Hey Guys
Happy Easter yesterday! Hope everyone is doing good and enjoyed spring break! We had quite a busy week last week. We continue to work a lot with the less actives. We had a great experience with a return missionary that went through a lot of trials after the mission. We had a great lesson with him on repentance and forgiveness and he cried uncontrolably as we testified of the healing power of the Atonement. He is one of my best friends in Mexico already and he will be back to church in no time. Most of our efforts were focused on our baptisms and confirmations. On Saturday, we had the baptism of Sara and also another baptism of a 12 year old girl named Itzani. Her family is an inactive family that stopped going to church when her single mother got really sick. They never came back in those 6 years but when we found them this week, they felt the need to return. We worked with them all week to prepare Itzani for baptism on Saturday and she chose to do so with so much faith. Sara also showed great faith throughout the week. She is very smart so she always had a lot of really good doubts when we were teaching her. She would always express the doubts to us and act really unsure about everything but then, suddenly, she would remember her faith in Jesus Christ and follow what her heart was feeling. This actually happened minutes before her baptism. Her best member friend, who lives in another ward, actually told her the night before not to get baptized if she had doubts. So she wasnt planning on doing it and her freind figured she wouldnt do it. But a really awesome miracle happened when the time of her baptism arrived. She showed up at the church in her white clothes. She didnt feel good at all and started to express her doubts to us again. After she did so, we asked her 'So if you dont think you are ready to be baptized, why did you show up in all white clothes?' With that question she began to cry a little and we asked her what her heart felt about her decision to be baptized. With tears in her eyes she told us that her heart felt like she needed to be baptized and that she was going to it. We were so excited! We slapped some high fives then said a prayer and started the service. In that service, we also had 3 kids from the other ward get baptized. So it was a service of 5 people getting baptized and a lot of people went. It was a very happy occasion, especially with the kids that had beaming smiles, so excited to get baptized. I was so happy during the service and afterward when ate some cake to celebrate. Even after we had left to continue working I continued to feel a strong burning in my heart after seeing all those people get baptized. I know it was the Spirit testifying to me that those people made the right decision and that I too made the right decision to serve a mission and help others come unto Christ. Sunday was a great day as well as we witnessed the confirmations of Sara, Itzani, and Kareli (that got baptized last week).
The title of my email this week focuses in on the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. That so simple phrase has changed many lives that have followed the example of Jesus Christ. That phrase tells us that Christ has power over death, both spiritual and physical. That phrase reminds us that He has made a promise with us that if we follow His teachings, we too will be able to live forever in His presence with our families. That phrase teaches us that all things are possible when we have faith in Him and act on that faith. As one of His representatives, I testify that He lives. I testify that His church along with its saving ordinances are on the earth today. I testify that each person that reads this email can feel of the love the Savior has for each one of you personally and that He can heal you and fix the negative things in your life through living His Gospel. I know these things for myself because I have lived it. I have prayed to know that they are true. I have recieved answers from those prayers. I have also felt the relieving feeling that comes from being baptized and living a life of obedience, which makes us happier. I love each one of you and appreciate you for your thoughts, letters, and prayers.
Con Mucho Amor
Elder Stutz
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