I hope everyone had a fun Thanksgiving! I forgot until morning of that it was Thanksgiving, and then forgot again until that night. Oh well! I don't think it would have even felt like Thankgiving here because 1) the weather and 2) no one would have the least idea of how to make a true Thanksgiving dinner, haha. It would just turn into frijoles and chicken! Christmas on the bright side is very much celebrated here. Lots of people have put up lights and the plaza here in my area has a huuuge Christmas tree and it looks like they're putting together a cute little village thing too. I'm hoping I don't leave so I can see how it all turns out!
Well, this morning I honestly couldn't think of anything positive that I wanted to write about from the week. As of right now, we have NO one with a baptismal date and yesterday, not even one investigator or less active came to church.
Our investigator that I wrote about last week (Jose) has the thought that if God is really so great, why hasn't he healed him yet? He's been sick with chest pains around his heart for the last four months and what he's been hoping from the lessons with us is to get closer to God so that he can be healed. He started out super humble and sincere and wanted to just get his life going in a good direction, and those first 2 weeks, everything went perfectly. This week is when he started saying that he feels like he can't go to church anymore or be baptized because he's too sick. He feels like he's done his part for God to bless him, but hasn't received his health yet. Our last lesson was really frustrating because we taught faith, but it was all in one ear, out the other. We explained that you need to act first, and the miracles follow, but he was really stubborn about it. He just kept being superficial and saying "I know, I have to have faith, but..." My companion also told him the story of when Jesus was in the desert and Satan was tempting Jesus, and how that is exactly what Jose is doing with God. When we want a sign for selfish reasons, that's when we're tempting God. Then I told him that right now he's too focused on himself, and that if he wants to get better and be happy, he needs to forget what he wants and do what God wants. My companion and I were both feeling the spirit really strong, but I could tell he wasn´t. The majority of the time he had a smirk or seemed bored with what we were telling him. It was all super disappointing because things started out SO good with him. Too good honestly, but now we can't continue with him.
So, since we haven’t really been teaching anyone, we have had lots of members and less actives written in our agendas, with the goal to contact everyone along the way. Contacting really isn't much fun. 95% of the people are just content being catholic. Catholic here means "I don't go to church or read my scriptures, but I believe in God and loving my neighbors, that I don't know.” There are some devout Catholics and other religions here and there, but the majority is like that. Another challenge is that there are lots of grandpas and grandmas in the part of the city that I'm in. I usually don't like spending too much time with them because they all have the mentality that they've lived their life and God will judge them how He will.
Another thing this week is that Saturday and Sunday the members who we were supposed to eat with forgot, and when we showed up, no one was there. It's never happened before, but for some reason this week everything seemed to happen! Saturday, when we discovered that the members weren't home, we left and decided to eat at our house. On the way home we ran into a family of investigators who needed our help. We originally stopped by to invite them to church, but it turned out that 3 of their 5 kids were really sick and throwing up and the mom needed to take them to the doctor. All 3 were crying and didn't want to walk and she didn't know how she was going to get them all there. Her dumb husband had completely checked out from his parental responsibilities and was drinking in the front yard with 3 friends. I was glad to help the wife, but at the same time it made me so mad that a dad of 5 little kids wasn't willing to help his poor wife. My companion and I each carried a kid and we walked all the way to the doctor, which was closed, so we walked all the way back to get some papers so that she could take them to the hospital, since they had insurance. From the house they had to take 2 buses to get to the hospital, so we took the first one with them, but only could go that far with them. It worked out though because the second bus left them right in front of the hospital.
With everything that happened this week, I'd been feeling super down. It was super frustrating to have no one to teach, and be stuck with contacting people that don't want to talk to you. Plus it felt like nothing was ever working out how we had planned and I just felt frustrated with everyone, and especially my companion! Its hard because I've tried to just ignore it and not let it show, but things like that do just come out in one way or another. In district meeting today, we were doing our practices like we always do and they decided that instead of playing the part of investigators, we would just be ourselves and tell the "missionaries" who were being the missionaries our "need." It actually was really cool because I played the part of "coach" for one of the practices and I watched two elders try and help one of the sisters. Her "need" was that lately she hasn't felt useful because her companion always has the better ideas and she feels like she doesn't know how to contribute. One elder went off and shared the scripture about the sons of Mosiah and how they prayed and fasted and were able to teach with power and authority, but you could tell it didn't really make her feel tons better. Then the other elder took things and simplified them. He just asked her, "who gives us thoughts that we're inadequate?" And she said, "Satan." Then asked, "Where do thoughts of hope and confidence come from?" "Heavenly Father." Then he asked who she felt like was speaking louder to her, and she said, "Satan." And then he shared a scripture in D&C 10:7 that says that Satan is wicked because he seeks to take our gifts from us. It was a really cool moment because it totally hit her and even I felt the spirit just watching it all. That experience, and also when i took my turn in another group to say what's been hard for me lately, really strengthened my testimony today. I think I sometimes forget that the gospel is to bless ME, and not just everyone else I'm teaching. If there's something we need, we can always find an answer if we're sincere and put in the effort.
Well I guess that is all for this week! Me and my companion are going downtown to this place called Paseo Montejo that is super touristy. Hopefully they have some fun clothes or Christmas stuff!
Adios!! Hermana Harper
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