Happy Tuesday!
This week was amazing. I was so exhausted in a good way. I love my mission and I love being a Sister Trainer. I love even more that the Lord allows me to continue to change and ask for his help. This past week was probably one of the hardest on my mission. I was able to call on the powers of Heaven though and ask for help with our area, and with our goals. I felt at peace and got the extra strength I needed to help me so much. When I prayed and then went out to work I could feel the love that the Lord has for the people we teach and the people we talk to as well on the street. That was something that I realized that I needed to do from the very beginning. God loves them so I love them too.
On Monday night we had planned to have two other lessons, find two investigators and teach a less active member. When we went out that night after preparation day, we went to our lesson with Norma our less active member and we taught her a lesson on Agency and our purpose on earth. Afterwards all she could say was I choose everyday to follow God. It made me realize that we choose everyday to love our purpose and love those around us. Our mission is our choice and what me make of it is up to our personal agency. Our blessings are dependent on it.
On Wednesday we saw how much the Lord can bless you because we received 5 referrals on one day. We decided to contact all of them that day and we were not able to meet any of them but as we made that choice when we went to our appointment that night a little bit early we were able to meet one of investigators Emmanuel and his mother Maria. She walked in and was a little shocked to see 2 sister missionaries and a member on her couch. She had just come in from outside. We already knew that she was a less active member but she didn't know that we were there. We invited her to join the lesson and she said that she couldn't because she only had a few minutes. We started asking her questions and 30 minutes later she was sharing with us why she no longer went to church and that she would love to come back. We are really excited because we have an appointment with her and her son who is working on being baptized.
On Thursday we spent most of the day in traffic and at UCLA Medical because I had 3 doctors appointments on the same day. The blessing was that each of my doctors wanted to know how I was doing and I was able to talk to each one of them about my missionary work and how much love I have doing it. They all three accepted invitations to do something different and they said I could email them to see how they are doing. We were also able to talk to 8 people while we were there! Afterwards we made it back to the east side of LA and we went out to work. Our first appointment of the night was to meet with Elias, his girlfriend is a member and he wants to get married to her but she said she would only get married in the temple. He had no idea what she was talking about so he came to church on his own about 2 months ago then he stopped returning our calls. Last week we were calling people and we came across his number and so we called. When we meet with him he said the only thing he wasn't sure about is the Book of Mormon. So we invited him to read the Book of Mormon from the beginning and look for the blessings of the people as they were going through trails and how the Lord helped them.
Saturday was a day full of miracles! We were able to meet so many people. While we were street contacting and going to appointments we found two less active members who we didn't even know about. Both had moved into our area years ago but lost contact with the church. It is so amazing to see how the Lord puts us where we need to be so we can find them. That same day we were also able to contact a referral named Rosa, she at first didn't seem to interested in anything we were saying and then at the last moment she turned to us both gave us a hug and told us that she was grateful that we had come because her soul needed to be comforted and she knew that we were her angels.
Then this week ended with a great night at the California Visitors Center with two returning members who are going to be getting sealed in the temple this year. We talked a lot about how the Lord lifts our burdens. (Watch this video: Lifting Burdens) I know that the Lord was aware of me the entire week and that he really did know how many rocks I was trying to carry on my back alone and #BECAUSEOFHIM I was able to have those rocks taken away. The Lord promises us in Mosiah 24:14-16 that he will make our burdens light:
"14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; 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.
15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.
16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage."
May the Lord bless you all this week and continue to help you each individually as you ask him through prayer.