Leidi was BAPTIZED

Hey fam! Since I didnt get to write an email last week I have a ton to write you this week. So sorry, you get another novel. This transfer is just flying by I cannot even believe it.

First and most importantly, Leidi was baptized on Saturday! I have never seen someone so ready and eager to be baptized. I dont even think I have even told you anything about her, it all just happened so fast. But here is her story....

The second night Hna King and I got here the Elders had set up an FHE with Libia (a member) and her son John (an investogator). John was an investigator of the elders who wasnt progressing and so they decided to drop him/ pass him to us and allow us a try at teaching him. So we had the FHE and John was completely un-interested (he is now progressing! wahoo!) but Libia´s daughter who had just moved back home was there and sat in on the lesson. Right as we left the FHE we both looked at each other and simultanioulsy said, holy cow Leidi is so ready to get baptized! We called her the next day and asked if we could come over and teach her. We started teaching her the next day and set a baptismal date two days later for the 8th of march! Her mom is a rockstar member so Leidi was very familier with a lot of stuff and had been to church a few times the last 5 years but has never felt the desire or need to be baptized until we started meeting with her. So we saw her every day for a week and a half and she was baptized on Saturday! Ahh it was SO wonderful. In the bathroom right after she was baptized her mom and us were in the bathrom all just crying and hugging. It was such a sweet experience. Then she bore the most humble testimony after and said that she doesnt have a single doubt in her mind or heart that this church is the only true church on the earth and is the only way to be able to live with her family forever! She is just so wonderful!

Other than that, work wise this week has been pretty great. We are still contacting all day everyday witha few lessons mixed in but I am loving it! In the mission tour conference that we had two weeks ago (I will wirte tons more on that later) we talked a lot about improving the way we contact so Hna King and I have really been trying to put in practice what we have learned and improve the way we contact. We are also trying real hard to work with the members. Thanklfully these members are the best members in the world and are so ready and excited to hasten the work so it has not been as hard as it has in the past to work with the members to recieve references.

Something that I have really been thinking about lately as I have truly been coming to know my Father in Heaven and my Savior so much more the past 9 months (yes you jsut read that right! I cannot believe I hit 9 months this week! Insane!) is the perfect love they have for each one of us. A few weeks ago I started to read the Book of Mormon only in spanish in all of my studies which has really forced me to read each verse slowly so that I can understand everything. I have really been able to learn so much from each verse. This morning I was reading in Ether and I just felt such an overwhelming gratitude for how merciful our Heavenly Father is. I cannot put into words what I felt but as I have been studying the Book of Mormon and becoming so familiar with this terrible pride cycle I am reminded over and over again that Heavenly Father is so merciful and loves each one of us so much. My mission has taught me this in so many ways and has really allowed me to feel and experience a glimpse of the love He has for each one of His children. Although I barely know these people and can barely speak their langauge, the love I feel for the people here in Spain is incredible. The love I feel for my investigators and recent converts is like nothing I have ever felt before. When they fall back into their habit of smoking, or when they dont fulfil their committments, or when they just dont progress even though I know they have felt the truthfulness of the message is so hard and so frustrating and devastating at times but I still love them so so so much. I feel like nothing they could do could ever hinder the love I have for them. And this has really opened my eyes so much to the perfect love that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for us. If I have this much love for these people I can only imagine the perfect love Heavenly Father has for us. I love each one of my recent converts, companions, and investigators so much and I am so blessed to have this opportunity to serve them. I am so humbled and blessed to be able to experience a glimpse of the love Heavenly Father has for each one of us. 

And one more thing, this morning in my studies I felt and overwhelming impression to write this home. I have never wanted to be or sound preachy in any of my emails home, but this morning, the spirit told me that I needed to write home about the great importance of the Book of Mormon and that I needed to do it with urgency. As I have studied 1Nefi 8 (about Lehi´s dream of the tree of life) time and time again on my mission, I learn something new every time. And from every single experience I have had on my mission, somehow the Book of Mormon and the truthfulness of this Book and the importance of this Book is evident and is testified to me. Family, the Book of Mormon is everything! In Lehi´s dream the Iron Rod, or the Word or God (aka the scriptures) is what they must hold on to in order to arrive at the tree. In other words, the Book of Mormon is what we must hold on to with everything we have and we have a promise that it will lead us to His love and to eternal life. There are so many other things that we need in this life to strengthen our testimony and to be firm in this gospel, but the Book of Mormon is what we must hold on to to be lead back to His presence again. This being said, it is absolutely vital that we read the Book of Mormon every single day, without fail. The dream talks about 3 type of people. The ones who arrived at the tree and stayed there, and felt comfortable there, where the ones who grabbed hold of the rod and never let go. There were some who "clung" to the rod, but that is not suffiecent. Satan is too real. We must study and feast upon the words of Christ daily in order to asegurarnos that we will not fall into Satan´s traps. I love the scripture in 1Nefi 15:24 that talks about how the word of god (aka the scriptures) is what helps us and gives us the power to overcome all of the temptations of Satan.Satan is getting more and more powerful on this earth so we must do everything we can possibly do to stay strong and faithful. We are an eternal family and together me must grab hold of the iron rod and press forward with faith and hope, constantly relying upon Jesus Christ and the pòwer of His Atonement. It is not sufficient in this life to take the Book of Mormon lightly and read it only a few times each week. We must treasure that book and feast from it every single day no matter how busy we are. 1Nefi 3:7 says that Christ will provide a way for us to accomplish all of his commandments. Reading the Book of Mormon daily is a commandment from Heavnely Father and with His help, we will make time every day to read from it. I love this book with my whole heart and I echo the testimony of Jose Smith that this book is the most correct of any book on earth and that a man will grow closer to God by reading and living its eternal principles. I know this Book has power to help us and guide us. I know with everything in me that the Book of Mormon is true and I feel so humbled and blessed to be here in Spain sharing this Book with everyone adn allowing them to come to know the truthfulness of this book.

I love you all so much! Thank you for your love and prayers! I feel them everyday! I hope you all have a great week!

Love, Hermana Heims

Ps

Hna King cut my hair today and wow I am so thankful for her! My hair was so long and thick, it desperately needed to be cut and she did such a good job. She cut about 2.5 inches off!
 

pss

I really hope and pray I never have to move into an elders piso again. We spent 4 hours cleaning the piso tihs morning. Jaja it blows my mind the difference in the standard of cleanliness bewteen hermanas and elders.

psss (ppps? I have no clue how it is written! ja!)

put sun glasses on or something before you look at the pictures I send home. I started wearing sandals this week and WOWZEEE my legs are white! Jajaj I looked at these pictures and just about died when I saw how white my legs are. And you know me, I am very aware that my legs are and have always been white but wow i scared myself looking at these pictures! jajaj!