Saturday, December 13, 2014

"If ye are prepared ye shall not fear" - 8/25/15




 
Welp. another week in the bucket! and this one was a good one! We finished up a transfer, Sister 'Alofaki's first transfer! wasn't it just yesterday that i was finishing my first transfer? obviously not, but it sure does feel like it. It's been a great transfer, but this next one is going to be even better! we are hoping to have a few baptisms and of course we have general conference to look forward to at the very end!
I think the biggest theme we saw this past week was how the spirit taught people. It's always so humbling to see that, it reminds me that i really cannot do this work without the spirit.

-We had a lesson with a couple that we're teaching, they're from Bosnia and the dad speaks pretty goos english, but the mom has a little bit of a harder time. We've been teaching them very slowly so they can really understand what we're teaching. This past week we talked about the Plan of Salvation and the Atonement. We had no idea how we were going to explain this with the language barrier that's there.. We prayed about it and talked about it a lot and finally decided that we should show a video called "Finding Faith in Christ". As we watched the movie they kept saying how Christ was such a good person and how we all need to follow in His example. Then at the end when it's showing Christ in Gethsemane, everyone was silent. I looked at Naza (the mom) during it and she just had tears in her eyes. A lady who doesn't speak English, could very well not even know what we're talking about half the time felt the Spirit confirm the truth of Christ's Atonement. No words needed to be spoken, no translations needed to be done. All that was needed was the spirit, and it was there.
-So it has been dreadfully hot here. I thought i knew heat, being from Arizona and all, but i had NO idea what Missouri had in store for me. it's only about 100 degrees. but the heat index is about 105.. not too bad either. IT'S THE HUMIDITY. I live in a dishwasher, i'm sure of it. i was sweating the other day, guess what i was doing? throwing the trash out! we've been really lucky this summer though because it has come soo late, and so i'm just praying it leaves really soon. but anyways, the other night we were out tracting it was getting a little late and so people weren't too responsive (as if they ever are with tracting). Well we knocked on one door a lady answered by opening the little window some people have on their doors here and Sister 'Alofaki introduced us and this lady quickly told us that she was Atheist. Trying to keep talking to her i asked her how she came to be Atheist, she said "oh you really want to know how i came to be atheist?" and then closed her little window and unlocked the door, i started to get a little nervous because i really thought she was going to yell at us, tell us we're crazy (the usual). She opened the main door and stood behind the screen and started opening up to us about her experiences with religion. Experiences where she's felt forces, or has felt that people don't really LIVE their religion. We explained the message we share and how our purpose is to invite everyone to hear the message we share and to really try to see if it can change their lives. I really don't remember the exact words that were said. But i remember praying during all of it and i remember seeing her slowly open her doors and have her heart being soften towards the idea of there being a God. The spirit is so powerful.
Recently i've been learning how important planning is and how closely related it is to following the spirit. Every night from 9:00-9:30 we plan for our day the next day and we go over what we did that day. This is slowly becoming one of my favorite parts of missionary work. We always pray and try to feel where Heavenly Father wants us to be and who He wants us to be seeing but at the end we pray and tell Him where we'll be and ask for Him to prepare people in our path. We have seen soo many miracles of how the Lord is placing people in our path! Heavenly Father truly is soo loving, He wants us to succeed and so when we turn to Him and say "okay we're being obedient and trying really hard to follow the spirit and this is the plan we've come up with" He blesses us. not just us but He blesses the people we meet. Planning, preparing, following the spirit, and praying have been my focus this past transfer and I've been blessed to see the Lord use us an instruments in His work. When i've thought about the importance of being prepared i'm reminded of the Savior,
 "Or in fine, in the first place they were on the same standing with their brethren; thus this holy calling being prepared from the foundation of the world for such as would not harden their hearts, being in and through the atonement of the Only Begotten Son, who was prepared—"
alma 13:5
the Savior was prepared from the beginning. Could you imagine what it would be like if He wasn't? God's entire plan wouldn't be possible without preparation. Joseph Smith even gives us a great example of preparing! He prepared his heart to pray to God for answers, and God prepared him to be the prophet of the Restoration. God has prepared all of us actually, He's prepared us to come to Earth at this time. He wants us to prepare, and as long as we follow the gospel of Jesus Christ (the answer to the question of the universe, 42) He'll make sure we're okay. If we prepare we have no need to fear, preparing unlocks the power and influence God has in our lives. He loves us so much.
so yeah that's my rant on preparing and following the spirit. sorry i get so carried away sometimes, i could actually still go on because i haven't even mentioned the ten virgins and how being prepared correlates with a stronger testimony.
How great it is that I've been given the opportunity to serve a mission. I hope you all have felt the assurance that I'm supposed to be here as much as I have.
okay here's a funny story. So we visit a lady in the ward who is less active, she's a little bit older and has lots and lots of spunk. hahah she always tells us how she loves to dress like a teenager and about the funny jokes she (still) plays on her husband.. shes like 70. but anyways, the other day we went over there and she said i could sit in a rocking chair, of course i jumped on this opportunity because it looked REALLY comfy. well about 10 minutes later she walks by me and starts to brush off the chair and then she goes "oh this still looks dusty, i still haven't gotten around to cleaning it after getting it out of the dumpster"
-_- wut. ew.
I love you guys! remember to read the scriptures and to be nice to each other! my motto this week has been "if you work really really hard and are kind, amazing things will happen"
work hard. be kind. and you'll be happy! xoxoxoxoxoxoxox times infinity

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