Joy To The World

Hi friends and family,

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines joy as:
 a : the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires: DELIGHT

This past week I saw "joy" in an 8 year old's eyes as the sisters missionaries along with the Kyle and I explained the Plan of Salvation or the Plan of Happiness. The missionaries had carefully made the visuals to represent the pre-mortal existence, the earth, and the third-estate or the three kingdom's of God: Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial.

We might as well have been teaching the Scientific Method. That is how foreign these concepts were to this family. Mother, Lilianna, has been on her own with the boys for about three months. Her oldest, Julian, is now fulfilling the "man of the house" roles. I saw it manifest several times in different ways. He is only eleven years old, but acts more like he's twenty. He watches over his mother and his eight-year old brother, Ian. They are a great team. 


When we got to the part about living together after this life, that is when the boys got excited. They wanted to be together as a family. The missionaries explained that the first step is to be baptized. The eleven-year old piped up and said, "Can we Momma?"  After which, Momma nodded her head "Yes".  It was so precious. The eight-year old is a little more timid and he is uncertain right now. He says that he is willing to learn more and pray about it. Liliana and Julian have already got an answer from the Lord that it is true. Please pray for Ian.

They have set their baptismal date for January 4, 2020. In the meantime, Julian and Ian are both happy to be involved in the Christmas program for this Sunday, the 22nd of December. They can't sing a note, but they are anxious and willing to sing and be with the other primary children. They have great attitudes and they fit right in. 

Speaking of "joy", I am full of joy being able to serve and build His kingdom here on earth. There is not really anything else that makes me happier. When I feel the Spirit and I am able to testify, the happiness is real. All other activities seem meaningless. Yesterday, we went to the church to prepare for the program for Sunday. Kyle also went to help a member of the church power wash his roof so that he could patch and seal it. He said it was a TON of work. I went door to door giving flyers to invite people to the program on Sunday. I am praying for a good showing in our little Humacao ward. We will have a great program and a breakfast after. Please pray for the success of our meeting on Sunday. Thanks!







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