Hola! well this week was super good. We have the temple really close in my area now, so this week we are taking some of our investigators to the visitors center there.
We also have an investigator this week who is getting baptized. He has been coming to church for a long time and went to the visitor center at the temple and loved it. He has had a really hard time changing his life around though because he has had lots of problems with the law of chastity but we have been helping him and the Elders and he has been pretty much living with a family from the ward to help him out. I am super excited for him.
Anyway this week was fun we went with two other hermanas today and asked permission to go bowling! It was super fun because I haven't been bowling in so long! There are some perks to being in the city on preparation day-- there are so many fun things to do.
Anyway, a lot of our investigators are studying with the Jehovah's Witnesses, but it has really been a blessing because I have learned about a lot of things and spent lots of time studying the Bible. One of the hardest things that happened, though, was when we were teaching our investigator and the Jehovah's Witnesses came and wanted to talk to us, which was bad because they love to Bible bash, so we were in that lesson for a solid 2 hours. We tried our hardest though not to have contention and to have the spirit with us.
This week I also had a very interesting experience. We were teaching a lesson and it is a family of a Dad, his three sons, and the daughter. The lesson was good until the oldest son came in took out his Bible and started saying all these different scriptures about why we were wrong and how it wasn't the plan of God that we had trials that we came here and we would have lived in paradise if it weren't for Adam and Eve. We read a scripture but then I felt like I needed to tell him my experience with trials, but I just kept trying to push it away but finally I bore my testimony that I know that we are here to be tried. That there is a difference between innocence and wisdom and that through our experiences we gain wisdom. That every trial we have makes us stronger, tries our faith, and gives us an opportunity to choose to follow our Heavenly Father in whatever circumstance. So I shared some of my trials, and he just looked at me. I thought he was going to start arguing again, but he took off the hat he was wearing and he only had a little patch of hair on his head-- the rest was all burnt. He talked about how when he was younger he was bullied, but not just with words, people did terrible terrible things to him. I don't think I will ever forget the spirit I felt in that lesson or ever forget the love I felt in that moment for that boy and I know the love I felt wasn't my own it was the love that Heavenly Father really has for each of his children.
I know that our Father in Heaven suffers when he sees the pain we have here on this Earth, but he lets us have these experiences because he knows it is the only way we can be with him forever. It is the only way we can have really happiness. That moment I realized a boy who looked completely normal before had terrible scars under his hat. I realized in that moment every one of us here on this Earth has battle wounds whether they are visible or not. That this earth really is a war against Satan.
I have no doubt in my mind that Heavenly Father knows us personally. My patriarichal blessings talks a lot about some of the things that are trials for me, and I have gotten blessings from leaders who don't have any idea about what is happening, but they say the things that I need to hear and say things that are not possible for them to know. I don't know how much I am helping others here on my mission, but there is one thing that I can say is that the mission has helped me. I can truly say that I have seen miracles, that my testimony has grown immensely, and I have come to understand more what really is the gospel and atonement of Jesus Christ. One of my favorite talks I read this week was by Elder Holland and it is called "Aren't we all Beggars."
Anyway, I hope you guys have a great week. Much success to you!
With love,
Hermana Jones
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