A WEEK OF IMPROVING - MYSELF AND OTHERS - JANUARY 18, 2016

Walking and Waiting...always waiting

So this week was a really good week! Honestly a really humbling one. One that taught me to change and improve a lot about my attitude sometimes and the way I work. I realized I have been really prideful in the numbers of our lessons and our success, because I have not given ALL the thanks to God for what he does to help us. It is great all the success we have, but I realized this week that I need to give literally all the thanks in the world to Him. I realized that this week as we had a little more humbling of a week, we did not encounter very many of our investigators this week. Still 46 lessons, but the whole week I made a goal to thank God for everything. 

I realized something else this week. Laman and Lemuel, and Nephi all went through the same experiences in the Book of Mormon, but the fall of Laman and Lemuel was that they murmured. My companion and I made it a goal to never murmur. We realized sometimes we murmur or complain whenever an investigator is not there, or we walk forever, things like that, but honestly this week trying to never say something negative really helped grow my faith.

This Monday night my companion and I had a cool opportunity. We dedicated the home of a member family that does not have a priesthood holder living with them. It was really cool the feeling in the house and how it changed before and after. The spirit truly filled the home, and it changed from being just a house, to a home where the spirit could dwell with the family.

This Wednesday was a really really hard day. So the whole day we spent literally talking on the pone to every single one of our leaders, District Leader, Zone Leader, Assistants, and President Garcia. Through all the problems with the baptism of Joana etc, we finally had to basically tell the family of her boyfriend, who was trying to figure it all out, that long term it will be better if she gets baptized in her own Ward. My companion and I were really nervous to tell them, because when we told them 3 days earlier they got super mad and did not understand, but when we prayed for their hearts to be open to it, we felt at peace. When we told them, they were literally so different and had a change of heart, and said it would be okay and that we can plan it all for her to be baptized in her Ward on Saturday!! The Lord truly helps us through prayer, and all our stress was crazy but He helped us feel at peace. But of course... more problems came. Turns out this past Saturday we obviously did not baptize Joana. It was stake conference in Stake Centro, where her ward is, so she wouldn't have been able to been confirmed, so we had to push back the date again... she will be baptized this Saturday the 23rd... WOOHOO!! We have seriously seen such a change in her and the boyfriends family, it has made me so happy. I have had to have so much patience... and still have it to wait for this Saturday. But we are going to ask permission from our mission president to go to her baptism this Saturday and wow will I be so happy if we can make it. I am so happy preaching the gospel and seeing such an amazing change. 

Nayeli is going to be baptized on the 30th!! It is crazy the happiness I feel teaching her and seeing how much her life has already changed. I feel literally so happy as I teach her because she understands it all through the spirit. Our goal is that her husband can baptize her, but it depends because he was inactive the last 8 years and needs to be ordained a priest, but it is the goal: Eternal families. She literally does all the assignments we give her and listens to hymns daily and just truly understands the gospel. She tells us daily we are continually answering questions she has doubted her whole life. 

So Saturday night we went to visit the family Chan Cable, and they were not there. So we put a note on their door inviting them to church the next day, which we have done about 1000 times but it has never worked. But wow. The Lord sure does bless us and I testify of that. He does it in ways we do not expect. When church started, none of our investigators showed up that we spent a ton of time trying to get to church this week, and then we look outside and this family came. The wife is not a member, and they literally showed up without us teaching them all week. We were SO HAPPY! Wow. 

The other night we were late to get home so we took a MotoTaxi, and usually from there they charge us like 12 pesos, but we were feeling stingy and got the guy down to 10 pesos. We started contacting him and the spirit hit me to give him one more peso... only one. And that somehow this peso will help him one day. So I did it and did not think much of it. My comp then told me that he felt the same impression from the spirit, but did not follow it and felt so sad about it. It was a testimony to me about how the spirit testifies the same to my comp and I, and that we always need to follow the little promptings.

Lol, the other day we got home and there was literally a cat in our house and we have no idea how, it scared us SO BAD. 2 adults still can scream like children.

Today my comp and I went and ate Fuddruckers and got Dairy Queen blizzards.... lets just say it was the best burger I have ever eaten. Also, there weren't very many pictures so here are some of my comp and I, walking and waiting for an investigator to show up at their house.

I love this church SO MUCH. I am so happy here, and happy for the way God improves me daily, so that I can be His instrument and arm to help others here.

 5 Therefore, thrust in your sickle with all your soul, and your sins are forgiven you, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your back, for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Wherefore, your family shall live.

 6 Behold, verily I say unto you, go from them only for a little time, and declare my word, and I will prepare a place for them.

So I read these verses this week in Doctrine and Covenants 31, it is Revelation given through the prophet Joseph Smith to future missionaries. It hit me so strongly. I love how it says we must thrust in our sickle with ALL our soul. As a missionary, when I work as hard as I possibly can to declare His word, that is when the Lord prepares a place for my family. Honestly yes leaving my family and loved ones was he hardest thing I have ever had to do, but as I am here, I know there is no better way to bless my family. Being here preaching the gospel is so worth the happiness I feel. And I have no need to worry about my loved ones at home, because as the verse says, the Lord will prepare a place for them. There is truly no better way to bless my family than to first serve the Lord. I know without a doubt that through prayer and the gospel I can always help my family and feel their love, no matter how far away I am and how long I am away. I am so thankful for the blessings the Lord gives my family. 

 28 ¶Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28 truly helped me this week. These last couple weeks my companion and I felt really really stressed about the Joana situation, and felt literally stuck between a rock and a hard place. We did not know who to please, what to do, how to do it, and we had a lot of people wanting us to do a lot of different things. But what we found were two things… through prayer, we will feel at peace with the answer we receive and in the way we act on the answers we receive in life. Also, that Christ helps us feel at rest not physically, because as missionaries we are always up and moving, but He helps us feel at rest in our heart. It is truly amazing the rest He gives us when we COME UNTO HIM and work our hardest, after we do our part, He will do His. 

With all the love in the world, 

Elder Plowman