Week #37 - Cajamarca

This week with Hermana Terrera was full of miracles! Hermana Terrera is so valiant and loves talking with everyone. She´s very good at discerning the needs of our investigators, and I´m learning a lot from her. She´s so sincere in sharing her testimony, and has a strong desire to be obedient and help her brothers and sisters come unto Christ. It´s such a blessing to be able to be her trainer! Her Spanish is awesome too, being from Argentina, so by the end of our time together I´m hoping to have almost perfect Spanish! ;) 

This week we had an amazing experience at the very first door we contacted. When we knocked on Reina´s door, she popped her head out of the 2nd floor window and had her Bible in her hand and told us she reads it every day (like every other person here). She didn´t seem like she wanted to hear what we had to share and seemed indifferent. We explained to her who we were and our purpose to help her come closer to Christ, and she decided to come down and listen a little more. To our surprise, she let us in her home. When we sat down, she immediately started to cry and we had no idea why. My poor companion who just started her mission 6 weeks ago was a little concerned, but then Reina started to talk. She told us she was diagnosed with cancer and was really lonely and super worried, and desperate to learn what we had to share. We were so surprised and couldn´t believe that she was the same lady who moments earlier, popped her head out the window, with her old Bible in her hand . We shared our testimonies about the Atonement, shared a scripture from the Book of Mormon and later shared the Restoration. She told us she was so confused and hadn´t felt right in the churches she was in and wanted to know the truth. The Spirit was so strong and we ended up extending a baptismal date invitation to her. Hermana Terrera told me it was the first time she had taught in the first appointment when a baptismal date was extended, and she was so excited and happy. We kept seeing more and more miracles during the week, and set two other baptismal dates with Manuel, a 16-year old boy who already has great friendships in the Young Men´s class, and Ray who have been progressing a ton and are ready to make covenants with God. This month I know we will see baptisms. 

At first I was a little concerned about how to train without the 12 Weeks program and with the other changes, but I´ve found that with more freedom to adapt to the needs of my companion and our investigators, there´s more room to truly listen to the promptings of the Spirit and teach what I need to teach and study with her each day. We experienced miracles this week, being able to apply EXACTLY what we studied together during companionship study with people we contacted. We studied “Question of the Soul” in the chapter about the Book of Mormon in Preach my Gospel. The scriptures we identified as answers to the questions in our study ended up being perfect for the people we found. I love the promise that is in Doctrine and Covenants 11:

¨Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men.¨

I was studying how to truly be a successful leader and trainer a little this week, and found 4 key ways that I can become the leaders God desires:

1-Develop the pure love of Christ FIRST

2-Be an example in all things

3-Have a complete focus on my missionary objective or whatever your objective is in life (eternal life : )

4-Develop greater sensitivity to the Spirit to discern the needs of others and help THEM achieve their potential.

I know that when we place the needs of others first, we won´t have time to be focusing on our own problems and our own needs, and we´ll be SO much happier. This is how we put our confidence completely in God, by placing others first and trusting that God will still provide for our needs. I know my Savior lives and loves me and every one of His brothers and sisters. I know as you seek to help others achieve their potential and meet their needs, your own needs will be met, and you´ll feel the love of the Savior and the Spirit so much more profoundly in your lives.

Have a wonderful week!!

Hermana Doney