This
past week was really great. We had a really incredible miracle happen on
Friday. It was lunchtime and we were waiting outside a member's house after
clapping our hands for them to come out, when a man comes walking by. We smiled
and said hi to him. He then asked us who we were and we said we were
Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He told us
his name was Juan and he wanted us to come by his house to talk with him. That
doesn't happen very much. We asked him where he lived and he gave us kind of a
vague address by just telling us the street name and that he would wait for us
at the corner. Anyway, we ate lunch (noodles and meatballs, it was pretty
great), and then we had a few other appointments we had to go to. When we had
some free time, we decided to pass by to see if we could find Juan. We met him
at about 1:00 and passed by at 5:00 due to the other appointments. He was still
waiting for us. When he saw us he told us he thought we weren't going to come
by. He took us to his house and told us he had told his mom that we were coming
by and she was really excited. We met his mom, Mabel, and it turns out that she
had been visiting her mom in Tigre and had been meeting with the Sister
Missionaries there. She was going to be baptized but then her grandson got sick
at home in Pacheco and so she came back home. She told us she feels like God
put us in Juan's path so that she could keep learning and so that she could be
baptized. She has a baptismal date for this Sunday. Juan is really great also
and really loves to learn, and he also has a baptismal date. Saturday when we
passed by for another appointment with them they were there waiting for us and
really loved it. We had made plans to pass by for them to bring them to church
at 8:15 on Sunday... and when we passed by at about 8:10 we found Juan in the
street and he told us he had been waiting for us for about 20 minutes and
thought we weren't coming...haha. They loved church.
I
have a strong testimony that this work isn't mine. It is the Lord's. This
experience really confirmed that for me. He is preparing people to receive me.
He is also preparing people to receive each and every one of you. This morning
I was studying President Uchtdorf's Priesthood Session talk from this past
Conference titled, "Are You Sleeping through the Restoration?", and
my favorite part is this:
"This
is one of the most remarkable periods of the world’s history! Ancient prophets
yearned to see our day. When our time in mortality is complete, what
experiences will we be able to share about our own contribution to this
significant period of our lives and to the furthering of the Lord’s work? Will
we be able to say that we rolled up our sleeves and labored with all our heart,
might, mind, and strength? Or will we have to admit that our role was mostly
that of an observer?"
I
encourage each and every one of you to pray for experiences to share the
Gospel. The Lord is preparing people for you. This is His work. This is His
church. This is "[His] work and [His] glory-- to bring to pass the
immortality and eternal life of man." President Uchtdorf states,
"There is too much at stake for us as individuals, as families, and as
Christ’s Church to give only a halfhearted effort to this sacred work."
I love you all very much.
"Que la
fuerza les acompañe."
Love,
Elder John
William Garrett
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