Subject: ¡Milagros cayendo del Cielo!¡Hola Familia!
Ahh. This week was so great. I really am so grateful every single day for my health, for being able to feel well and work hard. Oh and Happy Thanksgiving this week! I really am SO grateful for...everything...for life...for the priviledge of being on a mission. My whole perspective has changed SO much since coming here. I am so grateful for so many things I have taken for granted my whole life, like running water (which we have about 60% of the time haha) but still! And grateful for a good nights sleep, free from spiders and roaches. There is sooo much to be grateful for!
Anyways, this week literally 90% of our plans fell through. It seemed like every appointment we had either wasn't there, forgot, or just didn't feel like talking to us. So initially, it was kind of frustrating, but I remembered that at the beginning of the week, I pleaded for the Lord to guide our path to find His children who need help. When I remembered this, I knew there was a purpose in all of the cancelations, and we were blessed with so many miracles, it is crazy.
We haven't had much success with investigators as of recently, but the work with less actives has been going so well. Sometimes, we, as missionaries, put less actives kind of behind investigators in our priorities, but when we view it through the eyes of Heavenly Father, they are all His children, who He loves SO much, and they need help.
1st of all, Jonathen. Jonathen is such a great guy. He is 18, his whole family is inactive, but he started coming with us to some teaching appointments, and last week he came to church, by himself, for the first time in years. He told us this week how much he loved it and how he could feel himself drawing closer to God. He came again this week and loved it. He even says he is thinking about a mission now!
Then on wednesday, I ate Mcdonalds for the 1st time. It was good to eat Icecream that tasted like icecream in the United States again.
Then we had a lesson with Hermana G. She has been inactive for years too, but she has a great testimony and wants to come back. Her son was there and he was the one who baptized her. We taught her about repentance and the joy that we can feel from it. It seemed like every other sentence we said would remind her of the feelings she once had, and she would tell us of these experiences. We invited her to say a prayer, and ask for forgiveness of her sins (generally, not specifics). She started to pray, and gave thanks for us, and began to cry as she thanked Heavenly Father for her son, who has always been there for her. She then said, "please forgive me of my disobedience. Forgive me of my shortcomings. Help me to change, so I can serve you again." The love that we felt as she prayed is indescribable. I felt so much love for her and her son, and they felt so much love for eachother. At the end of that lesson, with tears in their eyes, they knew what Heavenly Father wants them to do, and they are coming home to church.
Lastly, last night, after a couple really good lessons, we had like 30 minutes before we needed to go, we stopped by a less active member who wasn't home. Once again, all our plans had fallen through, so we were standing in the street, looking through our planners for someone else we could stop by. We couldn't think of anyone, so we thought for a minute, then we heard someone say "¿Elderes, puedo ayudarles?" We then turned and saw a woman holding her son, and we talked with her. Her name is Hermana C. She told us she has been inactive for many years, but has brothers who served missions. She initially didn't seem to have much interest, but we asked if we could share a scripture. We shared a scripture, and asked her, "what do you think God wants for you and your family?" As she thought about that, she began to cry, and said " I know what He wants. I remember the happiness from the gospel." There were several moments like that this week, and these moments are what make being a missionary a piece of Heaven. Those moments of silence, when you can just pause for a second, and feel how much Heavenly Father loves His daughter. These are the most precious moments of my life, when I truly feel like a tool in the hands of the Lord, when I simply feel that I should tell her of His love, "Hermana, Yo sé que Dios le ama muchisimo. Le ama a su familia muchisimo." --Hermana, I know God loves you so much. He loves your family so much.-
Just telling of this, or writing about it really doesn't do it justice. I could feel so powerfully how much God loves her. These are the moments I will never forget.
This week really has changed my perspective a lot. It has helped me to remember, I am here to be a tool in the Lord's hands to help whoever He needs me to help, whether this person in a member or not. Meeting with many less actives, some of which served missions and went to the temple, also filled me with determination that I am NEVER ever going to stop living the gospel. I never want to stop helping others to feel the love of Christ, because it really is the happiest thing in the world.
I am grateful for His love.
I love you all so much! Have a wonderful thanksgiving and eat lots of turkey for me. Love you!
Love,
Elder Heath Tenney
No comments:
Post a Comment