Week 5: One Transfer Down

Hola everyone!

Everything is the same with my companionship (thankfully! That´s what we expected, but it was good to be sure :))

I´ve been studying the Atonement a lot and how it applies in missionary work. It´s cool, because in so many scriptures in Alma and DC, the scriptures about missionary work are aften acompanied by scriptures about the Atonement (Alma 29:1-2, D&C 18:10-16, also Matt 26-28 (28:18-20)). Also, in PMG, it says that the better we understand the Atonement, the greater desire we´ll have to share the gospel.

Last Tuesday we found an investigator--Miriam-- that had been taught by the Sis. missionaries that had been here before, and she had a Book of Mormon, but hadn´t read it. We taught her about the Word of Wisdom (following the inspiration of Hma. Walters) and thought we´d taught simply and well. But then at the end of the lesson, she asked us if we wanted some tea or coffee. :S. We explained it again, and she gave us some hot chocolate. She was super sweet! We also talked to Gabriela from last week, and she told us that she´d try to arrange her work so that it wouldn´t be on Sundays anymore. What an amazing example of faith.

There was a cool thought about fasting in Sunday school. The teacher taught that fasting is showing our physical self that our spiritual self is in charge for those 24 hours (or 2 meals). Looking at it that way, it was easier for me to fast on fast Sunday. :)

We taught a less active from Mark 10:46-52, about faith, and how it leads us to act on what we´ve received. We´ve also been working with a couple of youth in the ward and helping them be missionaries. One of them actually gave their friend a pamphlet of the Restoration! It´s so exciting when they catch the spirit of missionary work!

As part of my Atomement study, I studied forgiveness. I love The scirpture in Luke 23:34, and the talk from last conference--The Healing Balm of Forgiveness (Kevin R Duncan). 

We got to teach another investigator--Nelida-- in the little pasillo (alley) where a woman told us none of her neighbors were interested, and where we´ve found 3 prepared people :). She doesn´t have any religious background, but believes in God, and has had a hard time understanding what we teach, but accepts it with faith. 

"The Atonement is the ultimate example of God´s love for us, and of the Savior´s love for God and us." (john 3:16, 1 John 3:16) Romans 5:10-11, Helman 5:10-11

We were able to teach Maria Ester (less active) on Saturday, and she shared that one reason she knows the church is true (besides the Book of Mormon) is that the members are always nice when they see her, even if she isn´t attending church, and we´re always willing to visit her. So really, as we´re showing our love for people, they´re going to be able to see God´s love for them, and have a desire to change.

We also found Patricia, who started crying when we told her how happy the gospel could make her. She was very active in the lesson, and asked questions. She´d been taught once or twice before and had a Book of Mormon, and hopefully we´ll be able to help her and her faith.

FInal thought... I LOVE 2 NEPHI 4 !!!! I´m there in my scripture reading, and was able to get over the shock of vs. 27-28 fairly well, but then I hit 32, and fell again. Hma. Walters describes it as the Psalm of Nephi, and I think that´s a perfect description. 

I know this gospel is true. I love the Book of Mormon, and the chance I have to help other people love it.

Sister Tova S Biesinger