Transfers a week early!

Howdy! Monday, December 5, 2011

Ok, so first things first, which is actually two things that go together. Sorry, I haven´t given you an address, but we have transfers at the end of this week and we didn´t think we´d be staying, so I didn´t want to confuse you. Because of our mission goal of 450 baptisms this year, Pres. told us our transfers a week early to prep and make the minimal changes as smooth as possible. Yes, we were right and we are being transferred. I will be serving in San Sebastian in the Vitoria Zone! This is the part where I should be telling you where that is and other little missionary/geographical tidbits...but I have no idea. And my companion is very distracted with pictures of her new niece at the moment...so you´ll just have to hop on google and do the grunt work for me. Sorry. All I got out of her before the niece-picture-gushing began was "north" and "going to be very cold." Loverly.haha I´ll be buying more tights and leggings and such very soon. So...about the address-- I´m so sorry, but I don´t know what it will be until next week...hold on. I´m working some magic...maybe...nope. Sorry, just send it to the mission home and I´ll get it as soon as I can. Next week I´ll get you the piso address. And anyone--feel free to write to the mission address until I get the other one. I´m not picky! haha

One miracle story from this week was when we were trying to find a member´s piso to teach his roommate. The piso number he gave us was wrong, so we couldn´t get inside the building. We decided to pray and as soon as we were done, a lady came out and we were able to go inside. The piso number didn´t exist, so we tried the closest sounding one (the member´s from Ghana and has a very thick accent! haha) and no one answered. I heard people in the apartment next door and felt like we should knock on their door. My comp wasn´t so thrilled, but we rang the bell. A pregnant mother from Peru said that we should try the next planta (floor). We talked to her and she invited us back this week! We went upstairs and found the original piso that we were looking for and also have a lesson set up with him this week. We will find out why we needed to find both of them.

We have two investigators with baptismal dates this week--Alfonso and Enoch. Pray for them! Satan´s working on both of them really hard and they are getting confused about what they really want. I don´t know if Elder Dalton told you, but as of last week, we had 52 baptisms left to reach our goal...and there are 52 companionships in the mission :-) No way that´s a coincidence and that a mission goal is for every companionship to baptize every month. WE can do this. I´ve never felt so much weighing on my every decision, everyday, before. The mantle of a missionary is quite a responsibility and I got my first taste of just how important it is to act the part an all times and in all things and in all places. I am learning, slowly but surely, that everything really does come down to faith--the power to act. So I´m telling you now--we as a mission WILL meet this goal of 450 baptisms. And we as a companionship WILL do our part and help at least one person into the waters of baptism this month. This is something that I cannot do on my own. No way. Sometimes I don´t even know how we can do it, but that´s where the faith comes in. Like the father in the "Finding Faith in Christ" video, I feel like crying out "Help Thou my unbelief!" every day, multiple times a day, but the Lord will provide a way and I will just have to provide the work. Please pray for me. I need it--so much.

Speaking of things I need so much, I can hardly wait to see Elder Dalton this week! My feelings for my younger brother that I haven´t seen in 15 months, but somehow have been blessed with the privilege and tender mercy of serving with, are so tender that I am glad this is an email because I wouldn´t be able to say any of this without crying. I am so full of joy when I think about Friday and all it holds. haha My Heavenly Father knows me so perfectly. I will never doubt that in this life or the next.

Well, I didn´t get to say half of what I wanted, but that is the mission. I´ll say it all in my heart and the Spirit will have to do the talking to yours. I´m alive and well, cold and missing peanut butter and dryers. ahahaha! I will talk to you next week from San Sebastian!

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

-Hermana Dalton

Oh, put Clarissa or Clare Dalton on letters/packages please so the other Sister Dalton doesn´t get my mail. haha