Learning of the Savior (May 22, 2023)

Hey everyone! I wanna start out this email with a shout out for Mylie winning state again in Pole Vault, way to get it done!! Im so sorry I've really been bad at writing these past couple weeks! Things have been wild and I've just tried to enjoy the short amount of time on Pdays  to just relax a bit and breathe. This transfer has been one of the hardest I've had in the mission but also one of the best and for sure most memorable! 

This last week we had 2 baptisms!! We were finally able to get Davor baptized after teaching and struggling with him since I've arrived to Chepica, it was a great baptism and I'm so happy for him! Our other baptism was Genesis and she is an amazing convert! Her baptism was so spiritual and I'll never forget it. She is a single mother that had prayed that God could help her change her life for the better and she came across missionaries and the church and just knew it was true and hasn't looked back. It had been incredible to see how quickly she has been gaining a testimony of the gospel and the Book of Mormon. It has been such a great experience to teach her!

This last week was amazing with the baptisms and all but it was also difficult. Hermana Ines has gone teaching with us every day since I've gotten here and she couldn't come once all week, she has gotten so sick and has been in and out of the hospital and in bed and it's been really hard for her and us. I will never forget how faithful this woman is. We went and gave her a blessing saturday morning and she was very bad at this time, like in the moment not even sure if she would survive that day, and she insists on inviting us over to eat lunch with her later that day. She ended up back in the hospital that day and was so sad that she couldn't serve the missionaries and had to miss our baptism. She is literally unbelievable and has changed me forever. She made me cry Saturday.. and I never cry, theres just something so special about her. Her greatest desire is to serve the Lord, and she has promised to do all she can to serve him until she dies, and she really means it! I do ask all who are reading this to please pray for her health, she is very sick and needs all the prayers she can get.

Another thing to learn from serving others is training Elder Messier has been such a great experience for me. It's helped me learn that literally no matter how different we may be from someone, we can still love that person, respect them, and find a way to get along with them. I've had the opportunity these past 5 weeks to learn more about cooking, star wars, and books than the rest of my life combined, and I've really learned to love my companion for it. He's also had to learn about Pole Vault and Josh Allen in these weeks, and we've had a great time making this companionship work, and genuinely caring about the other even of the topic is something you never did care about before. It's helped me see how the Savior sees us better, if we really care, so does he, and he wants to listen to us and for us to be successful. He cares so much because he loves us so much. He has also commanded us to love one another as he loves us, so I've learned it really is important to me more sincere with others like the Savior is with us.

I know I've written a lot, and the truth is I could've put so much more in here with how much is going on! I'll just leave it with this though and if you want to know more from me I'll be answering emails all day long so go ahead and shoot me a message! I love and miss you all tons!!

Elder Micheli