Miracles!!!!!

Kia Ora Family!!!

Wonderful to hear from you all again!!! This past week was really exciting for me and my companion!!! We had a great miracle happen!!!!

I'll first begin by saying that the mission is going so great, and i am learning, maturing, and growing so much each day!!! I am really loving the people and really love teaching the restored Gospel!!!

So on Thursday I conducted a tradeoff with the Tongan missionaries in my district. I went into their area, while one of them went into my area with my companion. The tradeoff i had with Elder Pohahou was good, we had some good things happen that day, but the real miracle occurred with my companion and Elder Kilihahapi. They were on the street and decided to approach a woman on the street coming towards them. As they approached they introduced themselves and the woman was really nice. So they did the usual thing and the woman was smiling and they talked a little bit. Eventually the woman said to my companion, "you might get me baptized". When my companion was really shocked when she said this my companion was really excited and set up a return appointment with her the next day.

That night our tradeoff ended and my companion told me how their day went and how they met this keen woman. I didnt really think much of it myself, but was like ok thats cool. The next day comes and we go to see her for the appointment, and i meet her. We go in the house introduce ourselves, and talk for a little bit. Oh ya, the woman's name is Hazel, and she is a Maouri. Anyway so we are talking and talking doing what we missionaries call "how to begin teaching" which is just building a good relationship and telling her what our purpose is and all. So we then ask her what she wants to hear from us or what she expects from our visits. She then answered us by saying, "Well i'm just curious how i get baptzied, what do i need to do to do that?". My companion and i were shocked when she said this!!! We turned and looked at each other both thinking, what the heck!!!! So we happily answered her question by explaining that that is our whole purpose as missionaries and all. We then just talked and found out why she wanted to be baptized and all.

It turned out that she was actually raised with our beliefs because her father was a member but not really active but did take them to church now and then. She also said how she was never actually baptized into our church but was raised in it until about 8 years old, but was never baptized. Later on she actually married a man who is a member but LA well pretty much inactive. The missionaries started to teach her and her husband back in 2005. She really loved the church and wanted to be baptzied, but certain things would always get in the way and it was never able to happen. This happened off and on up until we met her. Her husband right now is currently in prison and it sounds like he was a great hinderment to her joining the church.

So we got all these details, and even more details just to see where she was coming from. We asked her what would hold her back from baptism and she said nothing!!! So we got more details and found out that she actually qualified for this weekend!!! She met all the qualificatons for baptism this weekend!!! So we set her for Saturday and she said yes!!!!! it was a miracle and me and elder dorosan were just in shock the whole rest of the day about what happened. That night we were just really unsure about the whole thing still and if she was truly honest and ready. So we prayed about it that night, and both received an answer that she was being honest and is ready!!! So we proceded forth and she was interviewed the next day(friday) and passed!!!

Thats not only the other miracle we had this week either!!! We were also able to have a little boy named Alex get baptized!!! His mother is a member, but stepfather is not. We have been working with them a really long time, and recently the mother and boys have been coming to church. Alex is so so smart!!! He picks up everything we teach him so fast, he's only 10 years old!!! Anyways, we set him for baptism last saturday and worked with him the whole week to prepare. He was a little nervous about being baptized that week, but we invited him to pray about it. Guess what, he got answer!!! He said he felt that he was ready for this weekend!!!
So the plan for the weekend was to have both alex and Hazel be baptized saturday night at 7:00.

Saturday night comes and its time for the baptism. Alex and the family show up right at 7:00 but Hazel hasn't showed up yet. We remember Hazel telling us how she had to attend an 80 birthday that evening but would be able to make it at 7:00 to the baptism, but she still wasnt there!!!! We tried callling her and everything but her phone would go straight to voicemail!! So our Zone leader went out to try and find her while we proceded forth with the baptism. The baptism went great and Alex was baptized but unfortuantely Hazel never showed up and the zone leaders never could find her!!! Me and Elder dorosan were so sad, and i was really upset also. but we were also so happy for alex because it really was a great service for him. Both his parents really loved it and even cried after he was baptized. It was just such a mix of emotions, i thought i was going to explode!!!!!!!!!!

After the baptism, we decided to drop by her place to see if she was home, but no one was there. We just left a little note on the door and went back to our flat. We decided that we would wake up Sunday morning and go back to see if she was home before we went to church that morning at nine.

We went over to her home and she was there!!!! We talked and found out that she couldnt get anyone to drop her off at the chapel and she couldnt walk there becuase the weather was bad that night, and her phone wasnt working either. She then asked us if she could still be baptized that day and we said yes you can!!!! So we got everything organzed for the baptism, and we had a little service at 8:30 that morning before church, and she was baptized!!!! It was such a miracle! The little service we had in the bishops office was really great. The Bishop said some really great things to her and when we had the baptism i could just feel the spirit.

Sunday was one of the happiest days of my life. Seeing them both recieve the Holy Ghost, and to just experience such wonderful miracles!!!!

That was a really long story but it was just so amazing the whole thing!!! It really really built my faith and i am a stronger person now.

I just want to tell you even more that has happened!!! I feel now know what the prophets mean when they say in the BofM how not even a hundreth part can be written on the many things they went through. Its very similar now as i type you my experiences.

Well I love you all so much!! I hope you love the pic i sent of Alex's baptism!! What do you think of my outfit??? Hahaha, what i'm wearing is called an Ie fai Taga. Its what samonas wear. Well all polynesians usually wear them a lot haha. One of the members in our ward gave it to me!!!

Oh tell blake thank you for the package he sent me and the letters from him and Kevin!!!!! Tell them i will write them back as soon as i can!!!! Oh and i also got my garments!!!! We are actually going to the temple this wednesday!!!! I'm pretty excited to go to the NZ temple and to just go to the temple haha!!!!

Well love you all so much!!!!! Keep livin the Gospel!!!!! Talk to you all next week!!!

Ofa Atu,
Elder Rawlinson





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