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
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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!
