We Don't Need To Be Scared Because We Know The God We Worship.

Another great week here in Mesa, Arizona! It's raining today, like a Seattle rain. I love it! Wherever I am in the world, if it rains, I feel at home! Hermana Maughan wanted to bring an umbrella, but I wouldn't let her because umbrellas are only for tourists haha. I think it’s the first day since I've been here where we won't sweat. It’s crazy how cool 75* feels now., but yes this has been a beautiful, rainy week!

Where to start... Monday we had an FHE with Maria and Carlos.  I guess we were supposed to invite a bunch of people to it, and we didn't realize that so Maria was kind of upset. We spent an hour calling like everyone in our phone book and we got three people to show up haha? It was okay, she had just cooked a lot of food. I felt pretty bad about it, but we apologized and she got over it. She cooked arroz con leche! Mhmmmm sooo yummy! It was awkward. I've never had an investigator get mad at me before. She wasn't that mad, but you know how I hate confrontation haha.

We just felt somebody needed us.

This week we had lots of little miracles.  I think it was Thursday, something really cool happened. We just felt all day long that somebody needed us, however,  we just knew it was somebody we didn't know yet, but that we needed to find. We just went about the day following our normal schedule, but at about 7 pm, we felt like we really needed to go find someone. So we just parked the car, got out, and started walking, street contacting which I haven't really done at all. We just started walking, talking to whoever we saw on the street, and knocked on one door. People weren't super nice or receptive, but we finally got to this one house that had a bunch of people outside. We talked to one man who was kind of off to the side, and he was really friendly, but not interested. He said that he felt he was good with God right now and didn't need any help or anything. So we kept walking, and just waved to his friends and said bye. However, one of his friends stopped us and started talking to us. He started talking to us about how he is so confused because he is not a very good man, but his 14 year old daughter who is so good had cancer. He told us he didn't know what to believe because there were so many different beliefs out there, and that sometimes he had a hard time believing in God at all. He said he didn't know if he should thank God or science that his daughter was healed. We told him that God loved him and God has a plan for him, and he invited us to come back on Saturday. Man it was soo cool! Right after that, we knew that's who God wanted us to find. It was just the greatest experience being able to feel the Holy Ghost direct us so clearly. He led us to a specific place, specific person, at a specific time. To someone who really needs our message. It just makes me feel really good that I am really learning how to discern the promptings of the Spirit. There is nothing I want more than to always be guided by the Holy Ghost.

It was like the whole world stopped.

Well we went back on Saturday, and accidentally crashed a huge Mexican fiesta. Haha it was awesome. We found these teenage girls and asked them if Jorge was there, and they said yeah he's out back. So they lead us through the house and into the backyard. As soon as we walk out the back door, we just walk into this huge Mexican baby shower. It was like the whole world stopped. These two white girls in skirts just walk right in, and everyone just stops and stares at us - so confused why we were there. It was awesome. We just walked over to the other side of the house where the men were singing, drinking, playing the guitar. We couldn't even remember what Jorge looked like, so we just kind of waited for someone to stand up. And then Jorge came up to us, and he felt sooo bad! He forgot that this would be going on when he invited us over the next time. He apologized like 20 times. He stepped out and just told us how he really, really wants to change his life. He invited us to stay and enjoy the party (tempting). But we just said we would come another time. We have texted him, and he just sounds so weighed down by life. He just wants to find peace so badly, and he isn't sure if he can change. He doesn't know if it's possible to find peace. I am so excited to teach and help him. I just hope that he doesn't get scared and not let us come over. But it was just really cool to realize exactly how aware Heavenly Father is of every single one of His children. He loves us all so much and tries to help us all the time.

 

Arizona has amazing sunset every night!

We had 4 investigators at church this week!

It was so great! Manuel, Karen, Carmen (a teenage girl), and Pablo (the 10 year old son of a less active member we have started teaching). Still praying for the miracle of 5 baptisms this month. It's going to take a HUGE miracle. We will see what God wants us to do :)

She asked about what she would have to do about her situation.

