Candelaria finally reached the water, and, while a little afraid and embarrassed, like a normal 11 yr. old girl, she came out excited and ready for a new world. We visited her and her mother Sunday night and she told us that she had already written her experiences on a piece of paper and would be getting a journal to put it in.
As well this week, we have had a few interesting conversations with a part-member family that we are working with. This family has a daughter named Yuliana that is 9 yrs old. She's great, and is very much 9 years old. The thing that we are finding frustrating with this family is that the parents, which are members, are not helping us whatsoever to help her by baptized. The father wants her to be baptized and to baptize her, but he's inactive, and when we commit to him to do something, he always fails us. BUT the mother is worse... sadly. She is causing a lot of problems in this house, and a large part of it is her example. Everytime we ask her to pray, she says no, and everytime we ask why she always says she doesn't pray in front of people. Now, it wouldn't be that bad....if her daughter wasn't following that example. It's just as hard to get a 9 yr old to pray as a 30 some odd yr. old to pray, largely cause the mother refuses to pray with us. We had to hint of the fact once that she is the example for her daughter and that she needs to show her how to pray, but she replied saying that her daughter is the one who needs to set the example.
So this is my call to everyone right now: SET THE EXAMPLE, don't expect the example. If you want someone to be better than you, you need to show them where to start. Tonight we now have to go talk with the family and say to the mother directly, about what she's not doing. It may be the last lesson we have with this family, but without the aid of the family, we cannot do anything with them.
As I said, set the example, everyone. I know that I got my testimony of prayer because of the example of parents, having us all pray as a family every night, and when it was Mom or Dad's turn to pray, they didn't make an excuse, as well, when they were asked to pray in front of people, they did it without argument. I know that everything I learned was because of the examples of those who came before me. Leaders, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, friends.
Now on a happier note Thanksgiving!!! Yes we had a relatively, but fullfilling meal, not much, Pizza and Ice Cream.
Here's the pix:
8422: E Ordenes and I
8429: Pizza and E Corbett (one of the ZLs)
8431: 1 kilo of ICE CREAM
8447 and 8451: The baptism!
Love y'all!
-Ian
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