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| Sitting in the house waiting for the storm to pass... the Pakistani one just had her wisdom tooth out. Heheh. |
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| Panda pao. Delicious puffs of magic. |
We've had a wonderful week of growth and learning and I'm so pleased with everything that happened. Sometimes I don't even feel like I'm training a new missionary. Sister Gison is so humble and Christlike and has not struggled with any homesickness at all. I'm amazed at her willingness to work as hard as she can and how she teaches by example. She is even teaching me to cook new foods and has gotten us into the habit of working out pretty hard core in the mornings. We are a great team.
I've gained a stronger testimony of many things this week, the first being that when you have a plan, you allow yourself to be guided by the spirit. We planned for a person who ended up not being home last week so instead we felt prompted to tract the house next door. The woman who opened the door let us right in and explained that her father had passed away 2 days previously and it turned into a very spiritual lesson about Heavenly Father's love for us through His plan for our families. It was perfect. The next person we went to was a referral but the person we were referred to was not home. His wife, however, was, so we asked to share a message with her. She said yes and we found out that she has some very serious problems in her life and when we taught she opened up to us like a book. When we invited her to pray, the spirit was so strong. I don't think I've heard a more sincere prayer on my whole mission. It's amazing how Heavenly Father will place you in the right places when you have a plan.
Friday we had the sister training leaders with us right after we were told not to leave our apartment because of a huge storm. The floods were up to peoples' necks in the elder's area and it sounded like our roof was going to blow off. When we went to bed, I woke up at 3 AM from rain spraying on my face from the window on the other side of the room, haha. From them I found out that these two sisters from my last area (Nadel and Joyce) that I found and taught for 3 transfers were finally baptized last weekend. The happiness that brought to me is indescribable!
Saturday we had our exchanges and I went with Sister Cestona. I learned so much from her, she is an incredible missionary! Because she is fearless in tracting we found 2 new less-actives. We went to tract a house that I was skeptical about because it was creepy and looked abandoned but she insisted we wait. Then the nicest person came out and agreed to let us teach him. Sister Cestona also showed me that even if you share your message hitting every doctrinal point clearly, it will not change them if they are not touched by the spirit. I really needed that reminder after a lesson on the restoration where they said, "The Bible states that those who are well need no physician." I'll admit that this frustrated me and that's probably why they were not touched by the spirit, even though we taught the restoration clearly.
Another thing I learned is to be happy in spite of everything. One of our lessons was with this old woman who has literally nothing. Her husband is disabled from a stroke and the two live alone in a tiny cement house with one window, one room. No electricity or running water. I asked her what she does all day. She says she takes care of her little garden out front during the day. At night, she says, "I just sit in this chair." When it gets dark, she sits by a candle and watches kids play out the window. One of the sweetest, happiest people I've met.
Yesterday at church I really prayed that we would find someone through OYM-ing and I was amazed at what happened -- we got a text during church from someone we contacted on the street over a month ago who wouldn't give us his information. He said he finally got around to reading the pamphlet and really appreciated the message in it about the plan of salvation. He had tons of questions and agreed to give us his information and we set up an appointment immediately. We were also pleasantly surprised that the husband of our recent convert, Carlota, even though he can't come to church because of his work, made it a goal to some day be baptized. He listens to the hymns when he works on Sunday and has started reading the Book of Mormon. I know that no effort is wasted, ever.
Sister Wilson
I've gained a stronger testimony of many things this week, the first being that when you have a plan, you allow yourself to be guided by the spirit. We planned for a person who ended up not being home last week so instead we felt prompted to tract the house next door. The woman who opened the door let us right in and explained that her father had passed away 2 days previously and it turned into a very spiritual lesson about Heavenly Father's love for us through His plan for our families. It was perfect. The next person we went to was a referral but the person we were referred to was not home. His wife, however, was, so we asked to share a message with her. She said yes and we found out that she has some very serious problems in her life and when we taught she opened up to us like a book. When we invited her to pray, the spirit was so strong. I don't think I've heard a more sincere prayer on my whole mission. It's amazing how Heavenly Father will place you in the right places when you have a plan.
Friday we had the sister training leaders with us right after we were told not to leave our apartment because of a huge storm. The floods were up to peoples' necks in the elder's area and it sounded like our roof was going to blow off. When we went to bed, I woke up at 3 AM from rain spraying on my face from the window on the other side of the room, haha. From them I found out that these two sisters from my last area (Nadel and Joyce) that I found and taught for 3 transfers were finally baptized last weekend. The happiness that brought to me is indescribable!
Saturday we had our exchanges and I went with Sister Cestona. I learned so much from her, she is an incredible missionary! Because she is fearless in tracting we found 2 new less-actives. We went to tract a house that I was skeptical about because it was creepy and looked abandoned but she insisted we wait. Then the nicest person came out and agreed to let us teach him. Sister Cestona also showed me that even if you share your message hitting every doctrinal point clearly, it will not change them if they are not touched by the spirit. I really needed that reminder after a lesson on the restoration where they said, "The Bible states that those who are well need no physician." I'll admit that this frustrated me and that's probably why they were not touched by the spirit, even though we taught the restoration clearly.
Another thing I learned is to be happy in spite of everything. One of our lessons was with this old woman who has literally nothing. Her husband is disabled from a stroke and the two live alone in a tiny cement house with one window, one room. No electricity or running water. I asked her what she does all day. She says she takes care of her little garden out front during the day. At night, she says, "I just sit in this chair." When it gets dark, she sits by a candle and watches kids play out the window. One of the sweetest, happiest people I've met.
Yesterday at church I really prayed that we would find someone through OYM-ing and I was amazed at what happened -- we got a text during church from someone we contacted on the street over a month ago who wouldn't give us his information. He said he finally got around to reading the pamphlet and really appreciated the message in it about the plan of salvation. He had tons of questions and agreed to give us his information and we set up an appointment immediately. We were also pleasantly surprised that the husband of our recent convert, Carlota, even though he can't come to church because of his work, made it a goal to some day be baptized. He listens to the hymns when he works on Sunday and has started reading the Book of Mormon. I know that no effort is wasted, ever.
Sister Wilson
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