On Wednesday we had interchanges with the zone leaders so I
could interview an investigator that was to be baptized that Saturday. The
Elder I was with (Elder Loayza) talked about this investigator as a one in a
million kind of investigator. She was smart, well read, understood everything
the missionaries had taught including both the small details and the deeper
message, but above all she was spiritual and could detect and comprehend the
spiritual impressions she had received. She was ready, but just 30 minutes
before the interview was to take place, she called us, saying that she wasn’t
ready and from further conversation, we realized it was her mom that was giving
her the idea that she wasn’t ready. She totally was ready. I felt that in
talking to her, but she didn’t stay true to the simple, pure, and direct light
God had given to her through the Holy Ghost.
The powers of the adversary are real, especially in
situations such as that, but we all have the power to overcome it as we stay
true to the light that God has given us.
This week we were able to see the fruits of working with
members in many occasions. Both my companion and I got the feeling we weren’t
maximizing these living testaments of the blessings of living the gospel. I
think sometimes people look at us and think we are here to fulfill some
obligation, sell something, say memorized scripts, or some other purpose other
than to share our love for our Savior and invite people to come unto Him.
Obviously this isn’t true, but when members bear testimony and share experiences,
people’s ears start to open as well as their hearts and they suddenly see this
message in a completely new light.
Just yesterday we went to teach someone we met 5 weeks ago,
but because of her work hasn’t been able to meet with us recently. We came with
the 1st counselor in the obispado (bishopric) and the teacher of the
gospel principles class. For some reason, we couldn’t share in her apartment,
so we went to the house of the members. It was one of the most spiritual
lessons I’d been a part of. We didn’t teach anything we had planned, but we
were guided by the Holy Ghost in everything we did and said and the testimonies
and friendship given by the member couple were irreplaceable. I want to better
include members in this great work as part of my resolutions for the new year.
We’re all good and happy here in Dorsal and anxious to do
better this week than we did last week. J
Love.
Elder Birrell
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