Week 85 - Palmdale

 

I was sent to Palmdale again, and there have been some good miracles that have been given us. For example, yesterday, we were walking and Elder Fillmore said "This isn't right. There's something else we've got to be doing." He turned around and knocked on the door of a potential investigator and she opened, let us in and said her mother needed us. We found the mother, and she had just come back from the hospital 8 days earlier from a fractured leg and an amputation of all the toes of her left foot. She looked at us and said in Spanish "How is that you knew to come here in this moment?" She was in a lot of pain, and we gave her a blessing. By the end of the blessing she had fallen asleep, and the family had gaping mouths. After giving the blessing we gave the family a Book of Mormon and invited them to read it. They held that book as though it were the greatest treasure.  

   There was another man, as we were walking down another street, who was surprised we'd be out in the rain in the afternoon. He said that his father had just passed away, and that he felt we were sent by God. He didn't think he could ever becone better, but we explained the story in 2 Nephi 4 when his father Lehi had died. We invited him to read it. He said he felt he'd be unworthy to come to church, that coming and then sinning and repeating that could be like slapping God in the face, and we told him we go to get clean, not because we're already clean, and Gpd knows when we're trying. He's from Armenia, and he gave us some Armenian soda afterwards. We were going down another street and this lady opened up. After getting to know her a little, she started to cry because she felt God wasn't there. We testified that He was and she said it'd still be hard to believe. We promised that by reading the Book of Mormon, her family would all be blessed. We left her with 2 Nephi 2. The Lord has provided many miracles for us. In my studies I learned the following. It's a quote from Jeffrey R. Holland. 

   In that sense Jesus did not come to improve God’s view of man nearly so much as He came to improve man’s view of God and to plead with them to love their Heavenly Father as He has always and will always love them. The plan of God, the power of God, the holiness of God, yes, even the anger and the judgment of God they had occasion to understand. But the love of God, the profound depth of His devotion to His children, they still did not fully know—until Christ came.

   We often misunderstand the Love of God. 

   I am seeing miracles here on the mission and back home. I love you all, 

love,

    Elder Sant

Week 84 - Buena Vista

 

Monday night was terrible for us. We had just finished a bible bash with an investigator, and another investigator seemed super annoyed by us. I was SO down. But on Tuesday, plans fell through and we decided to pick a street to tract on. We both had the maps in our phones, and we both chose the same street! We went to the street, and on the first door we knocked, there was a lady answered who said she was super interested, and that she'd read the Book of Mormón, and that her family would be interested. 

   We taught hna Jackie, and it was a little late, but we taught her about the Book of Mormon. 

    We taught the plan of salvation to Samantha. She liked it and she understood the importance of coming to church. She told us that she felt like she was too young to know the truth right now and that she felt a little blinded, as though she wouldn't really know the truth until she was old enough to decide for herself. We told her that God would answer even a 14 year old, but she would have to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it and come to church in order to receive an answer and the answer would come directly from God, not from us or her friends. She sounded excited to find for herself. Miracles are everywhere. 

   In the story of the woman who was sick with an issue of blood and knew that by touching the clothes of Jesus, she'd be healed, is such a simple idea, as also is "touching the stones" and making them shine from the story of the brother of Jared. We present the lord with an idea that is so simple and hope-providing, we just have to act in faith. Anything that will make us stretch, if we trust what He says, will provide miracles. Also, I am getting transfered to Palmdale, the same zone as little rock, but in Esperanza ward. I am so sad to be leaving, but what the Lord wants will make me happier than anything I would rather like right now. 

   I love you all,

Week 83 - Buena Vista

This week was good. I had tacos on Friday with our investigator Sandra from a taco truck. We invited her to be baptized, and she was like, "I'll pray about it." We went to Oak ward's district meeting, and it went well. We read Ether 12:14-15

   14 Behold, it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi that wrought the change upon the Lamanites, that they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost.

