Where to begin. What a week. I am learning that the trials he gives us, are not always just to allow us to grow and face opposition, rather it is a chance to see how we will react. It really is all about our attitude sometimes. This week, despite everything we tried our hardest to keep a positive attitude and though our burdens were not necessarily made lighter, we at least made it to the end of the week, and the Lord has given us another chance to work hard this week.
I love Hermana Reyes. She has a lot of spunk and conviction and I am learning a lot from her. She keeps me animated and is very patient with me. She is trying so hard to find out the purpose of her mission and why she needs to be here serving the Lord. She is so good at recognizing her weaknesses but I am inspired by her example of resilience and determination to make those weaknesses strengths. In our companionship studies we have been looking a lot at the Christlike attributes and the strengthening power of the atonement. We keep on working and we try to always follow the spirit. I know that the Lord will bless us. When the day is rough and stress gets high, we take a little break, buy some cookies, say a little prayer and keep going. I ate a lot of cookies this week and I said a lot of prayers, but I am so grateful to have an awesome companion that keeps me going and takes good care of me.
We tried to give it our all this week. The rainy season has come. So we will have one day of extreme heat, and then two or three of straight rain. Today we are going to buy umbrellas, so that we don’t wander soggy all week long. At first being soaking wet was a great technique to play the “pity card” and have people let us in to teach them, but not with everyone. The Lord taught us a lot about patience. We left to work with members almost every single day, we received references, knocked doors, worked, worked, worked! But there would be days when no one would open the door, no one would receive us. Really it was astonishing! There were days where I felt tired and sore but I put my trust in the Lord and I left to work, and we worked all day long. Good opportunity to build character 😉
I refuse to believe that this is a hard area, despite that all the members and many missionaries tell us so. I know that there are people here waiting for us, ready to accept the gospel. We just have to find them. There are many people who will let us visit once or twice, but our search is for those who are ready to make changes and apply the gospel. That is one thing that I have learned this week. The true followers of Christ are those who are constantly repenting and seeking to come closer to him.
The best part of the week was by far the General Women’s Conference. We stood outside of the chapel almost half an hour waiting for an investigator to come. No one came, and so, feeling a little defeated we walked in and sat down to listen to the talks. Wow, what a beautiful conference! I felt the spirit so strongly, testifying to me that the Lord recognized my efforts and that he is proud of us. I had a guy-wrenching realization of how fast the mission is passing, and how quickly the next phase of my life is coming up. I realized how much the Lord is preparing me and that everything will work out in the end.
Life isn’t always beautiful, but it is a beautiful ride. No matter what we can always choose to be happy, and bear the trials in our path with a smile. Choose to be Happy 🙂
I love you all! Hoorah for Israel!
Love, Hermana Hipol
Photos:
With so many gated communities and armed guards, sometimes i feel like I am in some sort of dystopian adventure!
Um…. so we went to contact a referral from another missionary and this is their house…. We needed house two. The street went House one, giant white wall, and then house three. They literally took out the house!!!
