That sloths going down.....:-)

Well, well, well. Another week, another letter to write, am I right? Let's get down to the nitty gritty. (Sorry, Chloe. Let's save the Nacho references for someone qualified to use them.) (Just kidding. I got a kick out of your last letter.)

First of all, I have had two dreams interesting (THAT JUST HAPPENED. THAT JUST HAPPENED. For those of you unfamiliar with spanish, the noun always goes before the adjective. THAT just happened...) ANYWAY I have had two INTERESTING DREAMS in the last week. I had the first one on Tuesday...I dreamed that I completed my full mission and I still only spoke spanish as well as I did after my first transfer in the field. So that was a big NIGHTMARE. Then my second dream happend on Saturday night...I dreamed that I went home after my mission but it had only felt like six months instead of 18 months. And while I was excited to see everyone, I WAS SO SAD. I wanted to be back out in the field! When I woke up, it felt so real, I laid in bed and just soaked in the disappointment of it all. Then I realized...YAY! I still have another wonderful year left! 

NOT that I don't miss all of your GUTS, but...wow! That was the first time I've honestly felt like I didn't want to go home. And it was actually a really good feeling. I've been waiting to want to be here forever! This last change has really been incredible, I've learned so much and grown a ton...I can't believe I've been out for a full third of my mission!

Kenna's 1/2 pound Reeces Peanut Butter Cup. Merry Christmas to her--nice that she shared!

 So, the nitty gritty we were talking about before...we had a baptism this week! His name is Joaquin, and he's thirteen years old. The only word I can describe him as is...a punk. But not like a "punk" punk with the colored hair and the dark clothes and all that...he's just like...a rascal? I don't know. For example...when we were teaching the Ten Commandments and we said "thou shalt not lie," he immediately said "me llamo Jorge." ("My name is Jorge.") Then when we said "thou shalt not steal" he grabbed my hipster glasses and hid them in his shirt. (Yeah, his shirt.) 

BUT this kid is a genius. (Please PLEASE tell me I just spelled genius right. I asked my companion and everything. I feel so dumb right now. I went from "genious" to "geneous" to "genius" and I think I just got it right...?) ANYWAY ANYWAY ANYWAY the point is, this kid understands everything. He knows everything we have to teach him. When we ask him a question to see if he understands/is paying attention, his answer is always better than what we have even said. But we were really struggling to help him recieve a TESTIMONY. We wanted him to feel the spirit and really know for himself that this church is true. 

Then we had a few lessons last week that were really different. The spirit was there. He felt more comfortable with us. He started to be really excited about his baptism. When we asked him if he understood what "perseverar hasta el fin" means (endure to the end,) his answer really helped us feel like he was ready to be active. Like...he planned on being active, even if his parents weren't. It was really cool to see a kid undergo these changes through the gospel. (No one is too young. Or too punk-ish.)

I'm sure you're all wondering about the font...well, we knew better this week. The baptism wasn't going to start until seven this time, so we went over at 12:30 and started the water going...and guess what? IT WAS HALF WAY to where it needed to be when we got there at SIX. What up, font?? Why the probs?? So we threw that emergency hose in again (wait, it gets classier) and we got THREE BUCKETS (at my suggestion/insistance) and started just...dumping water in! I'm happy to say that at the rate the water was rising with the combined forces of the font, the emergency hose and those three buckets, that sloth MIGHT have drowned this time. (For clarification on the drowning-sloth reference, see last week's letter.)

The baptism itself was really beautiful. Hermana Kenney and I sang another special musical number, and Joaquin's mother was crying through the whole service. And he was glowing afterwards...you could tell he felt really good about his decision to be baptized. The spirit was strong again. Afterwards, his mom came up to Hermana Kenney and told us with tears in her eyes that we must have been the "chosen ones" for Joaquin, because missionaries had taught him before and given up on him after the first few lessons. I'm just so grateful that we could be instruments in the hands of the Lord to help this thirteen year old boy and his family come closer to God and start again on the right path.

 

 

On Sunday, I was looking at Maria Elizabeth and Joaquin in sacrament meeting, and just thinking to myself, "look how bright they look! We have the cutest little converts in the world. I love them so much." I really do love them so much. I love all the people we are teaching. I want them all to succeed. I want them to feel this joy and peace I feel through the gospel. I really believe the Lord has allowed me to feel a part of his perfect love for them through our efforts as missionaries. 

On a lighter note, I'd like to let everyone know that on January 17th, 2014, the six-month mark of my 18-month mission, I, McKenna Leigh Thomas, being born of goodly parents, GOT POOPED ON AGAIN. I WILL NEVER. EVER. STAND UNDER ANOTHER TREE FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE. HAVE I MENTIONED THAT I ABSOLUTELY despise birds. 

I love you all so much! Share the gospel! Help the missionaries! Pray for opportunities to serve! Read the Book of Mormon! Pray every morning and every night! Go to church! You will see blessings poured upon you more than you could ever imagine. 

I LOVE YOU ALL. KEEP EMAILING ME. 

Love, Hermanita Thomas!

