I Will Go and Do : Week 70: 16 Months Down

Hello everyone! I have been very excited to write this email because this week has been so amazing and crazy. My companion and I have been running around everywhere and we have some great stories to tell. It amazes me how quickly the weeks are going by.

One of the biggest things that happened this week was that yet again . . .I got a new companion! My new companion is Elder Warner. He is from Star, Idaho and has been on his mission for 14 months. He is a super star of a missionary and I am very excited to work with him. Tuesday night he arrived in Bridgeport and all day it had been POURING rain. On our way home to the apartment, we noticed that a car was stuck under a bridge in the water. There was so much rain that the road had flooded and the car couldn't move. We couldn't tell if anybody was in the car or not, but after noticing some movement we decided to get out and help. We trudged up to the car in water that was up to our mid thighs and saw a lady was in the car. She got out of the car and we told her that we would help push her out. After a lot of effort pushing the car uphill, we got it out of the water. Just as we pushed her car out another car went down the road and thought they would make it through the water, they didn't! We then pushed that car out also and finally made it home very, very, wet. It was definitely one of the craziest nights of my mission and a great welcome to Bridgeport for Elder Warner.

All of the days this week have gone by so, so quickly. Elder Warner and I are currently working on going through the ward directory and trying to find those that are inactive, less-active, and move the records of those that no longer live in the boundaries. We were able to pick up a couple of new investigators this week, but we are hoping to pick up many more this next week. Most of our focus this week was on Patrick who was preparing for his baptism on Saturday.

Patrick Henri has been one of my favorite people to teach of all time. I've never met a 17 year old with as much drive and desire for good and to better himself. He is a true and honest seeker of anything good or righteous. In the past couple of weeks that we have been meeting with him, he has had a real change of heart and has truly repented of his sins. One of the things that he has been the most excited about in preparing for his baptism was that he would receive the Holy Ghost. He has felt impressions of the Spirit and was so excited to have him as his constant companion.

Patrick's baptism was one of the sweetest experiences of my mission thus far, I will never forget it! He was so excited and so ready to be baptized. I had the opportunity to baptize Patrick and I was also thrilled for him. As we entered the waters, the Spirit was very strong and you could feel the love his family and the love God had for him in the room. After I baptized him, we walked into the locker room to change. The spirit of what had just happened followed us into that locker room and I gave him a big hug. As I hugged him, he began to cry and uttered, "Thank you, thank you so, so much". In that very moment I truly felt, for the very first time ever, why I NEEDED to be on a mission and why God wanted me here. I have loved my mission so much. I have had so many great experiences that have changed me and have brought me closer to God, but after this experience I truly now know why I need to be on a mission and why there is no place in the entire world where I need to be right now. I cannot thank God enough for this experience and for the confirmation I received.

Things couldn't be any better here and I couldn't be any happier. We hope to also start teaching Patrick's two sisters this week! Wish us luck. Thank you everyone for your support, I love you all!!!

Love,
Elder Gutierrez