I cannot comprehend the mercy and the love and the goodness of God. He truly has so much planned for us but still waits for us to act in accordance with His will to bless us.
This week We started with almost no progressing investigators, and ended the week with three investigators in church committed to baptism on the 21 of march. How God does it, i know not.
Last week we contacted a less active woman from Santiago visiting her daughter. Her name is Gabriela and she had not been to church since she was baptized thirty or more years ago.... when we contacted her we insisted on meeting her daughter, we didn't know why, but the blessings followed. We meet her daughter and her granddaughter Teresa and Pia. they were both super friendly and Teresa insisted on serving us homemade natural plum juice (count your blessings) we invited her to the baptism of Macarena and Hilda the next day. She came. and she felt the spirit fill her soul. this next week we learned a few things about how the Lord had been preparing her, for example two days before we passed by she was cleaning out a room in her house and found two white tunics, she was confused as to why she had them and then on Saturday she realized that they were the same tunics used in baptisms..... miracle, I think yes! also this was the first time she assisted church yesterday and it was the most powerful fast and testimony meeting I think i have ever been in, and where else was Teresa sitting (with her daughter and less active mother)??? No where else than the front row! Two babies were blessed ( including Sebastian, Macarenas son) and Teresa's eyes filled with tears when one of her best friends (who she had not known was a member) stood up and bore a powerful testimony of the restored gospel. Whats more the principles of the gospel class (there were about twenty to thirty people in this class!!!!) was on the ability to choose and how it necessary to have opposition in all things and they said afterwords, "it is amazing how you actually learn here, that doesn't happen at the Catholic church" Needless to say they are doing super well and are reading the book of Mormon, they have friends in church and they are feeling the spirit.
Number two, Christian, a man that we also contacted, but it was Monday night if I remember correctly, in the contact he told us that he had moved in three weeks ago and was going to quit his job, we thought, 'hey with all these changes you might as well make God a part of your life' and he told us that he had a copy of the book of Mormon and that he committed to begin reading it that same night but the he wanted us to come by the next day and to guide him. So we went by and read 3 Nephi 11 and challenged him to baptism, he accepted right away and has been reading the book of Mormon and feeling a peace in his life that he hasn't felt....well ever. We are going to meet his wife tonight, she recently lost her child at five months of pregnancy so is very sensitive in this moment, and Gods eternal plan for the families will give her the hope that she needs that she will return to see her child, if she lives according to God's commandments.
Macarena, Hilda, Jaqueline and others received callings this week in church despite having only been baptized a week of two ago, and they are loving their assignment to go to the self-reliance class. Whats more is that they are all being taught and helped to do their own family history work so that they can take personal family history names to the temple in April when the ward has their next ward temple trip!!!!!!!! hastening the work of salvation, I think so. God is a God of miracles and he is showing forth His hand.
I love you all
Elder Hutchins
