Hermana Kali Green : Week 42

Hermana Green, Ivette & Hermana Zimmerman. So Proud of Ivette for entering the waters of Baptism.

Hola family and friends!

HEY, THIS WAS, PROBABLY THE BEST WEEK OF MY MISSION! Sorry for the all caps I am just PUMPED to write you today!

Investigators:
Ivette and Nicole: I’ll tell you towards the end of the letter… :)
Leandra: We had a hard time trying to see her this week, but we have a cita (appointment) with her this Wednesday!
Joaquin: JOAQUIN I love this man. He is a very humble man who has so much potential! He is an older gent, but a great man. We had a lesson with him and he loves reading the Book of Mormon and is excited to talk about it with us tomorrow!
Maria: We had a lesson with her and she almost came to church, but she didn’t feel ready yet. She's already feeling the Spirit and she told us that she knew that God sent us. We are excited to see where this all leads with her. Her son, Jabdriel, is almost 2 and he's adopted! She told me that when I mentioned to her that I was adopted, and that was a confirmation for her that she was doing the right thing as a Mother, and that this wasn't coincidence that we met.

TRANSFERS: TRANSFER CALLS WERE CRAZY! Hermana Zimmerman and I are staying, in a way... she is getting moved to the other Ward and area in Cabo Rojo with a new companion. The Elders that were in our Ward are ALSO moving to the other Cabo Rojo Ward. I am staying in Cabo Rojo, the same Ward, AND I AM TRAINING AGAIN. I almost had a heart attack when I heard that ha-ha!!!! And what makes it even more crazy is, there are only 4 Sister Missionaries coming in this new transfer, and the Lord has decided to have me be a trainer once again. I am very, very, amazed, but humbled and grateful for the opportunity to help other Missionaries discover our purpose as the Lord's servants. I am so, so, so, excited!! Tomorrow I will go drive across the island once again to meet my new companion and have a little training meeting with President Boucher right before. House of 4 again woo, woo!!!

Zone conference was amazing last week, as always. We actually had to change from "Armies of Helaman to "Choose the Right" and it sounded really good, I think!

OKAY NOW TO WHAT YOU ALL WANT TO HEAR:
We witnessed several miracles and tender mercies from the Lord, that reassured us that He was aware of us and was taking care of us. So, this all starts last Tuesday. We had a cita (appointment) with Ivette and Nicole, and the Spirit was SO strong. It hadn't been that strong in so long. In the last Zone Conference, the AP's taught us about how the Spirit will tell you when the moment is right to invite someone to be baptized. We had fasted the week before that Ivette and Nicole would recognize and have a desire to be baptized and keep their commitments (praying together, reading the Book of Mormon, etc.). They told us that they had been doing those things and everything just clicked for them and we had no doubts that they were prepared. I was honestly a bit scared to invite them to be baptized because each time we tried in the past, it hadn't ended to well. At the end of the lesson, we asked them to pray and ask Heavenly Father if they should get baptized this week. I asked them, "if you receive an answer, will you prepare to be baptized this Sunday?" and they both agreed - MIRACLE #1.

Wednesday, we decided that we needed to fast to really show Heavenly Father that we had the faith that Ivette and Nicole could be baptized. So, we started our fast on Wednesday afternoon. We were contacting in this neighborhood far away. We sat down for a second to drink some water, because it was super-hot. I drank the little water I had left, I was out of water. I shook my water bottle and said to Hermana Zimmerman, "I am out" she had finished hers too, so we were hot and thirsty and had no water. RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT, a truck pulls up right next to us, rolls down the window, and a man hands us two FREEZING cold water bottles, and drives away - MIRACLE #2.

I was BLOWN away, that precisely when we needed some water, it was provided for us!! Later that day, I noticed that my bag was a little heavier than normal. I look in my bag, to discover that I had Ivette's Book of Mormon in my bag. I have NO idea how it got in there. Seriously, I am so baffeled. So, we went to their house to go drop it off before we went to our Correlation Meeting. We only had about 10 minutes so we couldn't teach a lesson. They invited us in and Nicole runs to the other room and yells, "wait right there, don’t leave yet!" She comes back with two little bags with earrings, lipstick, and Chapstick as a, thank you for all we have done, and she hoped that we wouldn’t be transferred and leave. Hermana Zimmerman and I were so shocked it was so cute! After we thanked them and gave them hugs, we invited them to the FHE we were going to have the next night at Hermano Valverde's house with all the recent converts and George, the man who had a baptism planned that Friday, and a couple other members from our Ward. They agreed to go and asked us to come by so we could all go together - MIRACLE #3.

