One thing I have learned here is to look for the little things. Like previously stated, I have not had some of these crazy experiences that happen to so many other missionaries. I haven´t walked past someone and felt like I needed to turn back to find out that they had read a Book of Mormon from a garbage and are looking for the truth. Those things really do happen. To missionaries here in the DR. But I have learned to find the miracles in the seemingly ordinary. We are looking for some new investigators right now (we´re always looking but even more so right now because no one is progressing). We weren´t having much luck and then the other night we asked the elders if they would mind driving the divisions of our area with us so that we could see just how big it is. Turns out we have an entire area that I didn´t even know existed. So now we´ve got more places to find people. For me, that´s a little miracle. It´s a very rich area so it will be another miracle if anyone opens the door, but it´s the little things people.
Enrique and Rosa accepted a date for baptism in December! Enrique came to church again this week and it is awesome to see that this family is finally progressing. Everyone told me I was crazy for teaching them so long but it just never felt right to stop. The Lord has His hand in these things. We still need to get them baptized, and Rosa still needs to come to church...but they have a date. And for me, that is a little miracle.
We had a neat experience the other day while walking to an appointment. I saw a lady sitting on the corner bawling. It was pouring down rain and I wasn´t sure what she was doing out there with her two kids without an umbrella. I stopped and asked her if we could help. She said that she had just walked from Haiti (long walk) to find out that her boyfriend is cheating on her and now she doesn´t have a house and that they hadn´t eaten in a few days. We sat and listened and comforted as best as we could. I wished that I could actually do something to change her circumstances and help the situation but at least we know that she felt that someone cared enough to stop. Then we pulled out the dinner we had packed (2 packages of crackers haha) and asked her kids if they were hungry. They nodded and accepted the crackers. She stood up and told us to keep walking and so we left after that. It made me so grateful to have been blessed with so many things in my life. We really take for granted those tiny things each day. That we have umbrellas to keep us dry, or homes. That we have people to love and care for us. Each time we have food and never have to go hungry. These little things that we never even think to think about are miracles. They may not be grand in the eyes of others but they are the hand of God working in our lives.
I had an exchange? (how do you say intercambio in English?) on Friday with one of the sister leaders, Hermana King. We are actually pretty close and so I love when we get to hang out for a day. She´s just about to finish the mission and is an amazing person. I have never met anyone with a greater ability to make others feel important and valued. She is amazing. I talked to her a little about Alex being inactive and she told me something interesting. She said, "Hermana, don´t question the plan of God. He knows what He is doing. This country needs some strong Priesthood leaders. He needs to try His leaders and sometimes His leaders need to overcome great obstacles. Maybe he is inactive right now so that when we comes back he will be strong and will never fall away. He needs to experience the power of the atonement so that he can help all the other people that will need to use it in the future. The Lord knows what He is doing. Trust Him." That was an answer to my prayers and for me was a little miracle. The Lord really does know what He is doing even if we don´t always understand.
I am blessed to have a wonderful companion who loves to work hard and loves the gospel. We are learning so much together. She has been here a month now but teaches with great power. We have had some really special lessons where the spirit was present and strong. I have no doubt that we will become life long friends. We have had a lot of spiritual experiences together as we learn to trust in the Lord and have patience in His timing. As we´ve started to look for the little miracles in the path and keep working and doing our best even when we´re not seeing these huge successes and huge miracles. We´re planting seeds. We´re working little miracles. And someone somewhere down the road will reap the big benefits of our little actions.
I hope you guys are looking for those little miracles in your lives. Find a way to help in the work. You will feel the Lord touching your life and working to bless you in ways you could never imagine. Love you all! The Church is true!
Hermana Ewell
No comments:
Post a Comment