What a beautiful sentence that is. That in itself just made this last year the best. This has been the most spiritually rewarding and enriching year of my life. I have had experiences that I will never forget and I hope that I can always reflect on this year to motivate me to be even better and continue to learn and grow.
This week is a week of few words and just pretty incredible. Just miracles.
-I got to go on an exchange with a Brazilian sister, one of my favorites, Sister Muniz. We had such an incredible day together. While knocking we found this 22 year old named Adrian (who is literally a spitting image/ combination of David Archuletta and my zone leader. Can't look at him the same now). He is originally from Venezuela and never been a church guy. He was raised Catholic, shocker, but he was just so touched but whatever the Spirit had us say, which I don't even remember, that he came to church this week. We met with him before church to show him around and help him feel comfortable because literally the kid was tripping about church. He explained to me many a time that this was 150% out of his comfort zone, but that he felt something very special when we came. He followed me around church like a little lost puppy but he knew that and he said "if you leave me, thats it." Haha The number of times he kept joking around and calling us his "mentors" was ridiculous. He is just an innocent guy. I t really just reminded me though how different changing your life is. I have so much respect for people that even begin to listen to missionaries, and start coming to church and making these changes, never having been grown up in that way at all. I am so grateful for my parents and their wonderful example to me and growing me and my siblings not only just in the church, but with good values and character. Adrian is going to be great in the YSA. That is what he needs. Excited to see where his journey takes him.
-Also on that exchange we were knocking and we started talking to some Haitians, so I started whipping out some of my Creole, and then we found out the man was married to a Cuban woman, so we started speaking Spanish, and Sister Muniz only knows Portuguese, so that was definitely my first 4 language lesson that I have ever taught. This is why the gift of tongues is just so real. Haitians, a Cuban, an American, and a Brazilian in one room, teaching one Restoration, and you get 4 new investigators for other people. It was a pretty cool experience.
-Best miracle of the week. Last week we got a call from the Sisters in Wellington who told us that they got a call from a man looking for a toy drive. They were a bit puzzled and said that they were not part of any such thing but that they were missionaries. They said that they would love to share a message with him though. He gladly accepted. They found out that he did not live in their area, instead ours, so they called us and passed him over to us. We made contact with him and went over to visit him the next day. His name is Manny and was just recently divorced and struggling personally, but at such a good point in his life spiritually and ready to come closer to God to be a better dad for his children. We began teaching him and he just got it. We left with him some things to read and the next day we called him and he read it all. We have seen him almost every day since then and have brought members to every lesson and that has strengthened my testimony so much of member involvement. He just hit it off with one of our members Brother Lopez as they are like the same person and they talk almost everyday. The day we were teaching him the Book of Mormon we had been talking about it and I had been holding the book with the Bible in my hands and lap during the whole lesson, and as soon as I lifted it up to show him, he immediately looks at it and goes, "hold on just one moment" and goes inside. He walks out carrying a hard bound cover of the Bible and the Book of Mormon that he had received last year apparently. He was standing outside of his house where he lived in New Jersey and two elders approached him. They were talking to him and he loved it but he told them he was moving to Kentucky the next day. The Elders, I'm sure discouraged that they wouldn't teach him, still said that they wanted to drop something by his house before he left. The next day they came and delivered a Bible and Book of Mormon and from three other moves until now he has kept them ever since. He showed us the front and inside the cover was written "my new life" and the date signed with his name. He tried to read but wasn't able to fully understand and never got in contact with more missionaries, UNTIL NOW. Then Brother Lopez went with so much faith and just had him stick his finger in a random page and read the first verse that he saw and it said, "God will send an answer to you." Manny is going to get baptized January 27th. I am so grateful for those Elders and their diligence to plant such a good seed, even with an oym, so that we could reap it. I hope that I can do the same and plant many more fruitful seeds for the people to come.
Happy New Year everyone. I love you all!! Hope you have a wonderful week!
Sister Dimond
xoxoxo
 |
| Bicycle safety! |
 |
| New Years with Philippians! What more could you want? |
No comments:
Post a Comment