November 13, 2010

Dear Family,
This week was pretty crazy. It went by so fast because we were traveling the whole time. We left Tuesday morning at 8 AM and we got back at 6 PM on Friday evening. It was so long but so fun too! With the Zone Conferences and the Specialized Trainings this time we haven´t done anything. We have a grand total of like 1 hour between the 2 days and all we do is have a demonstration and have them do practices. It´s good because this time around I´m learning how to be more observant and I can make more comments to them about their teaching skills. It has been nice. So President Sloan decided to take us and the zone leaders out to eat with the Stake President in Esmeraldas and in Santo Domingo. I ate some pretty good food this week :) I probably gained like 5 lbs. ha ha. Seafood in Esmeraldas is amazing!!! It´s a city that is literally on the coast so it´s all fresh and it´s fairly cheap. I had some pretty amazing shrimp there :)
So on Sunday we were finally able to get out and work. We went with some of our families and we were able to help them progress more. The Taco family and the Maza family have baptismal dates for the 27th!!!! We had 2 amazing experiences with them on Sunday to help them to accept a baptismal date. When we do the baptismal invitation we normally do it in 2 parts (I might have already explained this before but oh well!). The first part we ask them, "Will you prepare to follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized just as he was?" Normally they will say yes I would like to prepare for that. The second question we ask is basically the same, "Will you prepare to follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized on the 27th of November?" Normally on this question they´ll have some sort of excuse or doubt. Basically we help them to realize that if they truly have the desires to do it that they can do it. They just need more faith!! After the second question we are able to know why they don´t want to get baptized and we are able to help them to repent and to be ready for that day. It is such an amazing process and it works with everyone. That is why we are baptizing so many people here in the mission now. I love it!!!!
On Thursday night we went on exchanges in Santo Domingo. I went with one companionship and my companion went with another. It was so amazing to be able to get to work again. I hadn´t done any type of "in the field" missionary work for a few days. I couldn´t even do a contact because we were with President in his car the whole time. I was dying ha ha :) We had some amazing experiences that night and I´d like to share just one of them. We went to one of these missionaries investigators that is going to get baptized today. When we showed up he asked us to go visit him with one of his sisters that hadn´t listened to the missionaries before. We went in and she wasn´t too interested but I told her that we could help her and that I wanted to share an experience with her. She said that she would rather set an appointment for another day and I told her that I live in Quito. She finally agreed and we started with a prayer. I just started to ask her questions about her life and about what she desires. She opened up to me and I don´t know why. She started to tell me about her depression and her need to be loved unconditionally by someone. She had been studying with Jehovah´s witnesses and she hasn´t felt anything special yet. I asked her a rhetorical question and said, "Who have you shared this with before and why did you share it with me, a complete stranger?" I told her not to respond and then I said, "The Spirit of God is testifying in your heart that I am one of His servants and that I can help you." She just sat there thinking. I shared an experience with her and we ended with a prayer. She tried to invite us over for dinner the next day and I said that the 2 missionaries that i was with could go but that I couldn´t. I am so grateful that the Lord worked through me that night. The Elders that I was with told me that they had tried to talk with her before but that she wouldn´t listen. I needed to be there on that day and I had to be there to help her to feel the Spirit. I hope and pray that she will continue listening to the missionaries and that she will be baptized. It was such an amazing experience.
Last night the Taco family said that for sure they are going to go to church with us on Sunday!!! We are super excited because that has been their challenge over the last few weeks. We talked with 2 of the sons in the Maza family and they are going to go to church as well (the mom wasn´t there). They said that they´re going to help family to go as well.
I just want to let each of you know how grateful that I am for you. This week I have pondered over the many blessings that I have received in my life. I am so grateful that my Heavenly Father put each of you in my path and that you were able to influence me in my progression towards God. I love each of you. Thank you for everything.



Love,
Élder Hakes