Well, this week it finally started to get a little colder. It's been between 50 and 70 degrees the last few days and it's been wonderful. Sadly, though, I think I'm getting used to the heat because the first day that it happened I felt so cold! But I know it's nothing compared to Utah snow and winters. I'm grateful to experience something different this year. Good luck with all of you in the snow right now. :)
This was a very blessed week! We had so many new miracles and I have so much to tell. Patricio has been doing really well, but is still having so much opposition. But he is overcoming everything in his own time. He has such a desire to follow Heavenly Father and to be a faithful member of His church. He's been reading the scriptures a ton to find strength and he has been realizing just how much the commandments make sense. He's so wonderful!
This week we had a zone conference and we talked all about planning. We talked about the importance of planning things out well so that we can be in the right place at the right time. With that we also talked about the fact that even if the things we plan don't go through, God will put us in the path to help the people we need. We saw the truthfulnes of that that very night. We had all these plans that ended up all falling through, but it was amazing, because the very last thing on our list was what we needed to do. We went to visit a person we've been trying to teach for a long time, Vicente. He hasn't been returning our phone calls and we've been a little worried. When we stopped by, we found out that he had some doubts about our church because the senator here that passed the immigration law is mormon. We had a really good experience and we able to help him through his doubt and testify that we knew that each person is special to God and that he could recieve an answer for himself from God that this is true. Now he has a great desire to find out for himself and told us to give him a few weeks and then call him again. He wants to be able to study the Book of Mormon out on his own. We know the Lord led us to him so that we could help him overcome those doubts.
Last week we recieved a referral of a lady in our area named Estela. We immediately recognized that she is a lady that we'd talked to before that had no interest in learning the gospel, but had been out of work for a while. We stopped by and saw an amazing change in her. The Lord really has softened her heart to be ready to hear about our message. She's so lost with her life, being a young single mom without work, and knows she needs more. We taught her about the Plan of Salvation and asked her after about what she felt like God's purpose is for her life right now. She said that she knew that Heavenly Father was trying to bring her closer to Him and that He had something better for her life. And then she told us that she had actually been baptized about 13 years ago, but became inactive immediately, but wants to come back to church now. Wow! We were so blessed that we could find her and help her find her way back. Something that I've realized about teaching less-actives is that it is just as important, if not more important, to teach them and help them come closer to Christ because they have already made a covenant with Him. We're grateful to have found Estela and that she is ready.
Last week I wrote about a miracle that we had in finding a lady named Marlen that is truly ready to find the gospel. Well, she came to chruch this week and loved it so much! She told the Relief Society sisters that she'd be coming from here on out and that night she decided to be baptized at the end of this month. She and her mother, Maria, are so willing to accept everything that we have to tell them and are so in tune with the spirit. As we taught her last night, she prayed that one day her family would all be a part of "la iglesia verdadera" or "the true church". Wow!
Yesterday Luis recieved the Aaronic Priesthood! He was so, so nervous, but it went really well and he's so excited. He is so strong in his testimony and I can already see the church blessing his life. When we come over for lessons with him, he likes to share scriptures with us that he's found on his own in the Book of Mormon. He's such a sweet man and always talking about how grateful it is for the gospel. Yesterday in principios del evangelio (gospel principles) he read outloud a scripture and prayed in front of everyone! His reading has improved so much as he has read the scriptures every day. I can see the Lord's hand in his life so much. What a blessing he has been to me. I feel so blessed to be able to be a little part of his journey.
Yesterday, we were eating dinner with a couple in our ward and they asked me what my favorite thing about the mission was and I told them that my favorite thing was the love that I feel for the people. I couldn't help it, but choke up and cry as I told that. I just love being a missionary and I can't believe that I have this amazing opportunity to see how much Heavenly Father loves His precious children, no matter how many times they may mess up, He always sees their hearts and loves them still. And He's just waiting with open arms to recieve them into His love! I know that He feels that way for every single one of us. I hope you all can feel of His love and of the love I have for all of you!
love,
Hermana Anneli Hansen
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