This week was seriously one of the most
wildest weeks of the mish. We prayed for a new house and found a new one!
We´re moving! Again. :)
Angels are literally protecting us.
It was as if I felt their protection this week. Nights are cold, silent,
and dark in our area and so we are switching to the new schedule of working in
the morning instead of at night.
I had an incredible contact this week
in the colectivo (bus). My comp and I hopped on and headed to Luque for
divisiones. The bus was full but I spotted one seat open by the window. I
asked if I could take the seat. The older lady that sat on the outside gladly
let me pass, although I was hoping she would just scoot over but whatever,
couldn´t reject at this point. The thought rolled through my mind, ¨This
is gonna be a long contact.¨ I usually like to stand up and go sit by a
new person...we contact a lot of people in the colectivo because they can´t go
anywhere and it´s an easy way to get a lot of contacts and often really good
ones. Anyway, I figured I wouldn´t be moving because I had my bags for
divisions and was now cornered at the window. So I started to talk.
Made a relation with the gospel about not sure what and gave her an
invitation to come to church. Something nudged me to say more. There is
something more to her I´m sure. ¨What´s her story,¨ I wondered. So I brought up
something again about the Plan of Salvation and suddenly she started to open up
saying she had just come from chemo therapy. She has cancer. Not only
that, but a year or two ago her brother passed away, leaving behind only a
daughter who now suffers emotionally because of her father´s death. I sat
there in awe at what had just happened, almost with tears in my eyes.
Then suddenly she asked, ¨What advice of comfort or council could I give
my niece?¨ ...she had just asked ME, a young 20 year old missionary from
the U.S. who´s second language is spanish, for advice!
I was absolutely honored and grabbed an
extra Book of Mormon from my backpack. Flipped open to Alma 40, and other
verses I love, marked them, and gave her the copy to share with her niece.
She was overwhelmed with excitement, wonder, and gratitude. It was
one of those moments you sit and ask yourself, ¨what if I hadn´t opened my
mouth?¨ ¨what if I hadn´t said something more?¨ ¨what if I hadn´t asked for the
seat by the window?¨ The Lord has a plan for us. On that bus ride, I
wasn´t supposed to contact 5 people, just her. His plan is perfect,
perfectly planned. He loves us and desires so much for all to have this
gospel. I read an incredible verse this week from Doctrine and Covenants
27:18... ¨Be faithful until I come and ye shall be caught up, that where I am
ye shall be also.¨
Taught and heard an atheist pray.
He is an 18 year old young man who told hermana Gutierrez a few months
back he didn´t believe if God, or at least doesn´t want to. We arrived
and instead of jumping into doctrine, we started the lesson on Geneology.
That actually sparked an interest and that´s when we introduced the Book
of Mormon and taught of how it is a Geneology from the ancient Americas. He was
impressed and surprisingly took interest. You could tell the young man has
faith and part of him, si o si, believes in God. To finish the lesson, we
usually write the steps of prayer in the back of their books of Mormon and let
the investigator pray. We showed him the steps and he got all nervous,
looking up at Hermana Gutierrez like, ¨You didn´t tell your companion that I
DON´T believe in God !?!¨ She had a little smirk on her face but folded
her arms and said, “ya like my companion said, now we´ll fold our arms and
listen to you.” She then folded her arms, shut her eyes, and bowed her
head, haha, so I did the same. There was a few seconds of awkward
silence. You could tell he was still sitting their like, ¨I am not going to
pray...¨ BUT... little do ya know he began saying, ¨Dear Heavenly
Father...¨ and went on to give such a sincere and real prayer. He knew he
was talking to God. He asked as well for things, showing faith. Afterward
we thanked him and quietly left him and his family. I am not kidding,
hearts were changed that night. I felt like we left someone different
than who we began giving the lesson to. Prayer is such a small but
powerful tool in our lives that really brings us closer to our Father in
Heaven.
Let us all be faithful, even with the
little things, until He comes. xoxo
Con Cariño,
Hermana Owen
the photo
is with the one and only Hermana Coronel... my hero! :) I just adore her!
She had us over for caldo and mbeyu again! :)
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Hermana Owen y Hermana Francois from Haiti - She is amazing
Her story is incredible |
