we teach now.." It was AWESOME!! I guess it is just a testimony that if someone really is reading and praying even if it takes time, God will ALWAYS give them an answer that they can recognize. As LONG as they put their part in. 

September's going to be an awesome month. We already have 5 baptismal dates. It is so crazy how God prepares people, and how the spirit teaches them things we don't even teach. 

Love,

Hermana Bardsley