Hermana Shumway: Milagro

The holidays here were CRAZY. Which is why I couldn´t write last week. They changed our P-Day to new years eve, and all the Ciber´s were packed!!! New years day- there wasn't a single person in the streets (apart from a few sleeping drunks). All the business were closed, NOBODY wanted to hear from us.

We had a lot of miracles these past two weeks! One of them is named Milagro (miracle in español!) We taught her all of the lessons and baptized her in less than two weeks! (Normally investigatores need to assist 3 times before baptism- but she was already assisting before we started to teach her!) She´s 9 years old, and literally the sweetest person on the entire planet. Her testimony is stronger than most adults! After she prayed about Joseph Smith, she said her heart wanted to leap out and talk!

When she found out that I´m from the US, she asked if I ate a lot of waffles and pancakes- because she loves them and no one knows how to make them for her. We made like 60 pancakes for her baptism! She was soooo happy!

But, in the mission no baptism is easy and we had problems with the font. Plumbing is hard. Cleaning and draining a font with buckets and rags is REALLY hard. BUT SHE WAS BAPTIZED AND IT WAS PERFECT!! And Adolfo- our convert of 1 week gave one of the talks at the service!

This week we peeled more potatoes then I have in my entire life. And when you peel potatoes quickly, white potato juice squirts out and makes it look like someone dripped paint all over you, and that you have dandruff! We have a family (the family of Milagro) in our ward and almost all of them are less active, and we are trying to help them out. Every day they peel bags and bags of potatoes for the Papuchero (the man who sells papuchas in the street) (Papuchas are like french-fries, but with mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, and either cut up hot dogs, shredded chicken, or sausage. So, basically crack in a paper cone) It´s literally a booming business, and they have to work a lot.

Anyways, one morning we just showed up and told them were were going to help. Two hours of peeling and peeling dirty potatoes. I´ve never been so filthy and happy! Normaly when we enter this house everyone scatters like flies when you open a door- but everyone (there´s like 15 of them) talked to us and laughed at our jokes. Next time you want to befriend someone-act like Christ and peel their potatoes!

I love you all, and next week is transfers and I´m fairly certain I´m changing- so we´ll see if I have much time to write!

- Hermana Shumway

I teared up seeing that photo. THANK YOU!!!!