Before
the last email I sent, things seemed to die down a bit but they picking
up again this week. The miracles we saw at the beginning of the
transfer have come again! I think this is because we have made it apart
of our transfer vision to pray to find the pure in heart. I also love to
pray that the Lord will help us be in the right place at the right time
to meet these prepared people. I think we got a little slothful the
week before because I don't think we were sincerely asking to find the
pure in heart every day like before when the great miracles were
happening. Now that we are mindful to do so we have found so many
wonderful people, including these two humble men from Iran that are open
to learning the message of the restored gospel and want their family to
as well. This past week I read in the scriptures that ''this is
Zion—the pure in heart'' (D&C 97:21). I am grateful that all this
time I have been basically praying to bring forth Zion. How amazing! I
find the miracles we see each day as a shield against the fiery darts of
the adversary trying to discourage us from the rejection and opposition
we face each day.
Some stories out of my miracle bank for the week:
Dennis-
We first came in contact with him back in May. He is from the
Philippines and very Catholic. He was not willing to sincerely read and
pray to know if our message is true so we dropped him about 2 months
ago. We went to visit a potential investigator that lives a few
doors down from him this week. The potential was not home but we thought
we ought to call by Dennis to see how he was doing. No one was at his
home either but just as we turned to walk away we saw him parking his
car to go home. Time has softened his heart a great deal. We were able
to share the message of the Restoration with him and he asked sincere
questions about how he can know the truth. He is now willing to meet
with us again and seems to want us to teach his wife too!
More potential
Chinese investigators! We ran into this one student that used to be
flatmates with a recent convert. I met him some time last transfer and
he wasn't too interested since he is Buddhist. When I taught him briefly
about the restoration in Chinese, however, his heart softened. We asked
him if we could say a prayer with him on the street and he offered to
pray for us. It was such a sweet prayer.
We had the
chance to call or visit Chinedu and Lukman , our investigators from
Nigeria, individually and share with them powerful scriptures from the
Book of Mormon about the importance and blessings of reading the
scriptures. It invited the Spirit both times and with out having to
invite them they told us they were going to read the Book of Mormon that
very night. It has always been a common commitment we leave them both
to read daily from the Book of Mormon and I just thought it was a tender
mercy that the Spirit had planted in their hearts the desire to read on
their own.
One of the greatest tender
mercies from this week was when we left for church Sunday morning and
went to buzz the recent converts, Michael, Steven, and Amanda's, flat to
make sure they were up and coming. Steven answered the intercom and not
only told us they were coming but that they were going to go pick up
CiCi (our new investigator and referral from them) and bring her to
church. I just about cried tears of joy. They haven't been at church in
over a month and both us and the ward have been trying really hard to
make sure they don't go astray. My joy was full! Amanda had slept in on
accident but Michal and Steven and CiCi stayed for 2 hours and the talks
and lesson in Gospel Principles was just what they all needed to hear.
Garry is making great progress. I know he still has a bit to go
before he will be fully prepared for baptism but I just have so much
trust in the Lord to be able to prepare him completely for the end of
September. It is apparent that he is feeling the Spirit and I hope he
has an adequate understanding of what that implies-- that this church
and gospel is so true! It is crucial that we make sure that he is able
to connect these dots.
Sister Klemm and I were blessed
to be able to go to the temple this Bank Holiday. It was such a sacred
day. The members that took us played General Conference on CD on the way
there and back. I just wish to live in the temple. It always
replenishes my supply of peace and hope. In the temple I reading in the
book of Nephi and I have just come to love how Lehi and his family
''began to bear their journeyings without murmurings'' (1 Ne 17:2). I
want to make this my quest for the rest of my mission. I no longer want
to murmur or complain when things get hard or uncomfortable. This week
the Lord was able to teach me about the blessings of diligence despite
our sufferings and discomfort. Sunday night we were finding before going
in for the night for language study when I just had some really
uncomfortable stomach pains. I was tempted to complain and ask that we
go in a little sooner but I ignored the temptation and pressed on. While
finding, we tracted into this young man we met a week or so ago. The
conversation turned into a lesson. I walked away with a greater
abundance of the Spirit and my stomach pains had vanished as well. The
Lord knows when we are suffering and going through a hard time but if we
suffer with patience and diligence, there are greater blessings
awaiting than if we quit too early.
The experience I had in the
temple has strengthen my desire to submit my will to the Lord. In my
last two transfers I want to do what the Lord wants me to do and go
where he wants me to go. My will is His. The fate of the end of my
mission is in His hands.
I decorated my planner this
month with pictures from the Ensign that talk about the history of the
gospel in the different nations around the world. I found the phrase
''Minister to many nations'' in another article, cut it out and put it
on the front cover. It was a prophetic decoration because this transfer I
have seen the Lord bless us with the opportunity to teach people from
all around the world: China, India, Portugal, Poland, Nigeria, Iran and
the UK of course. I love being able to fulfil the Savior's commission to
''Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost'' (Matt 28:19). The
Standard of Truth Joseph Smith wrote right after publishing the 13
Articles of Faith is coming alive in my mission: ''the truth of God
shall go forth boldly, nobly, and independent. Till it has penetrated
every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded
in every ear.''
I am a witness that the work of
the Lord is hastening. We are all so blessed to live in the days of the
Restoration. I know that this gospel is true!
Sister Jordan
My planner this transfer
Yesterday's temple trip
The GIANT spider that crawled out when we were helping a recent convert peel down her wall paper. Yikes. Bring back any girls camp memories, mom? ;)
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