Hey everyone.
So you probably were expecting an email about 24 hours ago NOT expecting me to be writing you on Thursday rather than the regular Wednesday. So first off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! Its still your birthday back home so its nice that I get to wish you a Happy Birthday on your actual birthday rather than a day before. So the reason why we are emailing right now as opposed to yesterday is because in...5 hours we will be sitting at the feet of Jeffrey R Holland and hearing what he has to say to us. I have no idea what he is going to speak about but I'm super stoked. I got selected to be in the choir which really blew my mind because I dont fancy myself as any kind of standout singer or anything. Usually I just sing in choirs out of pure necessity or I get pulled into it....which is kinda what happened here I guess. We read the Book of Mormon in like 4 weeks or something to prepare for Elder Holland. Well, just my district. Elder Hardin and I thought it would be a good idea to prepare us for this super sweet chance. I am on Moroni 6 right now so I think I'll finish up as we are studying before he walks in with President Teh and Tad R Callister of the Seventy (Who I am super excited about!) It would really suck though to not finish with such little bit left!!!
The thing with the baptisms is getting crazy. Satan is trying sooooooo hard to postpone these baptisms. I have now payed for TWO weddings with my birthday money and I am all out of cash (so I would really love it if you could stick that extra birthday money in my account so I can get something for my going away party). Lynn-Lynn and Churchell (who is a member) are picking up their Certificate of No Marriage on Friday and then going straight to the Judge to declare Article 34 that states that since they did everything they needed to in order to be married before and have been living together for 7 years, the country considers them married and then BOOM! you may kiss the bride. Lynn2x is getting baptized on Saturday. 6 years of investigating the church just waiting for the wedding to happen. No money. Glad I could help thanks to all of you.
Then you have Jonathon who is ready as you can be. He's a really great guy. So full of the Love of God and humility. He's gonna be a great member. Great Priesthood holder.
Ernie and Rowena and Klein. Holy cow. These three have been quite the roller coaster. Just the most beautiful little family you ever did see! Rowena is one of the most converted people I have been able to teach my entire mission and Ernie isn't far behind. Klein is just 8 years old but gets read to out of the Book of Mormon Reader between playing with his friends and watching episodes of Dragonball Z (oh, to be a kid again!!!) But then we had a couple of bumps. First, they need to take some Family Living seminar before they get married. They got scheduled for October 26 but then at the same time, they also have to wait 10 days for their Marriage License after that. Which would postpone their marriage for 2 weeks. They are supposed to be baptized this week. I was curious if there was a way around it so Elder Hardin and I went up to the City Hall and talked to some lady who didn't want to help us at all and referred us to an office across town and so we headed over there and we were told that the seminar HAD to happen no matter what. I offered 500 pesos for them to get out of it. Nope. So then I just asked if it were possible to get them pushed up to this Wednesday rather than the next Wednesday. They talked about it and they approved it. So Rowena and Ernie did it yesterday. They get baptized on the 29th.
But then another road bump. On Monday, a member came to Elder Serrano and I and told us that he saw Ernie smoking a cigarette and drinking and stuff which made no sense to us because he doesn't ever do any of those things. We talked to Rowena and she said that he didn't so we talked to the member and he defended himself really hardcore that he saw what he saw. Well, we told the member that we were grateful for his coming to us but it all really depended on what Ernie said. We knew that he wouldn't lie to us and whatever he said, we were going to accept that as the truth and then deal with it from there. He got all flared up and said that Ernie didn't deserve to be baptized yet and that I shouldn't focus on numbers but on conversion. That kinda got me flared up but I just heard him out. He went off for a minute or so. I told him thanks for his help and that it was up to Ernie. Then the member said that if Ernie gets baptized and starts smoking, then I would be blamed. I said that was fine and that I wasn't worried about that anyway.
Then he said that he would testify forever to what he saw. I asked him to whom he would testify because I didn't want this guy spreading garbage about my boy Ernie. He said he was going to testify to the Lord. I told him that was good and that it should stop there and then he said the words that for the last two years, after all my work and focusing on the Atonement to help me in my weaknesses, and improving and trying to become more Christlike, have become just a dagger to who I feel I have become. He said, "You are so prideful". Two choices. I could blow up on this guy and tear him down for being the prideful one in the situation or I could walk away. I just said, "Okay, thank you", then turned around and walked away. I was breathing soooo deeply trying to keep myself from acting out, punching a tree, hitting a fence, throwing a rock, etc. Just clenched my fists and walked away breathing it out. And the Academy Award goes to.....
I can kinda see where he is coming from. He's an RM from a different time. The work soooo much more on the Spirit and Revelation than it was in his time. I know by the Spirit that Ernie is ready. In my view of how the Atonement works, a man with no addiction to smoking shouldn't have his baptism postponed (and in effect a wedding and the baptism of his family) because of 2 puffs of a cigarette. I'm not excusing him. But that's what the Atonement is about. Forgiveness for mistakes. He made a mistake and he deserves forgiveness.
Well, (as you may have guessed) turns out that Ernie did smoke. He took two puffs of a cigarette that his friend brought back from Italy. He confessed to Rowena when she asked. Its not going to stop his baptism. Not a shot. Two puffs isn't condemnation. He just needs to repent before the 29th and thats why we are here. He feels horrible about it. Might I say, the "pains of a damned soul". haha. But he's ready. Just a bit of paghinulsol and he's good to go.
So 4 baptisms on the 22nd, 3 on the 29th and hopefully 1 on the 5th.
What a week. Still sane and still lookin good....well, as good as I can.
Love you guys. See you in a bit. Brandon
