2009_02_16 Very Special Experience

Mom wrote on Monday, February 16th.

Here are a few more questions. Just answer them in your letter to us. Do the missionaries down there have cell phones?

We have a cell phone in the house. It is big and bulky, basically a phone for the house, but it has an antenna like a cell phone. Some missionaries have land lines, others have a phone like us. Only the assistants and the enfermeras (nurses) have their own cell phone.

How was your Zone Conference?

Zone conference was good I learned a lot about how to be a successful missionary. It was good.

Did you have an interview with the Mission President?

Yeah, I had my interview after the zone conference.

Did you get a photo of your Zone?

No, but we will take one this week in the district meeting.

Can you send it to us?

No, because I don´t have it.

When are you going to send us some more photos?

When I make more CDs but that takes time that is sacred here in the mission.

Have you gotten any more packages?

Yes, I got the Valentine’s Day package a few days before Valentine’s Day and I still haven´t had my bump day yet, so you are fine.

I have a really interesting story to tell you.

We have a pair of investigators. One is the 16 year old son, Rony, of a family that is recent converts of 6 months. The other is his 18 year old pregnant girlfriend. They both live with his family behind our house toward the river. We had taught them a few leccions (lessons) and I had invited them to be baptized, but they didn´t accept. But that is ok. The date I tried to commit them to was the 28th of February.

Well this Saturday, (February 14, 2009), we received a call from the dad, who said that the girl, her name is Ginger, was not well. They said that she was possessed by a devil. We got ready quickly and then we called President Gamboa and asked for advice on what to do. He said that we should give her a blessing.

We went to their house and when we entered the house there was a bad spirit; It wasn´t good. When we entered, Ginger was on the floor and Rony was next to her restraining her. We sat down and started like we normally do, with a hymn and a prayer. During the hymn, Ginger kept saying, “Shut up. Shut up.” After, we said the prayer and then we started reading the scriptures. We read Enos first, and then we gave Ginger a blessing. Elder Alcocer annointed and the dad gave the blessing, his first ever.

After, Elder Alcocer tried to talk to Ginger. He said, “Ginger, can you hear me?” and she responded, “I am not Ginger.” Elder Alcocer asked who she was then, but didn´t receive an answer. At this point, I was convinced that she was possessed by a devil. She kept laughing, too, whenever we read or sang. It was a little creepy.

After we read 3 Nephi 11, then sang more hymns waiting for President Ruiz, the Branch President, to come. When he showed up, he gave her another blessing, but the whole time she was laughing and the devil didn´t leave with this blessing either.

After President Ruiz took Elder Alcocer aside with me and explained that one of the Area Authorities had given them instruction on this.

President Ruiz taught Curtis and Elder Alcocer how to cast out devils. Then he asked Curtis to do this. I have omitted this part. Curtis asked me to because it is sacred.

President Ruiz said that we had done all that we could and that it was up to Ginger now to do her part. We left, but promised to visit in the evening.

We already had a lunch appointment scheduled with some members, so after our lunch, we started a fast to help Ginger, because in the scriptures it says that with devils sometimes they will only leave through fasting and prayer. When we went back in the evening, they said that Ginger had gotten better during the day, eaten a little, and said a prayer, but she couldn´t close the prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. She couldn´t say his name. After, she had gotten worse again. She was lying on the floor and she kept moving around, but she didn´t open her eyes or say anything.

We taught Rony the Plan of Salvation and then the law of chastity and committed him to live the law of chastity. We then read in Alma about when the angel appeared to Alma the younger and he was in a state of torment in his mind and that he called upon the name of Christ to save him. We read this to help Ginger, to give her the answer she needed to be free of the devil that held her bound. Then we left.

Yesterday, we had a conference in Vinces and then after the conference we went to visit Rony and Ginger. Ginger was up and walking about a little, but she was very tired. We ate lunch with them in their house. (We are now eating in the houses of the members.) We then taught about baptism and confirmation, because the dad had told us in the conference that Ginger and Rony wanted to be baptised as soon as possible, for the date that I had tried to commit them to, the 28th of February. So we taught baptism and then committed them to baptism. We then taught them the law of chastity again and committed them to be married, so now we have a marriage this Friday, February 20, 2009, and two baptisms for the 28th.

Cool huh? Ask dad if he had any experiences like this during his mission, please.