Ok peeps, this week...it rocked...I cant even get over how much being a missionary ROCKS. There are some days in the mission where you are ok with the idea of it all ending one day...and then there are some days where you would be content with your mission lasting forever. Every day this week, I felt that beautiful contentedness and longing to just be a sister missionary for the rest of my life. I have the best job ever.
To start out, my new 'lil comp continues to be TOTALLY RAD. She is super spunky and positive and happyhappyhappy, she reminds me of Suz Cazanave. Contagious happiness, it is so much fun. We memorize two scriptures every day, one from the Bible and one from the Book of Mormon. We sing in the streets together (hymns, duh). She braids my hair. Yesterday was El Dia Del Niño here in Chile, in other words, Kid Day, and we decided to do a little party. We bought cookies and chocolate milk and put bows in our hair and drank the milk out of paper straws that I got in my care package from Camilly and sang primary songs. I dunno, just fun little details, but it is so much fun! Not saying that my other companions were Debby downers, but I mean, look at the facts! We drank chocolate milk out of cute, paper straws! She's a delight :)
We even ended up going on an adventure to Santiago this week; she has to do a special check up with the doctor once a month and give blood and everything, and I could tell that she was nervous and not looking forward to it. So on the way, we bought little packages of trail mix and bottled peach juice and talked up a storm on the subway, with one another and with others, to distract her. Took pictures by the temple, got the blood donating done quickly, and went on our merry way. It's not every day in the mission that your routine changes so drastically as to leave to go to the capital and to the CCM, and she wasn't particularly looking forward to it, but we made it fun. That's real success.
And as for the work, we had some amazing, strengthening, spiritual experiences this week. I will share three of them.
The first was with an inactive sister that is going through some tough financial and medical problems right now. To support her family and pay for the necessities, like food and bills, she runs a little shop outside her house, selling used clothing and toys, little odds and ends. We stopped by Wednesday afternoon and could tell that she was feeling very down, and she ended up crying and telling us that she hadn't had any success all week, and that she didn't have any money to even buy bread. We shared a message about the importance of putting our confidence in the Lord, and that when we do that, he will provide for us. The sharing of the message took, really, about 10 minutes. Less. But we were there for an hour.
An hour because, almost as soon as we starting teaching, the people started coming. And every time she saw someone come, her smile got bigger and she got more light in her eyes. By the time we could finally say the closing prayer, she had a small mound of coins and bills that all amounted to about 20 dollars. She told us that, every time that we come, she always has business. So much that she has even more than the bare necessities. And that for that reason, she knows that we must be representatives of Jesus Christ.
As we left her house, my companion told me that she wanted to do a little something more to help this dear sister. So that evening, we both went through all of our clothes and put together a good pile of things to give her to sell in her shop. When we went back to her house later in the week, and she saw us with our bags overflowing with clothes, she just started crying again. I just know that there is an infinite amount of ways to help people. Always, you can share the gospel. But many times, there is a little something extra that you can do.
Another great learning experience that we had this week was with a brother in the ward. He has been an inactive member that we have been visiting for quite a while, and recently, I had honestly been considering taking him off of our list because he seemed to be doing so well; coming to church every Sunday, giving talks, he has a calling that he is fulfilling...on the outside, it all seemed to be peaches and cream.
But in visiting with him this week, we found that it was all exactly the opposite. Without giving all the little details, his wife passed away a year ago, he has three kids, he has been without work for six months, and has been trying to do all that he can to fulfill his church calling and help and serve others (we shared a message about the importance of service), and that he feels that he is completely alone. That he just wants someone to come and visit and talk to him, members or his home teachers or SOMEONE, and that he had gotten to the point where he has just decided that he doesn't want to come to church anymore. Really, he ended up venting for about 25-30 minutes. Without stopping. And loudly. Not with anger, just relief that finally, someone was listening.
And honestly, during the whole venting sesh, I had no idea what I or we could do or say. But I learned early on in my mission that we simply cannot fret over what it is we will say; we just need to listen with love and trust that the spirit will tell us what it is that we need to say. Because when we really listen, we will feel what they feel and we will feel the love that our Heavenly Father has for them, and that is when the spirit comes in and speaks through you to tell them what it is that their Heavenly Father needs them to hear and feel. And we were able to do that for him - and Him. To say the carefully chosen words that God had for this dear brother to give him the will to keep going.
(please...just do your visiting and home teaching...even if you think they are ok, everyone needs SOMEONE. TO. LISTEN.)
And the third experience that I want to share happened with Erika, our investigator who I just KNOW is going to be baptized this month. I just know it. We changed her baptismal date for August 31st this week and taught (con poder and autoridad...can't remember how to say that in English, y'all have google translate and i don't...) about the gift of the holy ghost. We really have been working so hard with her, to focus in on her doubts and teach according to what she needs, and yesterday, she said the most beautiful-and then the most crushing- thing...
"I know the church is true. I want to be baptized."
!!!!POR FIN!!!!
and then...
"But I feel like I'm just not good enough."
Satan is such a jerk.
But it gave us a wonderful opportunity to talk about how no one is perfect, before or after baptism, and that all of us, in one point or another, will fall or fail or make a mistake. But that it's OK because for that, we have the Atonement and the ability to repent and to partake of the Sacrament every Sunday. And that anyone who truly has a desire to be baptized is good enough. That was when we invited her for her new baptismal date, and she was honestly HAPPY AND EXCITED for it! And that's how we should feel for our baptism! HAPPY AND EXCITED!
Guys I just KNOW THAT THE CHURCH IS TRUE!!!!
Can't even get over it.
Be bold, stay rad, and do what you do :)
Hermana Harkins
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