Hey Thur My Peeps......!

¡Hola!

Well! I'm just going to be completely honest from the get-go, I did another awful job at keeping up my journal this week. So I guess you can all just stop reading this letter now.

Just kidding! Keep reading! I'll come up with something to say...hmm...nothing happened this week. We just had a BAPTISM!

Yeah, lots of stuff happened! It really was such a good week! I'm going to try to get everything in this letter...

Maria Elizabeth got baptized! It was so awesome. She had her interview on Tuesday, and our District Leader (Elder Nelson) said she passed with flying colors! We were preparing the program for the baptism, calling people to speak and direct the hymns and give the opening or closing prayers, etc....we also asked someone to fill the baptismal font for us in the morning. The bishop told Hermana Kenney and I that the font had to be filling by 12 in the afternoon...one o'clock at the LATEST. We repeated this very clearly to the person in charge of it.......well........at 1:50pm we get a call from the person filling the font...looks like he can't get into the chapel...which meant that he hadn't even tried to enter the church until almost 2pm...needless to say, we had a heart attack. (The baptism was supposed to start at five.)

Anyway, the font started filling at around 2:30, and let me tell you, I think that if a sloth had been sitting in the middle of the font when the water turned on, it would have made its way out of the tub before it even got wet. THAT is how slowly the water was coming out of the faucet. I started having a mild panic attack (it was internal, don't worry. I kept my cool.) Then...my companion spied an emergency hose...like...next to the fire extinguisher...as in, only to use during EMERGENCIES...WELL IF EVER there was an emergency, it was this! So we pulled it out, cranked the water, and let 'er rip! And...........I still think a sloth would have beat the water. But it was slightly better than before.

Anyway, people started coming to the chapel at 4:59pm (Chileans take "mormon-standard-time" to a whole new level) and the water level was just high enough to baptize a large frog. So Hermana Kenney and I turned away from everyone else and said a prayer begging that the water would rise high enough that she could get baptized before this year ended...then we bravely walked into the chapel (after taking a few pictures) and began the baptismal service. 

The talks were great, the spirit was so strong, and Maria Elizabeth was beaming! She was so excited. Her two daughters and three granddaughters had come to see her. They are not members, and haven't shown much interest in learning about the gospel, but as far as we know, they have been supportive in her interest in the church. Hermana Kenney and I did a musical number (without laughing....miracle...) We sang "Come Thou Font" in Spanish! It was so pretty. But the whole time, I had this little thought in the back of my head...baptismal font...baptismal font...

Then the time came for her actual baptism. Everyone filed into the room, and we opened the doors to see what we were working with water-wise...and MIRACULOUSLY the water had increased to a mid-thigh height! (That really was a miracle.) However, it was not high enough for someone standing to be immersed entirely under the water. We asked the bishop what we should do...should we wait an hour? Should we start throwing buckets of water in there? But the bishop said nope, we're just gonna baptize her right now! Elder Nelson (the one going to baptize her,) lead her into the knee-deep water, and they both knelt on the floor of the font. Yep! Our investigator got baptized on her knees! But she was so cool with it. Here's this 70-year-old lady, getting baptized on her knees in front of her nonmember daughters and a bunch of strangers, but she was as happy as ever to do it! 

And it worked! When she came out of the water, she was smiling the biggest smile ever! We helped her change in the bathroom, and she was so excited to get out and greet everyone, she hardly dried herself off! Her clothes were a little soaked when she rejoined everyone for the closing hymn and prayer. Afterwards, everyone came up and congratulated her, and you could just tell she felt so happy! The relief society had prepared some refreshments in the gym, and it was just a really good baptismal service! 

 

The next day she got confirmed, and one of her daughters came to church to support her mom. Then we visited her in the evening, and I'm serious, she was GLOWING. She was so happy. She also told us that she had come straight home after her baptism and tried to wring her clothes out into a bowl so that she could save the water from her baptism. Then she just decided not to washer those clothes again so that they would always have that water on them...she's so dangin' darnin' adorable.

We've got another baptism week coming! It's with a thirteen-year-old kid named Joaquin. Sometimes...he's a punk. But I think he's excited to get baptized, so that's awesome! His parents are members, but they are less active, and I'm so grateful that we found them so that Joaquin can have the opportunity to be baptized like his parents! We are going to work hard so that he can stay active.

Everyone! Everyone read this letter! Listen to me!! The church is true! I know it with all my heart. Sometimes I wonder how I could have ever known it without these experiences I've had on my mission so far, but you know what? YOU CAN KNOW IT, even without a mission! Because I've seen someone come to know it after a life time of believing something completely different, and now she's seen miraculous blessings of health and peace in her home. I continue to see these blessings in the lives of our other investigators, and more personally in my own life. 

Want to know how you can know? Three things: Pray, Read and Go to Church! I promise your testimony will grow!

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH. KEEP WRITING ME LOVELY LETTERS. I LOVE THEM.

KEEP READING THE BOOK OF MORMON AND PRAYING EVERY MORNING AND EVERY NIGHT.

Con Amor, Hermana Thomas!