26 October 2009

Hey hey hey!

Welp, I cant believe we have survived this week. I know a wedding and 2 baptisms is a typical Saturday afternoon back at the Keele household, but it just about killed me here in the mission. But yes, Angela got married. It would take like 6 weeks of email time to tell you all about it so I guess itll have to wait, but suffice it to say it was pathetic and perfect all at the same time. We even managed to get a wedding cake to surprise her with. I took lots of pictures. She was able to get baptized on Saturday. Oh. My. Gosh. She changed and was sitting in her baptismal clothes waiting for the baptism to start and I was organizing a few things and somebody came to tell me she was crying! I of course thought shed changed her mind and went to talk with her to ask her if she still wanted to go through with it. She started laughing, while crying, and told me of course she did, but she just couldnt stop crying!! She said she was just so happy and overcome and couldnt believe how blessed she is and how much her life has changed. When I heard that I of course started bawling too. So we sat there, bawling, until the bishops counselor came over and started crying too!! Finally we got it together and she got baptized and they gave her the chance to bear her testimony and in that moment my mission was all worth it. Not that it wasnt before, but its a day I'll never forget. Nicolle, a 9 year old whose family weve been teaching got baptized on Thursday too. As Em would say, it was a crazy awesome week. Emphasis on the crazy though.

So yeah, now we are working with Jessica and Jesus to get baptized. They came to Angelas baptism and are excited to get baptized. When Angela got married on Wednesday I talked with the alcalde, I dont have any idea what that means in english, and he told us he could help us with JEssica and JEsus because JEssicas birth certificate is in the jungle somewhere. So hes going to let us start the papers and help us request her birth certificate. They are supposed to be getting married Nov. 6 and baptized Nov. 7 and changes are Nov. 8!!!! Im not so sure Ill still be around if they end up having to get married and baptized after that, but I know itll happen and thats the important thing right? I dont think I ever told you guys how about a month ago Jesus almost moved to Chile where he was going to live for 6 MONTHS to work??!! Jessica and JEsus knit sweaters for a living out of their house-theyre really nice sweaters though, I think they make sweaters that gap imports! Seriously! But for a while there wasnt any work and he decided he had to move to chile where theres a lot of work and since he was going to be illegal he wasnt going to be able to come back for 6 months!!! I FREAKED OUT!! We prayed, fasted,talked with every employer and priesthood leader in Tacna, and the day he had his suitcase packed and was going to leave at 5 pm, we stayed at his house for 3 HOURS talking to him about his family and how wed help him find work and how it would be better to stay together and get married and baptized. Well, after 3 hours he told us he was sick of listening to us and that hed stay!!!! So he stayed and now they have more work than they can handle!! They found like 15 new clients and are working like crazy! They told us they want to get married and baptized so they can start paying their tithing?? What?? So yeah, I feel like even if Im not here to see it that they are going to get married and baptized and be just fine. The bishop told me last week he thinks they are more active than he is becuse they are at EVERY activity the ward has. So yeah, Im going to help them make a book of their sweaters to show to clients. Looks like my PR education might just come in handy in peru afterall.

I love you guys and miss you. Hope youre all doing great. I ran out of time to write more!! Talk to you soon!