Gotta a lot to say for you guys!
This week started off...well sad. Tuesday we went to lunch at an Irma's house. She has one daughter who lives with her and her husband. And her daughter has a son. So it is the Irma and Daughter who are members of the church. And Sister Melo and Sister M. Silva have been trying to teach the husband...actually a ton of missionaries have tried helping him. So we were at lunch, and he was there...and he always makes funny comments about how I am an American. Anyways, he was there, joking with us, talking....everything. Everything was normal. We leave and everything is normal. We return to our house at 9:15, and receive a text message. That he died an hour after we left. He had a left to go buy something...and had a heart attack in the middle of the street. And so this week we spent time with this family. Trying to help in whatever way we could. It was hard to watch them go through this. But each and every day they are showing improvement.
This week was also a week of a TON of challenges/goals. The assistants sent out one goal for how many new investigators, and then the president wanted everyone to try for the "Padrão de Silencia." In english thats like...the standards. So my companion and I, took the challenges. And every day we were working our little tails off to do this. We were half way through the week, and we had half the goal....and we were sitting there...planning, we both looked at what we had. And we decided that the last half of the goals were going to be in the hands of the Lord. So we knelt down in prayer and asked the for the next people we find, talk to, to be people that are actually looking, that have a true desire.
Surely enough, that night, we decided to visit ex-investigators, that we had to cut my first transfer. And they all showed a better interest. And told us they had one. Wahooo!! But just wait, after that...we were walking to meet the other Sisters. When a lady stopped us, having a beer in her hand, and asked if we were of the church. And we said yes, started talking...and she just starts spilling out everything. How she had been praying to God to find the right church. She has had 2 different boyfriends that she lived with, and has one now....but they were having problems. My companion starts explaining the pamphlet we ended up giving her...and when it was my turn to talk...I started talking about how she was a daughter of God, and that in this moment...He wants her to know that He loves her. And in this moment, I started crying. Haha, cause I am a baby! No...but really because...I could feel the words coming from Heaven. It wasn't me talking. I wasn't planning on saying anything of that. And we sat there, and she said to us, I know what you guys are doing is the truth. I can feel it. I really truly can. Anyways we marked a day to visit her, but really...she marked it with us. Haha. And as she walked away, she poured out the entire can of beer that was in her hand. When we visited her, there was some other missionary of another church there, and her boyfriend. She ended up canceling the lesson...but as she walked us to the door she said, "Look, I am moving out. This isn't right. I know it. I want you guys to visit me in my new house. So I am going to call you Monday night with my address. Please come visit me." And she apologized for the situation....but hey, she marked another date. And she read the pamphlet...;)
Here comes Sunday...the day where you always see the true desires of your investigators. They either come or they don't. Prayers were answered....Antonio, and his daughter (who loved the church, and is accepting missionaries in her house now). Amanda...Arleisa...our Gospel Principles class was FULL of investigators. Yet, what was missing was an Instructor!!! Haha, luckily our Ward Mission Leader stepped up and taught. But it was an incredible class. The spirit was there... and everybody recognized it.
This week, I am exhausted. Yes. I worked from 10 in the morning until 9 at night...every day. We did everything we could, and the Lord blessed us. I know that every day he is blessing me. Every day he is showing me that through obedience, through the power of prayer...we will witness miracles. We will witness the changes in peoples lives. I love this work. I love how God shows his hand every single day. I can promise you that if we take the time to acknowledge, we will see. You don't have to be serving a missionary to witness these miracles. You just have to look. And this week was a true testament for me in that.
LOVE YOU GUYS! Continue look for God's hand.
MISS YOU ALL!!!!
Sister Craig!
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