"The B Word, Baptism."

Hola amigos y familia!

It's been an amazing few weeks being a servant of the Lord. Here are some quick updates:

• We had transfers last week, I am still in Spring Lake and am training a brand new and incredible Hermana, Hermana Hasek from Iowa! 
• I have two cousins from back home getting baptized this week and I am giving the talk on baptism by sending in a video that will be showed at the baptism and I feel so blessed and am so excited!
• I wore pants the other day for a service project and I don't know if I will ever get used to wearing pants every day ever again. They felt so uncomfortable! Have pants always been that uncomfortable? I guess I'll find out in January.
• I hit my 1 year mark next Thursday. Where has the time gone? Time is literally nonexistent on the mission.
• We are teaching a lot of people that are progressing and gaining testimonies, the Lord is really helping us and sanctifying our flawed efforts. 
• A couple we are teaching are working to quit smoking and drinking and they have been sober for a whole week! 
• I still feel like I'm going to die every morning when I wake up at 6:30, I think people lie when they say you get used to the schedule...
• An investigator tried to hold my hand at church last week and I still cringe when I think about it. (I'm not a believer of the motto "flirt to convert" Jajaja)
• AND One of my best friends and investigators was baptized and confirmed yesterday!

The subject line is a quote from a church production called The District. It's a show about missionaries in San Diego California. The camera crew goes in and follows them around to show how missionary work is done. When you are new to the mission you watch the videos with your trainer as an example of how to do missionary work. There is a video where two elders teach a young girl who is afraid to commit to baptism. The elders realize it is because she doesn't understand the spiritual meaning behind baptism. This is often a problem in missionary work. People not understanding baptism and what it means.

To be brief, baptism is a covenant with God. A covenant is like a "pinky-promise" with God that you are going to do your best and keep His commandments and in return He blesses you and helps you. So it's a two way street; you do your best and the Lord does the rest. Baptism is the first great covenant we make with God. When someone goes into the water all their sins go in with them but when they come up the sins are gone. But that is not it, you aren't clean forever after and suddenly have a perfect life. You are still tempted and have trials, the difference is you have God's help more abundantly. I love helping investigators understand this.

The sister that got baptized this week understood very well the importance of baptism. She had a rough past and really wanted to change. She has consistently come to church, prayed, read her scriptures and made changes in her life to come to this amazing day. She has such a strong testimony of the gospel. Yesterday she was baptized. When she came out of the water her smile was bright and wide. As she came up out of the font I wrapped her towel around her and hugged her and she instantly started crying in my arms. She whispered to me "Hermana, I did it! I'm clean." Almost immediately I started crying as well and hugged her tighter. The spirit was so strong and I knew in that moment that she had been baptized by someone holding the power of God and that she really was clean.

I'm so grateful for my experiences here. The miracles, the hard days, stress, the blessings, the tears both good and bad. It is all worth it to bring souls unto Christ. I cherish every second I have here and know this is nothing less than the work of the Lord.

Los quiero muchísimo!!!!

Hermana Tapia