Hermana Hoer with her new companion Hermana Rasmussen
Our new mission president arrived this past weekend. I will meet him, his wife, and their 15 year old son this Thursday. They are traveling to each of the zones in the mission, and we have two hours with them. I'm excited.
Yesterday at Church....THREE INVESTIGATORS CAME!!!!!! That has never happened during my mission. Never. We are seeing miracles!
Aline and her three kids came.
Tello came.
Jose came.
And...Sori (an inactive) came for the second time in two years! She's come twice in the last month and a half.
And...a couple - la pareja Parra - came. They're inactive members who live in Harvard.
And...Alicia was there. We visit her weekly. She was a missionary who has become inactive but still has a love for the Gospel. She just needs some help realizing that what she taught to others applies to her as well.
I was so happy. It was crazy, with two of us missionaries and three investigators (plus three kids). I had put together a big pack of "kid stuff" to take to Church. It was a lifesaver! The kids really enjoyed it, allowing Aline to listen to testimonies more. She was a little stressed when the kids made noise, but she seemed to like attending. I have never seen the Chapel that full in my two, going on, three transfers here! It was joyous!
We've been teaching Aline since the week I arrived here. We've been teaching her since I was transferred here. She has certainly made her way into my heart. I love her so much. She is a sweet mother. She is protective of her children. She's worked really hard to change her life for the better. She made specific decisions on how to change, and then followed through. I admire her SO much for who she is. I feel so blessed to be part of her finding the other half of real change: the Atonement of Jesus Christ. She's never been baptized. She agreed to be baptized over a month ago. We're waiting on a specific date because she wants her brother to be able to attend. He will be visiting sometime in August. It was a HUGE blessing for Aline to attend Sunday as it was a fast and testimony meeting, and we had a break the fast following Church. It was wonderful! She was warmly welcomed in by the members. Her kids enjoyed their classes. I was overjoyed.
Tello is the neighbor (more or less) of the English-speaking Woodstock Elders. They taught him a little on their porch one day (one Elder is from Ecuador, and speaks Spanish; Tello speaks a bit of English as well). We taught him one night, and he fed us. We have another appointment to eat and teach this evening. He is confused about so many religions. We taught a powerful lesson on the Book of Mormon, and our investigator (Brenda) came with us. She testified of the Book of Mormon, and she was able to be a HUGE support to Tello; she had the EXACT same questions and concerns, and she's found answers in the Book of Mormon. Incredible! God is SO good! Amazing! I invited Tello to Church and to the Break the Fast. He said he had lots to do. So, I encouraged him to come just for Sacrament Meeting and the Break the Fast. He said maybe. We called. The Elders stopped by and called him. HE CAME! He was a bit late to Sacrament Meeting, but he was there! Oh my goodness, my heart sang to see him and Aline's family there.
I want to share about our investigator named Brenda: Brenda lives with less active members of our branch. She's 17. She didn't believe in God. She always avoided talking to us about anything religious. Until one day. She asked about what we do, which ignited a long conversation in which we shared about the restoration and the plan of salvation (generally, with not too much detail). We especially shared the Book of Mormon. When we left, she said that she had a new purpose: to discover God. She read the two chapters we left her, and found specific answers to her questions. Really specific - and we knew very little about her doubts and concerns when we gave her the reading assignment. We had nothing to do with the answers she received. It was the Spirit, and the power of the Book of Mormon. Since then, we have had INCREDIBLE lessons. She basically taught us principles of the plan of salvation. She talked about science being merely information that God lets us have, and truth being things that we knew before this life but we are just remembering. She doesn't know much about Jesus Christ. We left her scriptures about Him. After we left she texted us before we were even able to arrive at our apartment to explain what she'd read the scriptures we gave her and learned about Christ, His suffering, why He wants us to be good, and what it means for her. She is soaking up the Gospel like I have never seen another person do. She prays sincerely, honestly from her heart. I love to hear her pray. I have faith that, as she continues discovering Christ, God, and the Gospel in her life, she will continue to move in the right direction toward baptism.
Last night we taught Nick/Caspar - he is a friend of Brenda's. He is very involved in gang activity. He is also 17. We taught him the plan of salvation. Later, a phone call informed them that a high school classmate had just died in a car accident. He spent some time on the phone while we talked with Brenda. He came into the room later and stated "I want to pray. I want to pray for Jake". Pray, he did. A gang-banger prayed with us. That's a statement.
Have a great week. We're playing tennis today with the Elders. It's really humid. So gross. HumidHeat is making his comeback. What a punk.
Love,
Leshelle
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