Oh but something super cool!  We were teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to one of our investigators the other day, and she asked about what she would have to do about her situation before she gets baptized because she is living with her fiancée. We explained that she would either have to get married, or be separated for at least 2 weeks before her baptism. She told us that she will follow God regardless of the cost. She said she now sleeps in another room because she knows that the law of chastity is something serious. She also told us that she hasn't drunk at all since she started taking the lessons because she just doesn't want that in her life anymore. UMM WE HAVEN'T EVEN TAUGHT HER THE LAW OF CHASTITY OR THE WORD OF WISDOM YET. What???? She is so prepared.

They don't understand the importance of knowing that this is God's ONLY church on the earth.

We taught another investigating couple a few times this week. It’s so confusing to me because they are living all the commandments and willing to make all those sacrifices, but they still don't know that the Church is true. They know it’s good, but they don't understand the importance of knowing that this is God's ONLY church on the earth that has the fullness of the gospel and the priesthood power. So we have really been trying to hit home on that. Last night we had a pretty powerful lesson and Hna. Maughan and I just bore testimony of how important this church is to us and how it really changes our lives, and on the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. We explained that if they wanted to know, they needed to have the desire first, and then act on that desire.

Hna Demille and Maughan were sick one day, so Hna Mayorca and I got to go out together. That was fun. A little switcharoo for a day. We have so much fun with those girls! Our lives would be so boring without roommates.

 

Exchanges with Hna. Myorca.

He couldn't get out of his head something that he said about how now more than ever the world needs a prophet.

So sometimes at about 8:30pm, we get kind of lost about what to do if we don't have a firm appt set because we don't really live in a place where you can just go to people's houses when its dark out if you don't know them. People don't really answer the door, and you never really know who exactly lives where…..  so we always have a hard time figuring out what to do. Well, one day, we just decided to walk and talk to people we see on the streets andl something super cool happened! This man drove up to us and was like hey! Do you guys have one of those books? We were like a Book of Mormon? Yes we dooo! He told us that a missionary stopped him in his neighborhood a few days ago, and he couldn't get out of his head something that he said about how now more than ever the world needs a prophet. He said he was praying about that and he felt good about it. Then he saw two sets of missionaries in a row, and said he got the hint. Unfortunately, we only had Spanish Book of Mormons on us, and he didn't live in our area.  We told him where the Visitor's Center was and told him he could go there whenever. We were really dumb and forgot to ask for his address though

We all have hard trials, we all have scary things God asks us to do. But we don't need to be scared because we know the God we worship.

This week I was asked to give a 10 minute talk about faith in District Meeting. I want to share a little bit about what I re-learned about faith. Faith is sooo so important. It is having confidence in God because we know who He is. We know He is perfect, and that He is worthy of our trust. It is trusting Him enough that we are willing to follow Him - to go into the dark and do what He asks us to do, because we trust Him. We trust that He has a plan, and that He knows better than us. We trust that all He does is for our own benefit. Fear and doubt are the opposite of faith. I absolutely love D&C 6: 34 - 36. "Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail. Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and sin no more; perform with soberness the work which I have commanded you. Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/6.34%20-%2036?lang=eng#33 If we are really doing good and becoming good people, earth and hell WILL combine against us because Satan is going to try SOO hard to get us to fail. We should expect it to be really hard. But we have that faith and that promise that, when we are built upon Christ's rock, earth and hell CANNOT prevail. So "perform with soberness the work which God has commanded you... Doubt not, fear not." We all have hard trials, we all have scary things God asks us to do. But we don't need to be scared because we know the God we worship. We know Jesus Christ who we follow. 2 Nephi 26:24 - "He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation."

I just want you all to know that this truly is the Lord's Church. Sometimes I just wish I could shake people and make them understand how important this is. There is nothing more important in life than this gospel. This is eternity. There is a plan. There is a way. God is there to help and support us, but we must come to Him. He can and will provide peace. We can progress. We can change. But it all depends on us and what we want. 

I love you all SO much! Thanks for all that you do for me! 

Con amor,

Hermana Haynes (From 9-9-13 email)