This week was tough, but it ended with miracles. Hna. Schneider and I were struggling to teach other lessons this week. The people we planned to visit weren´t home or were busy or didn´t want to listen. I felt like we spent all our time walking or traveling between houses. And our amazing ward missionary Sebastian (a recent convert who gave up drinking and all sorts of hallucinatory drugs to be baptized) has been having a rough time (says he feels paranoid and antisocial) and will walk with us between appointments at night but won´t come in to teach, so lessons with members were hard to find too. I felt stressed out and frustrated and guilty for all the things I wasn´t doing perfectly.
Then on Friday the zone leaders called and offered to organize a tormenta blanca (when all the missionaries come to one area to proselyte for a few hours) in our area. I felt grateful that they wanted to help out. Our district leader called to and offered to help us learn to plan more effectively during the next district meeting. Their concern helped and I tried to cheer up. Things started getting better.
And then on Saturday we received a miracle. We went to visit Graciela, a woman who had contacted us in the street on Thursday and asked why we hadn´t come to visit! Apparently Hna. Hulen set an appointment with her but didn´t tell Hna. Schneider, so we missed it by accident. Graciela had already been to church twice without us realizing, including my first sunday when I thought we had no investigators in the chapel! She told us that she was angry with God for 3 years because her 5 month old grandchild died, but when she accepted it and forgave God she decided to look for a church. She didn´t feel filled in the other churches she visited, but when she found the Church and came to the meetings she felt good and decided she had found her place! She already knows she wants to be baptized! AND she is MARRIED to her husband AND she has 9 children! Her husband and a few of her kids are active in another church, but it just happens to be a church that believes in the same organization Christ established--12 apostles! So if we can just help them understand authority, they´ll love lesson one! AND Graciela wants her kids to get baptized too! I couldn´t believe it. I didn´t expect Heavenly Father to give me another family of the elect to teach so soon after Mario and Celeste. I don´t really feel like I deserve it, but I´m really grateful for the privilege to be able to teach Graciela and her family. I´m going to do my best to help every member of that family be baptized.
And on top of all that, the Elders in Villa Tesei (another area in our zone) called us and told us they had set a baptismal date with someone who lives in our area-- another miracle! And some of our newer investigators started progressing and we found some old investigators who have a lot of potential. I have a lot of work to do here in Hurlingham!
Today I feel just happy and grateful and not so stressed and upset like I was this past week. I´m going to work hard to stay that way so I can more effectively help Hna. Scheider and our investigators. I hope you are all well and happy and achieving all your goals. I love you and I´m praying for you.
Love,
Ellis
P.P.S. I forgot to tell you last week, but two weeks ago I got your amazing Valentines package. I loved it! My favorite part was the valentines with your photos. I taped them and all the hearts and little paper people to my bed (which I now secretly to myself refer to as "the bed of love" and laugh). The Clif bars were a blessing and the fudge was delicious! Thank you so so much!
No comments:
Post a Comment