Con esto, bienvenido a Chile :)
Also, Happy Birthday Elder Evans :)
I had so many wonderful experiences this week. So many
moments where I just had to stop for a bit and think to myself "Wow. I am
a MISSIONARY. How rad is THAT?" Both random and spiritual, both silly and
soul-filling, this week was well rounded as far as the life of a missionary
goes.
I received some Christmas cards and a package with a bound
copy of the conference Ensign (because that's how we do it in the Harkins home-
we are intense about studying conference. DIRECT REVELATION FROM GOD, PEOPLE!),
brownie mix, and the MOTAB and Alfie Boe CD. I put it in as soon as we returned
home for the night. Once my comp recognized that it was Christmas music, she
whined a bit and said "But Christmas is over, Hermana Harkins." My
response? "Its not over until Alfie Boe sings Angels from the Realms of
Glory." (Sorry Camilla, I broke the rule and listened to Christmas music
outside of December. Pardon, por favor.)
Also, I shared the brownies with the other Hermanas in our
pension. They told me that they were the best brownies they had ever had. And
they actually MEANT IT. And, just saying, I pulled a classic Ashlynne and
messed up, obviously, because it is just what I DO when I try and prepare food.
They were not the most fabulous brownies. But they were FREAKING out, and are
on the search for more brownie mix for "la gringa linda" to prepare.
Who would have thought, right? They want me to prepare food. After eating food
that I had prepared. Crazy Latinas.
Also this week was Hermana Velasquez's birthday, and since I
am the comp, it is obviously my responsibility to do something special. With the
help of the other Hermanas, I put together breakfast in bed and a surprise
party in the evening, complete with cake and candles and mate and a gift of a
new watch and clothes, obviously, we ARE sister missionaries ;) We received
calls from all those sweet Elders in our zone to sing feliz cumpleaños, and she received approximately 12 king sized Chilean bars of chocolate from various
members and investigators. Welcome to your birthday in the mission! So fun, I
loved being a part of it for her. At the end of the night, as we sat in a
circle on the floor eating cake and ice cream from the carton (obvio), she told
us that it was the best birthday she had ever had. What a peach, love her so
much.
Now for the more spiritual and IMPORTANT part of the
mission...what I learned this week. Because every week, there is something new!
1. I learned more about patience, and about understanding
how and why we need to teach someone in a specific way. Alejandro is one of our investigators, and his wife is an active member. We have been working with him
for about two months now, and while he loves our message and has amazing faith,
he continually reports that he has not been able to pray to receive an answer
as to the truth of this gospel, giving every excuse you could think of as to
why he was not able to complete this invitation that we had extended to him.
This last week, we arrived to their house for a lesson a bit
earlier than usual, and he wasn't home from work yet. So we chatted with his
wife a bit, and eventually asked her what she thought we could do for him to
help him progress. She confided that she thinks the reason he is not praying is because he is AFRAID to receive an answer. He basically knows that the church is
true, but he knows that if he prays, he will receive an answer, and will
therefore be more accountable before God to do something about it. And being
baptized into a new church can be something scary, intimidating, and difficult.
So, with this experience, I learned that we must accept the facts and continue
to teach with faith, love, and patience. I truly love how much I am learning
about patience in my mission, anyone who knows me knows that this is an
attribute of Christ that I need to work on.
2. I learned that we can be instruments in the hands of the Lord,
help someone to have an amazing spiritual experience, and not even be entirely
aware of it. That is something that I have always been a little worried about,
if I am helping others to feel the spirit, and if I personally am being guided
by the Holy Ghost. This week, as we visited with a recent convert named
Fernanda, she told us, in the middle of our message, that she was just so happy
in that moment, that whenever we come and talk to and teach her, she can always
feel the spirit, and through the spirit, feel how much we truly love her. It
was an experience that opened my eyes- it was a very simple lesson, but still
she was able to recognize how strong the spirit can be in something simple and
given with love. And she felt prompted to tell us how she felt, thus answering
MY personal prayer that yes, I am helping others in this aspect. The spirit is
SO COOL!
3. I learned that investigators can progressively all become
golden investigators! This week, one of the things we taught Benjamin was
modern day prophets. I know that if we had taught about this commandment two
weeks ago, when we started teaching all the commandments, he would have been a
little hard, a little closed off. But, through patience and prayer to know when
to teach what, we knew to wait to teach about prophets, and through this, he
was EXCITED to learn more about Joseph Smith, about Thomas S. Monson, he even
asked for the church's website to learn more about President Monson. When we are
truly engaged, and work with our investigators using prayer, faith and love,
they can all come to love the gospel and WANT to know more.
4. I had a wonderful example of remaining positive through
my totally awesome comp! Starting this last Sunday, she had a weird bump in the
corner of her eye, similar to the one I had on my eye lid my second round on
Trek. I know how painful and frustrating it is. On Thursday, we ended up having
to go to Santiago, to the CCM to talk to the doctor and get pills and advice on
what to do. At first she was a little bent up, OBVIOUSLY, she has the equivalent of a blackhead in the corner of her EYE. But after a moment or so of
complaining on our way there (hence the title of this email), she took a deep
breath, smiled and said "at least its just the one eye, right Hermana?"
OH! I JUST LOVE HER!
5. Saturday, we had the unique opportunity of teaching the investigator of two Elders in our zone. Her name is Nelly, she is 45, and she
cancelled her baptism the night before (oof, sounds familiar) due to nerves,
and the fact that she decided to search about the church in YouTube.
Ugh. Don't do that.
She had some trouble accepting the facts about the
priesthood- how only men can have it, and through this, she created an opinion
that the church is masochistic, "a mans church." The leaders in our
zone thought it would be a good idea for her to meet with us Hermanas, to see
examples of strong women in the church with testimonies of the priesthood and
how WE as women are blessed through it.
She walked into the chapel frowning and with sad eyes.
I truly wish that I could explain it, whenever I do, the
words are so empty. Simply put, I know, in that hour and a half, that Hermana
Velazquez and I were instruments. We were given what to say and how to say it
by our Heavenly Father to help his daughter, Nelly, be comforted. And we were
able to BE that for Him, for HER. We talked about the priesthood. We talked
about Relief Society. We talked about how God made us equal- men with the responsibility to hold the priesthood, the power of God to bless his family, and
woman with the responsibility to bear children, and how in this, we truly are
equal with the responsibilities that we have been given.
She left smiling and telling us she wanted to meet with us again.
I just...wow...no words...GUYS the church is so TRUE. My
testimony of the Holy Ghost has grown so much this week, and I am so thankful
for all the experiences that I have had with the Holy Ghost that have, in turn,
brought me closer to my Heavenly Father, to have more trust in Him, and more
importantly, for Him to have more trust in me.
I am so blessed.
Be Bold, Stay Rad, Do What You
Do.
Hermana Harkins
"La Gringa Linda"
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