like a lot of the miracles are coming from the promise that we made
never to baptise anyone that wasn't truly converted. That way instead
of just rushing people through and spending all our time trying to
keep them going, we work harder to make sure they are truly converted
then they do all the work for us. They are 24 and 21 and have two kids
and they are like our actual besties here. The mum is the sister of
our recent convert family and she has been investigating for a long
time but her husband wasn't interested, and one day almost out of the
blue, without having ever come to church he told us he was reading the
Book of Mormon and wanted to get baptised. It really was a miracle and
we didn't really understand what had happened but as the weeks passed
a lot of the stories he has told us have helped us to understand. We
found out that when he was a kid after his dad died he moved into the
city for a while and went to the LDS church there with his relatives
before he came back home. He remembered things that we had told him
back when he wasn't interested that really hit him hard, and he had a
lot of crazy experiences that really helped him realise the church is
true. One of the major ones we didn't realise until now is the day we
met his wife and taught her for the first time, he was at the hospital
getting really serious treatment. He found if he worked on Sundays he
got sick, and when he drank alcohol and coffee he got really sick.
When we taught his word of wisdom and Sabbath day before he'd even
come to church he agreed immediately. I love them. I love them.
The baptism was stressful as, well I got stressed out, which is
something that never happened to me until I realised I had peoples
eternal souls on my shoulders. It was supposed to start at 6 and we
told everyone to get there early, at about 6.30 the Bishop arrived and
then the people being baptised, and then everyone else. Mormon time is
bad enough, everything is late, but mix it with Philippino time and
nothing starts til at least 45 minutes after its supposed to. They
were so so so happy. Ah man I love baptisms. On Sunday all of our
recent converts sat together in Sacrament meeting and pulled out their
tithing slips and taught each other how to pay tithing and fast
offering. I love them, I about cried they're so great. Plus they
brought a neighbour to the baptism and we convinced him to come to
church. He said afterwards that as soon as hes allowed he wants to get
baptised. Miracles.
Progress with our husbands has been incredible. We've started having
weekly family home evenings with all of them, and last Monday all the
people that we want to get baptised but haven't yet committed sat on
the outside and we're too awkward to join in, but throughout the week
we worked with them all and are helping them to progress. We decided
everyone who lived there that didn't have their own personal Book of
Mormon needed one, and they ALL started reading them. The two husbands
that smoke told us this week that they have cut down and are working
on quitting, and all four of our recent converts husbands will be
baptised by the end of January. I can't even begin to describe the
miracles that happen here. San Nic is the promised land!
I just want to share my favourite scripture in the world, that I
shared at my leaving talk, I put it on my missionary plaque and I read
this morning in personal study.
Alma 26: 11-12
11 But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in
my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with
joy, and I will rejoice in my God.
12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak;
therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for
in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles
we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name
forever.
To think I could even be the tiniest part of the missionary that Ammon
was, maybe I won't literally baptise thousands like he did, but
through the work I do here thousands will know of the truth.
This work is the work of salvation.
So get to work.
Love you all.
Sister McKim xx
The baptism! For some reason its not a thing to look happy in photos
here? But these people really are all awesome. This is their baby, she
is so cute I can't look her in the eye sometimes, she peed her pants
in the chapel and he had to make her pants out of cleaning paper. I'll
take more photos....one day, I'm the worst!
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