Hermana Webb in Washington: Que Emocion!!!

July 13, 2015

Hola familia!!!!

This week had to be one of the absolute best. EVER. Like ever, ever.

Carolina was baptized and it was the most amazing, spiritual experience of her life and probably of mine as well!!!!!

I cannot even begin to explain how incredible Saturday was, but I will try with the little time I have. The service started and Carolina's best friend, Hermana Terry, got up to bear her testimony and started crying and bore a powerful witness of the restored gospel. She has known Carolina for a few years and helped us to teach and has been such a solid friend and support. Then, Hermana Clark and I sang "Abide with Me, Tis' Eventide." And then, we got to walk Carolina back to the font. She stopped to look in the mirror and started to cry and cry. She was so overwhelmed with so many emotions. We were the only ones to be able to see this precious moment and I was so grateful. We hugged her and she walked down into the 120 degree water (she was very adamant about the water being warm haha). President Waite did a great job and the baptism went so smooth. She came back up the steps and we were there, holding out her towel. She hugged us and got us all wet, and when we walked back into the little dressing room, the Spirit was so incredibly strong. I felt like we were only inches away from heaven. Carolina was perfectly, perfectly clean and pure and the Spirit was manifested with such power. She couldn't stop thanking us and crying, she kissed us both on the cheek and my heart just melted. It was the most sacred moment.

Then we went back out where everyone else was waiting (and writing their testimonies which we are going to put in a book for her!) and Carolina got to share her testimony. She's been wanting to share it for a while, but she really wanted to wait for her baptism. It was so powerful and you could tell her much the gospel means to her. She had been searching for so long for the true church, and when she shared how grateful she was that she had finally found it and how it filled the hole in her life. She's deeply converted to the doctrines and in her confirmation the next day, President Waite blessed her with "a testimony of all of the principles of the gospel" and he also mentioned being able to enter the temple, so that was pretty neat!! And then, Alberto was able to say the last prayer, and that just brought everything full circle for me!

I've had a lot of great people that I've met and taught on my mission, but Carolina has been the most amazing conversion to witness, hands down. From the very first time we went to teach her, she has progressed and learned so much. She always extended her own invitations to study, come to church, and she was even the first to ask US about getting baptized. The other thing that's so special about her is that she's always known what her bigger goal is- the temple. The first time she came to church, it was a testimony meeting and a lot of people were talking about the temple and the temple trip they had just been on. She leans over and asks what in the world the temple is and why is everyone talking about it? haha. I whipped out the temple pamphlet and showed her a few pictures and explained how we can do the work for our families there. Ever since then, that has been her goal. She knows that baptism was the first step, but when she realized that she could seal her parents together for all of eternity in the temple, she began to cry and told us "that would be the biggest blessing in this world." And literally 3 hours after her baptism, she texts us and says "what's my temple status??" hahaha. She is fascinated with the idea of holding her own recommend and asked Presidente Waite for an interview yesterday. Haha- she CANNOT wait to go to the temple.

Remember, 98% of a mission is hard work, disappointment, and heartache, but 2% is pure joy...and that 2% makes it all worth it. This is the most PURE joy I have yet to experience in my life. It is the PURE love of Christ that purifies my heart and the hearts of all those who accept the fulness of the gospel, the fulness of joy.

HERMANA WEBB