Hermana W in Guatemala City: This week in Barrio 1, we have a baptism! *

*Editor’s Note: I miss the Spanish titles! It seemed like every week she was sharing some new phrase or word.

Things are going really well here in Patzicia/Calvario! We're working with the members more and we've started eating at the members houses! (We found out that one of our bishops was suuuuuuper disobedient in his mission! scandal!)

In one of our wards, Barrio 1, they haven't had a baptism in an entire YEAR. That is so much! In Ribera, we had about 15 baptisms for the past year! But we're turning a new leaf and bringing a lot of hope to the members! And tomorrow, we're going to have a baptism!

The story of this baptism is a little rocky. He's a 13 year old kid named Abel. He lives next to some members and has been listening the the missionaries for a little while. He wanted to get baptized but his mom said no. We challenged him for this Sunday and he said yes. Then he LIED TO US and said his mom had given him permission! So we show up to the interview and everything, but halfway through, his mom shows up. FURIOUS. Then he left the chapel running. That was a bit rocky.

Later that day we went by with the mom, talked things out and got the permission! She used to be so closed off against us, but now she's opened up. She plays with my hair when I'm teaching, smiles when she sees us and even has started talking about HER OWN baptism! It's such a miracle!

We had to pass through a hard time when we thought we weren't going to have the baptism and our faith was tried! But I learned a lot about how important hope is. This ward needs a lot of hope and it needs to start with the missionaries who serve in that ward!

It's been a bit hard dividing our time between 2 wards, 2 bishops, 2 correlations, 2 areas, but it's good. We're learning the balance.

I heard that you all liked the funny story I shared last week, so here's this weeks funny story!

We found the mom of Abel washing her laundry and offered the help. So she gave us a huuuuge bucket of clean, wet clothes and told us to take it back to her house! So we did, but because it was heavy, it would cut in into our fingers so we had to take little breaks along the way. One time we were taking a break, and were pretty much in the middle of the street, and my companion saw some guy trying to walk by. So she said "Careful." and I stepped out of his way. He then came up behind me, patted my rear end and started to mumble drunk things in my face!

In that moment my companion clenched her fists and was about to hit him and I just looked the other way and sighed. The guy hobbled along the road and as he left we just broke down into laughter! It could have been a bad experience, but we turned it around and made it into something utterly histerical! I'm so glad that my companion is lightening up, and we've been able to make it through the hard times and plain old gross times together, laughing it up :D

Well,that's all for this week! Next week, we're going to a fun place as a district and tomorrow we have a baptism, so, pictures to come!

These pictures are just so you don't forget what I look like, my shoes that are almost dead and my oh so lovely tan lines!

Love you all!

Hermana Weatherford