Pressing Forward With A Steadfastness

Like I said, the work of the Mission has gone forward with full force through Christmastime, 2009, and the summer months (winter months in the U.S.)
of 2010. Here are just a few photos of the many persons who have been baptized during this time.

We have loved and enjoyed each person who we´ve met who has entered the waters of baptism in our Mission recently. We so much love to see their spiritual lives growing and their temporal lives changing for the better too.

We had a remarkable experience when President Benton baptized a man who had been coming to Church with his return-missionary wife and his 3 sons for 13 years, and had never been baptized, for one reason or another. He had been taught by 40 sets of missionaries over the years, and couldn´t bring himself to be baptized.

(We are pictured above with this family. The Mother is in a red sweater, and there is also a photo of Evrett with the Father who was baptized. Look how very happy the Mom in red looks!)

President Benton had gone with some missionaries to teach this brother, and he was inspired to tell the brother that he knew he had a testimony of the Gospel, and he should just go ahead and get baptized, so he can baptize his 3 sons. He said yes, he would be baptized, if President Benton would perform the baptism, so that´s what happened.

It was a joyful day for the whole family, and for us too! 

(The blond woman next to the Mother of the family in red is my friend, the Castelar Stake Relief Society President.
We blonds like to stick together!)

So, we´ve all worked very hard over the last several months and kept the work moving forward with "a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope and a love of God and all men", (2 Nephi 31:20) and what a great joy this has been for all concerned.