What a week! Every time that something changes, there's an adjustment period. As missionaries, this period needs to be shorter than what would be considered normal because we could potentially change every 6 weeks. We don't have the luxury of waiting a week to find "normal" in our companionships and so we work really hard, using stress techniques and relying heavily upon the Lord, to become one. That's my mission's moto, "Be One"; be one with your companion, be one with the Spirit, be one with the Lord, be one with your investigator(s), be one with your leaders, BE ONE! This is not an easy skill, it takes a lot of practice and charity, but it's possible and necessary. It's what allows us to do the Lord's work.
Anyway, this week was spent becoming one as a trio
and it was surprisingly easy. =) Hna. Miranda and I already had the
advantage of working together some time before we were put into a trio
and Hna. Wi Repa and I had already served together. Hna. Wi Repa has the
amazing ability of going with the flow and so she's very good at
adjusting with change and working with different types of people. Hna.
Miranda is similar in that regard; she is able to put people at ease
really well and she does it by being gentle-hearted, meek, and funny. I
love both of my companions and we are all working really well together.
I'm actually pretty sad to see our trio end next week, but we will be
together for the right amount of time.
Besides
adjusting to having another companion, we had a couple of major things
happen this week. On Monday evening, us and our district had a district
family home evening with the Mower Family (they are members of the
mission presidency). I love this family! Brother and Sister Mower are
two people that I just love deeply; they started their missions just a
little bit after I did, so we've been working together for almost a year
now. I was really excited to go and see them, and to be with my
district, and what made it even better was that a recent convert came
with us! Her name is Maria Ortiz and she is an amazing woman. I met her,
as I came into Buenaventura the first time around, about a week after
her baptism.
When we got to the Mower's home, they told us
that they had a friend there who spoke mainly Spanish, but that she
wasn't really interested in being taught herself but that she wanted her
daughter to know about the Mormon beliefs. We started the Family Home
Evening where we had a great conversation about charity and how to
choose to be happy and the Spirit was very strong with us. This woman,
Maria (different from the recent convert that we brought), made some
great comments, along with Maria Ortiz and other recent converts from
different areas. It was a tremendous evening where we were all
spiritually edified and built.
Maria, the friend of the
Mowers, asked if we would be doing this again soon because she had loved
the feelings she had. I will say, we were probably a bit too excited
when we offered to come and teach her because she looked a little bit
startled, but then she gave us her information and told us that we could
come see her and teach her. It was a miracle, and a beautiful one at
that.
Then next day, Tuesday, we went to have a lesson with
an investigator of ours, Emerson. I can't remember if I've already
talked about him, so as a bit of background, he is the son of a very
strong woman in our ward. He is a member of a different church and is
very knowledgeable about the Bible. I have loved speaking with this
young man and I was really excited to see him again, to follow up and
see how he's feeling with the Book of Mormon. We had a pretty long
conversation where we ended up telling him that he needed to humble
himself before he'll receive the answer from God and he told us that he
is never going to change. We could all feel that he was quite upset, and
so we finished the lesson by inviting him to keep praying and reading.
Part way through the lesson I hurt so much for this man that I almost
started crying, so I didn't contribute much after that (who wants to cry
in front of a lot of people?). By the time we reached the car (Oh!
Sorry, I forgot to mention. With Hna. Wi Repa joining us, we have a car
until the end of the transfer. It has been a nice break from the heat =)
but I've missed my bike ), I was sobbing.
It kills me when
people reject this gospel; I physically ache and all that helps me is to
cry for a while. My companions and I had a good, fairly long, chat in
the car on the way home about agency, doing all that we can, and
accepting God's will. By the time we had gotten home, gone inside, and
had some milk and chocolate, I was feeling better. I love this young
man, as I love all of my investigators, and feeling the pain and anger
he was going through broke my heart. We are here as missionaries to help
people know to whom they can turn for relieve. We know that what is
going to help them, as it has helped us, to feel better is to fully live
the gospel of Christ. No other way can we find true and lasting peace
and joy.
When an investigator says no, no matter if they're
someone I just met or someone I've been teaching for a while, they are
choosing to not accept Christ completely. When they don't keep
commitments, they are denying themselves blessings. When they choose not
to be baptized, they are keeping themselves in a state of sadness and
darkness. That's not to say that everyone who isn't a member of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints doesn't know what happiness
or joy is, but rather they are living in a room lit by a small campfire
when they could be in a room filled with the light of the son (Son). We
aren't here to tell people that they aren't happy or that they don't
know Christ, but rather that they can find MORE happiness, know Christ
MORE, and receive MORE blessings from our Father.
We have
been working hard this week to find people to teach, so I don't have any
other stories about specific people. I feel sad that we don't have many
people to teach, but that means that we have another week to go and
find more people. We have been receiving instruction/training on how we
can improve, we have been changing and growing, and we have been
accessing the Atonement of Christ so as to be worthy of divine guidance.
I'll let you know when I make some more friends =)
I
love you all and I hope that you have had a great week. I pray that you
have an even better one and that you find a way to serve those around
you. Be good and remember who you are!
Love,
Hermana Lindh
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