Can't stop the miracles!

From: "Tenney, Elder Heath
Sent: Monday, June 9, 2014 11:04:44 AM
Subject: can't stop the miracles!!!

Hola Familia!

So many things happened this week that prevented us from working in our area, but ah, so many miracles happened to still make it an incredible week. 1st of all, Elder Pirez had more health problems, so we went to the doctor in capital, which is like an hour and a half away. He now has a pinched nerve in his back that is causing a lot of pain in his hip, so the doctor told him to rest for a couple of days and not work. The doctor is a doctor from the mission and he doesn't speak very much Spanish, so I am learning a lot of medical terms in translating haha. It was really funny hearing my companion yell in his accent, "YES!!!" when the doctor asked him, "does in hurt here?" haha. Luckily, Elder Pirez was feeling a little better so we went to work. 

Then the next day, we had several miracles in the zone of people who out of nowhere now wanted to be baptized, so we were in remis (basically a taxi) going to an interview, when the car broke down. So we waited for 40 minutes for another car to come. Then more problems...and basically it killed our whole day. But the miracle was the baptisms of the Elders and Sisters in the zone! 

So satan was working a lot trying to keep us from working in our area. But, he can't stop miracles!!!  We were working really hard with Joana and Dilan to prepare them for their baptisms. I really am giving all I have to help them become faithful active members, because it isn't easy, but I know they can do it. I was reading the reqirements for baptism in D&C 20:37 where it talks about repentance and humbling yourself before God, because that is what we want for them. But how do you help an 8 year old to repent? The answer I received reminded me how simple repentance really is. He just has to pray to God and change! He doesn't have to understand all the details, he just has to change and know God is happy when he changes. So that is what we did, we talked with Dilan about how he needs to obey his mom and not fight with his siblings. And if he prays to God and changes, he will be ready for his baptism. So he did it. 

On Sunday, we were walking with them to church, because the bus wasn't coming, Dilan's little sister was crying because she didn't want to walk. So we stopped for a second, and I said, "Why don't we say a prayer and ask Heavenly Father to send the bus?" His little sister screamed, "NO!!!" haha. But Dilan said, "I want to say a prayer!" So he said a short, simple, and beautiful prayer, "Heavenly Father, we thank thee for this morning and we thank thee for the bus that is going to come. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." And we kept walking, after a few minutes it came!

The bishop told us that Lautaro (another investigator - 9 years old) should be baptized as soon as possible because he said he should have been baptized a year ago and is already ready. So we scheduled the interview and Lautaro too was baptized Sunday! It was a great day. 

I feel like everyday is a battle, really, I have no doubts that God exists and is always there supporting us, protecting us, and fighting for us. I also see so much that satan is real, he does so much everyday to try to discourage us, distract us, and impead us from doing this work, not only to us, but the investigators. But he is kind of like the dogs that try to eat me daily, they bark and even sometimes bite, but if I don't give heed to them, they can't stop the work. And it is true, there are disappointments and negative things that happen, but if we just keep going the miracles will always come.

I am sooo grateful to be here. I love it. The atonement is real! I love Jesus Christ. 

Have a wonderful week! 

Love,

Elder Heath Tenney