This week was definitely interesting.
Mostly because I hardly left the apartment. Don't worry, I wasn't
sick...but my poor companion Hermana Ward was. It started on Monday and
she wasn't feeling very good. Tuesday, she looked kind of pale and
seemed a little out of it. I kept asking if she was feeling ok and she
told me that she felt 'a little out of it' but we kept working.
Wednesday, she could hardly get out of bed. She slept during studies and
then we left to go to our first appointment. After that, she really
didn't look too good so we called President and asked to go home so she
could sleep. Thursday, we didn't even leave the house because she was
really weak and couldn't get out of bed, and Friday we ended up in the
hospital to get tests done to figure out what she had. She had all the
symptoms of Dengue but she didn't have a very high fever. They ran some
tests and determined that she had a kidney infection (which I thought
was weird because she didn't have any of the typical symptoms but I'm
not a doctor). She was put on antibiotics and now she is doing just
fine.
So...what do you do when your companion
is sick? I started reading Jesus the Christ by Elder Talmage. I washed
all of my garments and socks. Cleaned the apartment, cooked some
quesadillas, ate anything I could find because I was bored, listened to
the same CD about 10 times, and watched the Restoration video and
Legacy...in spanish. If you thought Legacy was cheesy in English, you
have got to see it in Spanish. I also wrote a poem for my companion
pleading for her to get better because I was going crazy.
Although we were confined to the apartment for most of the week, we were able to see some miracles.
On
Wednesday, our appointment we went to was with Helen. Her baptism was
scheduled for Friday. We talked about the baptismal interview questions
and she still had some doubts about Joseph Smith being a prophet. I told
her that she knows it is true, she just hasn't realized it yet! haha.
We committed her to pray specifically about it that night (which we had
asked her to do many times before) and told her to pay attention to how
she feels after. The next day we had an appointment with her in the
morning that we couldn't go to and her interview was that night with the
District Leader. We decided to just call her and ask what happened. She
said that she prayed that night and felt something 'weird but good' and
she said that it was her answer! I was sooooo happy to hear that. On
friday, Helen was baptized a member of the church by her husband, Edgar,
who was baptized 3 weeks earlier. It was absolutely perfect and so
beautiful.
The baptism was great. Our ward
mission leader, Hno. Leo. is AWESOME. He is super busy because she
studies and works (he's 24) but he really does all he can to fulfill his
calling. He put together the baptism and it was really nice. It really
helps to have a ward mission leader who does his job! The spirit was so
strong. After, he asked Helen to say a few words but she gets panicky
speaking in front of big groups of people, so Edgar talked for her. He
expressed how happy he felt to have been able to baptize Helen and how
they plan to never miss church because their lives have changed so much!
Ahhh! I can't tell you what it feels like to hear that. Pure joy.
We
have an investigator, Alberto, who has a mom that I just KNOW needs to
be a member. I told Hermana Ward that I am going to baptize her and one
day she is going to be a temple worker. Her name is Lucy. I have invited
her to church every time we talk to her but she goes to a different
Christian church sometimes and she also works a lot. He had a short
lesson with her on Saturday and I asked her to come to church. We also
committed Alberto to get to church ON TIME because he has not been able
to partake of the sacrament yet. He was like 'I'll try...' so I had my
doubts, but on Sunday, he walked through the door during the opening
hymn....WITH HIS MOM! I was so happy. She loved the church and I really
hope that we can find time to teach her. She will be a great member! :)
After
church, we went to visit a menos activo named Margarita. We had never
met her but her mother in law goes to church regularly so we asked her
to take us to visit her. We walked into her house and she was sitting on
her bed watching TV. When she saw us, I could see anger or hate in her
eyes. I introduced us and asked if she had a few minutes so we could
share a message. She said NO that she didn't have time for us and that
we could MAYBE come back another day. I was like...awkward...what do I
do?! I can't even explain the darkness in her eyes. She looked so
miserable. So I asked if we could sing her a hymn before we left and she
agreed. Before we sang the hymn (I Know that My Redeemer Lives), I bore
my testimony that I know that Christ lives and that she is a Child of
God. We sang the hymn and I wasn't expecting what happened next. First,
she started arguing with her mother in law about personal issues...so I
was thinking 'oh no! the spirit is going to run away!' But then my
companion asked if she could say something and began to testify of the
atonement and plan of salvation. That this hermana had a purpose to her
life and that through the atonement, all these hard feelings she had in
her heart could be taken away. Margarita began to cry! I was standing
there amazed because just a few seconds before I was thinking 'We'd
better get out of here before a family feud begins' and just a few
moments later, she was in tears in my companions arms. The spirit was
able to get through the wall of hurt feelings and anger she had put up
and touched her heart. Something that she probably hasn't felt in years.
I ended up talking to her for almost an hour while my companion did her
dishes. She told me all about her family problems. I won't go into many
details, but she has a really bad relationship with the family of her
husband (who doesn't live with her anymore). She told me that she has
anger and hate in her heart toward them. She is diabetic and has a lot
of health problems. I read some scriptures with her and told her that
she needed to come back to church in order to rid her heart of these
feelings and that Heavenly Father was giving her another opportunity to
change. That is WAS possible to feel happy again through the atonement
of Christ. She told me that she misses going to church, that she loves
the hymns and she knows that she is missing out of many blessing because
of her disobedience.
This is an experience
that I won't forget anytime soon. The change in this Hermana in just a
few minutes was amazing. She had such a darkness about her when we
walked in and because we were able to testify with the spirit, her heart
was softened and was a different person. She apologized for being rude
and had a desire to change.
I know that the
spirit is the real teacher in this companionship. The changes that I
have been privileged to see in the lives of my converts, investigators,
and less actives are miracles. These things don't just happen because I
can speak beautiful, flattering words, they happen because the spirit
testifies to them of the things they need to do to change. Their hearts
of being softened and their desires and being changed to be more aligned
with the will of the Lord.
I am so grateful
to be here on the mission. I am sure my email last week sounded really
sad, and there are many days like that, but then we have moments like a
baptism of someone you have come to love so much, or a dear sister who
just needed to hear that someone loves her and that she is needed here
makes it all worth it.
Also, HAPPY
INDEPENDENCE DAY, MEXICO!! I am wearing an embroidered shirt today -
which I am obessed with. I am going to buy a ton before I come home and
start a trend in the US. VIVA MEXICO!
I love you all!!!!!!!! Thanks for the love and support always!
Love,
Hermana Durham
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