ya esta noviembre?

11/04/13

Buenos tardes familia!!

No puedo creer que ya esta noviembre? Donde se fue el ano? But this past week has been awesome! Well it started out last Monday with a call from President... my heart was racing because I was convinced that Hermana Tanner was out for Argentina… well isn’t, at least not yet. He was actually calling us to give a referral! It was a long story as to how it got to us, but clearly we were excited. I guess the husband of the referral is an inactive member and the wife is Catholic, but she had been talking to someone that President Pingree knows about how she wants a church to raise her kids in that will help them really come to know God. So we got in contact with the family and we went over to visit them yesterday. She was so excited for us to come and welcomed us right in. She gathered up her kids who are in 7th and 9th grade and we just started right off with a super awesome lesson. It just flowed right through, and the spirit was guiding it all. The mom spoke Spanish, but she had asked us to teach in English to make sure her kids really understood. Usually it is super awkward to teach in English because our minds, especially regarding gospel words, are so accustomed to Spanish, but it just felt so normal with them. It was definitely the spirit helping us out! The kids got really involved, and even the dad who was a bit standoffish at first, softened. As we explained the apostasy the 7th grade boy asked... “well, if baptism is so important, and God took away the authority, how are we going to be baptized?”. Wow. Observant. We said we would get to that! As we explained the restoration it just clicked with them; especially the young woman, who was also fourteen, just like Joseph Smith, wanting to know the truth. By the end of the lesson they committed to be baptized when they know the Book of Mormon is true. I know there are so many prepared people out here, and it is so awesome to have the chance to teach them. It is truly through the members and referrals that we can use the Lord's time most effectively. I am thankful for those who have trusted us with their friends and family, and I hope that you are doing the same! We are here to help people to eternal life! Don't deny your friends that opportunity!! Whew. Okay.

Later in the week we had a super awesome family history lesson with Maria, our most progressing investigator at the moment. She came to church last Sunday and during relief society someone from the stake came and gave a lesson on family history that turned for the worst; lots of unnecessary, confusing questions. Anyway. We felt that we definitely needed to clarify some things with her, since she was pretty confused and thought we dug up bodies to baptize them. I love teaching the lesson about family history and temple work because you can always really feel the presence of angels helping us our; especially those of the investigators who are waiting on them to go to the temple. We started explaining the plan again and how God is always giving His children more chances. She opened up about a really sensitive story, but for simplified version, her nephew had passed away a few years ago. As we had been talking in Sunday school about how no soul could enter the kingdom of God without baptism, John 3:5, she felt worried for her dear nephew who was a great person, but wouldn't be able to enter into the kingdom. She said that she felt it was only right that God would provide a way for these people to receive the gospel, even if they hadn't had the chance in this life. She is excited to help him out, and we could all testify that he was definitely there with us, waiting on her.

I don't have much time, but just one more family that has been such a blessing to get to know! I think I talked about them last week, but we had received them as a referral from the English elders in our area. This past week we had been praying for them a lot because some false accusations were made and they had to go to court to see if they could keep their house. I guess when they got there, they were up against a man and his attorney, who spoke puro ingles. So there they were; defenseless, without the language or attorney. But somehow, they didn't understand how, everything fell in their favor. They didn't even say anything and the judge went with them and they got to keep the house. They were so excited and thankful for their prayers and they told us that they knew God really was listening. They even made a flan for us to celebrate. On Saturday we taught the plan of salvation to them and in the end when we asked what they had learned the mom just said (in spanish of course) "I guess all these trials are blessings from God because he wants me to become like him"… right on the nose! For them to really realize that trials aren't punishments but really blessings that God gives us. This morning I read a scripture in Job 23 that says "when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold". It is incredible to see how the faith of people really does grow when we face these trials. Only to make sure we have the confidence of Nephi that God will never give us a commandment (or trial) that we can't face! So don't give up. Keep going, because even when you are sitting in a courtroom and can't understand anything, God is looking out for you! So just trust in him.

I love you all and hope you have a lovely week! Replace fear with faith because it is all going to work out in the end for our betterment (is that a real word?).

les quiero,

hermana draper