| | Feb 27  | |||
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So what do you think the answer is. What does the title of the email describe? The answer is..... la campana! Great! nice work.
Anyway I can't believe we are into another week! This week was really hard but with every hard experience comes an equal miracle story so this week I'm waiting for the miracles. First hard part was that President called Tuesday morning to tell Hermana Tapia that she was going to be leaving us. He told her to pack her bags and that she would be getting midnighted to Bensenhurst. We were so sad to lose her! I really loved having her around she always kept Hermana Alvarado and I in good spirits. She also served as a good translator in times of desperate need lol. Hermana Alvarado and I are now learning patience understanding the others foreign language. jajajaja. But it's all good. So ya, President took sister Tapia out and sent her to Brooklyn. Not only that but she is now serving in the English program which she was a little nervous about. It's kind of cool that they can take the native speakers and put them interchangeably in the English and Spanish programs. Hermana Tapia is going to rock it there.
Ok update on the investigators:
So I was getting quite excited for all the wonderful things that were happening here in Richmond Hill. I was thinking its going to be a wonderful way to finish my mission. We are going to be baptizing machines. I'm going to hit my numbers as far as goals I've set and its going to be dandy. We had 4 commits and several investigators that were really progressing but this week I don't know what happened it all kind of went to pot. Things that I had no control over and I was just thinking to myself why does God give people agency?! Bah! Oh well life is moving on.
Kati was progressing along really nicely. Her baptismal interview was coming up this following week. We taught her everything and she had excepted everything and making big changes in her life. She loved the way she was feeling. She was telling us the blessings she was seeing as she started living the commandments. When she received her witness of the Book of Mormon she almost cried because the spirit was so strong. She told us with the most tender and grateful way that she knew it was true. She had some family pressure that was building up because she wanted to change religions but nothing she couldn’t handle. She was reading every day, coming to church, and we were teaching her 4 or 5 times a week. She was doing great. And then the same morning of Hermana Tapia's departure we wake up to a text that says “Hermanas, I'm sorry but I never want you to come over again. I'm sick of the problems with my mom and I've decided I don’t want to make the changes in my life right now. I'll keep reading the book but I'm not going to talk to you again until I'm truly ready”. And that was that. I told her she needed to include God in hasty decisions like that and that we would also be praying for her; that we would know how to help her. She said she was praying but that she would know when she wanted to get baptized for reals. These people cannot understand what they are actually giving up. She was the one that prayed to God to find a way that she could find the things he wanted her to do. If people really understood the principles of baptism they would be fighting each other to be getting in that font. When good investigators drop you as missionaries its worse than a break up man. I'm telling you that was a rough morning and I just had to go out and work to try and forget about it. So Kati has officially dropped until the Lord tells me to go back and break down the door. lol. I remember when I left on my mission and I thought my problem was going to be people not believing the divine message we share. It's quite the opposite. The majority of people feel the reality of the message we share but choose not to live it because it’s easier to live the life of sin they are already living. We can apply that to our own lives. The majority of us know what we should and shouldn’t be doing. We know what is good and not good for us. I have Never ever asked anyone to do something in my mission that would not take them to bigger and better places in life. Yet change is hard and just like those that won't come unto Christ to receive salvation, there are those who would rather live in sin and find happiness for small moments than find the happiness that will give them eternal life.
Suzi and Lisette are the 2 girls we committed last week. I felt like they were so good but they just won't make the time to meet with us which will probably become another drop. they've already come to church twice and they have desire, but they have called and canceled our appointment this week. We had an awesome lesson with Lisette. She called us because she was in a pickle because her expenses are building up and she didn't know what to do. We had this sweet lesson on how God offers us something much better than anything of the world. She was just sobbing at the end offered the most sincere prayer. She called us later to tell us how much better she felt. She really felt the spirit I know she did. She also says that she has been reading and knows the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. The next morning she called us to tell us that someone had called her to offer her the money she was looking for. So that was a tender mercy and a miracle of the Lord. When we do our part, God always holds true and does his part. We just have to obey the commandments.
Charbyl is good. He hasn't been reading in the Book of Mormon and so it was amazing to see how he had taken a turn for the worse. His perspective and way he interacts in the lesson is completely different when he reads. I walked into the house and I knew before we started that he hadn't read. This Book of Mormon is amazing! It's incredible and no false prophet could have made it up. I know the Book of Mormon is crucial in the conversion of a soul. It is a testament of Christ and it is the evidence of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We recommitted Charbyl to read and he did come to church which is a good sign. Keep them in your prayers.
We also had this cute little lady show up to church with her 3 kids. She is a referral from a member. She is really overwhelmed with being a single mom in New York. She is really sweet though and we had the chance to meet with her yesterday. She has good potential so I hope that she continues to progress.
Our district won the regions for the Preach my Gospel Bowl this last week. Hermana Alvarado is a champ. She is an incredible teacher and I feel so lucky to be working alongside of her this transfer. She is amazing. One of the things I love most about serving a mission is all the people that I get to meet and work alongside of. I learn so much from my comps, members, converts, and investigators. There is always more good to a person than anything else. Anyway i g2g Hermana Alvarado is waiting. I love you much! Have a wonderful week.
Hermana Lewis.
So when are we coming back to New York mom? Jaci you know you want to come with us :)
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