"I will die trying if I have to"

Elder Jesus baptism

Pabla's baptism

Me with Elder Jesus

February 15, 2016

Hola!

This week was super good! We were locked up in the house for 3 days and it was nice to rest but it got boring real fast after the first day! Haha, but it was alright, I'm just happy to go work again!! 

In my branch we had 2 baptisms this Saturday. The hermanas had one and we had one! Elder Jesus was baptized!! It was such a super spiritual experience. After we preformed the baptism he started crying and thanked us for everything and for helping him find his new changed life! 

Now the baptism of the hermanas is a funny but scary story haha... So they baptized Pabla who is 83 years old! Elder Olson our district leader was going to perform the baptism. He gets in the water and Pabla took a while to finally get all the way in. She physically couldn’t bend her knees so we went to look for a chair. Poor lady can barely walk...so we were looking for a chair to use and everyone come looking for me and said Elder Harding! You have to go change into your baptism clothes!! I just so happened to have mine with me because our baptism was a couple hours later so I got changed and Elder Olson and I both had to try to baptize her at the same time in the chair.. so the first attempt failed... and she gets super tired fast so we had to wait until she rested a good while. Then she tells us "Elders you have to do it fast my heart can’t take it... but I will be baptized!” “I will die trying if I have too, I know the Lord will help me!" So Elder Olson and I were telling her, “no no hermana you’re going to get baptized and you’re going to live, just rest and calm down... haha Then, the second time we just lifted up the chair and tilted it back and dunked her in real fast!! And it worked!!! She was super happy after and was smiling the whole rest of the day! And Sunday too!! After we had to carry her out of the fount in the chair up and down the stairs! Haha, we were worn out after and for Elder Jesus’s baptism, I was already wet.. haha! It was a fun experience. 

This Sunday we aren't leaving to work again. We have to stay in the house because the people are voting to see if their president can run again. 

But not to worry, everything is going super good here in Trinidad Bolivia! 

Elder Harding