Heavenly Father Hears And Answers Our Prayers

Rainy day photo shoot!

FAMILIA,

First of all FELICIDADES to Kenzie for graduating! I cannot believe we are old enough for stuff like that. Congrats Kenz I luv you!!!

Wow so this week was tough...most of our top investigators dropped us. One of them just put up one of those signs that says...This is a Catholic home and we don't want any! (basically) I completely understand what Davis was saying when someone drops you and it feels like a kick in the gut. Not fun. This is why a mission is so hard....getting up at 6:30 - easy, all the rules are easy....but when you see people's potential and how much the gospel will bless their lives and they reject it...that is hard. That is what breaks my heart. BUT even though the majority of the week was hard we saw HUGE MIRACLES and because of those miracles it is all worth it! Vale le pana!!!

 

The other morning after my personal study I knelt in prayer and told Heavenly Father that we were trying our best. We were being exactly obedient. And that we were ready. I asked him specifically to place someone in our path that day who was ready for the gospel and make it clear to us who that was. I told Him that we would do everything in our power to help this person accept the gospel if he would just put them in our path. I shared what I asked with my companion and she agreed that we should pray for God to place someone in our path. Well we went on exchanges that day and we taught a member present lesson at the library. On the way out this man named Ernesto stopped me and said...Do you study the bible? I answered yes and he said...What do I have to do to learn more? Noticing that his English was not great I answered him in Spanish. He asked me...Wow how long have you been speaking Spanish for. I told him a little over a year. After that we set up an appointment with him for the next day but through the whole conversation he kept going back to how amazing it was that I could speak Spanish. He couldn't seem to get past that. We left the library and I was so excited. Sister Rosier, who was on exchanges with me, was like...What just happened?? (Because she isn't a Spanish speaking sister and we were talking in Spanish the whole time) hahaha So I told her about what we had prayed for and how I knew that was an immediate answer to prayer. Well the next day we taught Ernesto and it turns out that he has completely turned his life around. He used to do drugs and drink all the time. He was even in jail for a while but now he has been smoke and alcohol free for 4 years and he is cleaning up his life. He said that the night after he met us he couldn't stop thinking abut how I had learned Spanish in only one year and how there was no other way anyone could do that unless they had God's help. He said that because of that he knew we had the spirit and that we were telling the truth. (Miracle in and of itself right there....I must have had the gift of tongues that day because my Spanish is still really rusty) The most incredible thing is that in jail he became friends with one of the guards who happened to be Mormon and gave him a Book of Mormon when he was in jail. HE READ IT THREE TIMES!!! He said...I read your book and man there are a lot of wars in there. haha At the end of the restoration lesson we invited him to pray to know if the Book of Mormon was true and he said...Oh I already did that and I know it is true!!! Seriously how much more prepared can you get?? The spirit was so strong in the lesson and he committed to be baptized! Miracles happen people! I mean miracles happen all the time but like BIG MIRACLES happen too!!! I know it now more that ever!!! Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers!

 

We had another HUGE MIRACLE happen with Guadalupe. So earlier this week she still didn't want to get baptized. So Hermana Snow and I prayed and fasted for her and the next lesson SHE ASKED US IF SHE COULD BE BAPTIZED!!! Seriously the spirit changes hearts people! The really sad thing is that she is moving on Saturday to California to live with her other daughter. We were still planning on Friday for her baptism but in our lesson with her yesterday she said she didn't feel ready for that. The saddest part is that I think Hermana Martinez is talking her out of it. For some reason she isn't being really supportive. Guadalupe is 86 yrs old and she can't read so she listens to the Book of Mormon on CD and she loves it... but the last lesson we had with her she said that Hermana Martinez wouldn't put it on for her.....it's so weird. So we are still praying for a miracle with her but if she is not baptized here we will definitely send the missionaries to her in California.

 

The other day we had dinner at Hermana Loes' house. She is one of those members who never eats with you but she watches you eat and waits for you to comment on how delicious the food is. Well apparently Hermana Snow had a hair in her food but she had no chance to pull it out because she was watching us the whole time. With no luck she kept trying to discretely pull it out of her chicken with her fork. hahaha But there was no way she could just pull it out because Hna. Loes is easily offended...especially when it comes to her food. So she just ate it. hahaha It reminded me of when Suzy and Hailey eating their candy rappers in their tent at girls camp because they thought a bear was coming. hahah Good times.

 

Hermana Bugarin taught us how to make empanadas this week...prepare to be amazed. We ate like 100 of them... "FAT!"...."I think that's my goal weight....that's like 200 pounds more than you already weigh...well"

 

Love you all so much! Have a fantastic week!

Love, Hermana England

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