Bautismo!

Hey everyone!!

This week has flown by here in Cuenca!

This week I have been without a companion again....I won't have one till next Monday, I am kinda getting tired of being in a different sector half the day and then in mine for like 1 hour a day at the most. Going to church a lone just with my ward mission leader.

It is okay though, because I had the best baptism of my mission this week! It was weird filling out the baptism paper work and only putting my name in the top right corner and not another missionaries too.... But Ana Belen Merchan was baptized this Saturday by her dad who has been waiting a long time for that moment. It was a very spiritual experience for the whole ward and me. She has never wanted to join the church before listening to many different missionaries over the years. Well when she finally accepted the baptism date she cried and cried cause she was so happy and told us she didn't know what was different but she just knew she needed to do it and new it was true all of a sudden. But we usually have like 10 people in baptisms but this one had 80 people! I counted like 3 times in amazement! A lot of the people there were other non member family members, I know they all felt the spirit.

Ana Belen bore her testimony after and told everyone that she will serve a mission in 1 year from her baptism day!!!!!! I was so shocked because 4 days before she didn't believe in the church at all. I was so happy also! she is 21 years old so in one year she can go through the temple and serve a mission. There were a lot of returned missionaries that were a little disappointed that she is going on a mission because they all want to marry her.
All in all it was a very good day for a lot of people her in Cuenca.

I know that she received her answer through the power of the Book of Mormon and through the power of the holy ghost. I am excited to go to the temple in 1 year and watch her get sealed to her family and leave on the mission. Hopefully in the time in between more of her family members will come unto christ through the waters of baptism.

This week we started a new program in my ward. Every week I get up in sacrament and assign a book of Mormon to a family, they have to give it to a non member with their testimony in it and invite them to church. This week on Thursday a lady came running into the chapel because her dog ran away and went into the church. The bishop found her and he gave his book of Mormon to her. We happened to walk in right then and meet her and taught her about baptism and invited her to church. It was a miracle in my eyes that her dog decided to run into the church! She really liked the church and our lesson. We tried placing a baptism date and she said she wants to learn more, but the next lesson she will commit to being baptized.

I have been living with two other missionaries for a while now on the floor...... but its a comfy floor. And we get a long pretty well.

All the missionaries this last week had a conference with the mission president, he came to talk to us. It was cool we learned a lot, The meeting was 6 hours with a lunch break. It was very long but very spiritually uplifting. He didn't know that I was without a companion at the time and asked me where my companion was and I said " I don't know president, I was hoping that you could get me one soon" and everyone laughed. He said next week I will have one. It is hard for him to keep track of 250 missionaries I guess.

Well I love you all and I hope that your week goes very well. Find someone to share the gospel with, you never know whose life you will change by just being a good example and inviting someone to learn more, or to church.

I love you

Elder Jase Warner