This week, ok really, has been the best week haha. Seems as though every week is, but really… I have learned more this week than ever before. I love you all!! I hope all is well with you. I miss you.
First off, new comp... She’s awesome. Hermana Hite is her name. She is American. I feel like I’m learning a whole different level of missionary work with her because we can communicate! I love it! She talks to dogs like Chels Gould, she is straight forward like Kayla McKinnon, looks like a dark version of Dani Berg Griffeth, laughs like Jess Porter Huff and is fantastic. I feel like I’m with all my best friends. It’s the greatest. I love her with all my heart. We get along great, have fun, and best of all, we teach with power. It is magnificent.
An experience I had this week sums up everything I want in this mission. We are teaching Luis. He is my favorite and I have developed a sincere Christ-like love for him. He is more than ready to be baptized. This week we decided we were going to give him a baptismal date. He comes to church, he reads, he prays, he knows it’s true. So we went to his house and taught him with a member. At the end we told him we prayed about his baptismal date and it was to be the 23rd of April. We talked forever about it and he finally agreed to pray about it. We were to go over on Saturday night just real fast to see how his prayer went. I had no idea what was in store for me on Saturday… the most powerful spiritual experience I have yet experienced here.
We were so nervous, outside his house that night. We prayed that we would feel if he needed a different date depending on what he said. We got in and talked and he told us this date was not his date. We were so bummed... so bummed… and after that we decided to talk to him about why. He is not living the law of chastity. He has a son out of wedlock and another one on the way. He won’t marry this woman (and they aren’t living together) because she is crazy. So he says, but they still have relations. He says he’s not ready for this reason. We shared some scriptures with him and he went on to explain a huge story of which I couldn’t understand. It took a long time to tell, and the whole time I was just sitting there listening, trying to catch a glimpse of what he said. Nothing... Hermana Hite just talked with him the whole time. I usually have something to say, and I joke with him all the time and he caught on real quick that I was a little saddened by his choice. He turned to me and said, “Why aren’t you saying anything!” I just smiled and said, “I don’t know what to say quite honestly.” He said, “Yes you do, you always have something to say. Tell me whatever is in your head. I need to hear it.” I just sat there for a sec, and I knew that I needed the spirit to be with me right then at that exact moment to say whatever he needed to hear. I started to tear up as I felt the love that the Savior and Heavenly Father have for him. I was overwhelmed by it. He said, “Oh no, oh no, don’t start crying.” I laughed a little but really...I was touched. I told him that this is his salvation, this is life eternal. Heavenly Father wants him back and loves him so much. This is so much more than... you know what… with this woman. I told him that I have prayed my entire mission to help one person find and know of this truth. A person that would truly understand what we had to offer and he was this one. I told him that we cared about him more than anything. He is so special to us, and if he is this special to us, what does Heavenly Father feel for him? My comp started crying too. The spirit was there; she never cries. She’s tough. He just sat there and I know he was feeling something. He said, “I can’t handle girls crying. I feel so bad, I feel so bad.” He kept saying that over and over, I never make women cry. It’s so hard to explain, but this Latin man, he started to cry too. He felt so bad that he had caused me to feel this way. He didn’t know it was really the spirit... man. I can’t describe this the way I felt it, but he was touched. We continued to converse and Hermana Hite said the closing prayer. She couldn’t even talk. She expressed thanks to our Heavenly Father for our Savior, the atonement, and as we were on our knees praying with him, we were all touched. She really couldn’t talk she was crying so hard. We all were. Then she said something I will never forget, when she managed to find her words she said, "We thank thee for people like Hermana Farr... and the love she has for everyone." I can’t tell you what I felt in this moment… it’s like when Mom said in my little notebook you all wrote in…. you will find that one, pray for that one, search for that one, work for that one and great shall be your joy. I wish I could say he changed his mind and now has accepted his baptismal date, but he hasn’t. But he is a "one" and I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I was meant to find him. I was meant to speak the words that I did and touch him. I felt that, I know that. And the power that knowledge has is incredible. He said he feels so bad and Hermana Hite said, maybe it’s a good thing. Use those feelings to ponder and pray and think, really think about these things. We are going to see him tomorrow and we´re either cutting the line, or baptizing him. That’s scary to me but... I pray for the best. Whatever the Lord has in mind, I know it’s what is right. I’m just his hands. It’s not my work and it might not be his time. Only the lord knows.
I wish you could all really understand the things I’m learning here. My life is changing. I don’t even know who I was spiritually when I was at home. My testimony of everything has changed completely. I don’t know who I would be without this mission. Today I can honestly say, I love it here. I love my mission, and even though I still have a long way to go, this is the best experience. It is harder than crap and everyday I have a reason to give up, but I love it! I’m so grateful for Hermana Hite. She has shown me what the mission should be like: fun, hard, full of love, spiritual and the best... that’s all I can say. I love this gospel with everything I am. It’s true. I have not given up a year and a half for a fairytale. This is true, the one and only gospel. I love my Savior and Heavenly Father. I do. I love you all. Thank you for everything. You mean the world to me and I pray for you daily. Keep me and Luis in your prayers too. I have faith that all is possible.
Until next week. Love, Ash
P.S. Our fridge and toilet broke this week. We spent a lot of money fixing it and it’s not reimbursable because they didn’t give us legitimate receipts. Ugh. We have been living off of the leftover tuna someone left in our apartment. It’s the first time I’ve ever really been poor haha. But it’s been fun. We’re starving quite literally though. We´ll get money next week for the new month but... I am only able to spend 7 dollars a week! That’s not enough to be healthy. Yes, I dipped into my home money to pay for our stupid accidents. I’m sorry! but I'm trying real hard to be good! I love you so much! THANK YOU!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment