Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Exchanging Miracles

sent 4/27/2015

Last Tuesday, I got to go on exchange with Hermana Aguayo, a boss missionary. She and her companion are actually over our area, but as Spanish-speaking missionaries. That Tuesday morning, the appointment we had with an investigator we found last week fell through. (In fact, she dropped us). So, as we separated the wheat from the tares, we decided to keep our heads high and find those that will receive us (D&C 42:8)!

Just as our companionship study ended, we received a referral from Church Headquarters (a media referral) and jumped for joy! We knew that Heavenly Father answered our prayer that morning. Then another HQ referral came in. Then another. And another. By the time we left the apartment that morning, we had 7 HQ referrals!

Almost every hour, we received a HQ referral. It was freaking us out (just so you know, that normally does not happen)! By the end of the day, we'd received 30 HQ referrals. A few were actually in other areas, but a good chunk of them were for the hermanas! MIRACLES.

We knocked on the door of one of the referrals. A lady opened the door. We asked for Armando and she said that he passed away 3 months ago. Whut. She didn't know him too well, though, because she's renting a room there. We offered to show her #BecauseHeLives and she accepted and ended up as a new investigator for the Spanish hermanas! The Lord works in mysterious ways. He had to use media referrals to get us to find the people we need to teach!

And last Thursday, I also got to go on exchange to Strasburg again! I came to the same conclusion as last time....I will never be able to live in a country town. I like my ghetto area (#citysister). Unless, of course, I got to ride donkeys all day. I felt like Mary and Joseph #HeIsTheGift but I survived the country ways. Now, let's be honest. That's a true miracle in, and of, itself.

Sister Wen

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

4/20

Sent 4/20/2015

Today is April 20th, national weed day, or at least that's what they say here in weedy Colorado. This means I am smelling weed as I type out this post. Yum.

J CAME TO CHURCH! Not sure if I ever talked about her before, but she is way cool. She's a 16 year-old investigator whom we've been teaching for over a month now. Her mom isn't active, but J's been wanting to be baptized for a couple of years now. It's just never happened. The Lord was preparing her all those years and now missionaries are harvesting the seed!

Last Friday, we visited J and brought Brother Robinson, a ward missionary and Elders' Quorum President, with us. She expressed to us her concern of going to church without her mom and her little brother. So, we did as missionaries do and bore sincere testimony of the blessings of going to church. You get to take the sacramental bread and water. You get to feel the Spirit. You lead your family by example and your family, in turn, is blessed for it in many different ways. When you place God as a priority in your life, everything falls into place in some way in some time. There is so much to church attendance than the actual attending church part. The rest comes in as you live the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So on Sunday, we texted J and asked her if she needed a ride. She said YES. Sister Reynolds and I were jumping for joy, hearts full of rejoicing because we were afraid her fears would stop her from attending church. So, we frantically were able to get her a ride with Brother and Sister Robinson #truemembermissionaries AND SHE CAME TO CHURCH! She got along great with the other young women and was invited to girls' camp in the summer.

There were also 5 less-active families at church, 3 who haven't come in months and 2 who haven't come in years.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is true, no matter what. It must be taken to all of the world. What a privilege it is to be able to do that!

I invite you all to live the gospel every day this week and see what a difference it makes in your lives. Even if you're reading this and you haven't prayed or read your scriptures or gone to church in your life, now's a great time to start.

Sister Wen

P.S. I was informed that today is also the anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High School many years ago. Let us remember all those affected by this incident. Just know that the victims of this incident are safe - Alma 14:10-13.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Raking in tumbleweeds, raking in blessings

Sent 4/6/2015

EASTER. I love Easter. It's a day where all Christians around the world celebrate the event of one Man, who made it possible for us to be saved, for us to live again, and for us to be perfected in Him. How cool is that? Even cooler, though, was being able to watch the prophet and the Twelve Apostles. If you haven't watched it yet or missed it, watch it here! And listen for the inspiration and guidance God is giving us in these latter days.

The other day, we saw a tumbleweed. The only time I have ever seen tumbleweed has been since I've been here in CO. I consider it a wonder of the world. Anyway, since Sister Reynolds had never seen a tumbleweed before, even after being in CO for 16 months, we had to take a picture. Welp, as she ran out behind it, we saw a lady sitting outside on her porch smoking a cigarette. After taking the picture, we ran up to her and she asked,

"What are you ladies doing today?"

"Taking a picture with tumbleweed."

Then, as the great missionaries we are, we brought up the #BecauseHeLives video. As she was pulling it up on her phone, her phone died. Luckily, I had it recorded on my camera so we watched it with her. She loved it. TURNS OUT, she'd driven by the new church building many times and always thought I need to go inside that building and I need to go to a church again. Miracle. We invited her to learn more and she happily accepted!

The field is white already to harvest and we are finding the wheat (not the tares)!

Sister Wen