Torrential Downpour

Dear Family,

This week we had a baptism. Maria Elsa Silva was baptized on Saturday!  We only have been teaching her for a little over a month, but she was pre-prepared! Hermana Maria is Luciana´s Mom. She had received a Book of Mormon thirty years ago, but she never had any desire to read it.  She said when we talked to her one day, she felt prompted to find her book and read it. Unfortunately, after 30 years, she couldn´t remember where she put it... Fortunately, we had given her autistic son, Nicolas, a Book of Mormon the week before! She borrowed his book and began to read...and she loved it! After her baptism she said, ¨When I started to read the Book of Mormon, I knew the Church was true. I know the Book of Mormon is true.¨ After Maria finished her simple, beautiful testimony about the Book of Mormon, her daughter Luciana bore her testimony. She said that she has seen a night and day difference in her family, since they started to study the Book of Mormon together. She said that the Book of Mormon literally changed her family!

I was thinking a lot about what they said. I know that the key to true conversion lies in the Book of Mormon. For those who are struggling with their testimonies of the Church, read the Book of Mormon and I promise that it will answer every single one of your questions. For those who have never read the Book of Mormon, I encourage you to find one and read it. It will answer your questions and it will bring peace into your life. I know, because every day I read the Book of Mormon and I feel that it is true!

Now to some of the crazy things that happened this week:
-An hour before Maria´s baptism, it began to rain...and then pour...until it was a complete torrent! We looked at the street in front of the church about 20 minutes before it was supposed to start and it looked more like a river than a street. The water was at least a couple feet deep. At 7 pm, when the baptism was supposed to start...nobody was in the chapel (including Maria). So, you all know me very well...panic set in pretty fast. I am not known for being very calm and we worried that no one would be able to come. Finally at about 7:30, Maria arrived and about 30 other courageous people, in a giant group! It all ended up going very smoothly!

-We wanted to help one of the less active youth go to an activity. She told us she couldn´t because she had to finish her chores. So of course, we offered to help! Next thing we know we were behind her house staring at an enormous mountain of cardboard boxes. She told us
we had to flatten them and put them in bags. Just imagine, two missionaries, in skirts, jumping up and down on a huge mountain of boxes...The good news, she made it to the youth activity!!! Score!!!!

-As of this week, our beloved Temporal (the horse in all of the photos) will never have any children :(! Hermana Ramirez and I were sad that we won{t get to see Baby Temporals.

That is about it for this week! This upcoming week we are headed to Montevideo for a conference and to go to the temple!!! I am so excited and I should have some fun photos! I love you all lots! I am praying for you all!

Love,
Hermana McMurray