Hello everyone!
I'm really going to try and sum this one up quickly - I feel like my whole day gets away from me when I email! First of all, I realized that I never mentioned all my friends that I saw this Christmas season at the Visitor's Center: David from freshman year, Sister Rachelle Simonsen from the San Jose mission (who should be home by now! and hopefully passing on my love to everyone), and Alex Lammi (who is now ENGAGED). And then I saw this girl named Taylor who went to Girl's Camp with me and I got a small little note from my friend McKay Scoffield. These little blasts from the past were so unexpected but so nice. It was great to see how the gospel really does connect us with the people around us - the world is so small, especially in the church.
We had another baptism this past week for Leo - his mom Ling was baptized three weeks ago. He was a tough investigator - he's only 13 but he had question after question after question. And I'm not sure if I was even able to answer his questions, but the Spirit did and he chose to take that leap of faith and be baptized. At his baptism on Saturday and then again at church on Sunday, Bishop Passadore introduced Leo and told him that as a member of the church, he has joined a community of friendship. There were people at his baptism from China, Canada, Africa, Mexico and various states of America. Bishop asked each of these people if the gospel was the same, true gospel of Jesus Christ in each of their homelands, and each person said yes. It is a continual testimony to me that this is the restored, original church of Jesus Christ because we have a prophet that oversees the entire world. Each congregation believes the same thing, and each congregation studies both the Bible AND the Book of Mormon. And when we are all unified in that belief, we have friends wherever we go, which was the point Bishop Passadore made to Leo. It was confirmed to me again as I thought of all the long-lost friends I ran into at the Visitor's Center this past month and I am so grateful for that little blessing that Heavenly Father gives us as members of His church.
Another thing that I've learned is that the teacher really does learn the most. I try so hard to help my investigators understand the doctrine that it opens my eyes even wider. We had an experience last Monday night where we were cranky, hungry, tired, and just ready to go to bed for the night but we had one more appointment left. So we sucked it up, and just went. We taught Sister Ruiz and her two grandsons, Raymond and Eric, about Nephi breaking his bow in the Book of Mormon. It was a nice bow - steel and everything - but it breaks and his whole family instantly starts complaining and grumbling, even his father Lehi, the prophet. But Nephi just goes to work - he instantly makes himself a new one and goes to the Lord to know where to hunt. As soon as we left the lesson, it hit us that we had started the lesson off like Nephi's family, but not Nephi. We couldn't help but laugh when we realized that the lesson applied directly to us. The teacher definitely learns the most sometimes.
We were so blessed this week to find three new investigators, and we were able to teach them all twice last week. The first two are Elena and Ariel - they are 10 and 11 and their mom is a pretty active member of the ward, but their dad is Catholic. They've expressed the desire to be baptized but their mom wants them to understand the gospel a little more so they can make an informed decision. I've seen their testimonies - they are the sweetest words I've ever heard. It's just a tricky situation because they are pulled to their dad's religion through the ceremonies and rituals of the Catholic faith that they've participated in in the past. I'm praying that they'll be ready for baptism before I leave, which will probably be the middle of February.
The third investigator is Olga - we met her boyfriend Jake last Sunday but she was at work. At first, we weren't sure what to expect, but she's met with tons of different missionaries before and she's totally ready for baptism! She knows the Book of Mormon is true, she knows Joseph Smith was a prophet, she watches General Conference with Jake - it's incredible. The only thing holding her back is the fact that her and Jake aren't married. His testimony is rock solid as well, and we can't determine what is holding them back from getting married. They've been living together for over six years but they say they can't afford to get married. It's frustrating (especially since they didn't come to church this Sunday due to NFL football) but we know the Lord can give them a miracle if they do their part. We taught her about obedience and read 1 Nephi 3:7 but it won't do her any good until she really puts forth the effort and starts looking for other options. It's hard putting God before everything else, but that's one of the biggest tests of life.
