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| Final pic with Pres. and Sister Owen |
Hola Todos!!
This week was good, but also a bit sad.
This was our final week with President Owen. On Thursday our new President, President Henke, will arrive and take his place. Though I am sad to say goodbye to the people who have practically been my parents here in the mission field, I am trying to prepare for whatever guidance and revelation Pres. Henke will bring to the mission.
Our baptism on Monday fell through, and her pareja won't come back to get married until the end of July, so we were pretty sad but are going to continue working and praying. Another sister (Paola) who we have been teaching, who has already finished reading the Book of Mormon, is down to one cigarette a day, and wanted to be baptized but was unsure because was afraid to come to church, finally came this week. After weeks of passing by her house with members and finding it empty, this week when we did not pass by, she came to church by herself. She arrived late, but as soon as they finished passing the sacrament she entered, and at the end of sacrament meeting she told us she was going to come back next week. We were and are thrilled :)
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| an awesome family who came to church (not Paola) |
I wrote this next part as part of my final Weekly Report to my mission President, President Owen, but thought you all might like to read it as well:
I have learned and changed so much in my time here on the mission. I came as a person who, in short, wasn't bad. I tried to be kind and do things right, but I have come to realize here that I have so much more to do. I have come to understand God's love and His plan for us. I have come to understand the potential that I, and we, have as His children. I have found that before, I had the same mindset, more or less, of the many people we talk to every day in the streets who tell us that we just need to not be bad to make it. I thought if I didn't break the commandments, if I went to the church activities, and attended the temple occasionally I would be good. And though perhaps I would be okay, I have realized now that He has so much more planned for us than for us to be okay. He plans for us to become like Him. He wants us not to only live with the weaknesses we have and learn to be thankful for what we see as our few strengths, He wants us to overcome our weaknesses. He has prepared a path, with all of the necessary trials and experiences, that allows us to overcome them, if we only learn to trust in Him, and if we make the most out of every one of them.
I am trying and going to do all that I can to be the missionary that the Lord needs me to be. I will continue trying to learn how to give all that I have, without running faster than I have strength, and find and give joy in the journey.
Love you all like crazy!
Hermana Naatjes
