I must start the letter
with certainly the most important shout out I can make, HAPPY BIRTHDAY
mother! I haven't been there to share it with you for your 30-15th
and 30-16th birthdays but I wish you all the best. I am thankful for the
great support I have always had from mother dear, from sports, to
school, to church to the mission! I certainly miss the good ole days
picking up the kids from school! That was certainly quite the hoot
haha. I have never gone so long without hearing a "breakfrust" or a good
ole genuine "mom laugh" but I definitely miss it! Happy birthday mom!
Well this week has been a blast! I must first
comment on a really fun part of the week. One of the returned
missionaries in our branch, Franklin, has been studying English ever since
he got home, and he has been inviting us to some classes to teach! I
have discovered a love for teaching English to Latin people. It is so
much fun and helps me learn more about the English language that I
didn't know before. I had had some experience teaching in Buenaventura
but not with such advanced students.
Before and after each lesson we say
a prayer in English and I am also able to tell what we do as
missionaries, and a little about our message to the world. The biggest
fruit we have obtained from this unique method of proselyting is a
family of one of the other teachers. We were invited to an anniversary
of the death of a loved one of the family and thought it would be a
great opportunity to ease the pain with the peace that comes from
understanding the Plan of Salvation. We attended and then shared our
message. It was so wonderfully received, and it was so easy to tell that
this family had been prepared to receive us.
Another great experience we had this week happened
with Claudia! We got permission to travel to the small town where she
lives to try and talk with the husband to see if we could help him be
more tolerant with the church and to teach about marriage. We had a
great experience! We thought it best to gain his friendship and trust
before trying to get into a gospel discussion following the example of
Nephi:
" And it came to pass that we went up unto the house of Ishmael, and we did gain favor in the sight of Ishmael, insomuch that we did speak unto him the words of the Lord." (1 Nephi 7:4)
We decided to play
some games and tell home stories to gain the trust, and it worked great,
he seemed to have a great interest in American Culture. We then were
able to "speak unto him the words of the Lord." Claudia gave her
testimony of the Gospel and there was no doubt that her husband felt the
Spirit. His heart was touched and he agreed to no longer be a problem
for her to come to church! And the easy part was the wedding because he
had been wanting to for awhile. We offered our help and left with
Claudia to go to church! Miracle!
Also, this week we met a family member of a family
in our Branch who is named Marcela! She has received the missionaries
before in Quito, Ecuador, but was forced to move to Colombia for complications
with the visa. We had a great lesson in the home of a member and we were
able to teach a lot in not a lot of time. The reason for that is because
she had already read the B.O.M. and received an answer from God. All we
did was help her realize what that meant. That she had a testimony of
the restoration as Joseph Smith as the prophet of God. That the church
has been restored as it was originally established by Jesus Christ. That
the principles and ordinances of the Gospel have been restored to help
us know what God wants us to do in this life, and that the Priesthood of
God is available to make sacred covenants with God once again! That didn't take very long to teach, and we set a date for baptism this Saturday. Another Miracle!
We also were out visiting a bunch of less actives
and we ran into a particular family who seemed to have been waiting and
expecting our visit. We found out that the mother was a member and that
the daughter of 17 wanted to be, but the husband did not want the family
to leave a family tradition of a longgg time. We found out that the
daughter had been to church one time and had such a powerful experience
that she knew it was true at once. However, her father would not let her
attend. It seems we have a lot of problems with men!! haha She told us
she has been praying and even fasting for a while so that her father
will have his heart softened so that she can fulfill with the desires of
her heart. When she was telling us this her mother's heart was touched
and she wanted to help. We set up an appointment to speak with the
father on Tuesday! Wish us luck! Another miracle!
Well those are just a few of the miracles
experienced this week! I have found that being grateful and humble is a
power in missionary work. When we make an effort to actively seek out
the blessings that we have received we realize how blessed we are and
how active God´s hand is in this Work, our faith increases and we are
empowered by grace to incredible things. There is a lot of disheartening
things that happen in missionary work, but the key is to keep trying
with faith remembering your blessings. It is actually a very simple
concept, that can transform a missionary if applied to right degree. I
read an article in this month´s Liahona about a missionary who applied
this principle in her mission and saw it change everything,
y´all should
read it!
Thanks for the prayers on my behalf! That is one of
the things that I am so grateful for is such a wonderful family who
supports me on my mission! Your prayers are felt when I need them the
most! Love you all!
Elder Eliason
No comments:
Post a Comment