Dear family and friends -
I hope everything is going well with all of you, because everything is just dandy with me. I had an incredibly crazy weekend this week so I have a lot to talk about. It has been raining a lot this week, basically every day this week. All of my stuff is pretty darn wet, but nothing to complain about.
This week, with respect to the lesson teaching, has been very bad. But that doesn't really matter to me, because we were able to have a wedding slash baptism this week! We spent the majority of the week planning and preparing for these 2 events. On Tuesday, we got rained out and weren't able to work due to the electric storm. Every time there is lightning when it rains the electricity goes out in Cuidad España so we can't do anything at night. It was interesting walking home to the house in the dark because it didn't seem like night time with all of the lightning rays falling all around us. But, Elder Vasquez and I had fun burning a few things with candles and reading deep doctrine in the scriptures all night!
On Friday was the infamous wedding of Hno. Franklin and his wife Yesenia. We did a lot of praying and a lot of hard work to make it happen, and it did. We contracted a bus and brought about half of the branch with us to the wedding, and it was a great time. I felt like I was with my 2nd family in the bus chatting when we were heading back to the city. I have included a lovely foto of the wedding. It was really a great time for us and we all enjoyed ourselves because they were FINALLY able to be married!
The next day was the baptism, and I must say that Satan really doesn't want people to be baptized! Of that I am a witness, but nothing could stop us this day. First off, we were going to head over to a nearby city called Zambrano to have the baptism in the chapel over there, but all of the money ran out, and we weren't able to leave the city haha. So we decided to head on over to the river that is a little bit outside of the city to baptize. Well, we thought it was a great idea and everyone else did too, and then it started to rain...ugh. Well we waited it out for awhile and when it stopped, made our way on over there. On the way there it started raining again, and never stopped the whole time that we were in the forest. Elder Vasquez and I had lent our umbrellas to other people whom had forgotten to bring them, and so we got soaked to the bone. I performed the baptism, and afterwards I didn't even change my clothes haha because they were already wet. But I must say, I was absolutely amazed by the baptism, it was a beautiful beautiful sight. We made our way down a little bit further and found ourselves in the middle of a waterfall! So we were able to have the baptism over there, and it was just beautiful. I was really happy to be able to be the missionary to participate in the baptism of this amazing family, I feel really grateful.
This week in the sacrament meeting, we brought a less active member to church. It was the husband of the sister who cooks us the lunch every day, a sister that I love and respect and really wanted to help out. After months of talking to him bit for bit, we convinced him, with the help of other members, to come to church. He is a returned missionary and everything, and has been inactive for about 9 years. but I really love the guy, and was incredibly excited to see him at church.
The work is progressing here for Elder Vasquez and I. After never thinking that I was going to baptized in Ciudad España, things have changed, and 2 souls have been saved thanks to the help of the Holy Ghost, I know that this gospel is true, and that Jesus Christ lives. I learn that more and more every day as a missionary, and I couldn't be happier. I love you all.
Vaya Pues!
Elder Tinkham
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