Life is so great here in Apoquindo. We had a week absolutely full of
miracles and I am so grateful for everyone! I love being a part of the
work of God! It is so tricky because we have to choose to accept it ... but
God has a really good way of showing us what will make us truly happy!
Tuesday- We always visit V___ and J____. J____, as always, is
doing really well. She continues to have health problems, but never
testimony problems. She loves to pray and especially sing. I love her so
much. V_____ on the other hand was not progressing as much. I went to
their house scared. You guys remember what has been going on the past
couple of weeks. She was not sure she wanted to continue with this whole
church thing. She was pretty sure that God did not even exist. I told
her the last week that I would pray with all of my heart. And I did! I
made a deal with God. I have been struggling with the idea of "praying
with faith" lately so I told Him I would be a really good pray-er if he
would just help Vania get her testimony back! :-) She did! She told us that
she has been praying pretty hard too, and one day she was lost in the
hospital and she told God: "if you are really there, and I am really in
the right church please help me find my way." (I know God does not
always answer prayers like this) And, she found her way!! She was so
happy on Tuesday! I left the house bawling!! I was so happy! That little
girl is like my little sister, so when she was questioning her
testimony I about died. It was so beautiful to see how God answered her
prayers. I like it because I have a lot of really beautiful experiences
of when God answers my prayers, but it was really sweet to be involved
in the story of the answer to prayers for someone else. God helped me pray
harder in faith. And, V____ is happy!!! I could not be happier!
Wednesday- This day started out tough. At lunch with president we
started talking about cancer and how terrible chemotherapy is. I am
definitely feeling pretty tender about her recently. I miss her. It
really hurt to think about chemo again. I hate that stuff and I hate that
Lauren had to suffer through it. I was crying pretty hard but did a
really good job at hiding it except when president asked me to give the
closing prayer. I have this terrible habit of crying at his house. IT
was not that terrible I just really missed her and you guys and had
serious ganas to testify of families! Don´t worry, God knew! That night
no one wanted to talk to us! I was done! I wanted to go home and cry
myself to sleep. I could not seem to get some really nasty images out of
my head from the last days of Lauren´s life. We were getting rejected
by everyone! It was like 8:45 and we had a appointment at 9 ... I felt like
we should go to one more house where they are never there. It is the
house of this lady that I contacted like 4 months ago and was not
interested at all. But we went anyway, because it felt like something
better than contacting someone on the street. We rang the door bell and
no one was home. But a man drove up and asked if someone had come out.
We told him no. It was the husband of this lady we had talked to. He was
really interested! He wanted us to come inside but he is a man and we
can´t go in the house if there is only a man. The wife walked up while
we were talking and they invited us in. We sat down and started talking
about the first points of the gospel. Then a little randomly, God
whispered, "Okay Carlie, I need you to testify of eternal families." God
is so good to me! I got to tell them with all of my crazy passion that I
know that families are forever! That with the Gospel we can have
stronger family relationships! The dad was pretty happy after I was
done. He looked at me and said 'that is something we need!' Then the image in
my head was not of Lauren suffering in a hospital bed, the image changed
into my family triumphant pure, strong, and eternal! The Atonement
restores everything!! We had another appointment with them on Saturday
and they were there waiting!! The mom and the daughter had read and the
husband did not have time. But I am so excited because the second lesson
is a good sign! I am so happy!
Thursday- Remember forever ago the reference of the Peruvian named
John with a black fence? We found a different person instead. It is a
house of Peruvians. Every time we go there someone else leaves the house.
One of the times we went we taught this kid that seemed drunk and not
very excited. We continued going back to this house and we continued
finding this kid. His name is Aldo. He recently fell while doing
construction and broke his shoulder (or some bone around there). His
animo was pretty low and seemed more excited to listen to us. This
Thursday we went to his house to give him a blessing for health. The
elders and a member from our ward came to give the blessing and it was
awesome! The spirit was so strong!!! After the elders asked how he felt
and he just smiled and said 'I don´t really know how to explain how I
feel.' I felt really impressed to invite him to get baptized, and he
accepted!! It was pretty exciting! He told us he felt really good! He
kept saying I don´t know how to explain it I just feel really good!
Friday- We went to see MC. I love her so much! She
is a sweet heart! Hermana Maciel has been visiting her for 9 months now
every week and she has never said a single prayer. My companion told me
that that was one of her goals before she left this sector. When we got
to her house I felt very impressed to try to include her grandchildren
who usually don´t want to listen. They are 7,11,11, and 20. They were
all sitting in the same room and I kind of made them join by joking
around. We talked about the gift that we can give to Jesus for his
birthday. They all had sweet answers. It was kind of a joke of a lesson
and I felt bad for making them join. I tried to end it with a prayer and
none of the grandchildren wanted to say it. Hermana Maciel felt
impressed to asked M____. I had given up hope on her praying but it
worked ... she prayed!!!! MC prayed with us!!!!!! I was so
happy! Hermana Maciel was happier! She cried for like twenty min. and
had an emotional hang over and everything!! It was pretty funny she kept
looking at me with all of her tears in her eyes saying 'this is all your
fault!!' He he he he!! my evil plan of making all of the world an
emotional wreck is totally working! :-) We were pretty excited!
Saturday- We finally got E____ to leave her house and go to an
actividad at the church. She was pretty sick but she was still really
determined to go. It was pretty fun. It was an activity for the primary.
We went with her and her two girls. I also played the violin! My violin
playing skills are getting popular around here. Which is funny because
they are pretty lacking in supplies right now but it was exciting to
play again.
That was our week of miracles! We are so blessed! It ended with a
bummer. P___ and her family moved. I have not written about them because
they are a member family that live in the sector of the hermanas. But
they are really amazing! I love them! All four of the Hermanas in my
apartment had a nice cry. It was hard to see them go. This ward really
needed them. They will be great where they are headed though.
That was my week! Can you see that God loves me and really loves
these people that He is letting me serve!? He is so good at this game! I
love God so much! God lives! He loves us! He is doing so much more than
moving mountains here in Chile ... He is changing our lives for eternity! I
am so grateful that he is changing my heart! He is so good to me! I
love you all! Thanks for being a part of my family! Talk to you in 2
days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love Hermana Webb
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