All in the Tag: Week 71! "Perseverance"

From 6/1/15

Some really interesting things happened this week....that's for sure.

I'm not even sure exactly where I should start with the experiences and stories of this week. Just starting from yesterday, Sunday, would be enough to last a few pages worth of information. Let's start with the current "hot topic" of one of the Wards....Brother E:

Brother E is an investigator that moved here a while ago. He came to church the first time on his own. The elders presented him to us because he lives in our sector. Hna B and I were stoked. We pulled him aside in that very moment to get to know him a little better and take out another visit with him. Then and there we realized that his greatest motive was....to find a wife. And we decided it would be better for the elders to continue visiting him....*gulp*

Yesterday our ward mission leader brought up Brother E so that the members would also know who the lad was and to be aware of him. THEN. The moment of all embarrassment. In a room of about 25 people present, bishop fixed his attention on us...me and my companion...but especially me because my comp is still fairly new...and chopped his hand vertically through the air with every word as he firmly made his point:

"Hermanas, I'm going to be very direct with you. Brother E is focused on YOU."

Then the next 10 minutes of the meeting consisted of the methods and strategies the members were going to use to protect us from him....ugh. It was uncomfortable.

When we ate lunch at Bishop's house afterwards, he shared with us tips on how to find our eternal companion after the mission and how he met and married his wife. ...Thanks Bishop! help...

Also, in our district of pure elders, one is SUPER tall and gringo. One is super tiny and Latino. The other night in a mission correlation meeting. Elder tall took off his shoe and tossed it over to elder tiny. Elder tiny, without taking off his own shoe, was able to feet his entire foot into the shoe of elder tall...shoe and everything. jajaja It was so priceless. These elders are really funny. Me and Hna C are the voices of reason most of the time jaja. But the unity and friendship in our district has helped each one of us to have enough confidence to keep progressing.

This week I had a really good experience with an Hermana from another zone. She came to my sector with me and helped me here while my companion went to her sector with her companion. Hna P is from California and is so humble, simple, and cute and amazing. But in her sector they are having a hard time finding new people to teach and has had appointments constantly fall through without fail for about a month. The entire day she was with me, I swear she brought the "curse" to our sector too (:p) because it was the first day where EVERYTHING fell through...even the good old "reliables"...jeje But you know, I was very grateful for it! I recognized it as a chance to see how her ànimos are when citas fall through and how she continues onward in those situations. It was also a chance to put our faith to the test (which is EXACTLY the attribute I'm developing this transfer) and look for those miracles Heavenly Father wanted us to find that day.

So...we went an entire day basically just walking and contacting. At night we had mission correlation. Instead of staying the entire night there, we decided to give our informe briefly and go out to continue working. It was 8:15 at night...The question crossed my mind of how much we would actually be able to accomplish so late at night...But NO. We still had to go out and find that miracle!

We stopped by the house of a less active member who we had just gotten to know twice briefly beforehand. She was home! We entered. She called over two of her children. One 11 y/o and less active as well, and the other 9 y/o and still not a member of the church. We got to know them a little briefly and shared and testified with them of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Those two children are probably the brightest little people I have ever met. They understand everything and already had a testimony of all of it. The little one asked amazing questions like, for example, "So, after Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, what happened to the gold plates? Are they on the earth right now?" But they were genuine questions that he really wanted to know. Wow...Anyway, we invited him, with the permission of his mom, to prepare to be baptized as well and follow that example of Jesus Christ. He accepted to be baptized....and he as well as his older sister even remarked that they both always have wanted to serve missions and become missionaries!!

Wow, was this lesson the miracle we were looking for or what.

It is a simple, but powerful testimony renewed to us of the power of faith, hope, and a little bit of perseverance. We were so happy with the outcomes of the day that we couldn't help but to feel and express so much gratitude for the tender and never-failing mercies of the Lord. And, I feel this day was designed especially for that occasion of having Hna P with me, because it was a witness to her that, with faith and perseverance in her own sector, that there will also soon be many spectacular miracles awaiting her and her companion. Miracles which the Lord so graciously provides to those who only seek Him. :)

Anyway, I know these things are true because I am living them day by day. I hope that each one of you are also having your own experiences and also know they are true. Because our dear Heavenly Father has spoken it. :)

Love you all!!! Have a great week!!!!! :)

Hna Fernelius

"Brother R is 9 and the son of a less active single mom. They are a miracle family. His mom stopped going to church 2 years ago because she began work Sundays. Recently she no longer has work and started coming on her own with her 3 children, 1 of which is also less active and the other which is R and who had never been baptized. The amazing thing is how much DESIRE they have. R and his older sister have a perfect understanding of the doctrine and are excited for him to be baptized. When we extended the baptismal invitation for the 20th of June, R exclaimed, 'That's my sister's birthday and the day she and my mom were baptized!' It`s amazing what God lets us discover with just a little bit of faith.

I am very happy to be here in my current area. We have been working with the goal of strengthening the members and creating a system of hermanamiento among them and the CR/MA. There is so much potential here. Sunday, it was a wonderful gift to have some new family contacts come to church for the first time."