Mason's amazing letter -- March 29, 2010

Hey family,

This week was a really good week. On Saturday we baptized Sis. Martinez and Fransua (her daughter). So I suppose it really was due to female problems. It was cool how it worked out because Edgardo got to baptize his wife and daughter because they gave him the Priesthood last week. So it was really special. She wanted us to do the baptisms, but we ended up talking her into letting her husband do it haha. She has really changed this week. She took us over to her sister's house who has cancer and we are now teaching her family. She has been bearing her testimony a lot to her sister and it has been really powerful.

They are an amazing family and are striving to go to the temple in a year. It is so cool to be a part of their conversion. The ward is going to put Edgardo in as the new young men's president this next week I think. so he is being put to work quickly, The ward really needs leaders. The whole country really needs leaders and Priesthood.

We tried to get Pedro and Ingris married this week and we worked really hard for it, but we couldn't end up getting it done. So we will just miss the goal this month. We were waiting for a lawyer to sign a paper. Turns out he didn't do it when he said he would. We could've married them on Friday and baptized them on Saturday, but this guy didn't do his part so we have to wait until after this week because it's Semana Santa [Holy Week] this next week and everyone is gone on vacation. So for sure we will get this wedding to go through in April.

We also had a really cool experience this Saturday before the baptism. We were going to an appointment with Pedro and Ingris and we saw 2 ladies carrying grocery bags on the street. I felt like we needed to help them, but it was super hot and we were almost to the house of Pedro and I really tried to push off the thought. But I ended up stopping my companion and we asked them if they needed help. They accepted and we carried their bags another couple of blocks to their house. On the way we found out that these ladies were from Roatan (so we talked to them in English the whole time) and one of them was a member. She said she saw us and wanted to talk to us because she wanted to go to church. They had recently moved here from San Pedro Sula. She also mentioned how she had a brother who had just got out of the hospital from brain tumor surgery. He was in the house and had gone blind, hard of hearing, almost mute, and could barely walk due to the surgery. I asked if she wanted us to give him a blessing and she said that would be perfect.

So we finally got to the house and she brought out her brother. He just stared off into space and didn't respond to anything we said, just nodded his head a little. We could see the scar on his head from the tumor. Apparently he had fallen down and the tumor had triggered so they needed surgery. He is 21 years old, and now blind and almost unresponsive. I explained a little about a blessing and I annointed him with oil. Then Elder Brown gave him the blessing. near the end of the blessing I felt full of the Spirit and Elder Brown said how he was needed to do a great work for the Lord still in his life. We finished and left, but told her we would be back the next morning to take them to church. The next morning Elder Brown and our ward mission leader went to pick the member lady up for church (I was in the ward of Independencia). she came out to the car and thanked my comp for the blessing and said that her brother had been completely healed. My comp thought he heard her wrong, but then out ran the 21 year old, once blind man. he had completely recovered his sight, hearing, and moving abilities. He thanked my companion for the blessing we had given him and told him that he had to go back to Roatan for a while, but would be back to speak in church about the miracle and be baptized.

Apparently an hour or so after we left his house on Saturday, he was laying in bed and he heard the voice of the Lord tell him to get up. He said to the Lord in his mind that he was blind and could not get up and go, but the lord said he had work to do and that he was not blind, so get up! and he stood up, completely healed. What a miracle we were blessed to take part of. I understand now that the power of the Priesthood is real. Sometimes we may feel like we are only regular human beings putting our hands on another's head. but really we have the authority of God to be able to call down the powers of the heavens. It was an amazing experience, I just wish I would have been there to see him run out of his house to us. But he will be back soon I hope from the island.

Other than that this week was normal. It was really good and successful. We are now looking hard for baptisms in April and I'm really excited for conference this weekend!

I love you all,

Elder Mason Cardon