Ya Te Vas?

Well another week in paradise. And let me just say, paradise really shouldn't be this hot. Everyone here was super hyped because they thought we were gonna have this big tropical storm, they cancelled classes in school for a week and everything. But in the end we just had a lot of sun. Pretty cool week tho, really got to enjoy the fact that more people were sticking around the house for the vacations so we got to meet some really cool people.

But more than anything I just want to share a crazy experience that happened this last Monday. There is a little pueblito named Ozatlan about 45 minutes away from us by bus.  About 4 months ago, the missionaries who were assigned there were reassigned and no new missionaries entered. So basically there was a group of members meeting for 4 months without missionaries or very much support. Elder Real and I decided after lunch on Monday that we'd go visit and see what was up. After a miracle catching the last bus at 3:30 and running into some members in the town park we end up climbing a hill, past an Amish community where nobody uses shoes and we found the humble home of Maribel Martinez. And that ended up being one of the most spiritual, amazing experiences of my life. Maribel, even tho she has problems with her knees, goes to church EVERY week even tho she is not a member. She never was baptized because she felt doubts and was unsure. And when the missionaries were taken out of the area she was left mainly in the dark. For 4 months, members of the little group of 30 members in Ozatlan visited and invited Maribel and she faithfully attended church every week, inviting her friends and family to come too. When we entered her tiny, tiny house, we started to talk about her life. As we talked my companion and I felt strongly that God had prepared the way and that everything was falling into place. We invited her to be baptized and she said with a smile on her face, that that had been her only desire for months and that she wanted to follow the example of Christ. Maribel showed me that God looks out. She is going to be baptized this Thursday and I honestly couldn't be more excited for her. This is God's work and to see miracles like this just makes everything worth it. 

But to explain my title, a 2 year old girl stole my companion's ring and when we tried to get it back, she just kept saying, "Pero ya te vas!" and smiling as my companion and I tried every way possible to convince the little Salvadorean thief to give us the ring back. I have learned a lot on the mission but I gotta say I never thought I would be in a hostage situation negotiating with a toddler in Spanish. But that's life, ya gotta love it.

Hope everyone is doing swell

SALUUUU

Elder Moulton