I'm also grateful that the Lord knows what I need to do better than I do. We had a day this week where we had three first appointments fall through. It was a little discouraging, but we ended up seeing the people we needed to see. And even though the day didn't work out perfectly, Sister Chipana (my temporary companion) and I had an awesome tour that night at the VC. These two boys came in - Jim and Porter. Porter was 16 and Jim was 14. Jim had joined the church when he was eight, but his family weren't members. They weren't really sure what they wanted to do, and it wasn't busy so we showed them a few Mormon messages. We showed some really powerful ones and had a great discussion with them about the gospel. After doing so, Porter gave us the name of his friend whose father had recently died. Porter wasn't sure what he wanted to send this friend, so I suggested that Jim and Porter watch "Together Forever" to see if their friend would appreciate that video. Afterwards, they said it was the perfect movie and filled out a referral card. Jim also opened up - his mother died this past October and his dad was taking it pretty hard. But Jim knew that he would see his mom again, and he was so calm and composed for a boy who just lost his mother two months ago. But miracles come from tragedies sometimes - Jim's dad has started coming to church and Jim said his dad was going to meet with the missionaries that weekend. There was also a language barrier since Jim's dad speaks Cambodian and doesn't understand too much English still. Jim and Porter live in Modesto, but the closest Cambodian ward meets in the building across from the VC. It's a hour-long drive, but Jim was really interested in getting the ward information so he could bring his dad there.
Jim and Porter were members, but they still benefited from their time at the VC. Their faith increased, they were able to share the gospel with their struggling friend, and Jim was able to learn about the Cambodian ward for his dad. My purpose as a missionary is to bring EVERYONE to Christ, even members. We can always come just one step closer. That tour taught me so much more about my purpose, and I'll never forget Jim and Porter.
I had a similar experience at Leo's baptism. One of our mission rules is that we have to do a baptismal interlude after the baptism for the attendees as people get dressed back into normal clothes. Everyone in the room was a member, but we had already planned on teaching the doctrine of Christ. Even though they all knew what it was, we taught a quick summary for ten minutes and then sat down. We thought everyone was bored to death - my companion even made a comment during it saying that everyone looked like they were about to fall asleep - but it was a rule. Then yesterday at church, Sister Fonnesbeck brought up this experience in Relief Society. She said that she didn't understand why we were teaching that since EVERYONE in the room knew it, but as we taught, she received another witness from the Holy Ghost that the things we were teaching are true. So much of missionary work is working with the members and helping them with missionary work by building their testimonies - and now we've been invited over to have dinner with the Fonnesbeck's this week. As she shared this experience, it also made me aware of how many things I might say that really touch people. I could bear my testimony to people in the street, and they might just ignore me, but the Spirit might help something stick in their mind. It's crazy to think about how much power we have been given as missionaries, and we may not always realize how strong the Spirit is that we carry with us but we have the opportunity to bring people closer to Jesus Christ every minute of every day, no matter where we are.
One more cool VC story: last Friday night, I met a family with six kids - three adopted from China and two from Vietnam. They had only one biological child. We took them through God's Plan and it solidified my testimony that families can be together forever. It took a while to find my little brother Trey, and I know that God didn't lead my parents to this little boy just for this life. There's more - there's an eternal plan. God wouldn't give us our families for this short time that we're on earth just to take them from us after this life. Especially having adopted brother, it's so comforting to know that even though we don't have blood ties, we have more than just legal ties to each other - we are eternally tied to each other. I know that without the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, that wouldn't be possible for anyone, any family. If we need each other in this life, we are going to need each other in the next. It really is one of the most important parts of God's plan. If any of you haven't seen God's Plan for the Family at any of the VC, I "exhort" you to find a nearby temple visitors' center and see this presentation. It can change lives.
Church was great yesterday, as usual. Gerry came to church, which was just awesome. I don't know if I've talked about Gerry before, but he and his wife Elizabeth have been investigating the church for ten years or something crazy, and she was finally baptized back in July. There's something still holding Gerry back, but we keep teaching him because he's so solid. He has a testimony and he's been at church every week for the past month - he even fasted last fast Sunday! We have a super awesome lesson that we're teaching him this Thursday about sacrifice and I don't know if I've ever prepared more for a lesson! We're preparing the lesson, but we're also working really really hard and being COMPLETELY obedient and preparing him with scriptures everyday to lead up to this lesson. We know we can see miracles through our faith and through the Spirit as long as we do our part. There's a quote from Sister Nelson that is pretty popular in missionary work: "Obedience brings blessings; EXACT obedience brings miracles." It's been a process to increase my faith in the past few months of my mission, but I know that the Lord can deliver miracles according to His will. I know if we try our hardest, this lesson might just be the tipping stone towards real progress (aka baptism). I'm not sure what will happen, but I know the Lord has power to make this miracle occur as long as my companion and I pave the way.
So - that sums it all up! Still long, I know - but no pictures this week because this computer is acting up. Have a great week everyone!
And Happy Birthday Dad!
Hermana Hunsaker
