Super Chilly in Chile :)

June 9, 2014

This week has been super chilly and on top of that both of our heaters broke so we had to layer clothing even in the apartment to keep warm.  haha I am kind of used to it so it’s not bad. Pour Hermana Diaz and Lastra were so cold. They were hopping around all morning in their sleeping bags cause they were so cold, (well Hermana Diaz was hopping in mine hhaa)  It was so funny I’ll send pictures haha.

We had so many neat lessons today and I love being with Hermana Diaz because I know her already and we get along great. I think we both have changed a lot since we lived together before. We had this neat lesson with Victor who was not progressing at all - he has been investigating the church for 20 years and today we had a lesson with his wife and she was like “We are looking for the truth and for an answer” and I was shocked she said that cause she never stays for the lesson or gives an excuse of why she can’t listen to us.  Today was different -  it was amazing. She said that they want to know and that they want to go to church, she explained how they might lose their job, where they work on Sunday and then they could come to church. Bitter sweet blessing… but ya it was neat.  Also the time before we read victor all the questions to be baptized and this time he told us that there are two that he is not doing and he said going to church will help him with these two things. It was pretty neat. Now we are going to pray to know which two things he is struggling with.

Wednesday we got to go see Loreto. Sure love her. This time her mom joined us and we read “The Living Christ”. It was so amazing because her mom said she was never going to listen to us but she did and it was so neat to see Loreto teach and testify of the gospel to her mom.

Later that day we went to go see Matias and Carla with President Molina. It was so great to have Pres Molina come out with us and to see Carla and Matias progress! Carla even went to mutual this week, her first time in the capilla!

Remember the story of Paola who got her answer in sacrament meeting during the song of Hermana Huber?   Well we visited her this week and she now has the goal to get baptized. We talked about that sometimes with answers from God we get a very strong answer and then we need to walk by faith and do what the Lord wants us to do. He won’t give us the same strong answer every day.  I shared my experience about when I wanted to know if I should serve a mission. Well it goes a little like this. I didn’t want to go on a mission but when the age that missionaries could serve changed I felt the strongest impression that I needed to go. I was not too happy to be honest, I’m a big fan of honesty, but I had been raised by good parents that had taught me that being obedient to the promptings of the Spirit is very important. I went into my room and picked up my phone to call the bishop to ask to get an interview because I wanted to go on a mission. Right before the call I said a prayer just to make sure. Let’s just say a tidal wave of the Spirit came over me and I felt loved, I started to cry and I knew that the mission is where the Lord wanted me to be for the next year and half. It was my answer. I then started the process of filling out my papers and all that stuff and I remember thinking, “I still don’t know if I want to do this, what am I doing?”  But I would think of the time the Lord gave me my answer and I would feel peace. I knew that there was a reason I needed to serve a mission and even though I didn’t know at the time the Lord did and I knew it was important to trust in the Lord because He really knows what is best for us. After telling my story I told her,  “Paola serving a mission was the best thing that has happened to me  in my life,  I got my answer and then had to walk by faith but now I can testify it was the best for me and God knew that.”  I told her the same thing will happen to her with her baptism. She got her answer and now she needs to go forward with faith and do the things the Lord wants of her and she will look back and realize that her baptism was one of the best things that has happened in her life and it will bring her more happiness that she can imagine. She said. “You are right I will be steadfast in the things I need to do.”  It was so neat. I know that God knows what we need. He knows us better than we know ourselves and He will guide us in our lives to what we need. I have seen that with my mission. I really didn’t want to go on a mission but it has changed my life. I love my mission and I love God and am so thankful for Him to help me get to where I am today. I know that He will never lead us astray so go forward with faith because I know one day you will look back with gratitude that the Lord sent you down this path. He loves us. Follow his counsel.

Hermana Jennings