Tuesday, March 31, 2015

She Knew We Were Sent From God to Help Her






From Cambree King
Teaching in Honduras 

 This week we found a true miracle. We contacted a lady named Betulia the other day in the Carboneras. We went back to visit her and she was so willing to let us in and share with her. Her daughter has received missionaries before, but she said she has never had the desire to listen. As we got talking, she just broke down crying and said she knew that we were sent from God to help her in this time of her life. She has a son who lives in the states and a year ago, he had a surgery on his brain. He lost all of his memory of his time before and she hasn’t had contact with him since. We testified of the plan of salvation and how this gospel could help her have an eternal family. I have never seen someone listen with such a great desire to know. She couldn’t stop telling us how grateful she is that we passed by her house. Before we even invited her, she asked us when we had meetings in the Church and she said she would be there. 

It’s incredible how the Lord prepares people and puts them in our path so that we can help them experience the joys of the restored gospel. The only sad thing is that the adversary works hard in this work as well. Something happened and she had to go live in San Pedro Sula for a month. We don’t have contact with her, but it was still and incredible miracle to witness and one day she will go searching for the gospel because she knows that it is true.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

We Did Not Meet Her by Accident




From Norvel and Karen Christenson
Teaching in Arizona, USA

We had a particularly sweet experience this week as we were out contacting the less active members we have been asked to find.  The first person we met on our mission was a young Native American woman that we met in KFC.  Through the months, we have "lost and found" her several times, but we have always felt that we did not meet her by accident.  On this particular day, we had not really planned to go to her place, but we were out working in her area.  We had actually planned to go to the home of another family, but not thinking just drove past the turn, so we decided we might as well try to drop in on Jessica.  

When we arrived there, we found Jessica and her son in a cold and dark house.  The day was overcast and gloomy, and she was completely out of firewood to heat her house, and she quickly dissolved into tears as we entered.  We sat down around her table, and she said, "I am so tired of my life.  I want to change, but I keep sliding back into alcoholism over and over, Today, I was so frustrated and lonely and so sad that I just fell to my knees and pleaded with God to hear my prayers and to bring me comfort.  I sobbed and sobbed, and as I sat here at my table with my head resting on my arms, I looked up and saw you turning into my driveway.  At that moment, I knew that God had not forgotten me.  I knew that He had heard my prayers."  

We were deeply humbled and grateful that we had come.  One thing we have come to know for sure is that God loves all of His children, and He uses His missionaries to bless their lives. He is mindful of each of us, 

Elder Norvel and Sister Karen Christenson
Serving in Arizona Scottsdale Mission
Assigned to the Pinetop-Lakeside Stake in the White Mountains

Sunday, March 22, 2015

A Sincere Desire to Live a Better Life



From Braelyn Bean
Teaching in Peru

A couple weeks ago we received a reference of a man named Cesar. He lives way up in the hills or more like mountains. He has a fence in front of his house, so I jumped it real quick, knocked his door, and then jumped back over the fence , yelled his name, all of that about three different times and we could not find him. 

Anyway, just the other day we were kind of in the area and I had an impression that we should go one last time to see if we can find him. We got to his house and a man was standing outside. We asked him if he knew a man named Cesar. He said, "I’m Cesar. Could you come in and offer a prayer for me?  My dad had just passed away two days ago."


We entered the house, offered a kneeling prayer with him, and then explained where his father is and a little bit about the plan God has for us to return to live with Him again. In this moment, he was very happy to have heard and learned more about the life after death, but more than that he showed a sincere desire to change, to live a better life. 

We invited him to church with us Sunday and he accepted. We were sitting in church for 20 minutes...nothing... then we see Cesar making his way towards the church building, him, his wife, their kids, and his mother. He told me that he had taught his family the things we had taught to him. He found a lot of people he knew in the church and is very ready to make the changes necessary in his life for him and for his family.

Monday, March 16, 2015

Building The Kingdom in Honduras

From Cambree King

Teaching in Honduras

Well.... I survived... I have completely gotten a piece of cow intestine through my stomach and I am still living. Pops asked me about the food last week - yesterday we got a famous Honduran dish called sopa de mondongo. And yes... mondongo is cow intestine but don’t worry... Profa linda, the cook, assured us that cow intestine is sanitary because they only eat plants and they keep throwing up and eating the same thing again. I know that is not very pleasant, but imagine someone explaining that to you as you have a bowl of it in front of you that you have to eat. When she left the room I did slide two pieces in a napkin and put it in my backpack to go... for the garbage but hey, I tried it and I survived!

 We are teaching a little boy named Michael. He is eight years old and here in our district we have a joke about all the poderoso ninos! Kids just seem to understand the gospel and have such a desire to put it into practice. Maybe it’s because they just recently came from living with Father in Heaven but either way, there is something incredible about children. He is getting baptized this weekend and we are so excited for him. There is a member named Isabell who was baptized just a few months ago, but she basically claims all the neighborhood children as her own. When she arrives at church, over half the primary comes with her. She is so sweet and has an admirable love for kids. We visit her often and she makes our day.

Monday, March 9, 2015

A Front Row Seat for the Miracle Theater

From Rachel Weeks
Teaching in Georgia, USA


First off, I just need to start with  little funny story that happened last Monday. It was all sunny outside and we have to clean our car every week, so we took it through the car wash. But the guy working there said that we aren't allowed to go through with a bike rack on the car.. So we gave him the key and the wrench and, after about 10 minutes of him struggling and me holding up a whole line of cars sitting there, he had me pull over and asked if I knew how to do it. Well, I looked down at myself in a skirt and said, "Well, I have done it before but it has been a while." He proceeded to tell me that I was using the wrench wrong and tightening it instead of taking it off. After a couple minutes he walked away and I tried it the other way again and what do ya know? Sister Weeks in a skirt and using the wrench the right way got it off. :) YAY! I will try really hard to not be prideful. :)

There is a lady named Mary that we have been teaching. She was taught by sisters in the past, but took a little break. She is amazing. She is one of the most Christlike people ever! She does so much to try to help other people and she knows that what she is getting at her church right now is not fulfilling her.  She said that many people she knows wear a brand of Christianity and do not truly try to be Christians. Her husband said, “You can go [to the LDS Church], but I won't be going with you.” He isn't against her doing it, he just won't come. But she came to church today and she even commented in Relief Society!


Angela is a recent convert in the ward and we are teaching her son Guillermo and his father Guillermo (but mostly he is being taught by the Spanish Elders, but I have learned a lot of new Spanish words recently being around him. :) YAY!) [This family is] amazing! The miracles that have been taking place in their lives in the past few weeks blows me away. It shows me how much God loves all of his children and if He wants something to happen, He doesn't waste anytime for it. I love having a front row seat in the miracle theater, the best one of all. :)



You can read more of Rachel's experiences at http://sisterweeksgeorgiapeach.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

An Incredible Miracle in Hondurus

From Cambree King
Teaching in Hondurus
Cambree on top of Piedra del Cuerpo in Hondurus


Hermana Cecilia, the lady that I told you about who has read the Book of Mormon two times was baptized yesterday in the morning. I have never been to a baptism where the spirit was so strong. She has had the desire for so long and to see her finally enter the waters of baptism was incredible. I feel as though the Lord has blessed us beyond what we deserve here in Sabanagrande. To find someone like her, with such an incredible desire, who basically taught us the lessons is an incredible miracle.