Week 38

Remember how I said last week that the rainbow comes after the storm? Well this week I got to see the rainbow. For 3 months we have been working with Ariel Cortez. His parents were married in the temple and everything but when Ariel was 8, they were offended and left the church. Hermana Grover and I found his parents Lorena and Antonio knocking doors one day and we made a goal to reactive them. At this time they were assisting the catholic church and had no interest in listening to us. NONE. ZIP. NADA. But we kept visiting them and showing them that we really did love them. Ariel started to assist with his parents and they didn't fault a Sunday for 8 weeks! But still when we would ask Ariel if he wanted to be baptized he would say no, that he would never leave the catholic church.(he was a catholic missionary.) We gave him the invitation to read the Book of Mormon with a question in his mind and then to pray after to ask if this was the true church. At this point I was kind of frustrated with him to be honest and said to my companion, "Okay if he says no again, we need to move on. He's not progressing." We hadn't heard from him in a few days when we received a text that said, "Hermana's, I have a surprise for you. I got my answer and want to be baptized."

We passed for him the next day because I thought it was a joke but when we got to his house his mom came out and said, "Ariel wants to be baptized, thank you Hermana's!"

Ariel was baptized this Saturday and it was one of my favorite days on the mission. His mom shared her testimony and said, "Hermana's, thank you for being so stubborn and never giving up on us." I feel so blessed to have had this opportunity to see a family being completed this weekend. I feel so blessed!! We all wore black at his baptism because it's his favorite color but Sunday he showed up in a shirt and tie we bought him and it was so cute! 

This church is true friends and family. I promise that if you read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if it's true, you will receive an answer. How do I know this? Because I have read the Book of Mormon and prayed and received an answer and I have watched many of the converts here do the same. I love you all and testify that with God, we can do all things!

HERMANA BEARDALL

 

 

Ariel's baptism

 

 

 



 

Sunday

Hermana's