too
much happens in a week to TRY to begin to update you on everything. So here are
a few experiences:
Sister higgins and I
had dinner with a RM and his non-member parents. They have come to church to
listen to him talk and are very nice but "have their own church." The
mother I'll call Jane is very sweet. She cooked us a wonderful
thanksgiving-esque meal. after we went into the living room, which they
previously de-cat-haired (we are both allergic) and had a lesson. Jane has a
lot of struggles right now. She has fibromyalgia and really bad migraine
headaches. It's to the point where she sometimes goes to the ER for morphine
injections. We each took turns reading from an article on hope from this month’s
ensign. Then we discussed what we learned from it and our thoughts on hope. She
talked about how she hopes one day her migraines will go away. I got a thought
that I felt VERY STRONGLY about. I had the impression that once she goes
through the temple her migraines will go away. For a second I was shocked such
a promise could be made, but I KNEW I just KNEW it to be true. others were
talking and I determined myself I would say it when I got the moment. but the
moment passed, and that overwhelming knowledge left, and the promise went
unsaid. I knew it to be true. I was almost scared of saying it but I would have
said it as assuredly as saying, "I promise Wednesday is after
Tuesday."
We got in the car and
I told sis higgins what I had felt she said she too KNEW that Jane's migraines
could go away if she did something, she just didn't know what. Neither one of
us had ever had that happen before. I am resolved to never let a promise from
god go unsaid. That resolve helped me in this next situation.
We were meeting with a
LA family. the oldest daughter often had softball on Sundays and the family doesn’t
go to church although often the two younger siblings don’t go to the games. we
have invited them to church before probably somewhat passively, but yesterday
was different. We had planned to teach the law of chastity and the word of
wisdom (to 3 teenagers and a mom FUN). we got there. the kids had recently
gotten back from their dad's house. the middle child Lilly had a friend over.
the mom said she had to take him home and could we "hang out for the
minutes?" We went outside and chatted with the oldest, Tianna, and the
youngest, Michael. It was obvious the whole family was stressed. Michael says
he just "deals with" having to visit his dad. Tianna was almost
crying it seemed she had so much emotional stress. We were grateful for the
opportunity we had to talk to them and see how they were doing to instead of
preaching AT them, we could teach to their needs. The mom and Lilly came back.
It was OBVIOUS that what we had planned would NOT be the best idea. they need
encouragement and a spiritual uplift. the kids have been judged by their peers
for not going to church and are very discouraged among other things. we decided
to read a chapter from the book of Mormon. Not a coincidence that's what sis
higgins originally suggested we do) she picked enos and that’s what she read.
Before starting we bore testimony of how powerful the scriptures are and that
we knew there was something in this chapter god would tell each of us.
by the 10th verse it
was apparent to me what I needed to share with them. Enos talks about how he
cries for forgiveness and the Lord, we see, is so quick to forgive. As a
missionary my job is to invite others to repent, to change. Everyone can use
that invitation. I realized the reason GOD wanted them to go to church. We
wanted them to go to church because they hadn't been, and because that's what
active members do. but GOD wants them to go to church so he can forgive them.
we have such a wonderful opportunity to be cleansed from sin each week as we
offer ourselves to god and partake of the emblems of the sacrament. I KNEW this
to be true. THIS is what god wanted them to do. I KNEW they will be happier and
lifted up as they do this. So when the time came after reading I expressed that
to them. that God wants to invite them to repent and to claim their blessings.
THAT is why they need to go to church. I expressed this to them with much love
and humility and I t seems as though they took it well. I've never so boldly
told someone they need to go to church. The though used to sound scary, but not
with the assurance of the Lord behind you. I feel so much love for this family.
and I want to help them be happy.
Saturday was a day of
MIRACLES! I prayed in our companion prayer before leaving the apartment
"that we could witness miracles today." we did. We found a new
investigator in the morning who said he would read the book of mormon
("I'll probably get 40 pages or so done by the time you come back next
week") Jane (the RM"S mom) came to the relief society broadcast, as
did another non member we got to talk to. We listened to the divine counsel of
our prophet and we found 3 other people that day.
We were on our way to
see a woman named Pamela (a former investigator we don't know but her name and
address where in our area book) at an apartment complex. There was a woman in a
different building on her front porch. we smiled, she smiled back. I made up my
mind we would talk to her, "how are you?" we said, "oh,
ok.." "Just ok?!" we kept walking closer, "Oh I thought you
were church people.." "we are church people!!! " she smiled,
"oh! I've been praying for you to come!!" and she let us in to have a
prayer with her and her paraplegic boyfriend. obviously we prayed....and
read some of the book of mormon, gave them a copy, visited and set a time
to come back.
We left kind of shell
shocked and were going to our car. Then I remembered we had been on our way to
see pamela so we turned around and went to her address no one was there. as we
walked down from the second story apt there was a 20 year old man on his bike
looking at his phone. I knew that I needed to talk to him. turns out he lives
in that apt with his grandma and has been looking for religion to be in his
life. we set him with a baptismal date and are having our next lesson with him
tomorrow. His name is Justin.
the Lord has blessed
us tremendously. I love this gospel, it is the fullness of truth and love.
There is no other way for man to be happy in eternity. I love my savior and I
love all of you.
always pray, be
believing and move forward in faith and you will help others move forward along
the way.
I don't really have
time to wrap this up so here is a scripture for your thoughts to nibble on...
"Walk in wisdom
toward them that are without." Colossians 4:5
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