Sweet Baptism in Ximeno Branch

What a great new member!

My family!!! WHATS UP?? How’s it going this week?? I am always so happy to read your emails and hear how things are going back in the good old SLC! Sounds like everyone has been and is doing very well. I had an amazing week and will try to sum it up as best as I can and in this short time because I don’t want to be emailing for 6 hours. Ha-ha.

Baptism of J** in Ximeno branch!

So great news!!! My investigator from Ximeno J** got baptized yesterday and I got called down to come and watch the service and take some photos!  When I found out she had accepted to be baptized 2 weeks ago words cannot describe the amount of joy that passed through me! I was past words and I am so grateful to God for allowing me to be a part of her life and to witness her make one of the best decisions of her life.

Besides the baptism, this week was one of the best weeks of my mission, Elder B** and I had found 9 new investigators and have been teaching so many more lessons than we have been in a really long time. But the best part is that the people we have been finding are past solid! I know for a fact they will be baptized. And speaking of baptisms, G** will be baptized on June 14th! Whoo!

Fun to see all the members of Ximeno branch 

So with all these investigators we found there is a good back story. To begin, I was on exchanges with Elder W** who is our district leader here in Pico. He came to my area with me and not to brag, but I was his first exchange he has been on as a DL. Ha-ha  It was fantastic! We found 6 new people together and found two people who will be progressing to baptism very soon.  Two separate people and J**’s family we will hopefully pick up tomorrow when we pass by.  The story with G** started when we stopped by to see if C** was home from school. To our surprise there was this huge man sitting outside on a blanket with a little baby on it and all I could think of was this dude is a cholo for sure! Ha-ha He is a pretty intimidating guy, but what happened with him was truly shocking. So we contacted him and started to just talk about life and all these other sorts of random questions and then of course the religious questions pop up now and we were more than prepared for them. Ha-ha Long story short, he told us how his life was full of drugs and problems before and how he never knew who God really was, but he has been dying to find him and to change his life around. He has never really been to church, but told us that he feels it’s time to change and to be spiritually reborn! And how do we become spiritually reborn? Through el bautismo! So we committed him right there and then to be spiritually reborn and to feel closer to God by learning about him from us. He accepted a baptism date for the 21st de Junio!!   He even told his mom about how happy and excited he was and how he knows that it was the right thing to do because of how happy and peaceful he felt as we were talking and especially as he gave his first prayer ever in his life!! It was amazing and we were both shocked how fast God had placed people into our path.

The famous Signal Hill with Elder B

So fast forward to 6 pm. We had just gotten out of dinner and we went to the park to go contacting. Both Elder W** and I love basketball and so we started to watch all these guys play basketball on the outside courts. On one of the courts we saw three guys playing ball alone and we just looked at each other with the grin of grins and were all, "Oh yeah game on!" ha-ha. Long story short, we challenged them to a game of 3 on 2 and if we beat them we get to teach them.   If we lose, we never talk to them again. Ha-ha. They agreed and yup game set and match. It was a quick game to 15 by 1's and we just pounded them. Ha-ha. They begged for a rematch to 11 which we agreed and beat them again ha-ha. So by their word we taught them all dripping in sweat in proselyting clothes with my tie all stretched out and our shirts were black from the ball and ground etc.  So we picked up 2 more new investigators! They actually really turned out to like what we said and became pretty interested. Sadly, they don’t live in my area so we had to refer them off.  God will continue to help his work progress! Long day and a tiring one, but it was great! Elder W** is awesome and if his family ever reads this email or finds out about this exchange I just want them to let them know that their son is a fantastic missionary and he truly knows how to work hard and “Ball Up”!! Ha-ha

Service at the food bank!

So the work is moving along, C** dropped her date again, but we will continue to help everyone here to progress the best that we can! Elder B** and I are doing great together and are hoping to finish this transfer strong and to have more success than we have ever had. That only comes with the price of hard work and submitting your time and talents to the Lord and I know I have really struggled with this on my mission, but all we can do is get up dust ourselves off and keep pushing through!

You all are the best! Everybody who reads this just know how much I miss you all and can’t wait to see you again! Que Dios los bendiga a todos en sus vidas!!

Con mucho carino
Elder Woffinden