I Love the Plan of Salvation!

                                                    My Zone

 

I know I say this every week, but this week has been a week of miracles!! When you are a missionary in the Lord's service, it's hard not to see them. Wowza we are so blessed. Miracle one...I was doing family history this past week and went through the entire lineage that we have on dad's side. I was looking specifically to see where temple work needed to be done, so I requested ordinances each time I saw one. By the end I clicked on the temple ordinances that were ready to take to the temple, and guess how many names I ended up with? 43!!!! 43 names to take to the temple!!!! AAHHHH!!! You have no idea the happiness I felt in that moment and the joy that filled my heart. So I'm going to be sending you a whole lot of names to take to the temple, so you'll have to get on that okay!?

 

                         
                             Hermana Mcomber and Hermana Hoj
 

Now another... So you know how last week I told you about the miracle of the Rocha family coming to church? Well, we have even better news now. 1. We set baptismal dates for their girls for July 7th! We're giving Hermano time to come back to church and be able to perform the ordinance, and he has been doing really well! 2. They came to mutual on Tuesday night, and Hermano y Hermana stayed for the Book of Mormon class. and 3. They came to church again yesterday!! and 4. (one more) The girls are going to girls camp! Really all of those things are such incredible miracles!!!! It is such an incredible experience to witness people change. The Atonement is real people! We found some new investigators this week too which was really awesome, because that is one thing that we have been struggling with. In the mission it seems like there are just moments where you have a ton of investigators and instead of leveling out in between it just drops and then the cycle starts all over again. But it is all so worth it. One of the investigators that we have been working with a lot this week is Sebastian. He is 16 years old and he is so awesome. It's been kind of hard because his parents are super Catolico. They said that it is his choice, but they are not super supportive of him talking to us, but they tolerate it. We haven't really been able to meet a whole lot with him but we have been able to talk with him on the phone and teach him through the phone almost every night this week. At first I didn't think it would be very effective, but we really have already seen the most incredible change in him. He has the strongest desire to be better and to know what is right and what will help him. We are still trying to get in with him so that we can visit with him face to face, but we know that we are helping him a lot right now. In the past he has struggled with a lot of self doubt and self harm. He has been so open with us and we have been able to see how he is changing out of that mindset already. We had a pretty crazy experience while we were on the phone with him the other night...let's just say that the power of the adversary is real...it is so strong...but we know and have now seen that the power of God is always more powerful and if we call on him in our time of need, we can overcome anything. It was an interesting and eye opening experience, but I am incredibly grateful that the Lord is there to help us in any moment that we may need Him. Sebastian is progressing and changing so much already. Last night we had an incredible lesson with him on the Plan of Salvation. I LOVE THE PLAN OF SALVATION. There is so much hope in the plan that God has prepared for us, it is remarkable how perfect it is. We got to one of my favorite parts, the three kingdoms. We were explaining them and then at the end asked him, "Sebastian, where do you want to go?" He said, "I want to go where I can live with God and Jesus again!" We told him he can also live there with his family for eternity and he just kept responding with literal ooh's and ahh's and whoa's. That's what I think too! Wow the plan is so amazing! Then my favorite part of all. He said "Yeah, I'm aiming for the top one so I can give Jesus a big hug. I'll be hugging Him and He'll probably say, 'Umm...you can let go now...' and then I'll just be like, 'No! Wait! Just a minute longer!' " hahahaha it was the best reaction ever!!! I think that will be the best moment ever, and He certainly won't let go! Wow, wow, wow. That's all that I can say. Then, we said a closing prayer and he said the most sincere prayer I think I have ever heard. I love listening to people pray who are doing it for the first time. It is so pure, so humble, and it truly is a real conversation with God, not just a rote recitation. He asked questions with more sincerity and more concern than I have ever heard before. I truly believe that I am learning more from the people that we teach than they are learning from me. I just don't know what I would do without this experience, it is changing me and helping me more than I could have ever imagined. But wow am I oh so grateful for it. BEING A MISSIONARY IS THE BEST!!!! Look for opportunities to be one yourself! Love you all and have a stellar week!!!

Hermana Hoj

 

                        Some of the amazing food I get to eat all the time!