Baptisms

Hola,

Dia de muertos was an interesting experience.  The night was a lot like Halloween, with all the kids out in their costumes asking for candy, just a lot more skeleton costumes than usual.  You also figure out where the Catholics live, because they all put a cross in front of their door made of cempasuchil flowers, or Mexican Marigolds.  I guess there are some areas with some pretty impressive celebrations, but we don't live close enough to any of them to see those.  So really it wasn't too different from Halloween, just less Jack-O-Lanterns.

As far as primary programs go, I haven't heard one yet, but I'm pretty sure this ward is going to have theirs this Sunday, so maybe I will.  A lot of the songs are translations of the ones we have in English, so I at least recognize them, but I couldn't tell you what the words to most of them are.  I do hope to get the chance to hear one this year.  I do kind of miss singing with the primary.

Now for the good news, Baptisms.  Everything went more or less according to plan, and there are now two new members of the ward here.  There were a couple set backs, as there always seem to be.  First off, the baptism was at 10:00 a.m., so we came at about 7:00 to fill up the font.  We started it filling, then left for a bit to go get some other things prepared.  We came back at about 9:00, and the water had been turned off, and the font only had about six inches of water in it.  It turns out that one of the councilers in the Stake Presidency came by not too long after we left, and turned the water off, not realizing we were going to have a baptism.  Needless to say we were praying for some help filling it up in time.  But I guess God wanted us to have the baptism because we got it filled up by about 10:05 or so.  Other than that everything went more or less according to plan.  The couple that got baptized are named Felix and Sharon.  They have had a pretty rough relationship from what they've told me, but from what I've seen nothing short of a miracle has happened with them.  I just hope that they never lose the trust that they've discovered in God.  They are already looking forward to entering the temple to be sealed, so I have faith that they'll stay strong.

That's about it for news this week.  I love you and I'll write you next week. 

Love,

Elder Samuel Long