Saludos!
Today begins my last transfer in the mission field. Wow, I can't even believe it. I was looking at all of the pictures on my camera this morning, and I feel like my mission has lasted a lifetime, in the sense that I've learned and progressed so much, had so many soul – stretching experiences, and met so many people that I love and cherish. My life back home in Billings almost seems like the pre-mortal life, a life that I knew I once had, but that doesn't feel so real. I feel like this is my life here. So I'm determined to make every last second count. And President Castillo is keeping Hermana Funes and I here in Navarrete, so I know he has a work here for us to accomplish.
Last Thursday, I woke up in the middle of the night to gunshots. I peaked out the window and there was garbage all over the street. A riot. It was unexpected because no one had announced it, and we didn't know what it was for or how long it was going to last, so we stayed inside all day. Luckily nothing bad happened, there were just huge tree branches in the streets and garbage everywhere. I still don't understand the purpose of these huelgas.
On Saturday we had our Sister meeting with the sisters from Navarrete, Esperanza, Mao Sabaneta, and Montecristi.  We shared a message from a talk by President Uchtdorf called "Forget Me Not."  We had lunch together and then celebrated Hermana Ririe's birthday. After we finished, Hermana Seenaraine got a phone call from the Sisters in Bonao saying that our investigator Regina was getting baptized that day! She was our golden investigator that wanted to be baptized so bad, but couldn't quite stop smoking. Hermana Seenaraine had told me that they weren't really visiting her after I left, so I was so surprised and happy to hear that she was getting baptized!  Hermana Seenaraine and I called her on the phone to congratulate her. She said she wished we could be there, but that she was so happy and excited to be baptized. She is going to be an incredible member of Christ's Church.
When I arrived in Navarrete, the sisters had been working with the Polanco family.  They reactivated the mom, baptized the father and older son, and my first Saturday there, two more children were baptized. The sisters had spent a lot of time working with this family, and they always invited their family friend, Osiris, over for the lessons. He always came to hang out and make jokes, so I didn't take it very seriously. After hermana Richardson left, we started spending less time with them to focus on other people we were teaching that were progressing. About two weeks ago, the elders told us that they had passed by his house and he came out and asked why the sisters had stopped visiting him. He said he thought he was going to be baptized and didn't know why they had stopped teaching him. What? I didn't know he wanted to be baptized. So the elders invited him to church and we called and invited him, and he came! We thought, "wow, maybe he is serious."  So last week we visited him and talked about the power of prayer and invited him to the baptism the elders had. He came to that as well, but he arrived after the ordinance and just as the Restoration video was ending.  After the baptism, he told us that he needed to see that video and asked when he could. So yesterday we watched the Restoration movie with him at the Palanco's house. We shared our testimonies about the Book of Mormon and how Joseph Smith was called of God to restore the true church again on the earth. We then invited him to be baptized, and he accepted! This week I learned that you never know who is ready to accept the Gospel. So share it with everyone!
Love,
Hermana Jorden