This week was an interesting one and I don't have a lot to say honestly. We met with Carmela a couple times. She completely stopped progressing. We have been working on her and her daughter and her daughter doesn't want to listen anymore and Carmela refuses to accept that Christ established one church, and that there is one true church on earth. She thinks they are all true and she doesn't want to choose because she doesn't want to "love us more than the others" because that's "not what Jesus taught". We tried explaining everything to her simply and show her through the Bible and have been working so hard on explaining the Moroni 10 promise but she just won't get it. She says she loves having us over but she told us she only wants us over once a week from now on so she's kindof done progressing for now. We´ll keep going and trying to help her understand and gain a testimony but we will see.
Ramon - we have had a couple short lessons with him in his little beat up house. We sit in his tiny room and he's told us about some of his problems in life. For example, the night after our first lesson with him there was a huge fight at his house and the police were there and he said something about how he was gone for the next few days. I'm not sure if he was in jail but I think he may have been. It's been extremely humbling teaching him. He just wants to be happy and we have been trying to help him find hope through this message.
Humberto, has decided his best source of information to find out if the church is true or not is the Internet. He has looked up some anti stuff and just so much information on the Internet and we have had two very frustrating lessons with him. He was just going off about how because of this and this and this the church could never be true. Joseph Smith died in prison, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, all sorts of things he's brought up and the Spirit was gone as he just went off and as, at least, Dad knows I had a period of my life where I looked up a ton of anti-Mormon stuff and had read so much about the gospel. As he was going off about a ton of things I said "Humberto, listen to me. First off, we're going to go out into the street and ask 50 people if God exists and whatever they say that's going to be what we believe. It's the same with the Internet. We can go there and base our beliefs off of what we read. It would be pointless to go out into the street and ask them because we know God exists. How? We've felt it. We've felt it and we know He's there and that's all we have asked you to do. Go directly to the source. Ask God if it's true. Now do it. Humberto, I've been where you've been. I've looked up so many things about the church, bad, good, and everything in between. I know what's out there, and it never edified me or led me to a conclusion. But Humberto, in the name of Jesus Christ, I testify to you that this book is true. Joseph Smith was a just man, a man of God. He was a prophet of God and I testify to you with all of my heart that Jesus Christ lives and this is His church. I know it with my whole heart and soul. I know it without a single doubt, not because of what I've read on the Internet, which i have and not because of what any man has told me but because of the answer I received from God and I cannot deny that. I asked Him and I felt something I can never deny. Ever. Humberto, it's true. Now ask Him." It was so powerful. He finally just sat and listened as I, through my tears, testified to him of what I knew to be true. I had been praying the night before for the Lord to help strengthen my testimony, and that was it. I will defend the truth at all costs. I will testify till the day I die that these things are true. My comp afterwards said, "Thanks Elder for finally shutting him up with powerful testimony." It was an incredible experience and Humberto said he'll try because my testimony touched him. It was an incredible experience.
Miguel, the husband of Silvia. We started teaching him this week. he is the husband of a member and they have had a lot of marriage issues. He is starting to listen because he wants to try and save the marriage but hey, you've got to start somewhere no? So he's doing well so far. We´ll see as time goes on what his true desires are.
We had a lot of time passing by references. We had a really good problem this week. We contacted so much the first couple weeks we had too many references and had to stop finding people and had to contact the ones we already had but nothing has come from it yet. but we´re still working on that project. A lot of passbys and trying to contact people but not much came of it but that's okay!! It kinda starts to get tough at that point mentally but we're saying as a companionship "We like it when its hard". We like the rainy days when no one will listen to you all day, when we get yelled at all day, and then at 9:50 right before going in you get the number of someone you know you´ll never see again. Those are the kind of the days we love. I have loved the work, and things are incredible.
Spiritual thought:
i just want to focus on one thing from Preach My Gospel I read this morning. It's a simple statement and it is in regards to our ability to let the Lord work miracles in our lives.
He works according to the faith of His children. Doubt and fear are opposed to faith.
The Lord works according to our faith and our trust in him. Although we may not understand the "why" behind everything. We can understand that He knows and we can trust that He knows. So trust him, and I testify that the Lord will work miracles in our daily lives. Two scriptures to go with this, Moroni 7:35-37. I know this is true. The "miracles of the Bible" have not ceased. According to our faith the Lord will work miracles in our lives. So take heed to the counsel in Doctrine and Covenants 6:36 "look unto him in every thought, doubt not, fear not."
I challenge each of you to seek miracles. Not only seek them, but expect them according to your faith.
Love you all!!!
Elder Anderson
¡El reino de dios o nada!
