Letting the Spirit guide...

Miracle of the Week: Another sister missionary asked us if we had ever visited a man named Alcides who had stopped coming to church for a while. We said now, and asked where he lived. She didn't know how to explain it exactly, but she told us that a family we visit often should know. We went to this family and asked them, but only the wife was home and she said she didn't know where he lived. All she knew was that "He lives over THERE, way way back at the end of the street. I think." Great. 

So we started down the street, and after 4 or 5 blocks we started clapping at doors, asking people if they knew this man. Nobody had even heard of him. We kept walking. We didn't know if he lived on this street or on a smaller street that connected to this main road. We were out looking for about half an hour without any luck, but we really felt like we shouldn't give up. Finally we decided to stop trying to ask directions from the neighbors and just walk for a bit. 

We walked all the way to where the road ended, and then we took a turnoff. Then we walked all the way to the end of THAT street and we saw three paths in front of us, all leading to different neighborhoods. We decided to talk the smallest street first and so we walked all the way to the end of that street. The last house we found we asked the lady outside if she knew a man named Alicdes. She looked at us for a second and then said, "Well, yes. He's my neighbor. He lives right across the street!" Without any other help than God's gentle guidance, we had walked for about 15 minutes and ended up right at his house! When we started talking with Alcides, he informed us that that morning he had felt to pull out his scriptures and prepare the house because the sister missionaries were going to come over. And there we were! This man thought that God had forgotten about him, but we were able to share with him that God loves all His children.

As a mission we are working on finding people who are ready to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even though I love working with less actives and members, this week my companion and I are really going to walk and talk and work with everyone we can to try to find the people that God has prepared to accept the gospel now. Lots of people we teach feel the Spirit and say that they know they should ask God if our message is true. Their obstacle? They are too afraid to change religions. I have literally had people tell me that they know the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, but they don't feel prepared to leave their own congregation. Argh! It's so sad! They don't understand that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ offers lasting happiness, peace, comfort, support, joy, and purpose! God`s invitation for us to repent and be baptized isn't an invitation to leave behind happiness and start a life of drudgery and sadness. It's an invitation to healing! An invitation to living with Him eternally!

"13 will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?  14 Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.

21 Behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin.  22 Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved." 3 Nephi 9:13, 14, 21, 22

I know Christ lives! He is the Son of God and our Savior! I know Heavenly Father lives! His plan is that we can repent and return to Him through Jesus Christ! They know and love us individually. All we have to do is choose to follow them.

Have a great week!

Hermana Simmons

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HLC- hermana lider capacitadora, or sister training leader

Yeah, even as a mission we are trying to think of ways we can better sanctify Sunday. Out here, teaching the Sabbath Day lesson so many times, it kind of hit me how dumb it was that before the mission I considered sitting in bed watching Netflix an appropriate Sunday activity haha. Good thing there is the repentance process :)

love you!