First Baptisms!!

Querido Familia y Amigos,

Well this week I am doing fabulous!!! Except for this morning... in our Pension we have a sink and shower and everything, but the heat is so crazy so sometimes it wont be hot and other times it will be the hottest thing known to mankind... Haha. So this morning I was just going to wash my hands and I turned the water on hot and it totally burned my hand, like pretty bad... SO that wasn´t fun but its fine, its not that bad I just exaggeratted haha, but not fun.

SO we had interviews with President Lindahl this week, and he is back and healthy which is a great blessing!! They were great, he has such a love for all of us missionaries. The interviews are interesting because he just likes us to talk about everything, but you can see how much he cares that way. He asked me how I was doing and I said I was doing great and he was so happy to hear that. He asked me what I wanted next transfer and I thought it was a test or something so I had no idea what to say. I ended up saying a change would be nice, so he wrote that down haha. He also asked me if my companion was ready to be Zone Leader and I told him I thought he was. It was a hard question because when you are someones comp you see all of their imperfections, but he has a talent of teaching and taking over leadership positions. I think that he is one of those people that when he is asked to lead, that is when he excels more. He isn´t the most ´´personable´´ person, but he is a good Elder. Anyways the interview went great and President made some amazing promises to me. He is a deeply spiritual man who has a unwavering testimony. I have a feeling that I will be moving this transfer because of what I said, but I really don´t know. I have grown to love the people here in ´´Rodeo de la Cruz´´ (name of the city), and I will be sad to leave but who really knows. We find out Dec 6th and will leave the 8th depending on what happens.

OOOHH while I was at the offices I got your package!!! Thanks so much Momma it got here safe and sound without being rifled through that was a blessing :) I loved all the things in there and I needed those bleach pens, my mom sure knows me... haha. Also the pictures were great and all the yummy treats, thank you so much I loved it!!!! This last Saturday all the Elders in our Zone sang at a primary function for those who were going to enter young mens or young womens. We sang, ´´Yo trato de ser como Cristo,´´ Llamados a servir, Quiero ser un misionero ya, and some others! It was great and at the end we went up to one of the kids, gave them a paper with our testimony and one of the missionary planners that we use so they could see what it is like. It was great :)

SO thanksgiving was uneventful haha, but to celebrate my companion and I bought Lomos sandwhiches which were really really good!! Its like a steak sandwhich sort or except supposedly Lomos is the best part of the beef or something. It was a small little celebration but nice. I eat these little things called tortitas a lot, its like a small little biscut and there are a lot of types, but its simple cheap and tastes good. They have Panderias everywhere that selll them, or a bakery.

SOOO we finally had our first baptisms on Sunday after church!!! :) I had the opportunity to baptize Rocio a ten year old girl with a really hard life. It was a sweet experience for me, and it will be always remembered as the first person I had the opportunity to come closer to Christ. My companion baptized her brother or ´´cousin´´ so that was great. We have worked a lot with this family and they are coming back to church and feeling the SPirit again in their lives. That is the joy of the mission. Someone wrote a fourth verse that i had never heard until this week to the famous hymn, ´´Because I Have Been Given Much´´ the fourth verse goes like this:

Because of thy life´s mission Lord, I too must serve,
And leave the comfort of my home to teach thy word
I´ll find the sheep who´ve gone astray, and those who´ve never known the way
I´ll make thy work my work today

I really loved that. As I have now passed three fast months on my mission I have come to understand more the divine call of a missionary and the Heavenly comission by the Savior to bring the sheep back into the truth path of the Lord. The last couple days I have felt the SPirit so strong and have had special experiences which continue to give me the unyielding testimony in this Gospel. I am not a blind follower, but have personal evidence for the faith I am excercising everyday (Heb 11:1). Im so astounded at the hope the Gospel bares and gives me everyday I live it right, and try to magnify my calling. I know the Gospel is true, that Jesus is the Christ, even the Great Jehovah, and that God our Father,that Man of Holiness is the literal Father of our Spirits and we are his offspring (Acts 17:29). I am grateful we have a personal God, one who can hear, speak, eat and drink (Deut 4:28). I love you all and I am doing phenominal!!

Love,
Elder Passantino