Well this week life and the mission was way hard but I love that quote from Lawrence E. Corbridge that the Gospel sure isn't hard even though people make it seem like it! It helps us through our hard times.
Monday was a way rough day and that is hard cuz it's our only day to recuperate but ya pues! :)
Tuesday was awesome because Hna Diez did her verification and the ZLs in that practice almost didn't have any suggestions--she is progressing so much and didn't need my help that day. That was wonderful to see. Isaac accompanied us on Tuesday which was awesome to see and it's always so cool to see new converts ready and willing to share the Gospel. He gave us a reference and bore testimony. This day we were walking in the street and saw a man walking by and, well I guess this needs a little history so I will go back a bit--on Halloween, a man passed by with a suitcase and I saw him and noted something strange but didn't talk to him. Then later on in the night, he crossed our path again but before we could talk to him didn't know where he had gone. I immediately said a prayer in my mind and said to Heavenly Father that I was so sorry for not talking to a person He had put in our path twice, and I promised Him that if this person crossed our path again I would talk to him no matter what. So Tuesday we were walking and talking and I looked up and this man walked right past us and I recognized him and yelled out and ran back, "Excuse Me!!! Hi nice to meet you!" hahahaha He smiled and introduced himself but before we said we were missionaries, he told us he would like to talk to us and asked where we could sit down! We were stunned. His name is Ludwig and says he is looking for the truth because he wants to change his life and serve God. Cool experience (or so we thought haha).
Tuesday night the Hermano who lives below us called us all night updating us on elections and when they finished, called us to tell us the results. Crazy but I kind of predicted it and actually so did the Book of Mormon! Mosiah 29:26-27. The world can't get better before Christ comes :)
Wednesday was one of the most tiring days EVER, and man we were so drained physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, everything. Ariana told us that she has thought about baptism so many times but she is Jehovah's Witness and her whole family too, and started bawling saying that in that religion when you leave that religion you are considered Apostate and none of your family can ever talk to you again. She said that was her fear because she is really close to her Dad and that kills her to think about. That's the only thing holding her back--knowing her dad won't speak to her if she gets baptized. Wow we are praying hard she will recognize the importance of sacrifice and the recompense that will come but man, hard situation no?
Leaving that draining lesson we get a text from William like every other day this week, saying he was way too busy and couldn't meet with us, etc but he had his second interview with the ZLs and I wasn't accepting that, so crying in the street, haha, we marched over to his house and made a deal, and my comp helped him with physics quickly and we went to his interview.
After his interview, he came out so gentle and kind and although he is always like that and always shining, he had a new look and face and was like super super shining and so sweet and happy and calm--like Christ-like and said he couldn't get baptized because his high school is Catholic and it's a requirement to do the confirmation, etc or you can't graduate, but in 2 yrs Elder Hernandez told him he could, and he was so excited for his baptism in 2 yrs and told us not to worry--he would tell people it was because of us, etc. At that moment, my heart broke and something died inside, and I was past the point of tears.
Thursday I woke up DEAD because Wednesday night I wasn't able to sleep hardly at all--I was worried all night long about our investigators and their hard situations and their salvation and the blessings they would receive, and our goals, and what we could do, etc. I woke up like dead and a zombie in all forms, but the Lord blessed us with revelation in personal study.
We were practicing a song with the ZLs when the phone rang and it was WILLIAM!!! Wow that never happens. He called us for physics help so we quickly accepted and took advantage to teach him afterwards. Before we could start, he asked us about what a fast was because he wanted to do it and wanted to do it right. We explained to him the law of the fast and the blessings and how to do it. I suggested to him to include in his fast that God could bless him with the courage and strength to follow the answer he already has. He nodded and said, "That's the hardest part right? Following the answer." I agreed and shared a personal experience, and he shared he had actually thought about including that. Then he shared with us underlined scriptures in the BOM he had liked and we shared scriptures in the Bible that touched him and he underlined them, etc (all things that never have happened with him, and it showed us the Lord really had touched his heart and opened it in the interviews wowwwwww). He committed to fast on Saturday and we told him we would join him!
Friday I ate guatita--SICK. Look it up. It made me SO sick in all ways. We had some really uncomfortable scary situations with Ludwig (I was SO uncomfortable and bothered after we taught him Wednesday and he came to the Elders' baptism Friday, and he seems like an elect from what he says but something was telling me otherwise and it spiritually bothered me. I think the Elders thought I was crazy but I couldn't deny what I felt and be ok with it). Also a very scary situation almost happened but thank heavens for the strong impressions of the spirit and how immediate it was that I began to run, and my comp followed me and we were protected to get home okay. So grateful for discernment and the Spirit!!
Saturday I was excited to actually be there (back home) with all of you and continue this work but in different ways, and start on my goals. A few personal challenges and feelings I was strugging with--I'm tired of being a mom and senior comp and having to be the one to be in charge, haha, but oh well!!
The Lord blessed us to go to Jennifer's house and her mom needed us. She began bawling and sharing her experience of how she feels--her husband left them and everything she is going through. She said the Lord sent us and we were able to share the Atonement and be there when the Lord needed us to be.
Sunday, William was ready to go to church and dizzy from fasting but felt great spiritually! Told us after his fast that he felt so so calm and peaceful and HE JUST SHINES!!!!!! It's crazy cuz he doesn't even have the Spirit yet!! Imagine when he does :) Pray hard he accepts a date for this Saturday. I know the Lord worked miracles in this fast we did. Also he told us yesterday he wanted to pay tithing and how to do it.
Sunday our plans totally changed, but the Lord again had us be where we needed to be. The Fam Gonzalez is a family who is like our family here. The dad isn't a member but the daughters and mom are and the dad has had millions of missionaries haha pass by and teach him, etc. He was going to be baptized at one point but didn't. Yesterday the mom told us he has never interacted with missionaries the way he does with us and she felt it was the moment, and so did we, and we had been fasting and didn't even know the daughters had also--but for their dad to open his heart!! It was SUCH an intense lesson with him rejecting it the first 3/4 of the time but we were patient, Ginger expressed all all all of her feelings and testimony, and the Lord blessed me to ask questions and use scriptures that helped him accept a small step to read the BOM and pray. He has already had an answer and dream this is true just doesn't believe in Joseph Smith. The way to fix that? Testimony of the BOM. Bingo. Pray for Armando Gonzalez!
Welp don't have time left but I love you! This church is true. I am so blessed and so excited that this work never ever has to end, and the Lord always blesses us with His miracles!! Let's pay attention to them!! Share this wonderful news with those around you!! I love you!
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