Hello Everyone!
I'm on time this week! :)
Nothing major happened this week, which is a relief, but we still had some adventures.
Fourth of July was fun, even if it was different than last year. We played sand volleyball, got ready and emailed, then had a BBQ with our Elders and their neighbor for dinner. It was really cool to be with other missionaries on the holiday and we had a good time together. We went home at 8pm and watched fireworks from our home, while also using sparklers. It was a pretty fun day and good start to the week.
Service, as always, is really fun. They just got new toys that they encouraged us to try them out and so we obliged. They're hoops that have stretchy material inside that bounces a little ball around. We made it a goal to see how long we could keep it up off of the ground; we didn't do super well! But it was a lot of fun after we finished our work.
The other major event for the week was that we sang in Sacrament meeting. Hna. WiRepa and I received a text Friday night asking if we could perform a musical number so we said yes and immediately called our elders. Elder Ortiz is an amazing pianist and so we were hoping and praying that he'd be able to help us. Elder Juarez is also musically talented, but 3 is a weird number so Hna. WiRepa and I sang while Elser Ortiz played. We practiced a few times on Saturday, within an 2 hour timespan, and then performed without practicing again on Sunday. It was a bit stressful but the Lord really did help us as we sang "Lord, I Would Follow Thee." The Spirit was super strong during sacrament meeting and many people commented on how it fit perfectly with the talks. Amazing how God knows more than we do :)
The only major thing I have to share is an experience I had on Saturday. As we were walking to the Campos family, a family we are currently teaching, we saw that a church near their home was having a large meeting -we could hear a pastor inside being very adamant in his teaching. We decided to walk by, due to much of my pleading to go see what was happening, and we met a group of young women. We chatted for a bit when a man exited the building to show a woman and her kid to the bathroom. When he passed us, we started talking.
It was a long conversation, most of which was done by him, in which he explained/shared his belief about Christ. He shared that he believes the only way to be saved is to live the gospel of Christ, which is to believe in Christ, repent, and be baptized. It was very exciting to hear what he had to say because a large portion of it corresponds with our beliefs. The Spirit was very strong during this discourse because the man, Oscar Palacios, was testifying of truth. Then, he made the comment that there is only one word of God and that any other book written by man was a tool of Satan's to destroy the children of God. We knew immediately that he meant the Book of Mormon, along with other books from other religions I suppose.
I bore testimony of the authenticity and divinity of the Book of Mormon and then he started in. He said that he's read a bit of it but that he believes Joseph Smith wrote this book. He believes very firmly that only the Bible, in the King James Version, is the word of God and that nothing else can be accepted. I invited him to read the Book of Mormon the same way he reads the Bible; that is, to read it, ponder it, and then pray to God to know if it's true. He had already stated that this is the only way we can gain true knowledge, this pattern, and that it's the Spirit's job to teach us of truth.
It was very obvious, and painful, that this man was denying the Spirit right then. Anytime we testified of the Book of Mormon, or invited him to read it, he would say that he's read some and doesn't believe it. Finally, after begging (literally) him to read 3 Nephi 11 and to take a copy, he accepted it. The entire time my heart yearned for him to accept the Spirit, to accept what we were feeling!
I was close to tears by the end and was praying not to cry in front of him when he finally took the book. (I was close to tears due to the extreme shock and sadness of feeling this man reject the Spirit) We shook hands, said goodbye, and then went our separate ways. As we were walking away, I couldn't stop myself from crying. It started out as a whimper and then, by the time we crossed the street safely, I was bawling. I hurt so bad that this man had once received the Spirit enough to know that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer but in that moment rejected Him. I couldn't stop myself, even with my companion trying to help me; the crying came out more like sobs and even with my hands over my mouth, I was easy to hear.
A hand touched Hna. Wi Repa's shoulder and Oscar asked us if he could pray with us. We said yes and he offered a pray where he asked that I might be comforted, that we could all repent and be happy, and giving thanks to God. I did feel a bit better afterwards and we said thank you. He said "I wish you could have hugs, because I would hug you right now. I hope that the Lord blesses you in all you do, that you may continue strong in this good work. If you see me, please wave hi! God bless you." We said something similar back and then he left. My companion and I spoke for a bit where I expressed what I was feeling.
She told me that I have charity, that even though I may not feel it at times, she can see it me. She said that she knows I'm genuine when I act like this, that she can feel my love for others. I really appreciated her words; they were what I needed right then. She then suggested that we go to temple grounds, and I felt like that would help, so we asked permission from Elder Ortiz, our district leader, who said yes.
As I sit here, the peace of the temple is helping me feel better. Even though I'm not inside, I know this is God's home and that He's near me. I still ache, I still hurt for this man, but I'm trying to allow the Atonement to help and heal me.
I wrote that experience while on temple grounds, not in this moment.
I love you all. I hope that you choose to accept the feelings and/or thoughts you have when you listen to something about Christ. While they may be small, they are precious and should be treated as such. God is doing everything He can to reach out to you so you need to choose to not reject Him. If you're invited to do something (that will not harm you physically or emotionally), try it! What will it hurt to read a book about Christ for five minutes? What will it hurt to try praying one night? You loose a bit of time? But isn't your personal happiness and salvation worth five minutes?
I am here for you at any time you need; please email me or Facebook message me with any questions or concerns you have. I am more than willing to answer you or help you find the answer because I love you.
Be good and remember who you are! Enjoy this coming week and I'll see you on the flip side!
