"Hey friends!
I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know that I sure did. It was so great to be surrounded by a family, even if it wasn't my family. I sure am stuffed though. I still feel like I don't need to eat any more food for the rest of my life. This past transfer I've eaten a lot of Pakistani, Russian, Japanese, Guatemalan, and true American food (turkey & mashed potatoes). Last transfer I also ate Israeli food. I just wanted to say that because it was a really cool experience, and it was also really yummy! Yesterday we both got fed giant plates of rice and Pakistani chicken meatballs. It was very spicy and maybe a tad bit questionable, but honestly pretty yummy.
Sister DeVol and I have been thinking a lot about making sure that we are lead by the spirit this week. We were picking a street to knock on Wednesday, and we picked about 3 different ones and put them as back-ups to each other. The first 2 were a bust, and so we headed to the third street. It was such a blessing that we saved that street for last because it ended up being our "golden" street for the week. All except for 3 doors on the whole street of about 22 houses opened. All except for 2 of those who opened were open to talking to us. I think that part of the reason was that we were sharing about the joy of Jesus Christ in the Christmas season and who can say no to that? In our mission, we have this thing called the Festival of the Nativity, and it's a really big deal. We found out that we are going to be trained to be tour guides; super exciting! So we have that amazing event to invite people to. All of them accepted either a Nativity invitation or a LightTheWorld card.
IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE LIGHT THE WORLD VIDEO PLEASE CHECK IT OUT HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=P_VRN7hcL_8
There was one guy in particular who introduced himself as Brother Eric, took the Book of Mormon, read the cover and you could almost see a light bulb go off in his head. He read out loud "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" and then he looked at us with understanding in his eyes. We taught him about the story of the Book of Mormon, and he was excited to learn more. It was an hour and a half of tried and true missionary work that night! We truly brought light into the homes of these people. It's amazing to share the gospel when you have an incredible companion and nice people to talk to! That day we ended up getting 22 meaningful contacts which is definitely the most I've ever gotten in one day since we started counting meaningful contacts in our mission.
We were able to teach Tatyana about the Plan of Salvation, baptism and the Holy Ghost. I remember sitting there and thinking just how soft-hearted this little babushka is, sitting on her couch beside me, with Disney channel muted on the tv in the background, and her granddaughter drawing pictures for us every five minutes. My heart aches for her and her situation. She accepted the invitation to be baptized, but doesn't seem to believe that she would be able to come to church because she has to watch her daughter's children. Plus, her daughter and son-in-law aren't too happy that she's been letting us into the house in the first place. I feel like I've just found so many people on my mission who are soft-hearted and open to the gospel, but then their family members or situation will hold them back from being able to progress in the gospel.. We sang "Abide With Me," and as we were preparing to leave, she hugged Sister DeVol and told her "thank you for not forgetting me." We listened to a really beautiful version of Called to Serve and cried on the way home.
Everyone who says a mission is hard is right. But, it's not hard for any type of bad reason. It's hard because we can't always help people as much as we wish we could. We can't always provide the perfect "fix" for their situation. People all around us are broken, and only the gospel can seamlessly piece them back together. The question is whether or not we can recognize that we are broken and desire to be healed. The hard part is good because it means that we are experiencing sorrow. It means that we are invested in the relationships and the people that we have developed. If you feel a connection with someone, that means that you are going to mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that stand in need of comfort, but also that you are going to rejoice with them and uplift them!
In 3 Nephi 9, it says:
13 O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?
14 Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.
15 Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name.
Jesus Christ cannot heal us unless we allow him to do so. Hope and trusting in the Lord are the only way.
We started a new English class this Saturday! It was a success. 2 non-members came! It was so good to get them inside the church. We are hoping that it will grow. It should be double in size next week. It's a really good tool to get people to drive to the church and see that it's not a scary place, but a place of learning. We played hangman, and that was fun to explain to people who don't speak English haha!
We had a lesson with another lady. She has a good friend in our ward, and she's pretty unhappy with some of her current beliefs. But, she's so deeply rooted in the Catholic church, that she's scared to change. We had an emotional lesson about the Plan of Salvation. As we were leaving, once again, she was hugging us, and she said something really profound. "I always feel so good after you girls leave." Sometimes I think that non-members don't recognize the spirit. I get proven wrong over and over again. We are the representatives of Jesus Christ that He has personally sent. We are giving people a reason to hope. They can feel that and they can recognize that because they do have the light of Christ inside of them. Always. No matter how much it might seem like it's buried under years of learning about Catholicism or Buddhism or any other belief system.
Little funny side note--the only person that we could find yesterday who would talk to us long enough for us to invite her to bbe baptized ended up being less active. I asked her twice if she would be baptized by proper authority before I realized that she actually HAS been baptized by proper authority. Maybe we can work with her and her non-member family members though!
I am so excited for zone conference this coming week! A general authority is coming to the mission, and it will be my last zone conference. I am so prepared to learn so much!
I love and miss all of you!
Sister Jenne"
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