Week 36 (Buin with Hmna Arias)

HEYYYYYYYY!!!!! 

Things are great with my new companion.  She is a lot like Hna Rojas - quiet and de repente [all of a sudden], she throws out a funny comment that's like WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?!?!  We are good but this week was kind of a rough one! But I'm back in the swing with my "animo" [enthusiasm], it's been one of those weeks where your testimony is strengthened even more; especially in the principle that the witness comes AFTER the trial of your faith. 

This week we felt that we had to drop two of our investigator families... Viki and Waldo... and Vivi and Victor. 

Viki and Waldo had stopped progressing because Waldo at first couldn't make up his mind if he wanted to get married or not, but now he's in the not part, and they weren't coming to church very consistently so we sat down and had a heart to heart chat with them about why they are taking the lessons and what it is that they want for their family etc, etc.  It turns out that they had been doing a lot of things (coming to church for example) just to please us and not let us down; and Waldo hadn't received  any answers (because he hasn't been fulfilling his commitments) and even though we KNOW and have pointed out several times to Viki that she has gotten answers, she too is in doubt and is thinking about returning the la iglesia evangelica [evangelical church].  It was a rough one because they were really confused and not understanding the gospel even though my companion and I had taught them every thing more than once, to the point where they DID understand, but what happened was they didn't put it into practice and weren't doing their part, and no matter what we do, we can't do their part for them (even though you KNOW we would if we could because these are people we have been working with and serving for over three months and that we love SO much).  We got the answer that we needed to let them go in the middle of this chat we had with them and it was ... fuerte [strong].  I started crying infront of them, and they just started to feel bad thinking I was crying because of what Viki had said about liking la iglesia evangelica better... it just brings to mind and to heart how the Lord must really feel for example in Jacob 5 when He asks what more He could have done for His vineyard and how it pains him to have to lose even ONE tree. 

Then later in the week, we received the same feeling about Vivi and Victor, bueno, ellos están en otra onda ahora, y aun que hemos hecho todo lo posible y hemos tratado de enseñar las lecciones perfectas para ayudarles a despertarse y hacer de su parte, no había nada mas que hacer.  [well, they seem to be on another wave (or troubled) right now, and although we have done everything possible and have tried to teach perfect lessons to help wake them up and do their part, but there is nothing more that could be done].  It was the same situation as Viki and Waldo, try as we might, we just CAN'T do their part for them, it's all part of the Plan that we each have our agency...and even though we love them with every thing inside us for the time we spend with them, the many prayers, hours raking our brains in study time, planning, service projects, etc, etc.  Until THEY take initiative again, there is nothing more we can do.  To each family we just explained to them this much, that we love them, and that their Father in Heaven loves them even MORE, but that we had done everything we could, but now it all rests on them to do THEIR part, and until they do so, until they ARE ready to take the next step, there was nothing more we could do for them. 

Hard as it might be, the Lord blesses us for our obedience, and this time isn't our own, but it's the Lord's time and He knows how He needs us to be using this time that is so short and so sacred.  He has investigators that are waiting and READY to recieve the gospel, we just have to put our faith forward and look for these people. And that's what we did!  It was kind of a rough couple of days with out having lots of lessons because we had fewer families and fewer investigators, and the answers and blessing didn't come right away, or as they say in Chile, al tiro, [directly or right away], but they DID come AFTER the trial of our faith.  We found a GOLDEN family this last Saturday, someone we had found from our list of less actives that we persistently passed by and even thought many times they weren't there, or the appointments we'd made with them fell through "SOMETHING" (The Holy Ghost obviously) kept nagging us to go back.  So, FINALLY, Saturday night we got in the door and one of the VERY first things the mom did was make sure that we are the  MORMON missionaries, and when she was assured, she immediately points out her 3 children over the age of 8 and explains to us that they haven't been baptized yet.  SO, we cautiously asked, not wanting to get excited too quickly, "And, would you LIKE them to be baptized? And would YOU personally like to come back to church?" She explains to us that, YES, she wants her children baptized because she has seen the difference between when children are raised inside or outside the church, and that she too would like to come back and that she's always wanted to but that things always got in the way or as she said, in the Chilean saying "El diablo siempre mete su cola [the devil always sticks his tail in]". So the lesson with them went TOO good!  Four of her five kids were there.  Four of them are over the age of eight, although according to the mom, the oldest one (16) is a lost cause as far as religion goes, but we'll see what happens ;)  But each one of them committed to read the Book of Mormon (we left them a chapter to read as a family) and to come to church next week (they couldn't yesterday but the mom said that she would definitely be there next week) they are so set and ready to go! All they need is a little help or un empujón [push].  We are super excited to work with them and help them overcome the trials and difficulties they have to come back to church! 

Don't you just love the way the Lord work these wonderful mini-miracles? I SURE DO!

Well fam, love you tons and tons! Miss you tons as well! be good! take care of yourselves... WRITE ME LETTERS! ...love you! 

Your favorite oldest daughter and biggest sister in the whole wide universe,

Hna Davis