Cambio = Only the missionaries who will be transfered receive a phone call from President; awaiting this call was worse than hoping for a date on a Saturday night.
.............
And I remain in Ñuñoa with Hermana Camargo:) Although I've finally finished my training program, I'm not quite ready to leave my trainer. The mission field ain't no college campus.
We're struggling to find new investigators. What can you say to people on the street that will interest them in listening to us? "Hey, have you heard about the Mormons??" "Want to change your life?" "Did you know the Catholic church, your church, isn't God's true church?" Anything less seems to bore them, but I'm not as daring as my brother. (I wonder if he reads this?)
Esperanza's baptismal date fell through because she's moving back to Ecuador, but a miracle followed shortly. We fasted last week, and two days later recieved a referral from another ward of a mother and her two daughters who want to be baptized--remind you of anyone? (Guillermo!)
Ximena, Daniela (15), and Valentina (12) are in love with the church. Ximena drank and smoked all through her youth and now has many health problems, but once her friend invited her to learn about the gospel (in another ward) she knew she wanted her daughters to live the standards of the Church. In our first lesson with her, she said she wanted her daughters to be baptized, but didn't feel quite ready herself. We taught the Restauration and at the end invited all three to be baptized the 16th of June. All, including Ximena, accepted with big smiles. Valentina already knows she wants to be a missionary.
Fransisco asked the golden question at the end of our lesson on the Plan of Salvation: "And how can I be worthy to live in the Celestial kingdom?" Yes!!! Be baptized!! "And how can I prepare for my baptism?" Perfect!!! Attend church. "Oh, but I work one Sunday every month." Ohhh...pray and ask for a way to come to sacrament meeting, at least. "Ok! I knelt to pray one night and my roommates laughed at me, but I didn't care. I kept praying." Why isn't he a member already? is what I ask myself.
Finally, it rained. HARD. Trying to visit a less-active and she wasn't home. Sprinkling turned into a flash flood in a matter of seconds and we dashed to the nearest shelter. My glasses resembled a windsheild without wipers and I could only see Hermana Camargo running ahead of me. Two shopkeepers beckoned us into their store and were very kind. I dried my glasses, my Book of Mormon, and observed my surroundings...
Never before have I been inside a liquor store. But only in the mission, right?
The flash flood turned into hail, so we really couldn't leave. It just so happened that the shopkeeper was an inactive member, though, so we talked to him about the Plan of Salvation and he told us his opinions of the Church. In the end, he became inactive because he never had a testimony. He never prayed to ask if it is true.
Please, dear loved ones who are so kind to read my rantings, get on your knees and ask God if this is His true Church. Read from the Book of Mormon and then ask if it is truly the word of God. Remember the miracles of the Joseph Smith story and ask if he really was a prophet called by God to restore the Church of Jesus Christ. If you do this with a real desire to know, I promise you that the Spirit of God will place in your heart a testimony that cannot be denied.
I know it's true, real, and more important than anything else.
With All My Love,
Hermana Sharp
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