So this week we had a multizona (mutli-zone conference) on Wednesday that was way good, I learned a lot! It was cool to see other missionaries and now that the mission is a little smaller geographically, we´re able to do that more often! At one point President Ardila called me up (to my surprise!) in front of everyone, which was like 4 zones and teach! President Ardila came and visited Carlos with us once and I used the visual with the cups (Thanks Mom!) to explain Christ´s church and the Apostasy. President Ardila really wants us to teach this well so that our investigators understand the Restoration and authority that we have now in the church. He apparently had talked about our story with Carlos a lot in the other zone conferences and wanted me to show everyone what we taught that turned him from an eternal investigator to having a baptismal date. Que loco! haha.
On Friday it was my birthday(!!) and we had the opportunity to go to La Molina and attend a practice for the missionary choir that will be doing a number when ELDER QUENTIN L. COOK comes this Saturday! It was awesome because I got to see all of my friends there and Hermana Aguayo even brought me my my favorite chocolates, called "Besos de Moza." Mmmmm! Haha. At the end of choir practice everyone sang to me and it was way fun to spend the morning with my mission family! Later, Hermana Pardo and I went out to lunch at a polleria with our pensionista and her family and it was way cool! It was a really great day, however, it was a day of work, of course. The following is my letter to my mission president this week, hopefully yall can translate it, but I wanted to share this experience that actually happened on my birthday (and unfortunately don´t have time to rewrite it in English). I´m very happy to be in the Lord´s work right now and to be spending all of my year 21 on His service! :) Thanks for all the birthday wishes and for thinking of me!
Con bastante amor,
Hermana Bledsoe
These are from Peru´s independance day when one of our investigators was performing in a dance (with the demon mask haha)
The lady behind us cracks me uppppp.
Finally! Photos from Jesus´ baptism!! :)
Presidente Ardila,
Este semana estaba llena de nuevas cosas a aprender y experimentar. Me disfruté mucho la multizona y aprendí bastante. Siempre es mi meta para llegar a ser una mejor misionera y ayudar mis investigadores mejor y aprendí mas como puedo poner en practica eso. Gracias por la oportunidad para compartir con todos un poco de que he aprendido y espero que ayudó a algunas para explicar la iglesia de Jesucristo y la Apostasía.
Es con corazón tan pesado que tengo que decirle que Carlos no se va a bautizarse este semana. Tuvimos un lección con él en día Jueves y nos dijo que no va a bautizarse si no tiene una respuesta de Dios de Thomas S. Monson es Su profeta. El próximo día le mostramos la película acerca nuestra profeta y todavía no quería creer que el es una profeta de Dios. Sabemos que este no es su problema en realidad, solo es una excusa para no arrepentirse. Entonces, hablábamos mucho con él y nos dijo que no quiere mas visitas de nosotros. Mi compañera y yo explicamos la carpeta de área y que en cualquier momento, cuando esta listo y tal vez mas adelante con otros misioneros, puede llamar nos y estamos dispuestas a enseñarle de nuevo. Ahora sentimos que Carlos tiene deseos a cambiar, pero su corazón todavía esta duro y no esta dispuesto a hacer cambios realmente. Me da tanto dolor para él porque sé cuanto felicidad puede hallar en este evangelio. Tengo esperanza que mas adelante se va a bautizarse. Él sabe que este es la verdad, solo necesita su propio tiempo.
He llegado a saber que el albedrío es un gran bendición. Cristo hecho la Expiación por cada de nosotros, y tenemos la libertad a aceptarlo y utilizarlo cada día de la vida. Nuestro propósito como misioneros es para "invitar a las personas" y siento que mi compañera y yo (y también las hermanas anteriores) hemos hecho todo posible para invitar y enseñar Carlos la verdad a su entendimiento, pero tiene su albedrío y respetamos. Estoy un poco triste por él, y me puso a llorar, pero me da un poco de felicidad también porque eso me mostró cuanto amor tengo por mis investigadores. Ahora tengo más entendimiento de como siente nuestro Salvador cuando rechazamos el gozo que podamos tener a través de Su sacrificio y Su evangelio. Él nos ama más de que podemos comprender. Entonces nos vamos a seguir adelante, siempre con Carlos en nuestros oraciones.
También tenemos buenas noticias porque este semana una pareja se va a casar y la hermana se va a bautizarse! Este es un gran milagro y nos agradecimos a Dios todos los días por eso. Ellos tienen bastante fe y he aprendido mucho de su ejemplo. Gracias por todo Presidente!
Humildemente,
Hermana Bledsoe
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I (Sadie) used google translate for the letter, some of it doesn't make sense translated but you get the general idea:
President Ardila,
This week was full of new things to learn and experience. I enjoyed the multizone and learned a lot. It is always my goal to become a better missionary and help my research better and learned more as I can put into practice that. Thanks for the opportunity to share with everyone some I've learned and hopefully helped some to explain the church of Jesus Christ and the Apostasy.
It is with heavy heart that I have to tell you that Carlos is not going to be baptized this week. We had a lesson with him in day Wednesday and told us not to be baptized if you have an answer from God of Thomas S. Monson is His prophet. The next day we showed the film about our prophet and still did not want to believe that is a prophet of God. We know that this is not your problem really is just an excuse for not repenting. So we talked a lot with him and he said he does not want more visits from us. My companion and I explained the area book and at any time when ready and maybe later with other missionaries, you can call us and we are willing to teach again. We now feel that Carlos has a desire to change, but his heart is still hard and not really willing to make changes. I feel so much pain for him because I know how much happiness can be found in this gospel. I have hope that later they will be baptized. He knows this is the truth, you just need your own time.
I have come to know that the will is a great blessing. Christ made atonement for each of us, and we are free to accept it and use it every day of life. Our purpose as missionaries is to "invite people" and I feel that my partner and I (and previous sisters) have done everything possible to invite and teach Carlos the truth to his understanding, but it has its will and respect. I'm a little sad for him, and I began to mourn, but give me a little happiness also because it showed me how much love I have for my research. Now I have more understanding of how you feel our Savior when we said that we can have joy through His sacrifice and His gospel. He loves us more than we can comprehend. Then we will move forward, always with Carlos in our prayers.
We also have good news because this week a couple is getting married and the sister is getting baptized! This is a great miracle and we thanked God every day for that. They have enough faith and I learned a lot from his example. Thanks for everything President!
Humbly,
Sister Bledsoe
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