week 19

family and friends! i love you :) wow this week absolutely flew by. i have a lot more time today and a lot to share!

FERNANDO GOT BAPTIZED!!!!! crazy story....

Wednesday afternoon we had a lesson with just Fernando. usually his wife & son are there, but they were talking to our ward mission leader in the other room. we told Fernando that we might have to push his baptismal date back a week or 2, because we still have a lot to finish teaching him. Fernando looks at us with tears in his eyes and says, "no no no... God wants this day! God wants me to be baptized on October 19 and i am ready. YOU didn't pick that day God did! he wants me to be baptized on Sunday!" MIRACLE. we're all looking at each other like freakin out.... this man is SO prepared! from the minute we found each other on the bus i knew he was prepared. so we worked hard for the next 3 days and got him taught everything. funny though, cause every single lesson he was just like "si si si... claro claro claro" (yes, of course, clearly) hahaha so funny and awesome! even when we extended commitments.... hes like, obviously! Marta wants to wait and be baptized with Stephen and Stephanie (their children) which is awesome, even though she totally could now. their children will definitely take time, as Stephen is VERY deeply depressed, but we all have faith that everything will work out! all in God's timing.

crazy things happened leading up to the baptism (we even pulled a Tyler and had to use buckets of water to fill the font :) (our font takes at least 5 hours to fill!!!).... lots of crazy things also happened with Stephen, things are getting worse. BUT we know it was ALL satan trying to get in there and destroy Fernando for wanting to make these special covenants with Heavenly Father. but everything worked out great and the baptism was amazing :) he bore an amazing testimony after, he even had some members in tears! AND as he is testifying, he says (in Spanish of course) "i have these families now that i am giving to the missionaries so they can baptize them too.... " as he hands us a HUGE stack of over like 200 people. names, addresses, phone numbers.... we have a lot of work to do!!! :) haha i am definitely in the busiest area of the Canada Toronto Mission. i am RIGHT in the city, and they weren't kiddin when they told me its a baptizing area. HOLY.

we had exchanges this week, Hermana Pilling headed to another area while Hermana Dudley and i stayed in our area with the Sister Training Leader. we had a lesson with a family (new investigators) that a member referred us to. it was probably the scariest lesson i have ever had on my mission so far. wow, i just wanted to cry the whole time haha. we sat down... and immediately i was like, "whats Spanish? whats lesson 1?" in my head. man it was terrifying! i felt super inadequate and i knew Satan was getting to me. i couldn't remember anything in Spanish, and i couldn't even remember how to teach! or talk! i have never prayed so much and so hard throughout the lesson. forever grateful for Hermana Dudley, and SO GRATEFUL for the spirit. luckily the lesson went super well, the spirit FILLED the room as we bore testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel. the father had tears in his eyes, as did i. those scary moments are real as a missionary, but what makes it easier is the companionship of the Holy Ghost... AND the gift of tongues :)

Saturday night was a HUGE cultural night for both the Spanish and English ward! everyone made food from their country and we had a huge talent show! i LOVE the Spanish culture so much :) and their food hahaha. SO good!!! i love our ward. we found out this week though how many less actives we have, and while we're trying to convert and baptize the multitudes, we will now also be RE converting the ward!!

you could definitely say i am busy and happy here. i love the feeling of getting on my knees  to thank my Heavenly Father for the hastening of the work here, and how grateful i am to be a part of it. annnnddd also when i hit the pillow feeling absolutely exhausted every single night.... that feels pretty good as well :)

i know this church is true!

Jesus Christ is my Savior. i know that He lives! and i am here for HIM.

XOXO HERMANA HORTON