Bring the Heat

This week was tough. Not gonna lie, it was really hard. Really taxing, I guess is a better way to put it. Saying goodbye to Sister Lammi was nothing short of devastating (even though I get to see her and everybody else in a few weeks), and that was just Monday. I got to spend time with the Hermana's on Tuesday, which was super fun! I got to use the tiny amount of Spanish that I know and I understood almost everything they were saying, so that was pretty great.

On Wednesday, I got a new companion, Sister Hayes.She is from Missouri and has only been on her mission for 5 months. That's been kinda fun! I'm a whole 12 months older than her in "mission age," so her Greenie Fire is still there and my End of Mission Fire is there too, which makes us a hard working pair! It'll be good. With that fire though, we are a little to hot... the weather up here has been record heat the past couple of weeks. I can't even remember the last time it rained. It was 73 in Newport Beach, CA and 92 up here. I was upset. Haha! It's been incredibly hot, which is why there aren't many pictures for this week... I was too sweaty and gross to take pictures. Ha! Sorry!

One of the other hard parts of this week is that quite a few people fell off date for baptism. Not only did they drop their date, but they dropped US. We are no longer in contact with them, which breaks my heart. THAT has been hard for me. I only have 5 weeks left, so it's hard to think that I'm not gonna baptize every weekend like I thought I was going to. I mean, who knows? Maybe God has other people who are prepared to be baptized and it'll still happen! I'm confident that whatever happens, as long as I keep the faith and do my best to bring forth the Gospel to everyone I can, it'll be right. God has a perfect plan, even though it sometimes clashes with what I would appreciate personally. He's great that way. Gotta be humbled every once in a while!

The great part of this week was Toby's baptism. :) His dad, Charlie, got to baptize him (who was only baptized two weeks ago), so that was pretty special. Toby is adorable, and he is such a good example to those around him! His friend Dylan has been at a few of the lessons, and now he wants us to focus on teaching him! That will be great. :)

It was a very cool baptism. Charlie gave the talk on Baptism, and Mary gave the talk on the Holy Ghost, which was extra special. :) Bishop Henthorn shared with Charlie on Sunday this poem that he felt described Charlie and his progression pretty accurately. I would have to agree with him.

’Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer

Thought it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin,

But held it up with a smile:

“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried,

“Who’ll start the bidding for me?”

“A dollar, a dollar”; then, “Two!” “Only two?

Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?

Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;

Going for three—” But no,

From the room, far back, a gray-haired man

Came forward and picked up the bow;

Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,

And tightening the loose strings,

He played a melody pure and sweet

As a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,

With a voice that was quiet and low,

Said, “What am I bid for the old violin?”

And he held it up with the bow.

“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?

Two thousand! And who’ll make it three?

Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice,

And going, and gone!” said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,

“We do not quite understand

What changed its worth.” Swift came the reply:

“The touch of a master’s hand.”

And many a man with life out of tune,

And battered and scarred with sin,

Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,

Much like the old violin.

A “mess of pottage,” a glass of wine,

A game—and he travels on.

He’s “going” once, and “going” twice,

He’s “going” and almost “gone.”

But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd

Never can quite understand

The worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought

By the touch of the Master’s hand.

Charlie has come SO far in the last year. And now he is well on his way to having his eternal family. I couldn't be happier for them. I really feel like their family are some of the people that I was close with in the pre-existence, and finding those sorts of connections are some of the best moments ever. I am so grateful that I have had the opportunities that I've had to find those people and to reconnect with them. It's been a fairly long time. ;) I love my mission. Though things have been difficult, they're looking up, and I am confident they'll continue to get better and better. I love you! I'll talk to you next week.

Love Always,

Sister Nicole Guilott