This week has been wonderful and full of lots of spiritual experiences! On Thursday we had exchanges with the hermana leaders from Zapala and I got to spend the day with Hermana Maldonado from Buenos Aires, Argentina. We had a fun time together and taught five awesome lessons which is great because we never have that many lessons in one day! We worked super hard without stopping that day and it was fun to have an Argentine comp for a day! Nadia, one of the recent converts, when we visited her said to Hermana Maldonado, "You're from Argentina? FINALLY! Someone who know how to talk Spanish!" Hahaha she was just joking around but we were dying of laughter!
Whelp, unfortunately Mica didn't get baptized this week like I had hoped and prayer for. We had a lesson with her Wednesday night after having fasted the day before and she told us that she wants to be baptized, but she can't because she is the godmother of a little girl named Josefina in the Catholic church. She had committed at the beginning of the year to not only be the godmother of Josefina, but to never leave the Catholic church as well. So when she went to Josefina's parents to tell them that she wanted to be baptized, they told her that if she chooses to do it, she won't be Josefina's godmother anymore. As Mica was telling us this she was crying becasue she has received an answer from God and she wants to be baptized, but Josefina's parents just won't let her. I could tell that she really wants to be baptized and I started crying as well because I love Mica so much and I know that this gospel would be the best thing for her and her life. And I told her that as well as I bore testimony to her, but now we are just going to have to pray hard and wait for Heavenly Father to work His miracles. The day after that sad lesson with Mica, I read a scripture during my personal study that really stuck out to me in 1 Corinthians 2:6-7 which says:
6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God that giveth the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
I loved this scripture becasue it helped me realize that although I have done my best to "water" and "plant" with Mica, at the end of the day it is only God who at this point will truly be able to increase her desire to be baptized according to God's time and will.
On the plus side, with our investigator named Claudia, this week she decided to share with us all the miracles she has seen in her life since we started visiting her two months ago. In our last lesson we had kneeled and prayed together, and when we stood up, Claudia started thanking us for all the blessings that God has brought into her life because of us. How there is now a different, happier feelig in her home. How her kids are usually super sick all the time but they have been happy and healthy for two months. How sometimes she doesn't have enough money during the week to feed her kids but now she has sufficient. Even her best friend Romina told Claudia that "the girls" (us) should keep teaching her because Romina has seen a big difference in Claudia and her life as well! But more than anything, Claudia told us how grateful she is for our visits because she can truly see the desire and happiness we have to share the gospel and it has changed her life :) Claudia's words were a testimony of the love God has for every single one of us and how he loves to bless His children when they live the gospel.
I hope you all have an amazing week and I love you all so very much!!
Quote of the week:
It matters not how straight the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.
William E. Henley
xoxo
Hermana Anika Van Boerum
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