Oh goodness, what a week.
I love the ward here. Yesterday there was not a moment's silence in testimony meeting! The testimonies of this ward are incredible. For the first time in 7 months I thought of the word Aloha. There was just really a special spirit to the meeting and the love of the ward for each other is powerful. I am so grateful that it was so amazing because it was one of our investigator's first times to a fast and testimony meeting.
We are teaching Laura who is from England originally and Tracey who is full Welsh (but we can understand her better than most Welsh people). They are both really powerful spirits. Tracey has not missed a Sunday since we got here and says she will be baptised once she learns more. Laura wants more than anything to be baptised and have her family come to church with her. Her situation is a bit harder to work out because her partner is still married to his wife, though they haven't lived together in 16 years. The wife is not willing to go through with a divorce, but Laura has done some research and has found as long as she is served the papers, they can proceed with the divorce so that Laura can get married and then be baptised. She really is incredible. We were going to teach about scripture study and as we talked she pulled out her Book of Mormon and showed how much she had marked the pages. She had run out of room in the margins so she went and bought a study journal. We were/are so proud of her.
Thank you for sending pictures. I really love knowing the goings on back home and pictures really help me! Mission life is hard and right now it's a bit tense, but it will all work out okay!
We had a tea (lunch) appointment with a widow in the ward the other day. The scripture that I had chosen to share was in Matthew--the scripture about let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. I read it and she quoted along with me and then said it was her favorite scripture and how her husband loved it too and then she talked about her husband which led to her talking about her kids which led to her talking about how ungrateful they are and it just somehow became very negative. Left with nothing else to say... I said well, part of showing your light is to be an example. So just set the example continually and be an example.... amen. haha it was just a really funny tea appointment.
We have a Chinese recent convert who hasn't been coming to church. we went to see her Saturday and she said she's been in a depression. She was very vague so finally we just asked if she could tell us what is wrong.... oh boy.... She had fallen in love with the Elder who first found her and she got her heart broken now that he has gone home and is ignoring her. It isn't all her fault because the elder did some things that I would consider deceiving. He sent her his Bible with his name engraved on it... his grandma gave her a necklace.... it is just not a good situation. All I could think of to say was, "We as missionaries are human, we are imperfect. What we teach, the gospel, is true. It is perfect. Right now you need to focus on what was taught and not who taught it." She really appreciated that and told me thank you a million times. We called president about the situation and he said it was the best thing to say at this time, but to really continue to teach and befriend. It was hard to be in that position.
Well, that has been my week so far. sigh..... phew. I am exhausted.
Hailey! I am so happy to hear you're having a boy! (I'd be equally as happy with a girl of course too...)
I hope all is going well and keep me updated on the fun and exciting things as well as anything spiritual that is going on! There is nothing more important than making note of those spiritual moments that we experience. I believe Elder Scott spoke about that in conference!
Thank you so much for the support that you give me out here. I need your prayers right now, so please keep me in your prayers! Know that you are always in mine!
I love you so much and enjoy the weather over there because it is abysmal over here! :)
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