Who would have thought, right?
Started out this week just wonderfully, receiving two
packages, one from the best mom EVERRR (more sticky notes, obvio, stationary,
hair help, clothes, she knows me so well), and my peachy Krystal Gray. Nail
polish, chapstick, chocolate, and Jeffery R. Holland talks...literally nothing
more that a sister missionary wants in a package! What gems, I am so blessed :)
Also, in the package from my mama, I got TONS of photos, which I LOVE! You
should all send me photos, just saying ;) The four of us in the pension all sat
at our little folding table that night and looked at my pictures, and they have
all determined that I have a very attractive older brother.
That is weird to hear.
Crazy Latinas.
BUT ANYWAYS, on the more missionary work level of things, I
had a growth week! Lots of things that I learned about myself and my own
testimony, and also about others, missionaries and investigators alike.
We started teaching a man named Ramone this week. Get
this...he is an Evangelic Pastor.
Yeah.
It was a reference from the elders in our ward, and when we
got to his house for the first lesson, he had all sorts of...well, not
questions, more like things he wanted to talk at us about. Not necessarily
about the gospel, but about why he trusts in God. It was an interesting
experience. Very...what's the word...heartfelt. And strong and loud and bold. We
gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and talked a bit about it and the
relation it has to the Bible, and he was excited to read it.
The next day we were walking to another appointment and he
was sitting out in front of his house reading it. Now THAT is pretty cool, just
saying, usually you give the Book of Mormon and it sits in the table collecting
dust. But he was already in Second Nephi! And he was happy because he was in
the Isaiah part. (Whatever fits your fancy, right?) So we were a little excited
for our next appointment with him.
And that's when it gets interesting.
We returned to his home to teach about The Restoration, but
he was pumped up and ready and rolling for an all out debate. He had every
question possible, ready to fire away. And when we had sufficient answers for
all of his question/statements, he yelled out "I THINK THIS IS A
CULT."
Adventura cada dia, right?
Honestly, I wasn't too shocked by it. Not the first time I
have heard that phrase, but somehow we were able to end the lesson with the
spirit and leaving him speechless- that's the thing. At the end of it all,
someone who has such faith in Christ cannot deny the presence of his spirit.
And it was, with a little work and patience on our part, eventually present in
that lesson. The spirit ROCKS.
Benjamin, our investigator de oro, was excited to show us
this week that he had downloaded the app for reading the Book of Mormon on your
phone, and that he is in Words of Mormon, just from reading on the
bus to and from work. This kid! He is wonderful! His new baptismal date is for
this Sunday, PLEASE pray for him! He is still on the fence, still trying to
help him receive the answer that this is the truth, and we could use some
intense prayer power right about now!
I learned more about the importance of putting your
companion first. That is the wonderful thing about missionary work- when your
first priority is serving others, you are always blessed, always more in tune
with the spirit. Every Thursday we have weekly planning. It is 3 hours long, at
times tedious, but very important and very useful during the week. Long,
stupid, dramatic story short, one of the other Hermanas made a comment to my
comp about how she has gained weight, and this coupled with other things going
on for her right now, she was distracted. So much that she could not focus on
making plans of what to teach our investigators for the coming week.
Now, y'all know me. When we have a plan to do something, I
want to do it, in time, get it done, and keep on going to the next thing. But
in this moment, I had to put my comp first, stop the weekly planning, listen
with love, and decide what it is that I needed to do to help her. And while we
had to take a little more time in the evening to finish planning, in the moment
when she was having a mental crisis and could not focus, I was about to slow
down and help her. As a missionary, you truly do need to focus on serving
everyone. And, before anyone else, first and foremost is your companion. And I
knew that, but I was about to learn and apply a little more of that aspect of
service this week. And, through that, we have more love and understanding in
our companionship.
1 Corinthians 9:16- woe is me if I do not preach the
gospel!
Also, I am studying the book of Moses right now, IT IS SO
COOL. YOU SHOULD ALL READ IT. Just saying :)
I had a great personal experience yesterday in Relief
Society. The lesson was about the atonement, and at one point, the teacher was
talking about the happiness that we can feel after we have used the Atonement in
our life. I thought to myself "Oh! I have a scripture for that!"
(Alma 36:19-20) and shared it with the other sisters.
I know, it seems like such a small thing, but really, one of the things that I was so worried about that would make me a bad missionary is the fact that I don't know the Book of Mormon backwards and forwards. That I couldn't just pull a scripture out of thin air that applies to the lesson to tie it all together. But I looked past that insecurity and followed the prompting to serve a mission, and yesterday, in Relief Society, practically in passing, I was able to do just that. I, Ashlynne Rose Harkins, pulled a scripture out of thin air! I did! It is a miracle! I know, I know, it is something so teeny tiny, but it is a big deal. Lets party, for just a sec, in honor of this.
:) :) :)
Woohoo!
Happy Dance!
Well, I'm off to bring the world
his truth. Be Bold, Stay Rad, Do What You Do. Ciou!
-Hermana Harkins
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