"The Sister missionaries called to see if I would take an 11 year old investigator to see a baptism in Tempe West Stake. I agreed and took her to the baptism. She sat with the Sisters. Almost all the seats were taken so I sat in the back row by a guy I didn't know and tried to be casually friendly by sharing the hymnbook, etc. It was a very spiritual baptism of a 40 year old newly married couple. I was especially touched because I felt really close to you and Jessica since this is what you are doing each day. I had a very distinct impression that I was suppose to share those feelings with the stranger next to me. (Really?) So, when it was over, I asked if he knew the couple. He said he had "seen them around." So I asked if he was a member of this ward and he said that he was a "wanna-be." He had been baptized many years ago and had strayed and was wanting to come back and get his life in order, and try to get his 21 year old son to join him. So I just told him that I did not know this couple but that I felt the Spirit of Christ really strongly because my two children were on missions and this is what they get to do each day.
He asked, Where?
And I answered, "My son is in Honduras and ..."
He interrupted, "I was just in Honduras last week. I was visiting my girl friend in San Pedro Sula."
"Really, my son is in San Pedro Sula!"
"Where? My girlfriend is near downtown."
"My son is also near downtown. Is she a member?"
"No. Here's her picture."
"Here is my son's picture in front of his house. My son is an excellent missionary. If you would like to give me her address, I can pass it on to my son so he can teach her the gospel."
He shows me more pictures on his phone. We talk about the photos and then I ask if he would like to give me her address. While pulling up pictures, he has also been texting his girlfriend and has asked her if he can give out her address for a missionary to visit. She messaged back "Thanks" with her address.
We both thought that God must have directed our meeting. :)"
Pretty cool, huh? What are the chances of that happening? That's my missionary mom right there. Well anyways, this week I got permission to go and visit this hermana and ran into even more miracles. She wasn't home when we showed up at her house, and so I felt impressed to ask to use a neighbors cell phone to call her. A friend was visiting these neighbors, and let me use her phone. As I was calling, the neighbors ratted out the visiting women and told me that she had served a mission and was also "Mormon". The reference from my mom didn't answer the phone but we started talking to this ex missionary, who isn't participating in the church as actively as she could, and were able to invite her to come back to church, to which she agreed. She then led us to another house and we taught a lesson to a lady who has a son in the US who is a member of the church. She has been waiting for missionaries to arrive at her house for a very long time but they rarely pass by that sector. We challenged her to be baptized, and she accepted. She then told us about her sister, who lives in our area, and told us to visit her, as well as several other references. Leaving that appointment, we stopped by the house of the reference from my mom and she was there!!!!!!!!!! We taught her for about 5 minutes and then asked her, "Hermana, do you believe that it is coincidence that we are here?"
"Obviously not," she told us. What, then, do you think was the intention of God that my mom talked with your boyfriend in a random baptismal service in Arizona and sent us here? She replied that God has a plan for her. Five minutes into the lesson, we challenged her to be baptized and she accepted.
God is not a god of coincidences. He does have a plan and he uses us, when we are obedient, to fulfill and complete his grand designs. This work is real, this church is the church of Jesus Christ restored in its true form by living prophets ordained with power from on high. I testify of that from a dinky little faded green internet cafe in Honduras to whoever reads this in whatever part of the world you are. The evidence of this exists and is waiting for anyone who cares enough to read a little navy blue book called the Book of Mormon and pray about it. If we aren't afraid to open our mouth, to be led to those who need us, and to take advantage of those moments when life gives you lemons. God will work miracles. Many times God makes citas fall so that we find the person that he really wanted us to find.
Other news... we are teaching a lot of really great people. One 20 yr old we found and who accepted an invitacion to find out for himself the truth and be baptized if he receives and answer in the affirmative has already read about 200 pages of the Book of Mormon in the past week alone. There are so many cool things that happen every day on the mission.
Spiritual quote of the week: If we want to know God, we serve him. If we want to know God better, we serve him more.
I know this is true and I have learned so much about myself and about others and about God in the past months by dedicating so much of my life to Him. My goal is to become a consecrated missionary, or to give ALL that I have in the service of the Lord. The happiest nights in the mission are when you crawl into bed and you are exhausted out of your mind and your feet hurt but you know deep inside that you gave it your all and the rest is in God's hands. If things are in God's hands they always end up awesome. Lets put more of our lives and the world in God's hands by doing what He has told us to do.
Elder Moffitt
 |
| Teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in San Pedro Sula |
No comments:
Post a Comment