Hermana Stone: Peru, Lima North Mission: This week has been.....interesting.

Familia!

I always love talking to you guys. This week has been.... interesting. As always. I don't remember if I mentioned a family of investigators that we are teaching (la familia Cueva) last week. Anyways, this last Sunday they were waiting for us in the windows to come to church with us. We had taught them several times where the Spirit was so strong and we could feel the promise in DyC 50:22 be fulfilled that says: "Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together." We felt like this family was an answer to our prayers and would be our miracle for this month. When we went to teach them again (now after they had attended church) they asked us to please not come back. They were really nice about it and thanked us for renewing their faith in God, but that they would not be doing it in our Church. We were devastated but were forced to also take a new perspective to our efforts. We were able to feel that something the Lord wants us to do is strengthen the ward in which we are at right now. President Gordon B. Hinckley said: “There is absolutely no point in doing missionary work unless we hold on to the fruits of that effort. The two must be inseparable. … Every convert is a great and serious responsibility” We felt inspired to look for ways to help our investigators feel the Spirit in our meetings and to help our converts and less actives be more "steadfast" to really help this area improve. We found the ward directory and started visiting all of the less active families that we don't know. We have already seen a miracle from that. The first day we went to look for a few less active families and knocked on one of their doors. There were several who (somewhat rudely) told us to go away and never come back. However, there was another family who immediately welcomed us in. They told us that they were facing a lot of problems as a family and that the night before we got there, they prayed asking God to help them have the courage to make the changes in their lives to come back to the church. We showed up as an answer to their prayers and this last sunday, all four of them came to church. We also have seen some huge changes in the animos of our ward leaders and things are improving little by little. We have seen many little tender mercies from God and have felt the Spirit constantly. I feel so happy to be a missionary. It's so hard to explain but... oh well. I am getting a little tired of writing and President Uchtdorf says it better than I can anyways:

"Waiting can be hard. Children know it, and so do adults. We live in a world offering fast food, instant messaging, on demand movies, and immediate answers to the most trivial or profound questions. We don’t like to wait.Some even feel their blood pressure rise when their line at the grocery store moves slower than those around them. Patience—the ability to put our desires on hold for a time—is a precious and rare virtue. We want what we want, and we want it now. Therefore, the very idea of patience may seem unpleasant and, at times, bitter.Nevertheless, without patience, we cannot please God; we cannot become perfect. Indeed, patience is a purifying process that refines understanding,deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace."

Be patient. Enjoy where you're at. Have a good week!!

Sav