We taught Lindsey again this week. We took Sister McKinley with us, and she was the perfect fellowshipper for Lindsey. Sister McKinley has gone through many of the same challenges and trials that Lindsey is now going through. It was so wonderful! Unfortunately, Lindsey is going to be moving north of Weatherford soon, so we won't be able to keep teaching her, but the missionaries in Weatherford are going to be real excited to get a new investigator!
As missionaries we have to meet everyone to find the elect, and we have definitely been running into some strange people lately.
One of these was a real sweet old lady. We went and knocked on her door and immediately she invited us in, before we even told her who we were. We started talking and getting to know her and doing how to begin teaching and stuff. We were communicating real well, even though our spanish isn't perfect, she understood us and it was good. We found out that she thought that we were Jehovah's Witnesses and that was why she invited us in. But, she said that she likes to listen to anyone who talks about God
Then we started teaching. It was all good until we got to the savior's earthly ministry. Then it was like there was a wall between us. She couldn't understand a single word we said. We might have well been speaking in Japanese for all the good we were doing. It was really weird. She literally couldn't understand anything we were saying.
She blamed it on our spanish, but I know that wasn't the case, because we were communicating just fine a few minutes before. I think that it is because she simply isn't ready to hear the gospel. Someday, though, when the missionaries stop by, she will be ready and then she will understand.
"He who hath ears to hear, let him hear." Mark 4:9 I never before realized that when Christ said this at the end of many of his parables, he was talking literally as well as figuratively. There are some people in the world whose ears can't hear the gospel.
Then there was another guy, named Manuel. Sister Potter and I actually tracted into him awhile ago, and we decided that we wouldn't go back. But then the elders referred us there, and I didn't realize it was the same house until we sat down to start teaching, and then I realized that I had been here before in the almost exact same situation. Deja vu?
Manuel is super smart and has read the bible many times. The only problem is that he won't let us teach. Before we can say anything, he just starts spouting off scriptures and rattling them off. Many of the scriptures that he shares with us are actually Preach My Gospel scriptures and many of the points that he makes are principles from Preach My Gospel as well.
He is super friendly but he can't stop talking long enough for us to get a word in edgewise.
But you have to find the crazies to find the elect. That is just how it works.
I spoke in Spanish Sacrament. There was only one family there, and our investigator. We definitely have some work to do to help build up God's kingdom.
I shared one of my favorite mormon messages: Earthly Father, Heavenly Father. Here is my translation:
Padre Terrenal, Padre Celestial
"Paternidad noble nos dio un vislumbre del divino." -James E. Faust
Estoy despierto. Recuerdo de El. Miro sobre ellos antes de salir. Estan en su cama, no estan al corriente de que miro. Yo salgo, ellos duermen. La casita que proveo es su mundo. Ellos juegan, exploran, apreden de moverse, de sentir, de ver, de conocer, no piensan como todo llego a existir.
Creyones, juguestes, libros, todos son para ellos. El refrigerador abre, la despensa abre, ellos esperan que hay comida. Ningun pensamiento, ningun duda, solo hambre. Cereal, leche, yogurt, dedos sucios, caras sucias. Son llenos.
Ahorita es tiempo para los siestas. A mi esposa le gustan las siestas. Otra vez, estan en los comodos que proveemos. Mientras que trabajo, estoy lejos pero cerca; siempre pienso de ellos.
Mi celular llama al timbre, solament escucho el respirar. Sonreo; el celular de mi esposa ya esta perdido.
Hago todo para ellos. Trabajo para que pueden crecer. Confian en mi; yo quiero hacer el mismo. Ven poquito de como todo llego a ser, no hagan preguntas, solamente confian.
Regreso a mi casa, brazos. Ahorita soy un caballo. Cenamos. Nos cepillamos los dientes. Tiempo para las pijamas. Finalmente, es tiempo para dormir. Otra vez, duermen en las camas que proveemos.
Sera su protector, sera su amigo amiable. Sera el conyuge fiel de mi esposa. Soy un padre, tambien soy un hijo. Y mientras no entiendo todo que El me hago; se que todo que soy y todo que tengo es por que El es un Padre para mi. Estoy al corriente de que todo llego a existir.
I then read Abraham 1:2 and talked about the connection between fathers and the priesthood, shared some examples of righteous fathers from the scriptures. {Adam, Jethro, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Lehi, Jacob, Alma the older, Alma the younger, Joseph - the husband of Mary, etc}. It is interesting that the Book of Mormon begins with a tribute to a righteous father. I talked about how Parents should teach their children, and talked about my righteous father and all that he has done for me. Then I connected it all back to our Heavenly Father and bore my testimony."De todos lo titulos de respeto y honor y admiracion para Dios, El nos pido a dirigirle como Padre." -el Quorum de los Doce Apostoles
I am so grateful for the righteous fathers in my life: tanto mi padre terrenal como mi Padre Celestial. (both my earthly father and my Heavenly Father, it sounds better in spanish).
-Hermana Julie Anna Sanchez
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