I think Spanish people are afraid of the rain. They take their kids out of school and don't open their doors (I think they are preparing for the flood!) so it was an interesting couple of days haha! We went on exchanges on the day that it rained the hardest and I was up Ramona in the north part of the mission (...think Idaho Springs mountain town...) and the rain and mudslides were so bad that we were advised not to leave the apartment because our car would've gotten buried by mud. Both of us were going nuts by staying inside so we went out later that night and it was crazy- But it was the first time I've seen rain in a looooooong time so I was enjoying myself greatly. And then we all got sick from it. It was a great week!
Jorge is all set and ready for his baptism this Saturday! He has an incredible gift of discernment-whenever he meets someone at church he can tell by their countenace if they are having a bad day or if they need help or if they are struggling. He will make a great high priest group leader one day. He came to testimony meeting on Sunday and while a lady was bearing her testimony he leans over to us and says "Sisters, why do I have goosebumps??". It was cool to be able to testify that it was 100% the spirit. He knows the church is true, but this was the first time either of us has heard him really recognize the Spirit. We went over last night and had a lesson and he said that he can't wait to get the Gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday so that he can feel that ever single day. Hellooooo prepared!!!!
We had a really cool mission leadership council yesterday where we talked about maintaining the dignity of our calling at all times. President Clayton told the story of when Parley P. Pratt related the time when they were at the Liberty Jail, and their guards were being vile and profane until they couldn't stand it anymore-that Joseph Smith stood up and literally with the power of God put them in their place. Pratt said that he has been in grand councils all around the world, but he has never seen that much dignity and majesty than that day, in a dark dungeon at midnight. It got really quiet, and President Clayton asked us "Are you in a place where you are prepared to stand up with Joseph Smith, with all the majesty and power that God has placed in you by the virtue of your calling?". All of us kind of just sat there in silence and felt the Spirit super strong. He asked us as leaders to be the example to those we are over, and that if they rebel or have authority issues or if we see any trace of immaturity, that we are to call President immediately and he will take care of it. DANG. It was awesome. I love President Clayton. He does not tolerate disobedience in the slightest and it was cool to see the trust he and the Lord have in us. The mission has a LOT of young missionaries (they far outweigh the older ones) and it's cool to be a part of reestablishing the culture of exact obedience in the mission. The best part is that the whole council is made up of 19 and 20 year old men, and there was not one comment about "wait, we can't high five anymore?? you're asking too much!". It was cool to watch the zone leaders just submit their will to President's, and God's, and put complete trust in them.
That was a slightly boring paragraph. Yesterday we contacted a woman on the street who went off about how she just got kicked out of her house and the cops were after her. When we prayed with her, she interjected in the middle of Sister Hansen's prayer and said "Also bless my dog. Who is a Christian.". El Cajon is weird.
Amber is progressing so well! We spent the last few lessons going over the Plan of Salvation and the whole time she kept saying, "I have never heard of anything like this before" over and over again...after a while we asked her if she thought it was true and she thought about it for a minute and said...."yes.". Though she doesn't completely understand it, she understands the Spirit. It's a cool thing to watch!
These past few weeks have been super good for our district. 2 Saturdays ago the elders baptized a family of three, last Saturday both sets of elders had a baptism, and this week Jorge is getting baptized. So we've ended these past few weeks on some huge spiritual highs:). We have a tradition in this mission that when they are changing back into dry clothes, a set of missionaries teaches the restoration. I think it is the favorite thing I have done on my mission - the Spirit is already super strong because of the ordinance that just took place, and combine that with the Spirit that is always there when we testify of the restoration, it's incredible. I've never done it without crying like a baby. One of the elders in our district just got out of training 3 weeks ago, and when he recited the first vision, he broke down weeping. Missions are full of "perfect moments"-and that was definitely one of them. There is power in SIMPLE testimonies. I have never felt the Spirit stronger than when I testify that through Joseph Smith, Christ restored His church upon the earth. I don't know much, but in the end the amount of knowledge that we have doesn't really matter. Our testimonies do.
As I approach my 13 month mark I am getting boring.
I LOVE YOU!!!! Have a great week!!!
Hermana HESS
No comments:
Post a Comment