February 13, 2012 Who Taught You to Pray Like That?

Hey!

This week went really well. We are teaching a lot of really good people and the ward is super excited to work. We are getting really good referrals and our ward mission leader is ready to work. All things are looking sunny, even though the rain came back.

Our incomplete family that we are reactivating and baptizing the rest is going well. The women didn´t go to church but the kids went to the primary activity on Saturday and came to church on their own Sunday. They loved it. Mauricio, Joanna, Ana Beatrix, and Gustavo are all marked for baptism on the 26th. Ana Beatrix is definitely the most intelligent and spiritual and is helping the rest. We are going to involve the Releif Society more to get the moms back in church.

We´re working with a new family. The mom is named Silvana. She is a really wonderful lady who is really spiritual. She is a little slow but has a ton of faith. She recently separated from her husband and moved into her old house that her drug addict kids trashed and left abandoned for several years. We are teaching three of her kids: Willian, Silvia, and Bruno. They are all open and things are going really well. Silvana works at night and gets home at 7am. This sunday she showed up at church and we were so suprised! They loved church and later that night we had an amazing family home evening with them and a bunch of members. The plan is to baptize them on March 3rd.

We are also working with an awesome young man named Davi who is progressing really well and we are working with him for baptism in March. We read 2 Nephi 31 with him and he accepted the baptismal invitation without hesitation.

Something horrible happened with our investigator Monica. Friday night her exhusband attacked and tried to kill her. We went to see her on Saturday. He broke her hand and stabbed her in the back with a broken beer bottle. She has a huge black eye. She was destroyed physically and spritually. She is way disanimated and didn´t go to church. We are trying our best to help her but it is a super difficult situation. She is a recovering drug addict also and isn´t having very much success in stopping to smoke or drink. I feel so bad for her. We really need to save her.

Well on a lighter note, funny story. At the family home evening on Sunday someone invited an evangelical preacher. In the end he gave the closing prayer (evangelical style). Our recent convert Ray was there too and after the prayer he asked the preacher "Are you deaf?" Preacher: "No, why?" Ray: "Because you were yelling during your prayer. Who taught you to pray like that? Your pastor? God´s not deaf." The preacher was ready to fight with him but another member stepped in and changed the subject. I could not believe that Ray did that! He is such a quiet guy. I think that was a sign that he will be a really awesome missionary. haha!

Anway, that´s the news. Hope all is well. Much love!
Elder MacLane Taggart