Hope that starting this new email
helps, I just replied cause it was easier to get it out to all of you what with
it already being addressed to you.
Anyways this week has been a pretty
good one, some very exciting things have happened and some very scary things
have also happened. Nothing life threatening though so don't sweat it. First
off we have Norma. Norma just had her Baptisimal interview on Sunday and she
passed. She is a bit shaky on Thomas S. Monson and chastity so we have to brush
up on that stuff this week. We are actually going by her today at 4 and that
should go well. She is super great, she was really nervous about baptism and
this past week we invited her to pray about being baptized on the 27th because
we didn't want her to do it for us, we want her to do it for herself and for
our Father in Heaven. She had a dream, a dream in which she was in the shower
and she just laid back and was immersed in water...and that was the answer she
needed I guess. She told us that was God telling her to just do it and so she
is going to be baptized this Sunday. She will be my first baptism and I can't
tell you how happy I am, this is going to be great for her as well as her two
children. During the week she called us because she was having a really rough
time with her separation from her husband and she didn't know where else to
turn, we got to sit down and share Alma 7:11-13 with her and I know it helped
her out. This is what Missionary work is about.
The Guerrero family is still going
strong, Myra has struggles with Coffee so we took her some hot cocoa and she gave
her cigarettes away and hasn't drank since Christmas. We got to talk to her
about her San Judas Obsession and that we can't worship anyone but God. I know
that has been hard for her because she loves her San Judas so much she named
her son after him. But, the night after our lesson she had her San Judas Chain
in a pocket and when she went to remove it that chain had broken. She called us
Sorcerers and we just told her that God has our backs. Her and her
"husband" still need to get married but she promises us that she will
work on it, the just have a debt to pay off at the court or something. Also,
she and her daughter Regina have a hard time getting along and yesterday our
member that we took with us to a lesson with them told Myra that Regina is spoiled
and needs a good beating. Good ol' Mercedes. Karina, Myras Sobrina I think
that's what she is, is progressing towards baptism as well and last night we
visited a friend of Myras and got a return appointment. She gives us more
refferals than our members do...
Melissa is another of Myras friends
who really wants to have lessons with us but when she tries to come over for a
lesson at the Guerrero home something always comes up. I am certain it is her
"husband", he mistreats her a lot and we really want to help her but
we aren't sure how just yet, but we will get there.
Dalia and her family locked all her
gates yesterday so we couldn't go and see them and that really hurt Elder
Marbles feelings and he was pretty upset. She has no testimony and it is super
weird for me to think someone would get baptized without truly being committed.
Sister Basadlua is a woman who I met this last week who is inactive because she hates church. She grew up in Utah and had some rough times with the members and stuff and went inactive. I guess she doesn't set return appointments normally but we got her to set one with us which means she is already changing. I can't wait to see if we can help her.
Friday we had a Recent Convert
activity where all the people who got baptized last year came and a few from
each area bore their testimonies. I was worried for ours because I didn't know
how well they were gonna do at bearing testimony but they did amazingly. To
hear their testimonies as well as all the others was really wonderful, and it brought
the spirit so strongly it was nuts. There truly are people being helped out
here by the gospel and until Friday I won't lie, I was a bit skeptical about
it. It was refreshing for me to see that the work has been paying off.
Now Sunday was the craziest day of
my life. First off Elder Marble hit his sister mark or 18 months as a
missionary. As missionaries there is a tradition to burn something of clothing
every six months. 6 a tie 12 a shirt and 18 pants. He hadn't done any so he
decided to do all three. We tried to find a secluded place but for fear of
looking suspicious he just did it in the parking lot in front of our apartment.
I told him it was a bad idea but he didn't listen. Well, next day we get a call
from Aurora, our landlady and had to go and scrub the parking lot of the melted
pants and stuff.
That however, is not the crazy part
of Sunday, the crazy part was attending a pentecostal church...with Juan
Arriaga. During a lesson with Juan this week we felt prompted to tell him that
we were going to go to church with him. Juan had received a vision or a dream
and so did his wife and if I had more time I would share those with you in
detail but we went to church with him. 9 hours of church on Sunday just a heads
up. Anyways, they had a live band and sang and danced and then took turns
singing Cantos or what I have decided to call, Karaoke Testimonies. It was
nuts...then the lady-preacher came out and just started weeping at the pulpit
before words could come out. A woman in the congregation started, not crying,
not weeping, not sobbing but WAILING and flailing as if she were possessed.
Then she vomitted, violently on the floor. Everyone cheered because the
"Demon" left her and clapped and cheered and spoke in tongues. It was
horrifying and it bore witness to me the truthfulness of our church. The spirit
wasn't there and it felt so empty. I realized how lost our brethren are and why
we are so important as Saints in the church. We have to go find the lost and
help them. I felt so strange there I won't lie to you.
This week I want you all to devote
one prayer in the day to just pure gratitude, I promise as you do this you will
begin to see how lucky we are as Saints. Keep praying about Missionary
experiences, I haven't heard from anyone about them yet so it is still on the
table. I love you so much my family and miss you. I carry a picture of you with
my scriptures. I used it in a lesson yesterday, apparently I babbled about
nothing but they got the point. I love you.
Elder Bassett
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