Hey Everybody!
Last week
was one of the best ones that i have experienced on my mission and i am
just filled with so much gratitude! I wrote this experience down in my
Journal like a story and i am going to quote the exact words to you now
:)
Eight weeks ago i got doubled into Wenatchee in the castlerock
ward. training a new missionary, Sister Allred. i was filled with
excitement to be doubled into this area. i knew that if we were
diligent, obedient, prayerful, and faithful, that the Lord would provide
away for us to see many miracles and bring about a change in the people
here. The Castlerock ward is small but everyone in it is like a big
famil. One of our greatest desires was to help build this ward up, who
has only had 3 baptisms in a period of 4 years. Sister Allred and i
gave it everything we got for 7 weeks and we were seeing great miracles.
we would meet someone amazing, whio we thought was prepared. We would
get so excited to teach them again, but to our dissappointment, they
would either drop us or simply wouldn't answer the door. At times we
would get discouraged but we would keep pressing forward with faith,
knowing that God would lead us to someone who needed the gospel.
The past couple weeks i kept asking myself what am i doing
wrong? why are we not seeing as much success as we would like? why can't
i see as many miracles as my other areas? we are being more obedient
and my desire to serve is even stronger then ever before. I kept
thinking to myself, what is the Lord trying to teach me here? Thursday
night i was really discouraged so i knelt down and just prayed that God
would really help us find someone who needed the Gospel.
We got a call from the bishop the next day, telling us that
someone in our ward boundaries that the Elders tracted into, wants to
get baptized! the Bishop gave us their names which are Jeremy and Erika
and gave us their address. We went to their house and met Erica first
and then Jeremy. We asked Jeremy how he knew so much about the LDS
church and he told us this story:
When Jeremy was 16 years old, he had his first kid. He had
been in and out of jail many times. Each time he went, his family hoped
that he would change and become better but to their dismay, he was the
same person he was when he came out. The last time he was in Jail he
heard crazy things about the Mormon church and decided to find out for
himself in they were true. At first he didn't really care for the
teachings of the church until he learned of the plan of salvation. As he
read the plan of Salvation he said that his whole body from his kneck
down, went entirely and completely numb, he had know idea what the
feeling was but he just knew that what he was reading was true. After
that Experience he studied the church 3 times a week inside the jail. He
read parts of the Book of Mormon, bible, ensign, and even watched
general conferences. At this time he was telling his mom, dad, and
girlfriend about how he was investigating the church of Jesus Christ. At
first they were super apprehensive about it, but then as they started
seeing the change that he was going through, their hearts softened.
We taught their family the Restoration and it was so cool
because Sister Allred and i didn't even really teach it, Jeremy taught
almost everything to his family and girlfriend Erica and bore his
testimony of how he knows that it is true. As Jeremy Talked about Joseph
Smith Erica said she had Chills! we told her that, that was the Holy
Ghost! She told us that all of this makes sense!
They had an interview with are Bishop, and are planning
on coming to church next week. We gave them a church tour and they just
can't wait to come! Jeremy can't wait to get baptized but he is on
probation and has to wait a little while, and Erika is soft commited to
baptism when she knows that these things are true.
I wish i had enough time to tell you every single little
thing about Erica and Jeremy because they are both so amazing, and it's
so crazy to see how far Jeremy has come, to hear about his past.
The past weeks God has
been trying our faith and has been trying my patience. My faith was
Dwindling and my trust in him was weakening. I felt like i was giving up
hope. I gave my last little plea to the Father, and he picked us back
up with Jeremy and Erica. He gave us that hope that as we trust in him
with our whole hearts he will always bless us, but in his timing.
I am grateful for these past eight weeks in this area and
the trial that the Lord put us through. I know now the lesson of what
he was trying to teach me. "Trust in him, and believe in good things to
come".-Elder Holland
I encourage all of you to always trust him and never give
up hope. he loves you. he listens to you and he knows the desires of
your hearts. I love you all too!
Love Sister Lindmeir
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