Dear Family,
Okay wow, this week was a week that i will never, EVER forget. So the family, Victor, Gracy, Dani, and Kiani. We had one of the craziest weeks ever with them and i don´t even know where to start..
Okay well first, Monday we couldn´t go visit them, then Tuesday Gracy and Victor were both gone, so we taught the kids a lesson but not them. And Wednesday we went by again and they still weren´t home. The kids said that Victor was sick in the hospital. This is when i kinda started to panic. We had a lot more we still needed to teach them for baptism and they weren´t ever home, and now Victor was sick. So then Thursday we FINALLY found them home. As we walked by there house i saw Victor. He was hunched over, holding onto his side, and i could feel that something wasn´t right. As we went over he started to explain to us the on Tuesday night he had gone over to someone that he had lended money to a while back, and wanted to get his money back. (by the way, Victor still doesn´t have a job) It must have gotten heated some how because the man hit Victor in the back with a branch or something, and also Gracy in the face. This is why they were in the hospital!! Victor was in a lot of pain, physically but he was also very mad. He told us that this man needed to learn his lesson, and that he was going to do something really bad to him, so bad that they family would probably have to leave Costa Rica. OKAY. How does someone go from wanted to get baptized to that in a few days? I don´t know. Hermana Holmes and I sat down with him, talking about how this isn´t the solution to his problem. He needed to love everyone, even his enemies. Nothing seemed to be sinking in, he was still just so mad. Luckily right then the Elders showed up. It was supposed to be for their baptismal interviews, but obviously that wasn´t going to happen. One of the Elders here, Elder Stewart was able to talk to him, man to man. Which was very nice, and then he gave him one of the most incredible blessings i´ve ever heard. It was so inspired and the spirit was so strong. I KNOW that Victor felt something in that moment and there was a little change. Still not a big one, but he wasn´t as mad. We had been there for a really long time so we left him with the challenge to pray. To really pray. And talk to his Heavenly Father about this. He agreed to do this and we left. As we left i felt at peace with what had happened, but thought for sure we weren´t having baptisms for this family this week.The next day Victor was at the doctors again, and so once again we didn´t visit them.
Hermana Holmes and I have been praying so very long and hard for this family, and really giving it our all and so Friday night as we returned to our apartment, we felt peace. We didn´t know if they were going to get baptized the next day, but we new that whatever happened was part of the plan. So Saturday rolls around. We left the house really early and went to see Victor and his family. They weren´t home. So we went to visit the little girl Alison because we were for sure going to have her baptism. She was ready and so excited for her baptism.:) ah she´s the cutest :) and then we went back. There were all home finally and we went in and talked to them all with the Elders. Right as we started to talk to them i saw a change in Victor, and i knew that he must have prayed, and he had. He knew that this church was true! But said he couldn´t get baptized because of the pain in his back. He said it would hurt way to bad to go backwards like he needed to. But Elder Stewart decided to go forward and do the interviews. By now it is 9 and the baptism was supposed to be at 10.... Ya wow. But we decided to go forward. After the interview with Victor, Elder Stewart pulled me aside. He said he is SO ready. He knows. Help him find the faith to get baptized today, and not worry about the pain his back. And Elder Stewart went in to interview Gracy. And after her he said she knows too! Miracles, Miracles, Miracles. Oh and the kids... yeah they are golden, and have wanted to be baptized for a long time now. Just not without their parents. So we talked to Victor, we told him that he needed to press forward, show his faith, and get baptized today. It was a fight, a fight that i will never forget, especially as we all left the house for their baptism.
Watching them all get baptized was probably one of the happiest moments i´ve ever had in my whole life. :) :) This family is amazing.
So basically, miracles happen. This family from day one has been so very special to my heart and i knew that i needed to work hard to not only get them baptized but also to get this family to the temple in one year. so this fight is not yet over. But i cannot wait to keep working with this family and continue to see the transformation in all of them :)
Thank you all for your prayers for this family. I really could feel them, and they could too :)
So on top of this crazy week with Victor´s Family, Hermana Holmes and I had our best week ever. :) like number wise, and just in general. :) We taught 41 lessons this week, found 12 new investigators and put a baptismal date with 6 of them :) :) We feel very blessed and know that this is a little taste of the fruits of our hard work. :)
Well thank you all for the prayers and support. I feel so blessed to be here and be serving my Heavenly Father. It´s incredible how much i learn every day from the people i am surrounded by, and by really talking with my Heavenly Father. I love Costa Rica :) I love Santa Cruz :) and i love this gospel :)
Hope you all have a wonderful week! Love you all sooo much!!
Love,
Hermana Rachel Ruth Peters :)
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Victor, Gracy, Dani, Kiani and their baby, Victor :)
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Alison :)
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