Another week

Hello all! I can't believe it's been another week already!

This week is the last week of my second transfer, which simultaneously feels like it came too soon and also like I've been here for ages. Time is really weird here.

This week has seemed really long. We spent the majority of our week knocking on doors for appointments only to have people cancel or just not answer. We had made a couple appointments with ladies we had tracted, and when we came back their husbands told us that their families wouldn't be interested. I keep noticing that women are much more likely to want to talk with us. Maybe it's just because women like to talk with each other, or maybe it's because women are more in tune with the Spirit (no offence, guys.)

We met with our part member family, the Bals, this week. We've been wanting to set baptismal dates for their two kids, Victoria and Antionio, for pretty much this whole transfer, and we finally felt like it was the right time to invite them. We've been kind of tiptoeing around baptism because the dad is Muslim and we didn't want to cause contention in their home. Sister Bal has been bringing her kids to church for a while now, but she told us that it has taken twelve years of prayer for her husband to allow her to take them. Victoria, who's 10 years old, really loves church and is keen on learning about and being part of the gospel. Antonio, 13, has some doubts and is a bit unsure still, but he told us that he likes to be 100% sure about something before he'll commit or say that he believes it. This week we taught them about the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, and how those five things are the steps to allow us to live with our Father in Heaven again. When we asked them if living with God is something that they want, Victoria responded with an excited "yes!" We invited them to pray to know if baptism is what God wants for them, and they said they would. I'm sure Victoria will. She is just so excited about the gospel. We'll have to see about Antonio, though. I think he is stuck on feeling 100% about it and also not offending or letting down his dad. Sister Bal told us that there's been a bit of tension in the house lately because the two religions are kind of clashing, and it makes me really sad. I can't imagine how hard it would be to be married to someone who doesn't have the same beliefs and wants to raise your children with a completely different worldview. I can imagine it's so hard on both parents. I guess that just means we'll have to baptize Brother Bal as well. ;)

Other than that, this week has been pretty slow. Most of our appointments fell through and we spent a lot of time driving from house to house and visiting all of our backup appointments to no avail. Here's to hoping next week looks up.

I love you all!

xoxo Sister Larsen