Well this week has been a little bit more back to normal.
We are finally moved in and more settled into our house and we are really liking our new location.
The only hiccup we had in the work this week is that Sister Woodruff got lice. Don't be shocked at this. Everyone has lice in the Philippines. It was only a matter of time before me or one of my companions got it. So we had to spend some extra time when we got home and one of the mornings searching for some lice shampoo and removing lice eggs.
We are having some true miracles with our investigators.
My favorite story this week is about Oscar and Mina. They are a retired couple and are pretty well off. They welcomed us in and said they always let different faiths in to share just so they can increase their knowledge. The second time we taught, we left a Book of Mormon and Oscar said that he really wasn't sure how he felt about Joseph Smith yet, so he said the first thing he wanted to read was Joseph Smith's testimony, then the other intro pages.
When we went back, he had read a lot and had looked up in some encyclopedias more about Mormonism and Joseph Smith. And that info was spot on. So we had a really interesting discussion about Joseph Smith and then tied it into the Book of Mormon. We also had a really really interesting lesson about the plan of salvation. It was probably the best plan of salvation lesson I have ever had with an investigator and you could see the change in him. They are out of town this week, but hopefully by the weekend we can go back to teach.
I have been reading "Our Search for Happiness" from the missionary library and I am really thinking about leaving it with them next time. It just lays out so clearly the Restoration. I really can see them progressing, we are really going to focus though on helping them get a spiritual witness that it is all true. I think that one of the things they are lacking...
Our next is Delia. Her daughter and son-in-law got baptized last december and we are finally teaching her and she believes she is a healer. The first few lessons were rough because she has some very strange beliefs and thought that we were talking about E.T. (extra terrestial) when we taught about the kingdoms of glory during the plan of salvation. She thinks that the Garden of Eden is in Turkey, and she had the hardest time accepting that her baptism was not like Jesus Christ's. Those were rough lessons. But. She has been SO diligent in reading the assignments from the book of mormon plus she is already to 1 Nephi 16 in her other readings. We have finally seen the change in her and that she is finally understanding this message. She has a big concern because she keeps saying she has already been baptized.The last lesson we had with her, we really focused on the priesthood and Christ's example of baptism by immersion and it FINALLY clicked. She asked us "Am I allowed to even be baptized again?" Sister Woodruff and I about jumped out of our chairs and shouted "OPO" (Yes!), but actually we just testified to her that she can. It would be the best way for her to continue to follow Christs example. It was a great lesson.
And our last miracle I want to talk about is Cora. She had a stroke and has had just a hard life, We've been teaching her for a while and she just is so overcome with the spirit every time we teach she just thanks us over and over for visiting her and just cries and pours her soul out every time she prays. It is very humbling to teach her. She told us she has started exercising. And honestly she has had the biggest change. Her countenance was so full of light. it was a perfect setting to teach her the plan of salvation.
I love the progress we are having here and I know that the next step for all of our investigators is to get them to just pray alone and really ask if these things are right. I know that if they do this, accepting baptism and church attendance will be the next step for them.
I love you all SO much and hope you have a good week! The advice this week...AVOID PEOPLE WHO SCRATCH THEIR HEADS A LOT AND HAVE SMALL BLACK MOVING CRITTERS IN THEIR HAIR. Also. Lice Shampoo makes your hair fall out. I used it because I was freaked out and I combed a lot more hair than I would ever like to pull out again. It was not a pretty sight...
And on that note...The church is still true. 1 Peter 4:12-19 - the reason we have 'strange/firey trials'.
Love,
Sister Mecham
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| Zone pday in Las Banos |
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| Sister Mann is in my zone! |
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| lice shampoo |
