Journalist Junkie: And They Got Dunked!

So lots of stuff happened during the week but personally I want to start off with YESTERDAY. ....WE HAD 2 BAPTISMS!!!!! For WEEKS we´d been preparing everything with the ward, with our investigators, and let me just say....I´m pretty sure the last 3 days were the most stressful days of my life. Being a missionary I´m pretty sure I´m ALWAYS on an emotional high. But I never imagined that coordinating a baptism would be so stressful. We talked to everyone, INVITED everyone and committed like EVERYONE to doing something in the baptism. We had to have the service in the chapel it was so big!...but our plan was to have it with two other elders who were going to have a baptism as well. But every time we asked them what they had planned they said ...nothing. not that they didn't talk to us but they didn't have one single PLAN! They didn't plan anything. So when we all got there Hermana Ceccon and I were running around like chickens with our heads cut off and the elders were just chillin....without plans. Letting us do it all. But we figured hey, their poor investigator! ...and their bishop got mad at them even because he said "it´s our baptism too." I felt bad for the kid getting baptised, but we couldn't help him because his missionaries weren't doing anything. Everything went well for our baptisms. We planned lots of little surprises for F*and R*...but the elders ...yea...you get the picture. Long story short after everyone was dunked, the other ward stayed elsewhere because the poor kid got mad. I felt soooo bad. And what´s worse, we asked THEIR ward and the elders to at least bring food so everyone could eat together...nope. So when they were finished we didn't have any more food cause OUR ward had so many people. It was stressful. But overall it went super well. The mom asked me to sing so I did that. When they were all changing we passed out squares of paper and stuff for everyone to write cute little notes. And it was an awesome success....My first baptisms!!!! I was sooo happy. Oh. and when Renato got baptized he came up practically laughing and as he was leaving he tried to swim...he´s a crack up that´s for sure haha.

I had some interesting experiences this past week to say the least, but something cool that happened as an answer to my prayer. I´m White. I´m American. And I don´t really speak spanish all thaaaat great. So contacts are really hard for me. ...to just walk up to someone in the street and try to talk to them in spanish about the gospel is not the easiest for me...it just isn´t. And I knew it would be the case when I started my mission. So I´m now at a point of making this weakness become my strength. I prayed VERY hard for some extra strength from the Lord. Hermana Ceccon struggles with contacts as well...and so it´s hard to start when no one wants to. I can still remember an incident where I saw a woman, felt I should talk to her, but I didn´t. I can imagine her perfectly and I picture everything as if I can see it. I don´t want that to ever happen again. So I prayed that if I really needed to talk to someone that I would do it...even if I didn´t want to. And guess what happened!!!?! Three days in a row we found someone new! And two of them happened to be contacts of mine....but very interesting contacts. On several occassions we were walking by someone, I had a desire, but then didn´t want to (as I remembered my self instead of forgetting myself) and suddenly I was talking to them....it was so random to be honest. It was as if I literally had NO POWER. I didn´t even know what I was doing...it was one of the only times that I´ve felt physically driven by the spirit....but it was powerful. And I know that it was an answer to my prayers.

In our district class Elder McColley was telling us of a really cool experience he had...and I thought immediately, I want something like that. Well during this past week we had a lesson with F*, and her boyfriend was there. We talked for a bit and he told me he wanted to learn english. So, being slightly intelligent sometimes (our companionship) I told him that I wanted to teach him english...but I also wanted to teach him about the gospel. We made a deal. Half english, half religion. He agreed...so we started with L1...he wouldn't stop asking like a bajillion questions...and he wasn't talking it completely seriously...until we got to the part about Joseph Smith. I told him to close his eyes. I closed mine and I told him about the first vision....there was a bit of silence and when he opened his eyes we asked him what he felt. He told me he pictured that instead of Joseph Smith, it was him. The rest of the lesson he was silent. And when he said the closing prayer, he described how he felt different, and what not. Afterwards we talked about those feelings...he was practically freaking out haha! It was an amazing opportunity, and I know that he will be baptized.

Hermana Ceccon live in a musical. We sing EVERYWHERE we go. And when we´re not singing a SONG song, we´re making one up...or we´re singing our conversation. Sometimes when we´re super happy we even skip while we sing. That´s my confession of the week.

That´s all for this week. Despite some things that happened, it´s not important. I´m happy because I know that we´re doing the Lord's will and we´re seeing lots of success.

Love you all!

Hermana Alex Johnson

...the Great and Terrible!

p.s. Hermana Ceccon and I get to stay together for another change!