So I feel like I have started out so many emails as "Let's just be honest..." But honesty is the best policy, right? Jesus says so ;) but for real, let's just be honest, this week was a toughie! Doing sector clean up and lots of unanswered doors and appointments that fell through, and my comp getting a stomach virus in the middle of it all...one of those endure-to-the-end weeks.
Now don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean that I don't have any little gems to share with you all, don't go fretting :) Thursday through Saturday we were confined to the pension with my companion's illness, but you better believe that Monday through Wednesday we worked our butts off, and then finished it off with a bang on Sunday! #bestjobever!
The first one that I want to share happened with an inactive sister named Victoria. As you may have gathered, we have been working in a basically white washed area and doing a LOT of contacting and door knocking and searching in the area book for references and that is why we are so pooped. The idea in all of this contacting is to find new people to teach, new investigators that we can help come to be baptized. But it's just interesting because, in these last two weeks, we have found 5 inactive members, just knocking doors. Members that never accepted the missionaries before, but now are choosing to open their hearts once again to accept the gospel. It's just ironic...we haven't found any new investigators, but TONS of inactive members. You can't tell me that that's not meant to be.
Anyway, I wanted to share about Victoria. She is a middle aged single woman, and once she invited us to come into her house, she called her two sons downstairs so that they listen as well. We were expecting two little kiddletts, but here come two teenage boys, 14 and 19. *ting future missionaries*! We start talking with and getting to know them, and we found out that they were pretty active after their baptism, but that when they moved to this area, they became less active, not going every week because they didn't know anyone, and then they went completely inactive. That was 10 years ago. It was time for a refresher. So we shared the message of The Restoration. Once we got to the end, both her sons were saying "we want to go to church! Lets go to church!" I love when we can recognize when people feel the spirit, because it makes them want to do something more to continue feeling it! SO AWESOME!
The second gem that I wanted to share happened with Rosa, yet another inactive sister that we found knocking doors, in our search for investigators. She was baptized a very long time ago, and openly admits to being baptized only because the elders that baptized her were cool and friendly. That's the thing, if we get baptized for the people, we aren't going to stay long. People change, but the Gospel is constant and true, always. She was even a little sassy, asking lots of questions that people ask to try and confuse us, lots of craftily worded phrases with the intention of befuddlement. About the priesthood, about prophets, about Joseph Smith...ya know. The works.
After about 10 minutes of questions of being interrupted every time we tried to answer, she took a breath and said "I just don't understand it all." We just smiled and I said "If you give us 20 minutes, we can answer all of your questions." She looked sceptical, and let us say a prayer and we taught her about the Restoration. She had a pretty hard-set face...up until we started talking about Jesus Christ, and how he established his church. That was when she lit up, started smiling, nodding her head in agreement. She even shared her testimony with us of Christ's love for us.
And it was just beautiful, because through that connection that she let us make, we were able to testify boldly of how Joseph Smith restored that same church, he received that same priesthood power, and that is how we know that the church is true and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Because it has been restored in its original power and glory, and there are millions of people who have read the Book of Mormon, pondered and prayed about its message, and testify that this is TRUE. This is REAL. We were able to clarify the answers to all of her questions, AND she felt the spirit testify to her heart that this really is the truth. It was a beautiful lesson.
So, let me just be frank. This week was tough. Those two experiences were amazing and spiritual and I treasure them, but this week was hard. Lots of hard effort given with not very many results, lots of contacts in the streets, many doors knocked, tiring hours...with not too much to show for it.
Thursdays, we do weekly planning, which involves companionship inventory. My comp told me that the only thing that I need to improve is that I can't be too hard on myself. That it is great that we both have so much desire to work long and hard and find those people that are ready and waiting for this change in their life, but that she can tell that I am putting a lot of blame for the lack of success on my own shoulders. She told me to just take it easy, and that it will all come in God's time.
I love that :) God's time :) That's the best time, right?
But by the end of the week, once my comp was able to get over her virus and we could finally leave again, we worked SO hard. And we felt SO great, coming back to the pension with aching feet and dusty shoes and our hearts were just joyful, to have been able to go out and do our missionary thing! I LOVE THIS GOSPEL! AND I KNOW THAT IT IS JUST SO TRUE!
Be bold, stay rad, do what you do and let your light so shine :)
Hermana Harkins
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