Monday, September 14, 2015

Faith is like a little seed...& Church attendance is the sunlight that helps it grow!

So for investigators/miracle of the week. We have two girls in their early 20's  who have been our investigators for the past couple of weeks, Sue and Kris. They're awesome! They always read and pray every day and keep all their commitments....accept for church which they've only come to once. So we were in comp study talking about their lesson that night, and we both didn't feel right about teaching them what we had planned. We prayed about it and decided to follow a prompting I had recieved when we'd taught them last time to teach on Alma 32, faith, and how right now they're watering their plant with reading and praying and meeting with the missionaries, but their seed of faith is lacking the essential sunlight of church! The lesson was kind of a weird one where neither Sis. P. or I could speak very well and just couldn't seem to get out what we wanted to say. They were really standoffish when we asked them to come to church this week, but after a little digging they confessed that they've been keeping our commitments because they didn't want to dissapoint us. And kind of because they were curious about the church. Their pastor had told them that it was okay to keep meeting with us but that they can't join the church, so they've been very conflicted when trying to keep the commitments that we give them while still keeping true to the church that they'd grown up in. We left devistated! We didn't know what to do, what to teach, how we could help them want to know that this church is true and keep the commitments because they love God, not us. We decided to keep going with the lessons and start on the word of wisdom. They next day when we came back to teach Sue said the prayer, but after the prayer sister P. looked at her and said that she seemed really happy today. Sue said she was! When we asked why she said that before, they had a lot of hard things in life and that life was really hard, but lately, since they've been praying and reading the Book of Mormon, those things don't matter anymore, and that everything is okay! She said that they can see their faith growing little by little, like a seed! She's always an incredibly happy, giggly person, but that day she was glowing! It was almost liike a light switch had been flipped! It was such a neat experience. Not only were we lead to teach something that they needed to hear, but even though we fumbled through the whole thing the Holy Ghost still taught a great lesson, and you could see the effect the Holy Ghost is having on them. :) They're awesome! I'm excited to teach them again tonight! They always give us food after we teach them, even though they have so little. They're so sweet!
This week we also had a weird day where three of our awesome investigators, three women in their 20's who all live in the same house, texted us and told us that they didn't want to meet anymore. One of them had just recieved an answer to her prayers about whether or not the Book of Mormon is true! We stopped by their house to see what was going on and had a very intersting conversation with them. One of them, Christine, had just returned from her Kampung (or village) and said that God had answered her prayers about the church and said that it wasn't true. It was a struggle, but we finally got her to tell us how her prayers and been answered. It turns out that all her family told her not to join our church and that she couldn't keep learning with us. This happens a lot when people go back to their Kampung, and it's almost funny that almost every person we teach goes back after they commit to be baptized. Satan has boring patterns. Anyway, we asked her how she felt when she read the Book of Mormon or prayed, and she said she felt wonderful! Who do you  think that feeling is from? God. What do you think that means? That it's true! .....So will you continue to learn? No. Do you want to follow Heaveny Father? Yes. Do you think He's happy with this decision? Oh definitely not. ...What??? It was really sad to see them go, but they must just need a little more time to ripen up a bit. It was a neat opportunity for both of us to give really strong testimonies of the gospel and feel the strength of the Spirit when we did that. We'll give them some time. :)
In other news we had 72 people at church yesterday! It was so great! It's a huge number for our branch! Most of them were actually members, too! It was a very happy day. :) Oh! And we had a baptism Saturday! It's for this really spunky, cute daughter of a less active who's not so less active now. :) I might have mentioned her mom before, Josephine. She's the one who's countanance is just flourishing! I love her a lot. 
I can actually understand people now! More of the time! Yesterday, I sat down to talk to a lady I didn't know.... and I understood her! We had an actual conversation and everything! It was great.  Oh! Also, we now have a ward mission leader! He's really enthusiastic and really excited which is exactly what we need. He'll be an adventure to work with! haha
(I ASKED HER HOW LONG SIS. P HAS UNTIL SHE GOES HOME) Sis P. goes home in March. :) She's still got a bit. 
I'm glad to hear the days are starting to move along! Mine are, too. It sure makes things a lot easier, huh? Haha, The only thing I remember Pres. Richards saying to me before he set me apart for my mission was to give it 90 days. 90 days in country, speaking the language, on the mission, whatever. Just give it 90 days. At the time I wasn't too thrilled with the advice, but now I see that it's really true! Haha, Everything is a lot easier now that it's, I don't know, getting normal? 
I found GF cookie mix today! Way expensive, but totally worth it. Whaaat??
Pictures are of a CRAZY rainstorm that hit. Literally crazy. It was one of those moments that will later be turned into a General Conference talk about looking to the chapel for safety! Haha There's one of the view from my window of the smog. Apparently it's rice patty burning season in Indonesia, which we're right next to, so you can't see more than a 3rd of a mile off. ...Hence the masks! I've now officially been Asianified. Yay. You can see my excitement. 
Also baptism... Then an FHE we had with a LA family where we acted out 1 Nephi 3 when they get the plates. It was way funny. I was Sam and Zoram!

Love you! Talk to you next week!
It looks like this is right after the storm first opened up the heavens upon them! I LOVE THEIR SMILES!
(This is exactly why we got her a waterproof camera!)

I love these darling sister missionaries! They've taken refuge in the Church after a "CRAZY storm" hit!

Smog from rice patty burning season in Indonesia

Fun FHE, acting out 1 Nephi 3

They fit right in! (Masks to protect them from the smog)

Baptism Day!

Sis. MacKay rockin' her new sarong

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