Here I am sitting in President Avila's office in his house! The misionaries leaving are having a meeting and I am chilling with his family who are amazing! We traveled up this morning with Hna Wilde to get her final interview and then visit her converts here this afternoon. I am officially exhausted walking around all day in the heat and not sleeping barely last night. BUT.............. at 10pm last night Marta Leticia Castro was baptized after a long hard fight!!!! And man was it a fight!
So like I think I told you last week that Marta is the mother of 4 teenage boys and her husband passed away from cancer when they were all little. Her life has probably been the hardest and most unlucky""I have seen. Right before her baptism, she got kicked out of her house. So this week, she was supposed to be out of her house by this Friday but Hna Wilde and I knew we had to fight to keep her here to get baptized this weekend or she would have a very hard time doing it later.
We prayed. We fasted. And then, we decided to go to the government downtown and find help. This happens all the time to people and the government processes here are very slow and very corrupt. Still, we left Tuesday morning to the center for minors, the judicial system, the social development department and all other types of departments for housing. We we discouraged but at the end of the day, we had a glimmer of hope. Keep in mind that Hna wilde and I have no idea the government policies here, the organization, or any Spanish vocabulary for these things. But the Lord blessed us with the gift of tongues and somehow softened the hearts of many of the people we talked to. After 3 mornings in a row, we finally found someone to help us. They gave her a longer stay on her apartment (until Tues of this week). Marta decided she had a good friend in Cordoba where there was a job waiting and it was probably best to go there so we convinced the San Juan Minister of Public Development (at the head of province level) to pay for her tickets there and for a longer stay in the apartment so she could have time to sell things. Not sure how we did it. Really sure we didn't but He, our loving Heavenly Father did.
We took Marta and the boys to sign the agreement we had made with this minister and we all cried and were so grateful. It was her birthday, and although she started the week off crying and with 20 pesos (5 dollars) in her pocket, she had a way out and a new start ahead of her.
So where does the baptism come in then you ask? Well we weren't sure at first how to proceed.She had been wanting to do it for so long and had great desires to be clean but her life circumstances wouldn't permit. So we asked Pte Avila and he said go ahead with it and when she moves to Cordoba, we will send the Elders to her again to make sure she keeps strong. She has her goal on the temple and I have no doubt she will keep going there.
So, in the middle of packing and moving, the only time she could do it was Sunday night. We picked her up in the taxi with one of her sons Luis, the first counselor of the bishopric, and headed to the church. Our awesome zone leaders Elder Baker and Roche were there waiting and fulling up the fount for us. The stake president came with his family too but that was all the people at the baptism. But, it was beautiful. It was so spiritual and calm and amazing to see her finally do something so wonderful that she had been waiting so long to do. Although it was unusual circumstances, it was Hna Wilde's last day on the mission and an amazing end to a long hard fought transfer. They confirmed her right after the baptism.
We got home at 11:30 last night and got directly on our knees to pray and give thanks for such a hard and amazing experience. This is just the basics of what we have been fighting for this family. Her husband was an inactive member of the church and she is waiting her one year to be sealed to him and the family. I am so grateful that the Lord blessed us for all the tears and struggles we had with her. I call it my overtime baptism. Just when we thought all was lost (even that day at 6pm we didnt think she was going to be baptized), we were patient and the Lord made it happen. We fought till the buzzer rung on this one!
Tomorrow I will work in Godoy Cruz with some of the Hermanas and the Wed meet my newbie companion. I am very excited to meet her!
Everyone, have an amazing Christmas. I hope you all remember the life of our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ and strive to be like him. Til next time!!
*no pics this week because I forgot my camera cord but for sure next week!!
Hermana Emily Thatcher
Misión Argentina Mendoza
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