First off can I just get a list of all the people who aren't married!!! Holy cow is cupid out and about on BYU campus! I'm super worried about all my friends who get back from missions this semester cause there is no guaranteeing that they'll still be single in 6 months! But congrats to all you love birds :)
The fact that I've been gone for a year BLOWS my mind because it only feels like a few months to me! Then again there is so much happening at home that I can see how a year has passed! To everyone who keeps asking, yup I'll see you in a year;)
I'm officially out of time so my amazing week will have to be described in very few words, something that is rather hard for me. Our greatest miracles are two young women who just seem to get it! There names are Guri and Laydi and they are destined to be great. We taught Guri for the first time two weeks ago and were just blown away that an 11 year old could understand better then any person I've ever taught in all my mission. "So if the church was lost from the earth after the death of Christ, that means that God needed to call a new prophet to restore the church just like He has always done, right?" (JAW DROP) "Um, Yeah, that's exactly right!" "Wow, this gospel just makes sense!" Yes, Guri, yes it does. To those who truly desire to know the truth of all things the Lord is incredibly willing to open their minds to the truth! The saddest part is that Guri's parents only want her to go to church and accept everything....but they don't intend to let her be baptized...safe to say it's been really really hard because she is so prepared and wants to go to the temple! Were fasting and praying for miracles and have refused to change her baptismal date. I know that if it's what God wants, He will open the doors. On Saturday the bishop came with us to talk to the parents and we finally got to see the dad for the first time!!! We changed his mind from 2-3 years to 2-3 months so poco al poco vamos a ver el mano del senor cambiando los corazones de otros!!! (Ed. little by little we see the hand of the Lord changing the hearts of others)
Laydi is also a blessing in my life! The first time we talked to her she told us that the thing that interested her most about our church was the high moral standards that we teach, usually not the first response we get when we talk about the Palabra de Sabiduría o Castidad (Ed. Word of Wisdom and chastity). The other day we were asking her about how her prayers went sobre Jose Smith. The room got quiet and she looked up with big eyes, "I don't know how to tell you hermanas......the only way to describe it is that I felt...well just Padre (Spanish for awesome/amazing/perfect)" and then the other day we asked her how her prayers were going and her response, "I have such a testimony that God truly is listening to my prayers cause He's not only answering but He is also sending a ton of blessings along with the answers!" She told us recently that she is so happy in church y nunca va a dejar de venir (can't think of how to say that in English, sorry!!) (Ed. never wants to stop coming). I'm so excited for her growth and joy in the gospel, it's amazing!
So if our investigators aren't a miracle in themselves (we had 17 new investigators this week which is record for my mission), the members here will not stop blowing my mind with their desires and their awesomeness. Adolfo volunteered last Wednesday to come with us to see less actives on Monday in the afternoon, and then five seconds later he volunteered Moroni to also come with us. We laughed cause we're Hermanas so we can't walk around with two 22 year old boys. None of the people in ward council understood why not so we had to keep hinting at it till they understood and then they all just started making jokes about sister missionaries and temptations (good times!!!). But Monday they came with us and as we were planning stuff out Karen and Jazmin walked by on their way to do visits, PERFECT! Adolfo freaked out about how perfect it was and we did divisions, Adolfo(RM), Jazmin(RM), and I and Hna Garcia, Moroni(RM), and Karen (we're getting her on a mission if it's the last thing that we do). It was an hour and a half of miracles and we seriously didn't have words when we all got back together! Everyone was just silent and smilng they were so happy! I watch all these RMs and just their power and all I can think is how much I want to be like them. Each one of them is so powerful and so amazing in different forms that we just want them with us always! The best part is how willing they all our to help us....it's because they all still want to be missionaries ;)
Which brings us to Sunday, the greatest day of every week of my entire life! We put in so much effort to get investigators to church; coordinated rides, had members pass by for them, passed by ourselves and still came up pretty empty handed in church because it's a vacation weekend. But let's just remember that it's church, the greatest place on earth, so I instantly had a smile on my face! Everyone walks in smilng at us and at the end there was a ton of hugs and so much love shared! Recently the Bishop's been focusing on teaching the members what a testimony really is and making sure that people don't just get up and tell stories for an hour. The result, almost everyone in the congregation bore their testimony and their was time for everybody because the testimonies were short and incredibly powerful! Church can not be a better place!!! This is how it is in my mind, let's take everyone that i love, the people I wish I could spend all day with, the little children who just want to hug us and talk to us and love on us, so much smiles and laughter, and then throw in a spirit that's unmatchable, a bishop who is so excited to make everything happen, teachers who are extremely prepared, and presidents that want everyone to feel welcomed.....WOW, there is nothing better! We have a lot of MA that we're trying to get back right now so the instant they walk in the building we try to make them know how much we love them. They don't have to worry about if anyone will be their friends or if anyone will talk to them because currently there are so many people talking to them that the missionaries can only get a few words in and we're fighting to get a seat next to them :) After church, and we get out late, people just want to stand in the hall and talk....basically I'm having Frontenac memories like none other!
For the FHE on the privada Sunday night the bishop wanted me to sing.....i thought he was joking....not joking....well that happened and it actually turned out super well!!! We sang How great thou art and everyone had such big smiles on their faces that i just kept smiling more. I love hymns because the words are truly prayers and just my testimony expressed in the best way possible! I just love this gospel cause there is no greater joy! Sure I've been happy before, but its never been anything like this!!!!!!
Lots more love,
Hermana Neuberger
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| Josefa's Baptism (She's been waiting for four years) |
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