Elder Taylor James Burke: Bautismos!!!

January 19, 2015 (week 21 in Argentina- 6 months on my mission)

Elder Burke, Silvestre, Maria, Natividad and Elder Swingle

HOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLAAAAAA DE ARGENTINA RESISTENCIA!!!

SO THIS WEEK HAS BEEN BY FAR ONE OF THE MOST STRESSFUL AND REWARDING WEEKS OF MY LIFE AS WE WERE WORKING HARD FOR PREPARING FOR THE BAPTISM OF THE NATIVIDAD, MARIA, AND NOW SILVESTRE!!!

None of the keys worked

Getting creative to open the door to the
baptismal font. (Elder Swingle)

FIRST THINGS FIRST... THE DOOR TO THE BAPTISM FONT WOULDN’T OPEN, SO THAT WAS A LITTLE FRUSTRATING. WE TRIED EVERY KEY, EVERY WAY IMAGINABLE, BESIDES BREAKING IT OPEN BY FORCE. WE HAD TO CLEAN IT BUT COULDN’T FIGURE OUT IF THE PUMP WOULD LET THE WATER DRAIN UNTIL A DAY BEFORE. WE WERE PLANNING TO HAVE THE SERVICES AT CENTRAL, WHERE THERE IS ANOTHER CHURCH, BUT WE WERE TRYING OUR BEST TO GET THE DOORS OPEN IN THE CHURCH THAT THEY LIVED CLOSE TO, SO MORE PEOPLE WOULD KNOW WHERE IT IS AND CAN WALK TO IT. A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING PLACES SINCE THEY DON’T HAVE CARS OR ENOUGH MONEY TO TAKE THE BUS. BUT, WE WERE THINKING THAT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE IT AT CENTRAL, SO WE TOLD HALF OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE KNEW WOULD WANT TO GO AND THEN WE GOT A CALL THAT WE COULD CALL THIS BLACKSMITH. SO WE CALLED HIM AND WAITED FOR HIM AT THE CHURCH ONLY TO FIND THAT HE DIDN’T COME AT ALL. YEAH THAT IS EXPECTED HERE SOMETIMES, REALLY SUCKS. SO WE WERE STILL PLANNING ON HAVING IT AT CENTRAL…THIS WAS FRIDAY NIGHT.

Right after Natividad's baptism- love the smiles!!

SATURDAY MORING THE OTHER ELDERS WERE ABLE TO GET A GUY TO COME AND BASICALLY BREAK OPEN THE LOCK. SO WE HAD TO WORK FAST FOR THE SERVICE THAT WOULD START IN A COUPLE OF HOURS! BUT WE DID IT! HERMANA NATIVIDAD, MARIA, AND SILVESTRE WERE BAPTIZED. SILVESTRE’S MOM GAVE A BEAUTIFUL 2 MINUTE TALK ON BAPTISM (SHE WAS VERY NERVOUS BUT DID IT ANYWAY) AND PAULA MERCADO (A FRIEND FOR MARIA) GAVE A TALK ON THE HOLY GHOST.

After baptism party- Me, Paula Mercado, Natividad

THIS EXPIERENCE, TO WATCH THESE THREE BRAVE AND LOVING PEOPLE JOIN THE CHURCH AND BE CLEANED OF SIN AND SHOW THEIR WILLINGNESS TO FOLLOW CHRIST, TOUCHED EVERYONE’S HEARTS. TRULY THEY WILL REMEMBER THESE DAYS FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.

Celebration time- Me, Paula and
Hermano Mercado and Maria (who was baptized)

I GAVE A TALK SUNDAY ON HOW THE BOOK OF MORMON TESTIFIES OF CHRIST. ANY MAN, WOMAN OR CHILD CAN KNOW ABOUT CHRIST THROUGH THE BOOK OF MORMON THAT ONLY TESTIFIES OF HIS DIVINITY. 2 NEPHI 33:10 WHICH SAYS THAT TO BELIEVE THE BOOK OF MORMON IS THE WORD OF GOD WE HAVE TO BELIEVE IN CHRIST, FOR IF WE BELIEVE IN CHRIST WE WILL RECOGNIZE HIS WORDS IN SUCH A WONDERFUL BOOK.

TODAY ELDER ALLRED AND I HAD OUR 6 MONTH MARK PARTY CELEBRATION, WHICH MEANS EATING A GOOD HALF KILO OF ICECREAM! IT GOES UP BY HALVES EVERY 6 MONTHS AND IT WAS SOOOOOOO GOOOOOOD!!! BUT DEFINITELY A LOT OF ICE CREAM. I CAN’T IMAGINE EATING MORE THAN THAT FOR THE NEXT THREE TIMES!!!