Lol WELL this week has been crazy busy and AWESOME! Seriously being a missionary brings you so much JOY and PEACE I can't even explain! AHH! This week was AWESOME! We worked SO HARD lol and walked for hours under this hot sun every day just to try and hit the SOE. My comp is amazing! Her name is Sister Alabanza she's from Cavite, Philippines and I actually knew her in my first area. We served in the same branch and she trained Sister Reategui! Crazy huh? LOL yeah it is. Tapos I really don't have a lot of time today so this is going to be short! Like I said before this week was AWESOME! So many cool things happened but out of all of them like always I only have time to share one with you.
SO at the beginning of the last transfer, my previous companion was able to find a filipino lady (while on exchanges with one of the STL's) who lived in the states for almost 40 years before she moved back. Tapos we finally were able to catch her when she was home the last week of the last transfer. It was cool she was super nice and we had a really good conversation. She gave us syrup and grape jam! IT WAS SO NICE! Lol anyways on Thursday I planned with my new companion to teach her again (Sister Mariza), when we got to her house her maid/helper was home but the sister wasn't.
Because my companion is simply AMAZING lol she asked the maid/helper (Joy) if we could share a small message with her. She let us in and we shared a short but powerful lesson with her about the Restoration and prayer. Towards the end of the lesson some of Sister Mariza's kids came into the house and when Joy saw them ... her face changed and I could feel a sort of tension in the room. After about 2 minutes Joy immediately got up and told us that Sister Mariza was going to have visitors and she needed to finish cleaning the house before she comes home. She looked really worried and immediately grabbed a broom and dustpan, seeing that she was in such a hurry we closed the lesson and I said a really quick closing prayer. As we were leaving the house my comp we said our goodbyes, and set a return appointment all seemed alright but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Lol we kind of walked in a random direction leaving the house and because I have almost no sense of direction I remembered that the person that we needed to see was back the way we came, passing by sister Mariza's house.
As we were walking away from the house towards our next appointment I heard someone yelling and when I looked back lo and behold, it was sister Mariza chewing Joy out for inviting strangers into her home right there in the middle of the street. We kept walking and I didn't stare because I didn't want to embarrass Joy but I felt SO BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Once we eventually found the house we needed to go to, the lady we were supposed to teach was out SO we started heading to our next appointment. As we were going tho I seriously couldn't stop thinking about Joy and I felt SO BAD for her! I felt like we should go back and talk to her or do .... something but at the same time I didn't want to get her into more trouble, and I didn't want to cause trouble since it was apparently our fault that she was yelled at. My comp and I decided to send her a text message but after I sent it, it still didn't feel like enough. We walked back to sister Mariza's house and this weird anxiety kept building in my chest. I knew what the right thing to do was but I was afraid of the consequences .... to make a long story short I kept walking away and then walking back and then walking away and then walking back hahaha it was just one vicious cycle for about 10 mins, until finally my companion suggested that we say a prayer.
We went off to the side of the road and I offered a short and simple prayer. Right when I said amen I felt this peace come over me and I knew that we had to go back no matter the circumstance. So with a heavy heart we did, lol I knocked on the gate and yelled "tao po!" we waited for a few minutes and the anticipation was killing me! Lol I really thought sister Mariza was going to come out and start yelling at me, but instead it was joy and from the look on her face it was obvious that she had been bawling her eyes out. Right when I saw her I just KNEW that what we did was the right thing to do. Now this experience is not jaw dropping or fantastic by any means, but through this small and simple thing I learned SO MUCH! Seriously! My comp and I spent about 5 minutes comforting her and testifying to her that even tho the outcome of us teaching her seemed negative it wasn't! And Heavenly Father was so happy with her! And He loved her SO MUCH! The evidence of that love was the undeniable prompting that I received from Him that day to GO BACK, because what she needed was to feel comfort and love from Him through US. That experience has played over in my mind again and again and I have pondered the outcome of that over and over again.
Sometimes we forget or sometimes we don't fully understand God's love for His children. For US. We have so many things to do and we have so many responsibilities every day that some times they over power the influence of the Holy Ghost. I know with out a doubt how important it is for each and every one of us to strive to become instruments in God's hands. As members of this Church we are privilege to the companionship of the Holy Ghost and we through the Spirit can be guided and directed in all things. I know and understand how important it is for each and every one of us to "impart of our substance." This tiny phrase means many things. Substance doesn't necessarily mean wealth, or abundance it means "giving of OURSELVES." Being a kind and loving person willing to do all the Heavenly Father asks of them doesn't require money and anything like that. In order for us to become better people and better saints, and in order for us to "impart of our substance" Heavenly Father requires us to have a willing heart and an open mind. Harsh and misplaced judgement is natural because we are human. But kindness and forgiveness are necessary if we want to become or stay happy and peaceful. This Gospel is FULL of ways that we can become better and more happy but those ways arent effective until we learn how to be more willing to GIVE OF OURSELVES. There is one thing I always think when I meet people or teach them, I always think of the Savior and His example and the love He had and SHOWED for His people. I know with out a doubt that if I were to stand beside Him the love that I would feel would be impossible to describe because it would be everything that I am not and it would be everything that I want to be.
I love it here! AND I LOVE MY COMPANION! She is teaching me how to be better and she is helping me become better because I know she loves me with out a doubt.
I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!! Sususunod ha!
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