Hello everyone! Another great week in the Canyon Lake area, I wish I could share all the great things that happened!
Last Monday night we joined the Burden and Holman families for FHE. They are so cute, they have kids around the same age and they are such good friends so every week they have FHE together at each other's houses. They came up to us at church a few weeks ago and offered for us to invite less active families or potentials over to join them. So we invited Millie and her 2 kids to come (a family we're teaching that lives in our apartment complex). Sadly they didn't show up and haven't been responding to us :( but we still had a wonderful FHE with the member families about the Plan of Salvation, it was so neat to hear their testimonies about what the Plan of Salvation means to them.
On Tuesday I went on exchanges with Sister Mecham in her area in San Marcos. In the evening we had a lesson with one of their new people they are teaching. It was a super humbling experience, wow. The ward mission leader came with us to the lesson, and the lady we taught has been going through the hardest trials right now. Both of her parents passed away recently for different reasons, and she has been searching for a job so she barely had anything in her apartment. She kept telling us how she has felt so lost and is looking for peace. We didn't have a lot of time to teach but it was powerful to share with her a little bit about the Plan of Salvation and testify of how it can help her.
Sister Tanner also came to my area later on in the week for exchanges. We had a great lesson with a lady named Michelle. She was taught by missionaries in the past but felt too much pressure about baptism. Her husband is also a member but his records aren't in our ward cause he hasn't come to church for a long time. He still loves the church though and was telling us lots of stories from when he served his mission. We reviewed the Restoration with her, and towards the end of the lesson we all shared our testimonies about the Book of Mormon. Brother Gonzalez (her husband) shared a powerful testimony, and Michelle afterwards was like "I just have to say something. I am so amazed at how perfect his English is. That is the best English I have heard from him ever, and I know that it is because he is passionate about this, and it is because the Spirit is here." It was so cool! And she agreed to let us come back another time!
Update on Carol: We're still teaching her haha. We had a really interesting lesson this past Friday (well all of her lessons are interesting cause she is pretty intellectual). But for the past few weeks we have kept emphasizing the importance of faith and testimony. It has been interesting to see her concerns and learn about some of the things that are holding her back from progressing. I love teaching Carol and it has been a wonderful opportunity for us to help her grow spiritually. From this though I have had my testimony strengthened of how important it is to have faith. The world tells us that we need to have all the facts & information, to have physical proof of things we believe in. But what is most powerful, what people can't argue with, is the spiritual experiences we have through the Spirit. Although I haven't seen Christ yet and I didn't see Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon, I know that it is real scripture because I have felt the Spirit testify to me that it is indeed true. The scripture I always think of is Moroni 7:13 & 16. "that which inviteth and enticeth to do good...is inspired of God."
Ok last but not least, DOLORES'S BAPTISM! Wow it was such a wonderful weekend. So Dolores had a joint baptism with her brother-in-law Miguel who is part of a different ward. So we planned the baptism with the New Braunfels elders and it was a great turnout! Guess who came? President and Sister Polley! We weren't expecting them to come, but President Polley interviewed both Dolores and Miguel, and President Polley shared a wonderful testimony during the service. Dolores was able to be baptized by her nephew Joseph, and then he baptized his father Miguel. Aah it gave us chills! And Dolores & Miguel shared powerful testimonies about starting a new life and how the world needs to hear the truth :)
I love being a missionary.
