Buenos dias, mi familia!Como estan? As Hermana Rosario would say, "To'bien?" What a week! The time feels like it goes so fast but yet I can barely remember what happened the last few days. It is all blurring. Yesterday we had two investigators come to church. One just got back from a trip to New Jersey and we got back in touch Friday. Saturday we met with her and her mom and set her baptismal date for August 5th! She is super pumped and is really looking forward to it. We love her :) The other is a new investigator we found in our area book. We have taught her three times and she wanted to come to church! She was running late but got to Sacrament after the first talk was finishing. Our Branch Presidency and a bunch of members came over to say hello and fellowshipped her hard core; she told us she really liked the meetings! One of our other investigators is still luchando with a few things. She says she knows the Book of Mormon is true and the church and everything... but still has a problem with these xyz little things where she still hasn't "decided" to be baptized. Ugh. Her pace. We are seeing her tonight to help her seek those answers and understanding from God. It should be a good lesson!
This is something I am still trying to accept though: the agency of others. Haha. What do you mean you don't understand?? What do you mean this isn't what you want?? Ugh. Now think I know better how Heavenly Father feels about me. :) And isn't that the truth of it all, though? We are all here trying our best to learn what God would have us learn, to be what He would have us be, and then try to help others do the same. I think the more aware we become of our imperfection (or "nothingness" as Moses puts it) and allow that to humble us as we strive to come to Christ, the more patient we are with others and the more love we feel for them. Maybe this rant is coming from reading Jesus the Christ this week where Talmage expounds Luke 18:9-14. Give it a look'see :)
We also met with two other investigators this week on Friday. Holy cow, can you say powerful lesson!! We taught the restoration and it was so perfect. When I told the first vision story about how Joseph prayed and received his answer you could hear a pin drop. We concluded with the invitation to be baptized and the moment the words were out of our mouths, "YES." was their reply. It was amazing to see the Spirit working in them so hard. One asked us when we explained prophets if she could talk to God and if He could talk to us. Why yes, yes we can and yes He does! She also asked if we could talk with Him if we were scared and we said yes, of course! She sent us this text later that evening: "Thank you again. I prayed to God yesterday that I was scared and I felt that gut feeling and I slept the whole night without waking up. So thank you." That incredibly simple testimony was so strong. The gospel is so cool. "It works wonderfully!!" :) The other bore her testimony about "the happy gut feeling" she gets (we had taught her that was the Spirit).
We knocked a lot this week and had very little success. One of our investigators had prayed for us leaving our lesson that no doors would be slammed in our faces and that the people would be nice. Well, most of them were not too bad :) I say the harder the slam the easier it is to move along, haha! We know there are people prepared out here, we just gotta find em! The Lord has really blessed us with success though and we are very thankful for that. We are here to work, aren't we?
I came to Mosiah 24 this week in my study one day, and also studied my blessing three different ways as a part of My Plan. I read the chapter then began the last of the three studies of my blessing. I was reading and came to a part of my blessing where instantly the Spirit began to connect it to what I'd read in Mosiah. I grabbed my scriptures and it was verse 14 that was calling me. What I saw was this: "I will ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders... and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions."
I thought about all the hard times we go through as disciples of Jesus Christ and how we always seek to learn from such experiences. My blessing mentions many times the sharing of my testimony and in this moment the Lord helped me see even more reasons for passing through the afflictions of which I have passed. In that moment I recalled with the Spirit the countless times I have born testimony of this very truth - that the Lord our God does indeed visit His people in their afflictions. I realized I do know this truth with a surety and that He has used me to be "a witness hereafter", that He does something for us to prepare us to do something greater than we previously could for Him. In other words, He gave me just a little bit of an insight as to how he prepares and qualifies His chosen servants. I thought that was pretty cool :)
All is well and we are working hard to get as many people as we can onboard with us and the Savior. Time is coming quickly. I studied Alma 5 this morning (LOVE THAT ONE) and felt impressed to ask myself again those questions. There are many of them but there is also much required of us. Where do we stand? With whom will we go? Will we be ready when the Master calls? Do we know our Shepherd's voice? I read something in Preach my Gospel this week that impressed me very much. Something to the effect of, in every choice we choose which spirit we heed: the Spirit of God or the spirit of the devil. If we heed His voice and Spirit we will be numbered among His sheep and then His promises ring true and we can "doubt not, fear not." Choose today to be a part of "His little flock". If you are, choose to remain. Do those things daily that help you to keep your covenants. If you were with us and have strayed, or if you never were part with us, then, as Alma, "I speak by way of invitation, saying: Come...and [repent], that ye also may be partakers of the fruit of the tree of life." I know Jesus Christ offers His peace and His love to all who heed this invitation to come unto Him. Choose to come a little more. Every day. And rejoice with us as we "sing the song of redeeming love".
I love you very much and am eternally grateful for the opportunity the Lord has given me to be a witness of Him and to represent Him. This is the message we share every day with every person we speak to and I hope more than anything that it is one treasured by my own family. The teachings of Christ are amazing and bring so much joy when followed :) have a beautiful week and look for the blessings living His teachings brings in your daily lives (that is something we ask everyone who tells us they already believe in Christ, "...and how has that belief blessed your life?" Think about it). :) love you!! Have a good week :)
Muchisimo amor,
Hermana Karra Gourley
Forgot two fun things:
When we were out knocking we found this lady in the street. She was a little older hispanic woman and I said hello and asked how she was, in Spanish of course. She replies, in the thickest Spanish accent I've ever heard, "I don't espeak Spanish!" ....come again?? I said, "como?" Meaning, what? I continued in Spanish asking her name. She replied, "I'm Jehovah's witness." Good for you, friend. I'm a Mormon. So what's your name??? Never did get it outta her cause right about then she ran off the other way 😂😂
The second thing. We were teaching a lesson on the porch of our investigator with a less active and it was POURING rain. The thunder was crazy and we could barely hear ourselves. I had the thought, "wow satan is really working here...goodness gracious!" A few seconds later about five thunder crashes and crazy noise I looked out to the sky --in the middle of the lesson-- and yelled, "vete, satanas! Vaya, Vaya!" (Get the hence, Satan! Go away! Haha) AND THE RAIN STOPPED. AND THE THUNDER. ALL OF IT. JUST. LIKE. THAT. Literally right after I said it. My jaw dropped and i looked at Hna Rosario whose jaw was already to the floor. We both shared a look of "DUUUUUUUDE THAT WAS SO COOL!!" so there was that as well :) it was a good week!
PICTURES:
- Banana Republic p-day twinners
- Loves the roses
- "Leer el libro de Mormon"
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| Banana Republic p-day twinners |
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