Members Matter

Pues, Hola mi familia! Como Esta?  Estoy bien. Siempre :)

 

WHOOOSH. It has been, a big week.  First, we had just about the lesson that we could have with one of our investigators, Jennifer, I've told you a bit about her, she's got some hard things to overcome, but she is so committed to changing and coming unto Christ. This lesson we had with her, was almost a make or break it lesson, because we could tell that something had been bothering her and it was really holding her back. We decided to plan our lesson and have it be about healing from the Atonement. Somehow, I'm still trying to figure it out, everything fit in perfectly. We brought a member with us, who ended up sharing some personal experiences about how she's been able to find healing, in a big way, through the Atonement. It really opened Jennifer up to talking with us about her concerns. She's started going to the addiction recovery program, and going through the book they gave her brought up some really difficult things from her past. Hard things.Raw things.

 

Remember that picture you sent me in my package of the girl with Christ's arms around her? She was blond. Honestly, when I looked at it the day I got it,  I was confused, I wasn't sure why you had thought of me or wanted to send it to me. Now I know. I gave it Jennifer. She didn't have any pictures of Christ, and we were trying to think of one to give her while planning, I thought of it, pulled it out and showed it to Sister Wright. She looked back at me and said "it looks like Jennifer in the picture." And it did.  So we gave it to her. She really liked it at first. But as we were talking more about the Atonement, forgiveness and healing, she got upset. Crying, she shoved the picture away from her and asked "how is THIS possible?" She didn't understand how God could forgive and heal her from things in her life. I'm not sure how we were able to do it. God was able to call things to our memory to share with her, everything we had been studying, preparing for came forward at this point.  A few lesson ago we had planned on sharing a song with her, on my ipod about Christ's Atonement, during that lesson a few weeks ago, I couldn't do it. I wanted to, but it wasn't right. We shared the song with her this time. I am still a little blown away at how smart God is.He knew everything that needed to happen in that specific lesson. And he prepared a way. He even inspired mom and Shar to send me that picture. Weeks before that lesson. He is so smart. She LOVES that picture now. As we talked more about healing, she picked it up again, adoring it. Soaking in the idea of Christ's arms around her. At one point, the member we brought, put her arms around Jennifer and just hugged her.I wanted to take a picture of that moment, and freeze it in my mind. Because through Lara, Christ had put his arms around Jennifer. Just like in the picture. Members matter. More than anything. They are just about the best of friends now, Lara and Jennifer. In just a few short days. And it has changed Jennifer. In order to move God's work forward, the missionaries and the members must join together. There is now other way that the work can progress like it needs to without the members stepping up. As Elder Anderson said in his last talk "paint your [missionary] badge on your heart." 

 

The gospel takes my breath away. I so badly want people to realize that when we are knocking on their door, we're not just another church of religion coming to convert them. We are messangers of God, sent to bring his children back to Him. It's not just a religion. It's something that is a part of us. a part of our devine heritage. If people, members, investigators and contacts alike, could only truly understand what this is, the world would change. Share it. It's not just our church, it's God's plan for us.

 

Transfer calls came last night, and boy oh boy was it a shoutingcryinglaughingsreaming experience when we realized that President Jones was calling us and not just the AP's. Our dear trainer Sister Wright is being transfered, becoming a trainer of one, and a sister leader person (similar to a Zone Leader). Poor Sister Miller and I will be staying in San Marcos and will be getting a new trainer, a stepmother. We joked last night that we could say "you're not my real mom!" when told to do something by our new trainer. Just kidding, you know we'll play nice. But we are sad to see Sister Wright go. Way sad. She has two transfers left on her mission, and so we won't get to see her much after she leaves. She's been great, and this next transfer will be just as good I'm sure.

 

One thing that Sister Wright did teach me was about picking a Christlike attribute each transfer to work on, she was working on patience this last transfer, and so I decided to start that as well. I was praying and studying about it, and came to Hel. 5:26 talking about Lehi and Nephi when they were in prision. It describes how their hearts took courage and the "did stand forth and begin to speak..." Now, I'm not sure you would count this as a "normal" attribute of Christ, but this is what I have decided to work on for this next transfer. I've come to find that I have a hard time talking sometimes to people. "WHHHAATT??!" you may say, "Cheyenne, have trouble talking? IMPOSSIBLE." I know, shocker. But  I do. I have trouble opening my mouth. Sister Wright told me once that sometimes you just got to open it and pray like crazy  that something good and actually profound, or even understandable, comes out. Sometimes you just have to "stand forth and [begin] to speak." and so for the next six weeks, I would like to study this attribute of testifying more and learning how to use it more in my life. We'll see what it can do to me.

 

Pues, familia. No Tango Tiempo.

 

Keep smiling and scootin' on.

 

Love,

Su Hermana Montgomery