Luckily, although another transfer has come to a close, I will be staying
in Lynnwood ANOTHER TRANSFER! I have spent nearly an entire year of my
mission here. My heart is here, so I am glad I am not leaving yet! We have
worked so hard the past 3 months and I know we will be reaping some great
fruits this next transfer!! Maybe I'll even finish my mission here. Fingers
crossed!
It's crazy to think my mission is starting to wind down. I don't know where
time has gone. It's getting crazy that missionaries I have been with my
whole mission are starting to go home. Hermana Hubner just left with Elder
Fuller and then Hermanas Spackman, Mohr, Fifita, and Jensen together with
the other elders, then me. Yikes! No more of this!
These past 2 weeks have just been so crazy busy it's not even funny!!
Especially this last week...let's see if I can put a bit of it into
coherent sentences...
So I had been working with Patty (an investigator who I found with my
trainer about a year ago) via email on Mondays for the past about 7 months.
She had been meeting with the English Sisters because I had suggested it,
so I have tried to stay out of things as much as possible. Her life got
crazy, the English Sisters couldn't get in contact with her, so I decided
maybe it was time that the Hermanas take over again. Tuesday we brought a
member and we went to Patty's. She was so excited to see us and expressed
to us what had happened in the past year. She felt like she was making real
progress, she was feeling the Spirit--things were great. But then some of
the missionaries later (when I was in Marysville) had pushed her more than
listened to her. She lost a little a bit of her spark and was overwhelmed
by her life as well as the missionaries. She continued to read scriptures
and pray and talk with me via email about what she had learned. She has
longed to feel the way that she did at the beginning (the Spirit) about a
year ago. We told her we can help her with that and that together it will
happen!
Our inspired member shared with her that it is important to take everything
one day at a time so as to not get overwhelmed. It applies to our temporal
and spiritual experiences. This little bit of advice has really helped
Patty this week to have a bigger perspective, to see that little by little
she can do this, and that everything is going to work out and we don't have
to be perfect.
Her struggle has always been getting to church. It is literally the only
thing she is not doing. She has grown so much and has realized that the
only way she can continue to grow is church. So we committed to taking
things one day and one goal at a time. The goal: get to church. Have an
uplifting experience. Repeat.
So that was great. Then she texted me to ask if we would come over Friday
so we could be super ready for Sunday. Of course, we agreed. We suggested 7
pm, but she replied to our text and said, "actually, Hermana Webb (my
trainer who went home in December) is coming over with her parents at 7.
She said they wouldn't be long. How about you come over at 7:30."
Deal.
So Friday came. We went and picked up the member who agreed to come with us
again and we arrived at Patty's at 7:30 sharp. We sat in the car and I
suggested that we wait a few minutes to make sure Hermana Webb and her
parents were out before we went in. We waited. We then texted Patty to have
her come open the door for us. Her reply: "Oh hey! Actually Hermana Webb
and her parents just got here. Come on in and we can have the lesson
together!" My heart almost stopped. We continued walked up the path to the
door and all filed into the house. There in the living room was Hermana
Webb and her parents. It was perhaps the weirdest sight/feeling of my life.
Actually, no, what happened next was crazier. Before I knew it Hermana Webb
had picked up up and swung me in a circle and her mom gave me a big hug and
from her dad I got a handshake.
I was a bit dazed to say the least.
We sat down to have our lesson...it was a little crazy because it felt like
we had an audience. BUT, it all ended up working out and we committed to
all working as a team to help Patty get to church on Sunday. We had
mentioned that Satan would work against her, but that we would come off
conquerors and that she would have a great time at church.
Fast forward to Sunday morning. She texted me bright and early super
excited to have not accidentally slept in. She was getting ready for
church. Sweet.
Fast forward to 10 minutes before church. She shot us a text and said that
she was running a little late and would be there in 10. Cool, no problem.
Fast forward 10 more minutes. Still didn't get there.
The Sacrament started and ended. Still wasn't there.
What is going on I thought? Then about 5 minutes after Sacrament I got a
text:
"Car accident, can't talk."
NOOOOOOOOOO. I thought to myself. Satan...
Though that put a damper in the meeting, it was still a FANTASTIC meeting
(I will report on it once I finish the Patty situation).
