On Monday, December 16, 2013 8:42 AM, Jared Richardson <richardson.jared@myldsmail.net> wrote:
Dear Family, Loved ones, friends, and the many great and marvelous people that this letter goes out to,
Greetings from Chiguayante! Changes have come to us this day. Elder Montaña, after a grueling six months here in this sector, has received the news that he is heading out to his final area. It is only forty minutes away by bus, but change is good for my companion today. My new companion, to arrive tomorrow, is another Latino named Elder Flores, who only has a month more than me in the mission. Things are very exciting right now!
I have great news to share with you all today. This week, two of Heavenly Father's chosen children made the commitment of baptism, and both meetings were very very good!
Juvelino, our resident cowboy with a heart of gold, has made the decision to join the church after more than four years of investigating. In a very interesting interview with him, he repeatedly told us that our invitation for baptism, made several times during several visits, had bothered him immensely. He had discovered with a surety, very early on that this church was true, and he knew it was only a matter of time until he joined the church. But it was only under his timing, only under his agreement would he be baptized. Our uninspired demands had produced nothing but annoyance, but in the end, he knew what was correct and what he needed to do. When one of our leaders interviewed him, he said that Juvelino was super prepared, and when the time came, Juvelino was absolutely ready for the baptism. It was a strong lesson in trying to follow the Lord's timing and the Lord's inspiration, rather then just trying to force our will and schedule on him. His baptismal service was excellent, and the Spirit was very strong.
Soledad was also baptized, a golden example of what happens when the members reach out of their comfort zones and bring in people for the missionaries to teach. She accepted the gospel so readily that we didn't quite believe it at times. As we were looking over everything we needed to do for her to prepare the baptism, we realized that one of the smaller lessons hadn't been taught. Before the interview she had scheduled that day, we talked with her about it, and she declared that she knew it was true as the leader walked in the door. It was a beautiful baptism, and almost everything went off perfectly. The spirit was so strong that several other people have committed to baptismal dates or to come to church consistently now. All of these incredible blessings started with one member reaching out to a coworker and inviting her to hear an inspired message. This member, less active at the time but now completely reactivated, bore a beautiful testimony at the baptism, and her entire personality has become brighter and more Christlike. This Gospel changes lives, and not just the people we share it with.
This has been a whirlwind of activity the last few days, and a new energy has filled the air as we get closer and closer to Christmas. Everyone is very very excited, and with my new companion, I plan on doing incredible things here in Chiguayante! Miracles really do happen, every day and in every way, and I feel so blessed to be a part of this grand work of salvation!
I love you all so much and hope and pray that this time is a grand and special season for you all in sharing the Gospel and feeling the incredible spirit of Christmas. Keep being so awesome!
Sincerely with love,
Elder Richardson
P.S. I'm going to try sending my personal responses directly to the people now. We'll see what happens.
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