Maipu: Lorena's Baptism

The past few months have been crazy! Covid is rampant in Chile and the government has had us in 24/7 quarantine for over eight weeks. Being in quarantine has made missionary work in Chile challenging! But it has definitely made me stronger and even more grateful for God's miracles. We have witnessed many miracles over the past few months here in Chile! The first miracle was the miracle of the hoops and nets. For the past eight weeks, we have only been allowed to leave our pension for one hour of exercise in the morning. Every morning, we walk to the neighborhood outdoor court and play basketball. As you can imagine, this hour has become the highlight of our quarantine days. The basketball hoops in Chile are old and most are missing nets or the nets are hanging by a thread. One morning when we arrived at the court, I looked up and the hoops and nets had been replaced with brand new ones. I could not believe it! I almost cried. We still have no idea who did this for us. 

The second miracle was that Lorena was baptized in April. In the middle of the quarantine, Lorena decided to be baptized! It was truly one of the happiest days of my entire mission. Lorena is married to Hector, my first baptism in Chile. Hector and I have been best friends ever since the day I saw him on the streets of Melipilla in a Lebron jersey! Hector joined the Church over a year ago but Lorena took her time to make sure she really wanted to be baptized. Lorena was converted in a totally different way than Hector. It has been such a blessing to be part of her journey to becoming a member of the Church. Although I was transferred out of her area, I was still able to continue teaching her and talking to her over Zoom. Her baptism was amazing -- she and Hector held their two boys on their laps and were the only ones in the building with their bishop. Elder Thomas, Elder Staheli and our families watched her baptism over Zoom and I was so happy; I could not stop smiling! I love their family and hope to go with them to the temple next year.

The third miracle was just last week, Maipu was added to the government list to transition from Phase 1 quarantine to Phase 2, so now we can work outside during the week and only have to quarantine on the weekends. This miracle could not have come at a more crucial time. Our investigators need us to teach them in person as we move closer towards baptism and it is a true miracle that we can meet with them during the week now. 

President Nelson said, "My dear brothers and sisters, as you choose to let God prevail in your lives, you will experience for yourselves that our God is "a God of miracles." Miracles are synonymous with missions. Almost every city I have served in over the past two years starts with an M. The miracles I have witnessed are the foundation of my faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ. I can hardly believe that my time in Chile is coming to a close. I am in the middle of my last transfer of my mission. What an incredible journey it has been! I have so much work left to do. Let's go! Moroni 7:26-34.

Love,

Elder Zwick