An Almost Perfect Miss

I was able to take this wonderful picture on my way home from my appointment at the Huntsman this past Friday.  Seeing as I did not crash into anyone, the cool lighting effects, and I did not drop the phone out the window I am pretty proud.  At first glance I thought the picture was pretty much perfect.  Upon looking closer I noticed that the coolest part of the car, the front, was blocked partially by my rearview mirror.  It seemed to have set a pattern for me this week.  Things seem to be going perfect, and then I realize the best thing I might have missed out on.

Serving as a missionary online, I was not able to meet in person most of the people I was able to teach.  Today I did have the opportunity to meet one person, and I almost blew it!

From the Pearl of Africa, Testimony of Jemba

Not all our investigators have to travel hundreds of miles to attend church, but there are a few.  Jemba is one of those few, and I feel immensely grateful for the testimony and the spirit which we have felt from talking with him.  When we first met Jemba, he lived several hundred miles from any church building, I did not know how he could get to church, and I did not know how he would ever be able to be baptized in this church.  Jemba is one investigator who has shown unbeatable optimism and spiritual insight.  I can’t think of many investigators who would take time in a lesson to teach us and share additional insights without us asking.  Jemba is one of those people.  Jemba knows who God is, and we know God is aware of him.  I feel the conversion of Jemba, and the opportunities which I have seen open to him have been real miracles.  I have seen many miracles while being here, and I am very grateful for that.  I am grateful to share with you this miracle, from the view of Jemba.

Hello everyone, I am by names of Jemba Denis, 19 years Old male Ugandan by nationality residing in a country named Uganda located in East-Africa.

Testimony of Cassia!!

I am excited to share with you the testimony of another person we have been working with!  I am hoping through these you will get a chance of how much I feel I have been blessed.  I know the real joy we find in serving as missionaries comes from seeing the conversion of others.  We read in the Doctrine and Covenants about the worth of a soul:

“Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;  15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!”  (D&C 18: 10, 15)

I have shared my own experience in talking with Cassia before.  Teaching her was one of the most unique and memorable experiences for me as a missionary.  I was able to teach her with my brother, and she is also the only person I taught face to face.  That is another story, today I am happy to share with you her experience, in Portuguese and English! J

Cassia –

Testemunho

Eu conheci a Igreja atraves do meu irmao, mas quando ele começou a frequentar eu senti que ele estava se afastando da familia e achava um absurdo então eu nunca havia me interessado em ir assistir uma reunião aos Domingos.  Anos se passaram e a minha irmã decidiu visitar a Igreja e aceitou ser ensinada pelos missionarios que iam a minha casa e sempre me convidava para participar de uma lição mas nunca me interessei, mas achava muito bonito a força daqueles missionarios, pois nao era facil estar longe da familia e da cultura por tanto tempo.

Testimony of Megan!!

Megan's Baptism!!

I love sharing the testimonies of those we teach!  Today I am excited to share with you the testimony which Megan has graciously shared with us.  Each of those we have met have the most wonderful stories, and everyone is unique.  I know this gospel and this church is something which changes all of our lives. The conversion we have is something personal to all of us, and something which comes from our own seeking and asking of God.  I know this is something Megan has done, and I know her coming to a knowledge of these things has come from God, through His Spirit, and not just what we have said.  But, enough of me, let me share with you her own story:

Megan

As little as nine months ago, I would have described myself as a devout atheist.  Having been raised by my two young parents and an Irish Catholic grandmother, I had many confusing, conflicting, and harsh feelings surrounding religion, faith, and God.  Going to church was always seen as a chore that was saved for rare holidays where we were forced into it by our grandmother.  Most of what I knew of God, Christ, and religion had to do with guilt, constant sin, and feeling afraid.  Needless to say, I did not relate well to this and clung to both my logic, scientific inclination and my compassionate, humanistic feelings.  

Counting My Blessings: Salsa, Pillars, and More

The building we work in, behind the trees

Sometimes I feel I am giving a discredit to those who read my blog.  I would love to make each post a masterpiece, but I think each usually ends up more of a spattering.  I have been told by a few individuals this past week that they have been reading my blog, and that they have also enjoyed it, so thank you!  I know it is powerful motivation for any writer to find that their words are not only read, but that they are also enjoyed!

It has been a busy week for sure!  The more I look back at what has happened the more I realize just how privileged I am.  Elder Sabin has finished his service here and gone home.  I had another appointment in Salt Lake in which everything was stable, and we were able to move to a new place off the MTC!  The Lord is extending His blessings upon us more than what we really deserve, but I think that is almost how it always is.  As I am feeling so blessed I wanted to share a little more about the blessings I have had this past week.

Conversion Story of Amy

I love hearing the testimony of those people we are working with!  Certainly the highlight for any missionary is to see the testimony and faith of a person develop, and from that to see them accept this gospel and be baptized.   I am grateful for those who have shared it in the past, and today I am grateful for Amy and the testimony and conversion she has shared with us.  I wanted to share the experience we had in working with her.  But more than just what I have to say, I had thought it would be more interesting for you to read her side of things.

We first met Amy in November of 2010.  I met Amy through a Mormon.org chat, such as it might look in the window attached.  We had talked briefly about tithing and then set up a time to talk more.  Some notes I had written from our first talk included things like “helps a child with a tumor,” and “has seen God work in her life.”  With the work we do here, I do not feel like we are teaching something brand new to everyone we meet.  Rather, from my experience, we are simply able to add to the things which people have.  Amy is one example of this.  She is someone who came to us already having a relationship and desire to follow God.  As she has let the gospel come into her life I have see a greater sense of optimism and joy come from her.  I have seen her have a greater desire to learn and follow more closely the example which Jesus Christ gave.  As I said, it wasn’t that this was all new for her, but something I feel has grown.  I do know this gospel does bring the power of Jesus Christ more centrally into our lives.  I see it constantly in my own, and I have seen it with Amy as well.

But, enough of me talking, let me share with you Amy’s perspective on things:

Testimony of Melanie

With every person we teach, I feel I am finding more and more that what and how I teach is not always the most important thing.  I love the verse in the Doctrine and Covenants 42: 14 “And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach.”  It is the Spirit that is the real teacher.  We need to have it as missionaries, and the investigators need to take time to find it themselves.  In order to understand the fruit of the gospel, it is important to get beyond the peel, but really get into the fruit so we can taste it for ourselves.  So we can see the fruit and the blessings of it in our lives.  Melanie is one person who we were recently able to meet and work with a little.  I feel she was able to see the truth as she took the time to delve into the gospel and taste the fruit for herself.  She was recently baptized just before Christmas, and she was kind enough to let me publish her testimony below.  This is one she wrote just before she was baptized.

Teaching Experiences with Cassia

By far one of the most interesting experiences I have had as a missionary has been in teaching Cassia. As an online missionary I do not get the opportunity to meet many of the people who I come in contact with. While pictures are nice, it is always a rare opportunity when the investigator comes here to be baptized; or when they come to visit even after they have been baptized. Such meetings serve as little boosts of light and energy and help to keep the whole mission excited and moving forward. I had such an experience recently when I met Cassia. Cassia was brought to church with Pricila, one of the leaders over the women in the single adult ward I was attending. Pricila mentioned to me she had brought her friend who was not a member of the church . . . to make the situation even more unique; Cassia and I were not able to communicate very well from the start. She was from Brazil, and had recently moved here to go to school and to learn English. She spoke very little English, and I spoke even less Portuguese.