Week 18
This was the hardest week to date in the mission. Whew…I made it through.
This past weekend our zone leaders had training in Mendoza with the assistants and President. When they came back to San Luis, we too had training with them where they shared what they learned and what the new mission aims are in regards to the new “8 Focuses” from the First Presidency and the Apostles. Training was overwhelming and inspiring all at the same time. We watched clips from “The District,” practiced teaching each other, read scriptures, and shared experiences. From 8:30 am to 1:00 pm, we practiced and learned. One of the approaches we are taking now is to commit every person we teach to baptism, either in the first or, at the latest, the second lesson. It is a daunting challenge, but we did as we were told this week and committed 6 people to be baptized when they know this is the true church. Those were all miracles! In those lessons, we really focused on putting into practice the things we’d just been taught (asking inspired questions, bearing sincere testimony, having charity, etc) and in those instances, we have no idea how the conversation flowed to baptism, but it always did! It was miraculous. Of those, Ana and Felipe will likely continue to progress and eventually get baptized. Two weeks ago or so, the elders that also work in our ward (but a different city) gave us the name of a woman who lives in our area that they talked to in the street. Last week we went to find her house, but weren’t able to actually track it down (this is not uncommon: either people give us false addresses or because the numbering system here is a little lacking—to put it nicely—we aren’t able to find the house). Feeling sad and a little defeated, we decided to make the best of the situation and knock some of the doors on Ana´s supposed street. We knocked on the door of a woman named Betty, but she didn’t let us in. As we were walking to another house, Hermana Deem had a prompting to walk over and talk to this woman who was walking near us. We talked to her, asked her some questions, and then asked if we could come by at another time and teach her. As she told us her name and gave us her address, we realized that she was the Ana who we had been just looking for not 5 minutes before! Talk about miracles! This week we went past her house and ended up teaching Ana (about 60 years old), her husband (Felipe) and her neighbor---Betty! It was a wonderful lesson full of the spirit. They were very welcoming and loving and interested in learning. Ana told us that she prays all the time (for years) that the Lord would show her the correct path to follow. She has visited many churches (with Betty) and even investigated with the Jehovah Witnesses for 2 years (dropped that though because she got bored and didn’t like that they didn’t believe in celebrating birthdays, etc). She was baptized as a baby into the Catholic church, but infant baptisms have always bothered her because she didn’t choose to be Catholic and she thinks people should be baptized like Christ, as in, when they are old enough to make the decision and be baptized by immersion. I just wanted to jump out of my skin and shake her---“You get it! We’ve got your answer!” Felipe was definitely more timid, but he was eager to learn, having not come from a religious background.
The week was hard though with more training, SNOW!!!, hail, rain, puddles and mud, rejection after rejection…and then none of our investigators came to church! We passed by 5 different people Sunday morning for church, and no one was home or wanted to come. Trying to keep my spirits up, we walked the dusty road to the church. We missed the Sacrament, which made me more sad. As I sat there wondering what had gone wrong, I looked up to see, out of the corner of my eye, Ivan and Carina with their 2 adorable daughters. Hermana Sybrowsky and I had been teaching Ivan and Carina last transfer, but they weren’t progressing (didn’t want to get married), so Hermana Deem and I made the hard decision to drop them. I was sad to drop them because they are so wonderful! (they are basically members, but haven’t been baptized). During the 6 week transfer, Ivan and Carina never came to church with us once and now, nearly 2 months since the missionaries had last visited them and they come to church on their own! I just started to cry in the pew. That’s what this mission is about: Seeing people I’ve absolutely come to love and consider family, go to church on their own. After the meeting ended, Selina (their daughter) just ran over to me and hugged me and kissed me. Carina came over and gave me a huge hug and asked where I’d been and why I hadn’t come by. Carina is the only person here who gives me real hugs…it was like getting a hug from a sister I hadn’t seen in years. I was sad that none of our current investigators came to church, but grateful for tender mercies from the Lord: of seeing Ivan and Carina in the church of their own accord.
We’ve been working really hard with the less active members in the area. We are constantly discovering less active members as we talk to people on the street and knock doors. Our ward list isn’t particularly accurate, so it’s always an adventure when we are trying to find members. It’s sad to look up someone and talk to their children who have never heard of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and who have no idea that their parent(s) are members of the church. We run into lots of people in that situation. It just breaks my heart! People here are easily offended and easily drift from the church. I’m really learning to have Christ like charity and reach out to all of the Lord’s children. Those who have fallen away need our help just as much as those who haven’t yet been baptized.
I’m learning lots about the power and importance of prayer. We’ve been ended all of our lessons by kneeling to pray together with our investigators. There is just something more powerful about kneeling and the act of physically humbling ourselves before the Lord. The only recorded prayer offered by Jesus Christ (as recorded in the Bible) was offered in the Garden of Gethsemane…on His KNEES! I’ve felt more power in my prayers and more in tune with His will than before. I’ve got a long way to go, but I’m inching towards greater understanding one step at a time.
Thanks to all my friends and family for the letters this week! It was much appreciated! I showed off all the cute drawings (and Argentine recipes from magazines) to all the missionaries here. I am so lucky to have such a great support system. I love you all!
Hermana Lauren Pelton
PS—to all who would like to email me, just email the letter, picture or whatever to my mom at alpelton@yahoo.com. Just put my name in the subject and she can forward it along to me. Thanks!
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