   15 Behold, it was the faith of Ammon and his brethren which wrought so great a miracle among the Lamanites.

   Sometimes we think it's all on the investigator whether or not they read and find an answer, but it was the faith of the missionaries that caused the faith to change hearts. 

   We were on exchanges, and we decided to stop by an investigator we hadn't seen in a very long time because she hadn't been home or answering the phone. We decided to go over there, and she was outside! Turns out she got a new phone and got super sick. It was cool that at the moment we felt we should go we were able to help her. Her son asked her what we teach and she basically taught him the restoration! It was awesome. We had MLC, and it also went pretty well. We taught Brandon's family, and they want to get sealed in the temple, and so we invited tgem to come to church and repent as necessary. 

   We also taught a man named Luis, who has been investigatingthe chirch for a while. We taught the restoration and invited him to finish 3 Nephi 11, after starting it with him. He told us that the church has to be true, but that he'd have to sacrifice and change a lot in order to accept and join it. We drew out, and then taught the parable of the sower, how there were the seeds that grew quickly at first, and then died as well, but that the strong seeds took time, sacrifice, and effort, but that it would stay strong and grow into a big tree. He could be like the first seed, where it took little effort and we was excited in the moment, and then withered after the moment passed, or be like tge latter, which grew slowly and naturally in to a firm and immovable tree. We told him that he was the last tree. It would take sacrifice and effort, but totally be worth it. 

   In my studies I've been learning a lot about faith. It has been pretty intere

   We taught a partmember less active family, and they just have a pet owl in their shed outside. Keep praying for us, and I love you all.

Week 82 - Buena Vista

 

Hola, this was a pretty good week. To start off, we did some service Wednesday night for a member that's going to move. One of his friends was there, and after we had done the service, we all started talking, and an hermano said that he was a recent convert, she asked what it was, and after explaining it, she said "just like when I get baptized." 

    She said she didn't want to go another week without church again. She said she owed it to God. She came to church, and moved her work an hour later so she could come, and it was testimony neeting, and everything was amazing. She cried! I've really been learning about faith recently, and I see the effects that grow from having it. 

   There was a baptism we went to in the zone, and the man baptizing looked like he had never baptized before, and the man hit his head on the font's steps. It was all super awkward, but after, the bishop held a testimony meeting. One of the investigators in the audience came up unnanounced and in tears bore her testimony. She said something I'll never forget. 

   "My brother died last week. I'm not crying because he died, but because of what the missionaries taught me: the Plan of Salvation."

   She was amazing. Despite a super awkward baptism, the Spirit was still so strong. Here's something I learned. 

   "Giving him enough time to be out of sight, I said my last prayer—that I wanted my family to know I loved them and that Jimmy could make it home safely on his own—then I leapt. There was enough adrenaline in my spring that the jump extended my arms above the ledge almost to my elbows. But as I slapped my hands down on the surface, I felt nothing but loose sand on flat stone. I can still remember the gritty sensation of hanging there with nothing to hold on to—no lip, no ridge, nothing to grab or grasp. I felt my fingers begin to recede slowly over the sandy surface. I knew my life was over.

“But then suddenly, like a lightning strike in a summer storm, two hands shot out from somewhere above the edge of the cliff, grabbing my wrists with a strength and determination that belied their size. My faithful little brother had not gone looking for any fictitious tree branch. Guessing exactly what I was planning to do, he had never moved an inch. He had simply waited—silently, almost breathlessly—knowing full well I would be foolish enough to try to make that jump. When I did, he grabbed me, held me, and refused to let me fall. Those strong brotherly arms saved my life that day as I dangled helplessly above what would surely have been certain death.”

   What I learned: As we take our many leaps of faith, He is ALWAYS there to reach out and take us and never let us go. Every time. Are we destined to fall? No, but to acheive gloriously. 

Even though we feel like nothing is there, just gritty sand, He is there. Even though we feel He is not answering, He is waiting breathlessly for us to take our leap. That's from Jeffrey R. Holland's talk Where love, justice, and mercy meet. 

    I love you all,

   Love Elder Sant