There Can Be Miracles, When You Believe

Hello everyone … I hope you had a phenomenal week … I know I did! Things are really starting to pick up here in Valencia! Hermana Gillette and I work so hard together and we are just completely in sync!

Some really good news … Monday and Loveth got a new apartment! It feels so good to see them so happy! Wanna know something else … MATILDE AND FRANK WERE BAPTIZED THIS PAST SATURDAY!!! I cannot believe it or even begin to express the exceedingly great joy I felt! I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest! IT. WAS. INCREDIBLE.

The baptism of Matilde was last Saturday at 11am. We went to pick her up around 9am, so we would get there in plenty of time. As we were going to get her, our Zone Leaders called and said that they were having a problem filling the baptismal font, and that it was only filling with cold water! After picking her up from her house, we finally made it to the church. Hermana Gillette and I were the only ones there that early trying to set up. Miraculously, a member showed up and began to fix it the water issue. We were relieved, even though Matilde said "Hot or cold water, it is the same to me, I just want to be baptized!" Haha, we were glad it all worked out. We helped her put on her long white dress and slippers. She looked SO cute; like a princess! The program was beautiful and I felt the Spirit so strong. When it was time for her to be baptized, we led her through the bathroom into the baptismal font, where a member, Juan A., was waiting to baptize her. As she entered the font, she was just GLOWING. She kept saying "ooh que guay!" (haha "ooh how cool!"). When Juan led her into the font, she said "Wait, who´s baptizing me? Juan right? Where´s Juan the Baptist?!" He chuckled and said "That IS me, I’m Juan!" Haha, she just giggled and said "Whoops perdon!" As she came up from the water, tears just filled my eyes as I saw how happy she was. It was a beautiful service and I will NEVER forget that moment.

Later that night, Frank was baptized. His baptism was combined with one of the investigators the elders had been working with for a while, so it was in both Spanish and English! He has such a sweet spirit and he is just precious. Before his baptism, we went to go pick him up from his house, and he wasn´t there. We were panicked, and asked all of his friends where he was and they had no idea. We tried calling him, but his phone was off. We didn´t know what to do, so we said a prayer and asked God to help us find him. We searched EVERYWHERE for about 50 minutes with no luck. We felt prompted to check his house one more time. When we knocked, Frank answered the door. What a relief … apparently he had been in the shower and his phone hadn´t been working. Finally, we made it to the church, and the service began. After a few talks and some musical numbers, it was time for his baptism. When he was baptized, this overwhelming peace came over me. After he changed his clothes, and came back for the remainder of the service, he was completely different. He was a changed man. He was smiling ear to ear … it was INCREDIBLE. The next day at church, during sacrament meeting, he was confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He received the Gift of the Holy Ghost, was given the Aaronic Priesthood, and a calling to be a ward missionary! I don´t think I could have been any prouder of him in that moment. This past Sunday was also testimony meeting and, to our surprise, Frank got up and bore his testimony in English in front of everyone! He talked about how happy he is, how he knows God is with him every step of the way on this new journey, and about how he feels completely changed and just pure. He talked about how, after his baptism, when he went to lay down at night, during his dreams, he kept seeing white. He saw people and different things in white. This made me cry even more. I know that this decision has been a huge blessing in his life, and that he has become a part of God´s Kingdom on the Earth.

I know that ALL things are possible, if we believe. We have to have FAITH … as faith precedes miracles. I will never forget this past weekend. We need to ALWAYS recognize the miracles in our life, as they really do happen EVERY SINGLE DAY. Thank God always and have faith!

I LOVE YOU ALL MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW,

HNA VANCE

“For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith." - 2 Nephi 27:23

“And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.

 Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God?

 Who shall say that it was not a miracle that by his word the heaven and the earth should be; and by the power of his word man was created of the dust of the earth; and by the power of his word have miracles been wrought?

 And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles.

 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.”- Mormon 9:15-19

 “Thus God has provided a means that man, through FAITH, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings.” – Mosiah 8:18

 “For if there be no FAITH among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.” - Ether 12:12

"There can be miracles

When you BELIEVE

Though hope is frail

It's hard to kill

Who knows what miracles

You can achieve

When you BELIEVE

Somehow you will

You will when you BELIEVE"