So this week we had splits with the President's assistants, guess who I went with. Elder Tyler Crum. I must say that he has matured a ton in the mission. Still the same personality but a much different person than he was for all of those years that we have known him. It was great to see and work with him for a day. I'll send you the picture some other day when the computer wants to work with me.
Well this week we tried to find a ton of new people to teach. It is sometimes very frustrating to talk to new people, cuz I just feel like they don't understand me. I don't get how they can understand all of the cliche christian empty wordiness, but then when we explain the stuff so simply and with the spirit, they just say "It's all the same." or "They teach that in my church too." or "I already accepted Christ in my heart." We explain the Godhead and then they say, yep it's all the same person. So we explain it again, and they still don't get us. It is a very big test of patience, and diligence.
So to finish the letter I'd like to mention the miracles that we saw in Fernanda's and Vanessa's baptism. It was Saturday and let me just say that there was no water in the whole city (Madero), nor in Tampico. So we were a little bit nervous about filling the baptismal font. We went at about 4:45, and the baptism was at 6. Well the water came out (the first miracle), but slow. So we started moving buckets from 2 other faucets. So the font got just full enough so that the two little girls could squat down and be baptized and then the city ran out of water. It was about 2 and a half feet of water, maybe a little more. So that is the first part. During all of that we called the bishop to get a ride for Vanesa and Fernanda and their Grandma. His car broke down. So we called Venancio a recent convert who has a car to go for them. He wasn't sure exactly how to get there but he was going to try. Then Carlos (The girls´ brother) called to tell us that they had a ride with an aunt. so we cancelled with Venancio. Then the brother called again cuz the aunt's car broke down. And now we called Venancio again. And so he went to pick them up. All of that happened in about 20 minutes. At the same time we were checking for white clothes that supposedly were the right size for Carlos, cuz he was going to baptize them. What they hadn't told us was that the pants that we had gotten for Carlos were too small. And we didn't find that out until about 6:20 when he got there. (the girls got there at about 6:10) so Elder Barragan and Elder Hoffman, the other Elders from the ward went and got Elder Barragan's pants cuz they should have been the right size. (the closet in the church was closed that had clothes and only the Bishop who happened to be on the youth stake camp had the keys) so they got back and guess what. The pants were still to small. So elder Barragan got to baptize the little girls. And just so you know when I went to get a mop after the baptism to dry up the floor, that was when the water turned itself back on!!! 30 seconds after the baptism, while they were changing clothes. so the whole thing finally got going about 6:50 and it was over at 7:15 or 7:30. It was crazy but we pulled it off by the skin or our teeth. Thank you for all of your prayers, cuz without those we never would have been able to do it.
God loves to teach us lessons, but sometimes it hurts a lot to learn them. Whether it is patience, diligence, charity, faith, humility (that is one of the most painful), or even virtue they are not easy lessons to learn. I've also come to realize that the more that I understand my agency the more I want to be better. sometimes when I study agency I finish feeling like everything is my fault, but when I study and learn about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, that is when I see that I have, can and will progress beyond what I can now see. He opens the window to a greater today, and a brilliant tomorrow. When we look unto him in every thought, then we can have peace. We have to realize that alone we can do nothing, but with Christ and His loving, patient help, we can become more. Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him, is one of my favorite invitations. This life is not so much about just making choices, and then taking a tally of the good and bad things that we do. It's more of a measure of what we become. Every choice makes us more like Christ, or less like Him, but through faith in Him and true, sincere repentance we can overcome our mistakes to become like Him. He came down to be among us and be like us, so that we can go back to Him and our Father and live among them and be like them! That is the good news of the gospel.
Thank you for all of your help and support, it's great to have you all there helping me. I'm trying not to count down too much. I'm finally starting to figure out how to do missionary work, and it's still full of ups and downs. Have a great week. I love you all
Love,
Elder Brady Allred
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