I'm a little bit sick of computers right now because we came here a little bit early to do some workshops and evaluations on the computer as part of our new trainer/trainee program... and then after spending a good amount of time on my letter to the Mission President it got deleted (computers are still just as frustrating as ever), so I've been here far longer than I should. But I was happy to read your letters, especially from Dad about his experiences as a trainer. It gives me hope that there's still a lot going for me, haha :)
We've had some awesome things happen this week. One of my most dearest investigators, Huang jie mei (she's about 60 and was a former investigator a few years ago), was sick all last week so we hadn't met with her for a while, but the miracle is, she used all that time to read about 1/2 of the book of Alma! When we met with her again she was telling her how much she had learned from the Lamanites conversion and them burying their weapons of war. She has made magnificent progress, and it's all because of her willingness to immerse herself in the Book of Mormon. She is such a sweet sister, and she took a huge step of faith yesterday when she said she would throw away all the coffee and tea she has in the house so she can keep the word of wisdom, which is one of the biggest reasons why she didn't get baptized the first time she started investigating the church. I love her dearly and I cannot wait until her baptism in October!
I've re-started the Book of Mormon in my personal study, this time with the focus on covenants and receiving strength/power from the Lord. I hope to deepen my understanding of the covenants I've made, and also the covenants I'm helping other people make. I've only barely started, but I'm excited to learn more about this important doctrine. It's re-fired my passion for the Book of Mormon, which also helped one of our new investigators get interested in it too. :) Her name is Tammy, and she's a former investigator too, one from when I first got to this area. I got super exited when she voiced her recent challenge with her boss at work and I told her how Nephi had a similar problem, except that eventually his brothers wanted to kill him. Tammy responded, "Wow, well, I'm lucky I don't have that problem yet..." and she was intrigued and wanted to find out the rest of Nephi's story.
I was also impressed by the well-known 1 Nephi 1:1 as Nephi said that the knowledge of God helped him get through all his afflictions throughout his days. It made me think of all those who try to do it without that knowledge and how much harder it must be. I'm so grateful for Nephi's example and record to help anyone willing to turn to the Lord for help how they can do it. I know the Book of Mormon, when read under the influence of the Spirit, can resolve any concern.
The biggest miracle of the week was Saturday night at the baptism of one of the Elder's investigators. Sister Gibson and I had been asked to sing, and after a long, hard day of many things not going as planned we were even more discouraged when we didn't have any investigators or recent converts attending the baptism-- in fact, we were the only sisters in the whole room! But we knew we couldn't back out of this invitation so we sang the number we had prepared with all our hearts. We didn't think much of it though, and we wanted to leave as quickly as possible to get home on time to get a better start on the next day, but as we stopped to shake the hand of the newest member of the ward, one of the other investigators who has been in attendance waited by the side to shake each of our hands to thank us for the musical number. That helped us feel a little better, that someone was really touched by it and it wasn't a waste to have been there. We didn't realize just how much of an impact it had until the Zone Leaders called us later that night.
They said they wanted to thank us for our musical number because that investigator had been investigating for a long time and the only reason why he hadn't been baptized yet was because he didn't have his mother's permission. But he said the Spirit was so powerful when we sang that when he closed his eyes to listen, he saw a vision into heaven in which he saw Jesus Christ blessing all the people there. At that point he KNEW everything was true and that he NEEDED to get baptized, so he called his mom right after the baptismal service. His mom agreed, and now he's getting baptized this upcoming Saturday. Needless to say, we'll be singing at his baptism too. :) But Sister Gibson and I were both so touched by that experience, and it was re-affirmed to us that this work is not ours. Even when it seems like everything is going wrong, especially because of your own inadequacies, Heavenly Father still works miracles through the service you're willing to give.
I know this gospel is true, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to serve the Lord. I know He lives and loves me, as well as everyone here and across the world. I'm feeling that more and more deeply as my love for these people has grown. I love the Lord, and I love being a missionary.
All my love,
Sister Morey :)
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