Marcy- S.O.C.K.S.
On Monday we had a miracle day where we had 2 lessons with investigators where we had members there helping us, and we invited one of them to be baptized with a specific date, which every missionary knows is AWESOME, and Hermana Marquez and I were celebrating. Seeing people progress is the best thing that a missionary can see in their investigators. Also on Monday, I shared my testimony of the hymns and how they help us in our lives, and I felt prompted to share an experience from my childhood- whenever my mom had to do something like take a splinter out of my foot or something painful like that, Mitchell would hug me and tell me not to look and sing primary songs to help me not think about it. Ask my mom, her version is much funnier. But the point is that it is adorable and I had completely forgotten that we did that until the moment I felt prompted to share it, and it made me so giddy! I have the best brother ever, I can't get over it!
On Tuesday we found one of our less active members that we visit smoking in his front yard. We weren't planning on visiting him, but felt prompted to pass by and see how he was doing. We found him just at his breaking point, stressed and sad and just started the first cigarette. We were able to talk to him, comfort and teach and pray for him and help him give up all the cigarettes that he had in the house and promise to read the Book of Mormon whenever he felt the need to smoke. The spirit is amazing, how it guides us in everything.
On Thursday we walked. A lot. It was one of those days where every single one of your appointments fall through and you do a lot of contacting and you feel really close to your companion because you have a lot of time to talk and share weird mission stories and sing primary hymns together. But at the end of the day, we had a miracle. It has a lot of back story, but it's totally worth it.
Last week, Hermana Marquez was contacting a woman on the bus ride home from our weekly district meeting. It was a great contact, and just as we were about to the point of getting her whole address, we had to leave. We were following the elders to the house who had our lunch and we didnt know where it was, so it wasn't like we could just get off at the next stop and walk a little more. it was a bummer, and all that Hna. M heard was the street name, Beduinos, and that their house is close to the big water tower. Well Beduinos is a big street, and next to the water tower can mean so many things, so we just kind of let it go.
A few days later we were teaching in a park and Hna. M saw the same woman walking down the street and watched and watched and watched until she saw her enter a house. Once we finished teaching, we tried to go back and see what house it might have been, but she couldn't remember; there were about 5 or 6 that it could have been.
So this Thursday, we made the resolve to try and find this woman. We had said a very specific prayer in the middle of the day, when it became clear that all of our appointments were falling through, that we could find at least one person to teach that really needed us and that was ready to listen. Well, my testimony has grown of this. God answers our prayers when we are specific in what we ask for and when we put in the real effort, enduring to the end, to put action in with our faith and try and find that "at least one person."
Her name is Gladys :) And we taught her the first lesson :) And we have another appointment with her this evening :) The church is so true :)
All Friday and Saturday we taught everyone about Jesus Christ, about his life and sacrifice and the Atonement and how he gives us hope and how he loves us and about the Plan of Salvation and inviting everyone- every person in El Abrazo- to the Easter Choir Performance. We watched the movie Faith in Jesus Christ a lot. Every time we watched it, I noticed something different- something that Christ says or something that someone does to show their faith in Him. Every day in personal study I ended up studying about the Atonement, without even really trying...it just happened to be mentioned in the Book of Mormon where I was reading, or in the Liahona (Ensign), or something like that. It was like Heavenly Father was trying to tell me to truly strengthen my testimony of Christ, to make my gratitude for Him run over so that I could testify with power and authority of his divine love and sacrifice. It worked. I read in Preach my Gospel this week, in Chapter 3 about Lesson 2, that without Christ we are nothing. It's true. It's strong, I know, but with Christ, we have eternal life as our promise.
And Easter was a wonderful day. Anyone who knows my family knows that we do over the top celebrations for all Holidays, so it was a bit different than past years, but I still seriously enjoyed it. I got my comp chocolate cakes and a fruit that she likes for Easter, and she hid little chocolate eggs in my bookshelf of scriptures and stationary. All the Sacrament meetings' talks were Christ and his Atonement, and there was even a baptism today, a little 8 year old girl giddy to wear her little white dress and make those promises with the Lord. And what better day to be baptized than on Easter?
But in the baptism I got a little emotional- the whole having it be a holiday and not being with my family is hard for this Hermana, and as we sang I am a Child of God for the baptism and I sang about having good parents...I just teared up a bit. Everything that I am is from my parents, because of them, I am here serving a mission, because of them, I love the gospel. I am so indebted to them. And in that moment, I just wanted to hug them and feel that family love, and it got me a little emotional.
But seriously, I wanted that hug! And as soon as I had that desire, I felt prompted to hug Hermana Palaminos. She is the Primary President and is really close to us missionaries and I dunno, the spirit was telling me to go to her. I have learned, many times in my mission, to respond to the promptings of the spirit. So once the baptism ended, I went straight to her and just hugged her. After a moment, I said "I just need a mother's hug and I felt like you could give me one." She Aaaawed and hugged me longer and tighter and kissed my cheek and told me she loved me, just like a good mom does. Heavenly Father knows exactly how to help us feel love and love others. As a missionary, it seems sometimes that you receive promptings for other people all the time, but not very often for yourself. It was a nice reminder that the Lord takes care of his instruments and knows their needs as well as the needs of His children that they serve.
And that night, we had the last of the Easter Choir Performances. We had a huge turn out- it was in the Plaza de Maipu where we did the most advertising- so much that we had the information on the big screen tv above the McDonalds in the middle of the Plaza right where the whole world can see it, so we were expecting a crowd. And a crowd we had- almost 1,000 people. The missionaries couldn't sit in, they had to be in the hall and listen, and they were continually bringing in more chairs for the people that just kept on coming.
But I got nervous. Not that there is a mob of people that came to listen, I have gotten over that weird nervousness. It's that it's Easter, and I wanted very badly to help all these people feel the love of the Savior, and I had a doubt in my heart that I wouldn't be able to deliver. With my testimony of prayer growing this week, and my comp being able to read me so well, she told me to relax and that it would all be fine. In response, I asked if we could pray. So we went into an empty room and said a quick and direct prayer to help these people feel the spirit and the love of the Lord.
A moment later, as I sat on the stand with the rest of the choir waiting for the performance to start, I felt something on my arm, very tangible, very real. There was obviously no one there, I sit on the corner. But I was overwhelmed with the feeling that Rita Schroeder was with me. She was my first voice coach, my young women's leader, and died of cancer a few years ago. Her daughter is Calee Schroeder, who has a CD at Deseret Book and sings "She Put the Music in Me." The song is about her mom and the influence she had on her. I know she was with me. She helped put the music in me, too. And she always told me that I need to not think about the people who are listening, to focus on the message of the song and try and communicate that.
The performance was wonderful and the veil was thin and the love and strong.
Because of Christ, we have hope.
Because of Christ, we will live forever.
Because of Christ, I am who I am.
Stay Bold, y'all :)
Hermana Harkins
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