September 3, 2018

Bad luck and MILAGROS

      Well folks... I've officially been in the south. We ate at Bojangels and had a boberry biscuit. We showed up to our lesson with Victoria and she was giddy excited to tell us that she bought 12 of them!!!! 

     This week was one of those weeks where it seems like you get a little streak of bad luck or funny/bad things happen. That was all this week. It's those moments where things happen and it's actually just funny because there is nothing you can do about it. Let's just take y'all on a ride shall we... 

     We went to our appointment and they answered and told us that they were all sick, so we couldn't teach them today. We were kinda bummed but there's not much you can do about it. Then their dog came over to me and peed on my foot. 

     We were teaching a less active member that moved here from Mexico. We met her while we were knocking and we were all so surprised. While reading the Book of Mormon with her a lady from a different church came and knocked on the door. She felt bad refusing her and invited her in. WE WERE TRAPPED. She ended up just bashing us and yelling at us. At the end she was yelling telling us to repeat a prayer so that we would be saved. We just tried so hard to be so nice and she left. 

     During testimony meeting, it took an interesting turn.. I was translating the meeting and literally gasped into the translation set because I was shocked. 

     Sean's a petty big guy... so we were filling the font as high as we could. We filled it slightly too high. We were draining it a little and I dropped the stick to drain it into the font... you only swim once on the mission ya know? SUPER KIDDING. We just had to fish it out with the net. No worries no tragedies happened. 

     Stuff happens and literally you can't help but laugh. The good things that happen always make the bad things feel like nothing. God is so so good to us. This week was full of big and little miracles and we feel blessed. 

On Thursday, we were going to our appointments and they fell through so we did some knocking! Woot woot. We met Linda and she is adorable. Her little son Jacob loved our stickers and she was so open and let us right in. She really was the only person home on her whole street so we are glad we kept going! 

     As I fasted on Sunday I just prayed for more charity. I had a really cool experience. We were teaching a lady and she's just in horrible living conditions. They are such heavy smokers that I can barely breathe in their house, she's got some health problems and addictions, she mentioned they have roaches and bed bugs. As I sat there I kinda went into panic mode. Get me out. Suddenly I just felt a calm rush over me and I looked at her and it felt like it was through all different eyes. I just felt so much love for her, I wanted to help her, I saw her potential, I truly saw her. I realized that's how the Savior sees us. He loves us. He sees all of our imperfections and he looks past them and sees us. I don't know how much she will progress or if she'll ever accept the gospel but I am so grateful for that opportunity to tell her how loved she really is. 

     Esmeralda is still getting baptized on Sep 14. The best news is that her Dad gets to do it. Her dad has been less active for a long time because he has to work on Sunday. I finished translating and walked out and saw him at church with Esmeralda. My eyes just started watering and I was SO happy. He was laughing because I was so so excited. He ended up having an interview with the bishop and he approved him to baptize her!

     David blessed the sacrament yesterday and WOW he did it flawlessly. He drove our investigator and another member to church and walked in with his long sleeve shirt and tie ready to go. Ahh man. Being able to watch him progress so much so fast has been one of the biggest tender mercies. His Mom comes from Mexico tomorrow so prayers that goes well.

     Sean was baptized on Saturday! It was all nuts trying to get it all ready but it worked out! He just said that he was so happy and he couldn't even express his feelings because truly it was pure joy. He bore his testimony after the baptism and just said how he literally felt like the darkness was washed away as he went into the water and he came up and felt like he could see clearly. We are really happy for him and stoked to keep teaching. We walked straight into this baptism after inheriting him from the Elders so we don't really even know him that well. The Elders taught him and left right before his baptism. Sean is a great guy. He is retired air force and now flies commercially. He is taking care of a lot of people right now and is so giving. Just like a humble and patient guy.

     Ultimately, I love being a missionary. I know God lives and that he loves each of us. He reaches out to each of us in a way that we can recognize him and come out better and happier. God is so good. 

Con Amor

Hermana Crofts 

Sean's baptism

Boberry biscuits with Clint and Victoria