Elder Dylan Thomas' Missionary Experiences in Guatemala, Retalhuleu 2015-2017: Record Number of Baptisms

Heyyy there friends! :)

I literally don´t even know where to start in this email. This week has been CRAZY and INCREDIBLE. This week has by far been the best in my mission. I´ve never worked so hard nor been so exhausted, but I´m also pretty sure that I´ve seen more miracles in this week than I have in my entire mission combined.

That being said, so many things have happened this week and my mind is in such a blur that I´m having a really hard time remembering specific miracles to tell you all about! But this entire week I haven´t been in my area for even one day. There were SO MANY people in other areas that were ready to be baptized this week in other areas in the zone that we were basically running around the entire zone teaching, interviewing, and doing everything we can to make sure these people got baptized this week. So many things happened!

Okay, I thought of one experience that I will share. This Saturday, some sisters in our district had a baptism planned for a teenage boy. He didn´t have money to pay for a taxi to get to the church, so the sisters asked us to go get him from his house and bring him there while they got everything ready for the baptism. However, when we got to his house to bring him to his baptism, it just so happened that his grandma had just come over to visit. And she is CRAZY. She told us that our church was false, and she was never going to allow her grandson to be baptized in this church. She was yelling at us and would not allow her grandson to leave the house and go with us. We had no idea what to do. Then suddenly I just felt the impression to start talking. I had no idea what to say, but as soon as I opened my mouth, the Spirit put the words in my mouth that I needed to say. I began nervously, but pretty soon I felt like I was practically yelling at this lady, telling her that her son had made the decision to follow Jesus Christ and nothing was going to stop him. I felt like Joseph Smith rebuking his vulgar guards when he was in jail! I honestly couldn´t repeat what we said if I had to, but after my companion and I finished talking, she stepped aside without saying a word and allowed her son to leave to the baptism.

So that was so fantastic! I honestly feel like I didn´t say a word, but that the Spirit was the one that told her what needed to happen. This week was FULL of experiences just as miraculous as that one. I don´t know what I did to deserve to see so many miracles, but the Lord was merciful enough to allow me to see them. After this week of miracles, our zone broke the mission record for the most baptisms in a zone in one month, with 41 baptisms as a zone. Our mission also set a new mission record for most baptisms in a month, being 254 as a mission. Such a miracle! It´s been so incredible to see the Lord´s work move forward, with the knowledge that NOTHING and NO ONE will stop it!

To end, one more surprise! I HAVE TRANSFERS! That was a huge shock...we were told that there would be transfers today, but we thought if anyone left it would be my companion, since he has more time in the area. But that wasn´t so! I appreciate the opportunity I´ve had to be in this area, and so happy that I was able to end my time here on a such a high note. Tomorrow I will find out where I´m going and be sent to my new area, so I´ll let you know where I am next week!

THIS CHURCH IS TRUE! I love you all!

-Elder Thomas :)

Here are some fun bits from Elder Thomas's email to us:

We were so busy and had so many people to get ready for baptism this week, we ended up not having enough leaders to be able to get all of the baptismal interviews done in time. So, after a quick call to President Ruiz explaining the situation, he authorized me to do an interview! So I got to do my first baptismal interview, even though I´m not a leader! I was SUPER nervous, even though it was only a 9-year-old girl...haha but she was smart for her age! ;) It went well, and I really hope I become a leader soon so I can do more of those! Interviews are so spiritual. Great experience!
This week has been so miraculous and exhausting that when I got home each night I was so tired... One night I even collapsed on my bed and slept the whole night in my shirt and tie!

After getting the play by play of Mal's soccer tournament win from his dad, here's what Dylan had to say:

Play by play of the Guatemala Retalhuleu Mission this month! So here it goes.

Week 1 of May. Mission Reu baptizes 58 new converts. Good start for the month.

Week 2. Satan hits hard. Mission Reu baptizes only 40 people as a mission, making it a total of 98 people for the month.

Week 3. Satan KNOCKS US ON THE GROUND AND KICKS THE CRAP OUT OF US. Only 18 baptisms in the whole mission. 116 as a monthly total.

Week 4. Mission Reu is not giving up. With a nice counterattack of 50 baptisms, we end up with 166 new converts. Looks like it´s turning out to be a pretty average month after all.

Week 5. MISSION REU PICKS UP SATAN AND SLAMS HIM INTO THE GROUND. 90 BAPTISMS IN THE LAST WEEK OF MAY!!! MISSION REU BREAKS RECORD! AHHH!!! WHOO!!!

Okay, all that being said, I know it´s not all about the numbers. But we are literally all so excited about breaking the record that I feel like I´m playing baseball in the Major Leagues and we just won the World Series. SUCH AN AWESOME MONTH!

Fusion may be good, but we be good too.