Love,
Hermana Lindh
I'm on time this week! :)
Nothing major happened this week, which is a relief, but we still had some adventures.
Fourth of July was fun, even if it was different than last year. We played sand volleyball, got ready and emailed, then had a BBQ with our Elders and their neighbor for dinner. It was really cool to be with other missionaries on the holiday and we had a good time together. We went home at 8pm and watched fireworks from our home, while also using sparklers. It was a pretty fun day and good start to the week.
Service, as always, is really fun. They just got new toys that they encouraged us to try them out and so we obliged. They're hoops that have stretchy material inside that bounces a little ball around. We made it a goal to see how long we could keep it up off of the ground; we didn't do super well! But it was a lot of fun after we finished our work.
The other major event for the week was that we sang in Sacrament meeting. Hna. WiRepa and I received a text Friday night asking if we could perform a musical number so we said yes and immediately called our elders. Elder Ortiz is an amazing pianist and so we were hoping and praying that he'd be able to help us. Elder Juarez is also musically talented, but 3 is a weird number so Hna. WiRepa and I sang while Elser Ortiz played. We practiced a few times on Saturday, within an 2 hour timespan, and then performed without practicing again on Sunday. It was a bit stressful but the Lord really did help us as we sang "Lord, I Would Follow Thee." The Spirit was super strong during sacrament meeting and many people commented on how it fit perfectly with the talks. Amazing how God knows more than we do :)
The only major thing I have to share is an experience I had on Saturday. As we were walking to the Campos family, a family we are currently teaching, we saw that a church near their home was having a large meeting -we could hear a pastor inside being very adamant in his teaching. We decided to walk by, due to much of my pleading to go see what was happening, and we met a group of young women. We chatted for a bit when a man exited the building to show a woman and her kid to the bathroom. When he passed us, we started talking.
It was a long conversation, most of which was done by him, in which he explained/shared his belief about Christ. He shared that he believes the only way to be saved is to live the gospel of Christ, which is to believe in Christ, repent, and be baptized. It was very exciting to hear what he had to say because a large portion of it corresponds with our beliefs. The Spirit was very strong during this discourse because the man, Oscar Palacios, was testifying of truth. Then, he made the comment that there is only one word of God and that any other book written by man was a tool of Satan's to destroy the children of God. We knew immediately that he meant the Book of Mormon, along with other books from other religions I suppose.
I bore testimony of the authenticity and divinity of the Book of Mormon and then he started in. He said that he's read a bit of it but that he believes Joseph Smith wrote this book. He believes very firmly that only the Bible, in the King James Version, is the word of God and that nothing else can be accepted. I invited him to read the Book of Mormon the same way he reads the Bible; that is, to read it, ponder it, and then pray to God to know if it's true. He had already stated that this is the only way we can gain true knowledge, this pattern, and that it's the Spirit's job to teach us of truth.
It was very obvious, and painful, that this man was denying the Spirit right then. Anytime we testified of the Book of Mormon, or invited him to read it, he would say that he's read some and doesn't believe it. Finally, after begging (literally) him to read 3 Nephi 11 and to take a copy, he accepted it. The entire time my heart yearned for him to accept the Spirit, to accept what we were feeling!
I was close to tears by the end and was praying not to cry in front of him when he finally took the book. (I was close to tears due to the extreme shock and sadness of feeling this man reject the Spirit) We shook hands, said goodbye, and then went our separate ways. As we were walking away, I couldn't stop myself from crying. It started out as a whimper and then, by the time we crossed the street safely, I was bawling. I hurt so bad that this man had once received the Spirit enough to know that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer but in that moment rejected Him. I couldn't stop myself, even with my companion trying to help me; the crying came out more like sobs and even with my hands over my mouth, I was easy to hear.
A hand touched Hna. Wi Repa's shoulder and Oscar asked us if he could pray with us. We said yes and he offered a pray where he asked that I might be comforted, that we could all repent and be happy, and giving thanks to God. I did feel a bit better afterwards and we said thank you. He said "I wish you could have hugs, because I would hug you right now. I hope that the Lord blesses you in all you do, that you may continue strong in this good work. If you see me, please wave hi! God bless you." We said something similar back and then he left. My companion and I spoke for a bit where I expressed what I was feeling.
She told me that I have charity, that even though I may not feel it at times, she can see it me. She said that she knows I'm genuine when I act like this, that she can feel my love for others. I really appreciated her words; they were what I needed right then. She then suggested that we go to temple grounds, and I felt like that would help, so we asked permission from Elder Ortiz, our district leader, who said yes.
As I sit here, the peace of the temple is helping me feel better. Even though I'm not inside, I know this is God's home and that He's near me. I still ache, I still hurt for this man, but I'm trying to allow the Atonement to help and heal me.
I wrote that experience while on temple grounds, not in this moment.
I love you all. I hope that you choose to accept the feelings and/or thoughts you have when you listen to something about Christ. While they may be small, they are precious and should be treated as such. God is doing everything He can to reach out to you so you need to choose to not reject Him. If you're invited to do something (that will not harm you physically or emotionally), try it! What will it hurt to read a book about Christ for five minutes? What will it hurt to try praying one night? You loose a bit of time? But isn't your personal happiness and salvation worth five minutes?
I am here for you at any time you need; please email me or Facebook message me with any questions or concerns you have. I am more than willing to answer you or help you find the answer because I love you.
Be good and remember who you are! Enjoy this coming week and I'll see you on the flip side!
Love,
Hermana Lindh
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