week 27

Querido Todos,

So, this week was pretty busy, with interviews with our Mission President, then Stake Conference (my second one here in the mission) and the baptism of the Elders.  

In this transfer I think the biggest thing I am learning right now is patience, and diligence..  And treating every day as a blessing.  These past few weeks we haven't been having as much success as one would like.. but- it all depends on 1-how is the work we are doing as a missionaries and also 2-the personal agency of the people we teach.  

Real quick I'll share a lesson that we had.  One day this past week we were walking in one of the neighborhoods, and we started talking with a woman, she was carrying her baby and a big bag, so we stopped to help her to her house with the bag, and of course started talking to her about the Gospel.  As we were walking she hadn't really heard anything about the LDS church, and when we got to her house she invited us in, and offered us glasses of water.  So we asked if we could share a message with her, and she said of course.  So we started the lesson, and as time went on we were about to invite her to be baptized when her husband came home.. We explained who we were, a little bit more about baptism, and then invited them both to be baptized.  The husband said 'no.  I don't feel like I need to repent of anything I did in my past, I don't feel any repentance.'  and his wife said 'yes'!  So we tried to put a baptismal date and the wife wanted to accept, but she said she would talk with her husband.  haha darn those husbands.. no just kidding, but at the end the husband offered the final prayer, and I feel like he opened up a little bit more.  We have a meeting with them today, so I hope all goes well!

Something that I learned this week in my study, was about prayer.  There is a section in Preach My Gospel, in Chapter 4, that talks about 'Pray with Faith'.  I was reading it these past few days, and really was an eye-opener.  Although I say it a lot, and we all say it as missionaries, is that prayer is the communication that we have with our Heavenly Father.  And literally, because this is the communication that we have with him, we can in a way 'chat' with him.  Explain what happed in our day, our worries and our happy moments.  We can say anything we want!  We can also ask him for guidance in our lives- In the night we can give thanks for all that we have, and we can also ask for guidance for the next day.  Another part of PMG said 'ask, search, call'  or something like that.. in spanish it's 'PIDA, BUSQUE, LLAME'.   Basically this is how I would like to sum up prayer with a scripture in DyC 9:8

 8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I willcause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.

1-PIDA-  This means ask.  Whenever we want an answer from God, and we need a little bit of direction in our lives, we first need to ask God in prayer what he would have us do.  BUT most of the time He can't just tell us directly in our minds. So, this leads me to...

2-BUSQUE-  Search.  Heavenly Father didn't give us the scriptures just so that we could read a story.  The scriptures including the Bible and the Book of Mormon are literally THE WORD OF GOD, and are for us to use!!  Sometimes we forget that we have the word of God in our hands.  So, first we start with a prayer, then we search for the answers in the scriptures, and what we need to know will come to us through what we study.  then..

3-LLAME-  I consider this point, another prayer.  We need to confirm our answers with God.  Because sometimes we want something in our lives, but God has something else in plan for us.  We need to 'call' on God to confirm our actions.

One last thing.. when I had my interview with my Mission President, the first thing he asked me was 'Hermana Zimmerman.  How is your relationship with our Heavenly Father?'  So, I would like to ask you all the same thing... How is your relationship with YOUR Heavenly Father?  Is there anything that you should be doing, or could do that could strengthen your relationship with Him? 

Have a great week everyone! :)

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Zimmerman   

Baptism of Hermana A.  Hermana Moncada and I contacted her, and the Elders taught her.. :)  But she is such a sweet lady!  Really cool actually-  one of the members of our ward one day was on the bus and gave her a Book of Mormon, so when Hermana Moncada and I talked with her a few weeks ago and introduced us she said 'Yes, I have a Book of Mormon, and am reading it..'  and literally is perfect!  Then we found out she lived in the area of the Elders.. but we met her on sunday in front of our neighborhood and went to church the following sunday.. and she was baptized this past friday :)

Sunday Dinner... ;)