So yeah, I love new beginnings...especially when it means living in a new apartment. We finally are in our new apartment. We got the keys this morning and then got busy to pack up everything and get it over to our new place. It took several hours, and lots of stair climbing, but we did it.
So, I am not really sure why, but I have been feeling kinda down this week. I have been feeling kinda tense and I just feel like I haven't been myself. I am not really sure why, but I have spent a lot of time praying and really looking for answers. Also I asked Elder Karmanov for a blessing. What a relief I felt as he gave me that blessing. I felt so much lighter afterward....I just don't even know how else I could explain it. I am so very grateful for the priesthood.
So, V. didnt make it to church again. I was really bummed...again. I was sure that she was going to make it. She even bought an alarm clock this week to make sure that she would get up on time. We will see what happened, and then we will make even better plans to make sure that she can go this next week. SI o SI! This week we had 2 really great lessons with her about the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity. They went great. I realized that what really made it work well was that before those lessons we had taught her about the Plan of Salvation. In these lessons we were able to refer to the plan and remind her that we came to this earth to be more like God as we received our bodies. It totally helped her understand the importance of these commandments and she committed to live them and to teach them to her daughters as well.
Its really sad how lost some people are when it comes to God or religion. We hear everyday "I already have my religion", "I already know God", or "I am already familiar with the Bible". In James we learn that "faith without works is dead". Truer words were never spoken. The other day we were teaching this kid named M. His dad comes out of the house, looks and us and then throws his hands up in the air and shouts towards heaven, "Ay Señor, quita esta tormenta de acà!!!!!" (LORD, TAKE AWAY THIS HORRIBLE STORM FROM HERE!)...refering to us. He then started accusing us of not believing in Christ and changing the Bible and so on and so forth. He just wanted to fight...so we left.
Yesterday, we had a very interesting afternoon. We left our apartment planning on finding some people and boy did we. We contacted 4 houses and out of the 4 houses we contacted we were able to have 3 lessons. One of the guys we found was Hno. V. When we contacted the house he came out to talk to us. My companion explained to him that we had been praying about where to go and that we felt the need to clap at his house. He then asked him why he thought that God sent us. Hno. V. just shrugged and said that it was probably for something. I then felt to ask him again. He started getting emotional and said that it was because he was sad. He let us in and sit down where he began to tell us that his whole family left him about a month ago and now he feels very sad and alone. My heart just aches for the guy. He just sobbed and sobbed. We taught him about Christ's atonement and helped him to know that he is never alone. We left him with the Book of Mormon after teaching him about the restoration. We invited him to be baptized and when we did he said, "I don't have any problem. Just come by and get me." haha. Sweet guy. We are going back to visit him tonight.
.We visited S. on Saturday. I am so glad she emailed you. We started off asking her what she learned in her mission. She talked about how she learned so much about faith and repentance. We then decided to read Alma 56 - where the 2000 strippling warriors showed their faith in what their mothers had taught them. I then shared my testimony that I knew that mothers have a very special role in raising their children. I told her that I knew that she had been given a very sacred responsibility to take care of and raise her daughter, A. I then told her that my mother raised me alone...in the same situation that she is in. She just started bawling. I was so grateful that I was able to tell her of my gratitude for my mother who understood the importance of teaching me of my Saviors Atonement, and I knew that she could appreciate that. She is such an incredible person and member, and has so much faith. She just needs to put that faith into action. We are going to help her.
Well we will see what this next week brings us. I am so excited to see what we find. Keep praying that we find new people and that our investigators will have the desire to come to church!
I keep praying for you constantly. I love you so much! Have a super week!
Elder Gabriel Christiansen
Misión Argentina Resistencia
Catching up on some fotos from the past 2 weeks.....