Hi all! How have your weeks been so far? Hopefully, fantastic. I pray for everyone back home, every day. I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for your lives!
This week was good, the spirit was definitely with us as we tried to find more people to bring to the truth. I loved General Conference so much, it is truly revelation given through our prophet and apostles, specifically meant for us on the earth today. All the talks about marriage were scaring me though, haha... not yet.
We FTE'd these three women last Wednesday and one of the little girls ran up to her mom and yelled "I know an american!" it was funny, and also very humbling, The people in the provinces are so nice.
We found a less active who is a seamstress and she is designing a dress for me, I'm so excited. I have to go find material today though. She's so nice, although the reason she is an LA is because she doesn't like all the gossip at church. We are trying to help her see she can be the example. Set the example of no gossip, or discouraging it where possible, but I don't know if it made a difference or not.
We had dinner at a members house and she was asking about the wild animals back home and I was telling her about squirrels and raccoons and no one had any idea what I was talking about.. weird haha.
One of our old investigators has been hiding from us this week, we finally surprised her on Sunday night and we sat down and were talking with her, and I almost cried I was testifying to her "yes there are a lot of trials in this world, but that is why we have the Savior there beside us at all times, to help us when we feel lost" it was just really sad. We don't want to give up on her.
Thursday afternoon we left the apartment and were heading to our first apointment and we saw that someone had painted a basketball court in the middle of the street. haha like what? And since then, every night on our way home there is a basketball tournament, just in the middle of the street, and we have to bypass it. Luckily the Tarongoys are always selling green mangoes there so I always buy one on the way home. They are my favorite!
General Conference was fabulous. I think my favorite talk was 'Waiting for the Prodigal' by Elder Brent H. Nielson. It was so powerful, and humbling to not only think of our loved ones, but about ourselves, we could be lost and not even know it."All of us need the Savior's Atonement to heal us. All of us are lost and need to be found."
I also really loved the talk that said "the church is like a giant hospital, we all come here for healing" We need to be patient with those around us, and allow them space to grow and improve. Just as we need space to grow as well.
All in all I loved general conference, I was so pumped the days leading up to it.
There is one family we teach in Lawis and they are so good. They pay such rapt attention when we teach, and ask a lot of really good questions. I'm excited to see what's in store for them.
On Sunday in between sessions we had a picnic in one of the classrooms with a few of the members. We all just shared food and talked, it was so nice, how giving and kind everyone is. My companion made food to bring too, don't worry haha. We didn't just mooch off of everyone else.
Now to explain the title of the email... We had two separate investigators this week, who are so desperately searching for the truth. I didn't realize this, till we were sitting with them in their houses, and they pulled out stacks of books from different religions. They had read them all, and were wondering, and searching so badly for the truth, not knowing where to find it. And it hit me.
I have taken it for granted, having the truth at my fingertips my whole life. I never had to wonder if I was saved, or where the truth was, or where we were going after this life because I had always known. And here were two people, in the same day that we had the privilege to teach, who are looking for something I've just always known. It was extremely humbling, looking at them, holding those dusty stacks of books with a confused expression in their eyes.
One of my favorite and least favorite moments during the teaching process, is when the investigator tells us they don't want to continue because they are "getting confused". I take this as a good sign. this is the time we fight for them, and fight hard, because we know how much the gospel can help their lives, and we know its confusing them because... they are getting a testimony of it. They know its true, but they are clinging so desperately to the knowledge of their old religion, the one they grew up in.
Every day I learn more about how each one of these people we talk to, are so loved by Heavenly Father. I pray for the gift of charity, so I can see a glimpse of the love that Heavenly Father has for them. So that I can become the kind of missionary he wants me to be.
I love you all, have faith, watch, and wait.
love, sister dunn
No comments:
Post a Comment