At Correlation Meeting that night, it was Bishop, us, the Elders, (and actually Elder Willes, our District Leader, was doing intercambios with Elder Bradford, so he was there too). Hermano Irizarry our Ward Mission Leader, and Hermano Rivera were all there talking about George's baptism and planning it all. It was set in stone with speakers and everything. We mentioned to Bishop that we might be having two baptisms on Sunday. They talked about how Sunday might not be the best day, and I got a little sad. Then, Bishop says, "why not have them baptized on Friday? We are already having George’s baptism so why not? We all kind of laughed about it because of how crazy it sounded, and then we all kind of realized how genius it was. I, personally, was like, "okay yeah, great idea, but how the heck is Ivette and Nicole going to agree to this? They already were hesitant on SUNDAY let alone telling them that they have less than 24 hours to receive a confirmation and then have the baptismal interview?" I was nervous to talk to them, but we all decided we would pray about it. Hermana Zimmerman and I were talking about how great that would be, and that we would go a little early to Ivette and Nicole's house before the FHE and talk to them about it.

Hermano Irizarry(Ward Mission Leader) Hermana Green & Zimmerman

Thursday, we ended our fast, and the time came to go to Ivette and Nicole's house to pick them up for FHE and to present this idea of them about getting baptized on Friday. In my head, I had no idea how to smoothly ask them so we kind of just went for it and asked, "hey, Ivette so have you been praying to receive an answer?" and she said, "yes... I had a dream last night. You guys left the house last night, and Nicole and I were just so happy to see you, we were so happy. In the dream, I was talking to someone, I couldn't see who, but I asked, "is this God, and should I get baptized? is this what you want me to do?" and she said the answer was, YES, you have nothing to lose!" So, you can imagine my face when she said that. So, then we told her about our idea we had... and I said, "so... would you like to be baptized tomorrow night?" She looked at me with a smile on her face, and said, "That could work, YES." I LOST IT. I cannot describe the joy that I felt in that moment. Nicole and Ivette hugged, and told each other how much they loved each other. Hermana Zimmerman hugged Ivette, and I just dropped to the ground and started crying happy tears. It was happening. Somehow our crazy idea happened to work out - MIRACLE #4.

We headed over to the FHE and told the Elders, they were super happy too! Cindy, Waddy, Mayda, us, the Elders, George, Ivette, and Nicole and the Valverdes all were there. We watched “Only a Stonecutter" video and ended up talking about Temples. Hermano Valverde asked me to share an experience about a Temple and someone had mentioned the LA temple. I explained that that's where I had the privilege of getting sealed to my family and how it will always have a special place in my heart. After I shared my thought, Hermano Valverde says, "I always love hearing what Hermana Green has to say. She has such a strong testimony." I started tearing up again. George and Ivette shared their conversion stories. Ivette explained her dream, and her answer she got, and opened up about the death of her husband and how right before he died, he said to her, "you need to look for God." She started crying about how she had been through so much pain but that she finally received her answer, and she turned and said to me, "thank you" and when she was done, she just came and hugged me, and was bawling. I cried again. After FHE, Elder Willes gave Ivette the baptismal interview and she passed! - MIRACLE #5. IT was official. She was going to get baptized!!!

Family Home Evening with The Valverdes, Ivette, Nicole and Hermana Green & Zimmerman.

FHE The Valverdes, Ivette, Nicole, Elder Willes & Bradford, Hermana Zimmerman & Green.

Mayda, Waddy and Hermana Green.

Friday, we had Zone Conference, and we got to the Church to start making programs and preparing everything and Jose, one of the Elder's investigators (who actually was taught originally by Hermana Antonio y Cortes before they left) came. The elders had been trying to help him see how prepared he was, but he never could commit to a date. He was talking to Bishop, and Bishop pulled me aside and told me how he was talking with Jose, saying that he could get baptized too, and Jose said, YES AND WANTED TO TELL THE ELDERS THAT HE GOT AN ANSWER. Right at that moment, the Elders came with George and Hermano Valverde and we ran to the car telling them the news. Once again, Elder Willes RAN to the Church and gave him the interview and he PASSED. So, a baptism planned just for George, turned out to be 3 baptisms in Cabo Rojo in one night. It was so beautiful to see all of it unfold and I learned a valuable lesson in how patience, diligence, prayer and fasting truly does work out for our good and that everything falls into place on the Lord’s timetable. It was one of the best days of my life!! We had so much support from the members and being able to see how happy these three new members are with their decision to be baptized was unlike anything else. I was just beaming from ear to ear with the biggest smile I could give. I couldn't sleep for days because of how happy I was. All of my struggles, trials, tears of sadness from trying to help Ivette and Nicole these last four months turned into never ending smiles, tears of joy, and a baptism!!!

Hermana Green, Zimmerman, Ivette, Jose, George, Obispo Cruz, Edler Willes & Bradford.

Three Baptisms in one Day!

So Happy to See Ivette Baptized and share this special moment with Hermana Zimmerman.

What a Beautiful Baptism of Ivette.

So, my Dear Friends and Family, miracles never stop ceasing in the work of the Lord. Thank you for all the prayers on their behalf. Now, we are going to work with Nicole to get baptized! All things are possible!