"That I may heal you"

We´ve been really busy this last week. Monday night Eduardo and Jeannette were married, and it was incredible to see them together taking this step. Monday was a long day, what with all the preparation and what not, but it was well worth it to see their little family unified like that.

Late Monday night we received a call from the Hermana Soto, wife to the first counselor of the mission. The daughter of one of our members had been beaten (we later found out she had been beaten by the younger sister) and that she was in dire need of a priesthood blessing. Tuesday morning we left, finding the poor girl in horrible condition. Her nose had been broken, she had a high fever and she was having problems breathing. My heart was wrenched seeing her like that. Elder Hoyt performed the anointing and I sealed it with a blessing. We then had to leave pretty quick for Naranjo because we were already late for interviews with President Gálvez. I couldn´t get that girl out of my head for the rest of the day, and I found myself praying for her nonstop.

Interviews were great, I had a good talk with President Gálvez. He explained to me his wishes for my mission´s end, of which I totally agreed with. Working hard, giving everything I have, until that last day comes and I get on that plane absolutely exhausted, but unbelievably happy at the same time. I asked him how I should work with the hermanas in my district, since I´ve never been in a district with hermanas EVER, and he explained to me that little bit and then went on further in saying that we want me to end the mission flying, but it would be even more incredible if the district has a whole took off flying as well. Three of us are possibly going home this change: myself, Elder Nelson of course, and then possibly the Hermana Ho from Guatemala. President wants all three of us to have the most amazing month ever, and I´m totally on board with it.
The Hermana Gálvez also gave me an added responsibility: I am now the english tutor for the hermanas. It´s been fun so far practicing my teaching skills. I´m having fun with it.

Wednesday morning we left early to see how Victoria, the girl we had given a blessing to the day before, was holding up. Words cannot explain how I felt as I saw the same girl, who a day before was painfully trying to breathe from a beaten body, now eating for the first time in days with a smile on here face and breathing fine. In one day she had pulled a complete 180 from where she had been. I had never before borne witness of such a miracle, and the impact of it rested with me for the rest of the day. The power of the priesthood, the power of faith, it was just too much for me. I´m still in awe of it. Elder Hoyt started to sing softly has we left their humble home: "How Great Thou Art".
That same day as we were sitting in a visit with one of our investigators, Marta, the zone leaders and the APs showed up. We had been trying to put a baptismal date with Marta for quite some time, but the last time they had tried back in July the cold water had made her sick and flat out couldn´t do it. The cold water made her severly ill. Marta very sincerely told us she wanted to be baptized, but she couldn´t get into cold water again. I put Elder Hoyt with Elder Trost to set in stone a baptismal date for the coming Saturday, as the other AP Elder Christensen and myself started making calls looking for a place with warm water to perform the baptism. Our plan didn´t pull through, so Elder Hoyt and I started to brainstorm on how we could heat water and throw it into the baptismal fount. After hearing that Eduardo and Jeannette were to be baptized Friday night, Marta asked if she could be baptized with them, of which we were completely up for.
Thursday we spent in the chapel/house installing shower duchas in two of the three bathrooms in order to heat water. Thursday night the zone leaders showed up to perform a wedding and a baptism in our church since the baptismal fount in theirs was out of comission. The zone leaders spent the night with us and Friday morning, at 9:30 A.M. we began the long process of filling our baptismal fount with 4 cubic meters of water by hand. We had the two shower duchas running nonstop, filling tall garbage cans, while we had two HUGE pots of water boiling over portable stoves. Nine and a half hours later, the fount was full and the water was nice warm temperature. The four of us were dead tired, but when we began the baptismal service, I felt incredible content with what we had accomplished. I had the privileged of baptizing Eduardo, and Elder Hoyt baptized Jeannette and Marta. The first words Eduardo spoke as he came out of the water filled my soul with a joy I cannot explain: "Maravilloso".

This weekend we have yet ANOTHER wedding to prepare for, along with our plans for the month. In July there were 8 baptisms in the area. We finished out August with 9. There have been 36 baptisms in San Ramon since January, and Elder Hoyt and I want to hit 45 before I leave. But 45 means 9 baptisms, and seeing how these last 2 months were 8 and then 9, we´re aiming for the stars a going for 10. Ten sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father brought into the fold of the Good Shepard. I believe that would definatly be ending the mission "flying" as President Gálvez put it.

I love you all. Come Friday, I´ll be 22 years old. These last 23 months have been filled with experiences of every kind, and in this, my last month as an ordained messenger of the Lord Jesus Christ, I can only pray to bare witness of His healing touch in not only my life, but in the lives of all those who are willing to listen to His words and feel His love. To accept His loving call to us all:

"...will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?" (3 Nephi 9:13, italics added)


Tu Hijo,
Elder Nunie