Things are really starting to heat up here in good old San Juan. Por FIN!
Veronica, Lourdes, and Ariana FINALLY came to church yesterday!!!!! And things could not have gone more perfectly. The members were great, they prayed in front of the class, the participated like crazy, and all of the members were blown away at the strength of their testimonies and their faith in the Savior Jesus Christ.
It was one of those, ¨Even if you only bring one (3) souls unto me, how great shall be your joy.¨moments. We´ve been working so hard with them, and so has Satan. This past week, their family quite literally fell apart. Some things that had been happening with her husband came to light this week, and their little family kind of shattered. We passed by on Friday and Veronica told us. She looked so sad and just hopeless. She was struggling to tell her girls. Saturday we passed by again, and they were all there. We were supposed to go to another baptism, but in the light of all that happened, they didn´t feel up to it.
Veronica told us that the first thing Ariana said when she told them about their dad was ¨Mom, we need to call the Hermanas.¨ I asked her why she´d said that. She told us it was because since they started listening to us, even though they´ve been struggling, there is a difference in their house and in their hearts. ¨The Lord has shown us so much love through you, his servants, we need to stick together now. Stand strong, as a family. And you have the message that we need.¨
I am blown away at the depth of understanding that these two teenage girls and their mother have of the necessity of trials, but of the importance of faith, and the unwavering love of our Savior Jesus Christ. I love them so much, and although it is heart breaking to see them go through this trial, I am so grateful for the Lord´s timing, and for allowing me to be an instrument in his hands to bring them EXACTLY what they need to push through and be victorious!
This week has been another one of reevaluation. I feel like that kind of happens a lot in the mission. But there are so many aspects of this work that we have to cover. In the mission, there have been a lot of changes the last couple of weeks, a ¨re FOCUS¨with numbers, key indicators, and just an overall re-vamp in attitude. Satan´s forces are hard at work on the hearts of the good missionaries around the world, and our mission has taken a big blow the last little while.
In my reading in Jesus the Christ, I´m in the part about parables. Which I absolutely LOVE. There´s one in particular that hit me this week. ¨A sower went forth to sow.¨It talks about how a sower sows his seed, the seeds fall in many different places, some in fertile soil, where they can grow and flourish, some among rocks, where the earth is to shallow for them to take root, some among noxious weeds that grow up and choke their growth.
¨The secret process of the growth is a mystery to all save God alone. A man having planted seed must needs leave it alone. He may tend the field, removing weeks, protecting the plants as best he may, but the growth itself is dependent upon conditions and forces beyond his power to ultimately control.
The sower in this story is the authorized preacher of the word of God; he implants the seed of the gospel in the hearts of men, knowing not what the issue shall be. Passing on to similar or other ministry elsewhere, attending to his appointed duties in other fields, he, with faith and hope, leaves with God the result of his planting. In the harvest of souls converted through his labor, he is enriched and made to rejoice.
The lesson is one for teachers, for workers in the Lord´s fields, for the chosen sowers and reapers.
Let the seed be sown,even though the sower be straightway called to other fields or other duties; in the gladsome harvest he shall find his recompense.¨
We are all called to different duties in the phases of this great work, some are sowers, some are reapers, in Jeremiah it talks about hunters and fishers. Some have a chance to do a little of each, while others go their whole lives (or missions) without directly ¨seeing¨ the results of their hard labors. Sure, at times it´s difficult, sure at times we´d like to see more of our ¨success¨. But the job of the sower is an important one. It paves the way and sets the scene for those who will work in the harvest.
Even those who start the process, who give that little seed it´s start, have the promise that if they do their duty, with faith and hope, and submission to the will and timing of God, they will receive the ¨Gladsome Harvest¨.
Until next week, I love you all so much!
xoxo Your Hermana C
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