Fernanda's Baptism!

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was it!!! Fernanda got baptized and confirmed!!!! It was the most beautiful baptism that I have ever attended...because I have been there from the beginning to the end, and I have never ever seen anyone SO prepared for their baptism and with an understanding of what it means. 

We don’t have a chapel right now in Purranque, so half of the branch all piled in a bus and we rented and drove away thirty minutes to the nearest capilla (after all the drama of where we were going to do the baptism. whew… "not the river! Its contaminated! We could die! The lake?? Nooo no no thats where the evangelicas do their baptisms!") And there, Fernanda, glowing with happiness, was baptized. And I have not cried from happiness so much in a long time. She was baptized (the minute before, when she was already in the font, we couldn’t find her daughter and we went sprinting around the chapel looking for Kata and then when we found her she wanted to jump in the font too hahah)  and afterwards president Trancoso just hugged her, and she exited just glowing. I snapped a picture and I love it, because you can just see how she feels from the look in her eyes, her smile.  Afterwards, she wanted to bear her testimony and...what’s even more, she has been actively sharing her testimony with all. We had a lesson with her in her house the day of her baptism with Alondra, and she said "It´s like you have a backpack of problems, and in the time of knowing the gospel it gets lighter and lighter...and today, it felt like it disappeared. That is what it means to be clean from sin." And the truth it, she is really truly converted, and its not because of me or us. It is something intimately between her and God.

Flash forward one day--and she had already been called into the relief society presidency. In the words of the mamita "its because she is so smart!"

Alondra, the poor thing, has had QUITE the week. Her grandma kicked her sister out of their house because they didn’t want to give all their money to a random uncle, we found out that she doesn’t eat sometimes because her grandma doesn’t buy food, and if she doesn’t work enough to pay the bus to Osorno she cant go study in her university...and then her boyfriend broke up with her because she decided to live the law of chastity. And she continues to be a rock star...a little bit down, but is still going to church with us and all. Keep her in your prayers, because the gospel is the only thing she has got going for her right now. 

 Hermana Lazo and I handing out yellow balloons in the plaza 

And hahahahahaha speaking of her grandma…oh my heavens I have chuckled about this every time I have thought of it...but we had a lesson with her one day and she has SO many opinions about religion (did you know about the pharaohs after Christ? I didn’t...) and wanted to be a nun...but in the end she told us very seriously that she has a gift from god. Because every time she prays "I pray in a different language. And I have the impression that is a form of Hebrew. But it is a gift that comes naturally."

I didn’t know what to say, nodded politely, and continued. In the end of the lesson she gave the prayer, and halfway through she nudged me in the elbow, I looked up and she started wailing in gibberish and gesturing wildly. I stared blankly for a minute and then almost died laughing, so I quickly bowed my head, we made it out the door and blocks away I let out all of my giggles. 

Whew. Thank heavens Alondra is normal and super...hip and just cool.

I love you all!!!! You are all in my prayers!

 Love Hermana Monroe

 Hermana Monroe and Lazo