Fast forward to after church. Patty send us a text apologizing that she
hadn't made it. She had been rear-ended pretty bad a few miles from the
church building. (The craziest part of this situation is that almost the
SAME THING happened last year about this time when she was trying really
hard to get to church). Satan must try to stop her via car accidents...but
little does he know that Patty is better than that! Patty had her daughter
and niece in the car with her. Patty and her niece came out with nothing
and her daughter just got a bit shaken up. They took her to the clinic to
check her back since she was complaining, but everything is good. Patty
shook it off and knows that we just have to work harder next week. She did
her part. The Lord will provide. She's awesome. Love. Love. Love her. The
past year working with her has been so rewarding and worth it. The change
and growth in her is indescribable. She is going to do great things. So
glad I'm going to be staying here:)
So, back to church. It was awesome in so many ways...
1. There were just tons of people there. Hermana Richey (who conducts the
music during Sacrament meeting) said that she could hear more than just me
and another member singing. That's progress!!
2. I felt inspired to sent out a few texts to a few people in the branch
asked them to bear their testimonies in fast and testimony meeting. I
didn't think much of it--I just acted on the prompting. And how happy I am
that I did!
Hermana Guevara was the first to go bear hers. She commented that she had
received a text from the missionaries asking her to bear her testimony. She
said that she almost never does, but that she needed to this Sunday because
she had received some hard news the week previous and was having a rough
time and wouldn't have done it without receiving the text in the morning.
She commented that she didn't know how we knew, but that she was grateful
to Heavenly Father for inspiring others to help us do things that we
wouldn't do ourselves. It was powerful.
Hermana Gladys Rodriguez, a convert of almost a year, also responded to the
text and gave her first, public, sweet, simple, powerful testimony. She
commented after that it made her physically sick to do it because of
nerves, but that she was so grateful that she did it.
Lastly, Hermana Aura. This one is going to take a little more explanation.
I have worked with her since my second day in Lynnwood over a year ago.
Aura is a less-active. Super strong. Super great testimony. But has her ups
and downs--meaning active...then less-active. We finally got to her on one
of her "downs" a few weeks ago. She was excited to read the scriptures with
us and explained that she hasn't ever ceased to pray and that she reads the
scriptures often and feels that God is always with her. She tried to jump
right into reading the chapter in the Book of Mormon with us, but I felt
highly impressed to stop her and talk about what's been up with church
attendance lately.
It's touchy, but I acted on the prompting. She began to explain how crazy
life has been and all her family problems. She wanted her life in line
before she went to church. I listened. Then at the end of her rant I just
paused and let her digest all she just said.
Then Hermana Richey and I worked together using some inspired questions and
statements to help Aura explain that church is not a place where people who
have their lives all figured out go. Not a chance. Maybe it seems like
that, but it's not the case. We all come to church with our own problems to
resolve. The church is a big hospital. We come to support one another in
our trails, learn, and be healed.
She paused. And thought, then said, "I learned something new today."
The Spirit was so strong. She for so long had misunderstood the purpose of
church.
From that moment on she has been beaming with excitement to come to church.
She came last week and yesterday SO HAPPY.
So back to yesterday, it had been a great testimony meeting and everyone
had already gone over time and the branch president was about to get up to
close the meeting and out of seemingly nowhere, Aura, who was sitting
snuggled next to me, stood up, almost as if she levatated and walked up the
the podium. Stood and looked at the audience. And bore a powerful
testimony. She had never before born her testimony, but it was great. She
came back down just glowing.
After the meeting, she came to me excitedly to tell me a little more. She
said, "I was just sitting and there was something that had been growing and
growing and growing inside me and I couldn't hold it in! Before I knew it,
I was on my feet and walking up front. I didn't even know what I was doing!
My legs were moving but my brain was asking what in the world I was doing!
Before I knew it I was at the podium, sharing my testimony, then came down.
Oh hermana, I have never felt so good. Thank you for sending me that text.
My heart melted. The changes I have seen in her are astounding.
I am just going to insert my challenge for the week in right here: ACT ON
PROMPTINGS. You are God's hands.
Alright, moving on.
ALBERTO!!
Alberto has almost been baptized for a whole year and he got the Priesthood
2 weeks ago, but has never used it. We urged him to bless the Sacrament
this week and to come in a white shirt and tie so he could do so...HOLY
COW. He came beaming in the chapel in a full on suit and tie. He was so
excited to show us his new spiffy clothes.
He blessed the sacrament and it was just awesome. The growth in him has
been amazing.
The past year has by far been one of the most rewarding in my life...to see
these people change. I am so glad I have been able to work for a year of my
mission in this branch. Wouldn't wanna be anywhere else!!
Well..this email has been deathly long. I only breezed the surface of the
things that have gone on the past weeks. I will close my epistle here
before my computer dies on me.
The gospel is true. Christ is our Savior. What more can I say?
Hermana Clark