It's been a successful week!!

Nacho got baptized!! After lots of weeks and months of preparing. He's made lots of changes in his life... getting married... quit smoking.. and many more. Him and Alma both look so much happier already!! :) Many members went to support them. Their 8 year old niece Andrea was also baptized! She wore my white clothes. 

It's been interesting this week to see so much progress with our investigators and in the ward because the past two weeks I've been sick and we haven't been able to work at our usual speed. We've learned that the Lord truly knows our hearts and intentions and knows that we have been doing all that we can. He only asks for our all. If we give him our best he will make up for the rest. And health wise I am doing better by the way. Not completely better yet but getting there. Good thing I extended so I have a few more weeks to get healthy before I come home :)

We met Maricela this week and had the coolest experience with her. She contacted us and asked if we were the English teachers because she saw a sign we had left. She said she would like to learn English but works during the hour we give classes. We said we would teach her at her house if she would like. We got there already feeling like we were going to teach the gospel instead of English and we did. 

She explained to us her story of how she had a dream in which her dead grandma who she loved so much told her to go take care of her uncle which is why she moved. Her and her grandma were always really close but she told us she didn't know why she was here but feels like God and her grandma sent her. When she realized we were Mormons she said her grandma was also a member of the church. It was a really sweet experience. We told her that was why she was here to find the church. She started to cry. After reading about the restoration she let us in with a big smile and said she was just like Joseph Smith and now she's found the truth. She doesn't have much but gave us these huge bottles of natural honey :) Adorable. Sad this is my last week in the area and won't be able to teach her for much longer.

We are working to finish reading the Book of Mormon together out loud in Spanish before this week is up! We are scheduled to finish on time. This past week we read and spend some time pondering all the miracles that Christ did in the Americas and the incredible faith of the people there. He wasn't able to do such marvelous things in front of the people in Jerusalem. Only few people saw Him as a resurrected being but in the Americas he presented himself to many. Many touched the nail prints in his hands and his feet and bore testimony of his reality. I was left meditating of all the many miracles the Lord can do in my life if I only have faith in Him.

At the Visitor's Center 7-19-15

My faith has grown so much these past several months as a missionary and the best thing about our faith is that there is always room for more growth. It will constantly grow as we keep doing all that the Father expects of us and recognizing his hand in our daily lives.

At the Visitor's Center 7-22-15

Happy Birthday to Miranda this Friday! Hope its a good one. I love you and miss you and will make you a mexican treat when I get home. Tacos? haha arroz con leche mejor :) Or some limon pie. Or flan. There's some pretty good mexican postres. 

Also I found one of our ancestor stories in the July Liahonna this week. About Ira and Wealtha Hatch. Pretty sweet right? Talks about her faith to be baptized in a freezing icy river and deciding not to wait til summer to get baptized. And then about how they left their home and helped build the temple. Pioneer day on Friday we watched the Legacy movie during the food. The members put it in. :) It was a fun little celebration. It's short and finished right as we finished eating.

That's probably enough for now! Everything is going so well here. I love being a missionary and and cherishing every last moment I have :) It is an exciting time here with the temple opening up soon :) Next week I will be writing on Wednesday and probably no longer here in Moctezuma. Love you all lots! Have a good week!

Con amor,

Hermana Rhoten

Today we went to a mercado and then made chocolate chip cookies with our convert Alisson and her cousin Frida. That's what the last picture is from :) They didn't turn out quite right... but they still tasted good!