This week was hard. Mostly because I felt really distracted for a good portion of it. Don't know why. But that's okay. I'm better now! But really and truly, I love my mission. There's been a couple times in my mission when I've looked back and thought, "Wow, the Lord has sure taught me a lot" and then I think "what in the world does he want to teach me next... I still have a bunch of my mission left"... and then I think "and then the rest of my life... and then eternity". So I guess in reality I've probably changed such a tiny amount that it's negotiable. If you look at it with an eternal perspective.
So this week, Sister Schelleberg and I have definitely seen miracles.
Firstly, we both made it a goal to try to talk to everyone, or at least more people. The first couple weeks here we hardly talked to anyone, as we were worried about getting to appointments on time and what not. We decided to change that last week. So we started to talk to people. And it seemed for the most part like no one really wanted to talk to us, but we kept talking. And then on Friday we were walking home, and it was almost 9 so we we're in a hurry. We walked past a couple and just said "moi" and kept walking. The wife stopped, called us back over and we started a conversation with her. In the end we taught her how to pray and it was a great experience. When we put in our effort the Lord really does make up the difference. That being said, we still have a lot of people we are missing on the street and everywhere. Vähitellen though. Little by little. I really do want it to become 100% natural and normal for me to talk to people. Sometimes I really think that it's almost unnatural that no one talks to each other. We're all brothers and sisters after all! Why do we ignore each other half the time?
Another miracle. One of our investigators was turning into an eternal investigator, when we heard her niece was being taught by the Kouvola elders. The baptism is probably going to be here in Lahti, and so our investigator can now attend, and really feel the spirit. She's been hard to teach because she already does all the things we teach in church, for example, she already fasts, prays, reads scriptures. But we're hoping that through her witnessing this baptism she'll be able to feel the power of the restored gospel. Okay, that last sentence was really cheesy, but seriously she needs to see that priesthood power isn't just something we talk about. It really is necessary!
Sister Schelleberg and I have really been talking a lot about baptism lately, and why we baptize people into our church. We've discussed how we don't baptize to increase our numbers, or to be bigger and more influential. Sister Schellenberg then said, "we baptize because it's God's plan. Not because of our church. But because it's really the only way to happiness". I liked that. The church, and the programs thereof is really a huge toolbox of things for us to endure to the end together. The gospel is what we live to receive happiness. Maybe I don't understand it completely because I'm having a hard time describing it in words, but it's fun to think about.
Anyhow, I think that's all for today. Don't stress out about life. BE happy. Remember who you are and what you stand for! Te olette parhaita! Kirkko on totta!
Rakkaudella,
Sister Kastendieck
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