So this week was amazing. Still in awe of how perfect this week was. It wasn't that it was without bumps and mess-ups, but it was just so obvious that God was orchestrating every little piece of every day. We had 27 lessons, 4 baptismal sets, and 5 new investigators. We are planning a wedding for Esmeralda and Jose! We are seeing so many amazing miracles here, and we are so very grateful. The Lord is merciful and kind and all-knowing. He knows exactly what He wants to have happen in this area, and all we have to do is do His will. Just keep chuggin' along, following the Spirit and seeking the know the will of the Father. That's how miracles happen. It's great.
One of many miracles we saw was with Esmeralda and Jose. Jose was actually taken to jail for speeding, but Esmeralda had no idea where he was. Our hearts broke as we sat with her on her front porch and she cried, watching her sons and worrying about how she was going to provide for them now. She was able to at least find a job - although she hated it. Just seeing her so broken was hard. We decided to go visit her one day, and as we were talking with her outside, the front door opened, and JOSE CAME OUT. WHAT! We were freaking out - Hermana Bacy literally screamed haha we were like, "Hermana! Why didn't you tell us!" They both smiled and laughed, and Jose actually hugged both of us haha it was so good to see him! We sat down and had a lesson with them - we set a date for their wedding AND their baptism. They cried tears of happiness and were so grateful for us. They told us that nobody had every helped them so much or even cared about them as much as we did. We choked back tears and told them it was because we loved them. And that's when it hit me, stronger than ever before, that if you don't have love for people, you won't change lives. You can't! Love is what changes people for the better. It has been such an amazing experience watching how far Esmeralda and Jose have come. I love them, honestly, and I can't wait to see them enter the waters of baptism and be just ONE step closer to Heavenly Father.
The second experience was with Michelle, one of our new investigators. She is friend's with Dulce, another girl we meet with. Michelle told us that she just wanted to talk about God, but as we met her, we felt her spirit and knew instantly that she was special. I don't know what it was, but as we sat in her apartment and got to know her, I couldn't deny the fact that God loved her so much. She told us that she was really interested in wanting to know more about our church, so we told her all about it! She said she could feel something really good in her heart, and we testified that that was the spirit. She visibly got happier and happier the more we talked, and I wasn't even nervous to invite her to be baptized. She instantly accepted it, with tears in her eyes. We set her for September 26th! God prepares people. She is such an incredible human - with so much strength. She is 22 years old, going to school, working, and raising her 1 year old daughter by herself. I can't even express how amazing the gospel will be for her and her daughter, Maya. Ah! God is good! (oh also a miracle because she speaks SPAANNISH! So good.)
Ah just so many amazing things this week! I am constantly taken aback by the love of God and by His ever-so-spanning knowledge of every single person. I am so grateful that I get to feel, even just a little bit, of the love He has for His children. There is absolutely no other place I'd rather be right now. Sure, I'm exhausted - emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally - but it's worth it. Every single day, I just fall to my knees. I can't go to bed without thanking my Heavenly Father for His infinite power and His infinite love.
There is so much happiness to be had in this life. Go find it.
xoxo
Hermana Brie Gould
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