This last week was super awesome though! We cleaned the church last Tuesday and I got blisters on my two knuckles and it looks like I got them from knocking on so many doors so that is what I say when people ask how come my knuckles are red and sore haha, but then I tell them the truth after because I can't lie as a missionary ;)
It was also my dads birthday on Tuesday and I got to call him and tell him happy birthday which is the best thing ever, I love my family!!
We had a super crazy week with Chito and Kathy. We had one lesson with them this past week in which we committed them both to living the laws of the church and they agreed and we even dumped out a beer that was in their house.. Well the next morning Kathy called us and told us that Chito isn't doing as good as we thought and that he has been helping other people not follow the word of wisdom, so we are honestly lost with him haha they were supposed to come to church yesterday but then Kathy accidentally ran over Chito.. yeah it's been a crazy week to say the least.
We had a great lesson with Lionel and we showed the video "look not behind thee" and talked about how great his future can be with this gospel in his life and it was a wonderful lesson!
With Esmerelda we talked about Jesus Christ and her relationship with Him, and it was such a spiritual lesson!! We showed the Because of Him video, and she committed to strengthening her relationship with Him which has been amazing!
We have changed our focus from teaching everyone the principles of the gospel to making sure they first have a relationship with Jesus Christ and building off of that, and it has been working a lot better so far so we are happy about that!
We had a super sad moment with Olga and her daughters, we finally found a ride for them to come to church and when we texted her about it, Olga responded that theyre going through too much right now and can't come to church, but they appreciate all that we have helped them with, so that was super sad :(
We saw Xavier again and he said the first lesson we had, it was a little hard to believe but we testified of the blessings that come from this gospel and he is giving us a second chance!!
We had a successful lesson with Jackie and we taught her about Jesus Christ as well and she said she will work on it as well, and we showed her The Savior Understands Me video, and we were all teary eyed by the end and she said she never realized all He did for us. We talked more about the Atonement, and it was such a powerful lesson and we believe it was her conversion lesson, because her eyes were definitely opened and she told us we have helped her look at things in a whole new way which is awesome!
We received a SELF REFERRAL which NEVER happens in this area haha at least not since I've been here! She said she saw something about the Book of Mormon online and wanted one! Her name is Velma and she only speaks spanish which is awesome! She works every single day of the week between her two jobs which is sad, but we are definitely going to keep teaching her and she is excited to learn more!
We went to Cotulla on Saturday and had the cutest little miracles!! We contacted someone else named Velma who Hermana Abadia Pazos and I contacted during Christmas time, and we taught her about the Book of Mormon and her eyes just lit up! When we invited her to read it, she said "oh i definitely will!" and she is super great potential!
We went to a place called Valdez Bakery for dinner and we got a pizza to share and some donuts, and we chatted with the guy for a couple minutes because he said he recognized us, and after we were done chatting we asked if we could pay and he just handed us the pizza and donuts and said "don't worry about it, don't worry about it, don't worry about it" and it was the sweetest thing ever!
We stopped by Rosalinda and Henry on the way home and taught them the Plan of Salvation because Rosalinda mentioned how much she loves her family! Henry was also cooking out back so he brought us in some pork carnitas which were amazing! They both accepted to read more in the book of mormon though which is awesome!
Yesterday both my companion and I got to talk in church! I shared a lot from President Nelsons recent talk about the need to prepare for this upcoming conference, and it was awesome! I pretty much taught the Restoration over the pulpit which would have been even greater if there were nonmembers there haha but sadly we didn't have any of our friends at church :( We did have a family we have been working with for so long to come back to church, the Johnson family, and they finally came! It was so sweet that in relief society Sister Johnson made a comment about "the sister missionaries never gave up on us" and it was such a tender moment and just makes me love this work so much more!
After church yesterday my wonderful companion had kind of a hard moment, because we had truly worked so hard and had AT LEAST TEN nonmembers tell us they would be at church, and then none of them came, so it kind of hit her hard and she asked me "how do you do this for a year and a half?" and it hit me that I've been doing this for a year already, and although some days are longer than others, it surely hasn't felt like a year! I was able to help her though and now she is back to normal! It is super hard to have discouraging moments though, but the important thing is that we have to recognize that we can do all we can on our part, but in the end, Heavenly Father has given us ALL the ability to choose, and we can't force anybody to do anything. We will see the blessings from our labor though, I know it!
We visited the Johnson family after church and followed up with how it was and they loved it! We gave them a Come Follow Me booklet, and then Sister Johnson proceeded to tell us how all of her family (in Utah) is working on getting back into activity, and as she got teary eyed she said " and I'm the last one before we can get sealed " and it was another spiritual uplifting visit! We have super high hopes for that family :)
We visited with the Sanchez family last night and taught the restoration to little Toni who is 8, and turns 9 in two months but hasn't been baptized yet! She definitely wants to but it has been her parents, but we can definitely see her parents warming up to the idea so we are making a lot of great progress with our inactive members!
We also taught another little kid, Anthony, and he is 11 and we taught him about the armor of God and how important the scriptures are, and we related it to the video game fortnite (because that's all he plays) and how when we read our scriptures we become stronger and can fight off the bad guy (satan) and we made paper swords and then gave him a CTR ring as his "shield" and it was cute!
Well we are about to head to the store and then the Mercado soon, but here is a great spiritual thought!
This week I was reading the talk Good Shepherd, Lamb of God by Elder Gerrit W. Gong from the April 2019 conference, and this part about the Atonement of Jesus Christ really stuck out to me.
"A dear friend shared how she gained her precious testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. She grew up believing sin always brought great punishment, borne by us alone. She pleaded to God to understand the possibility of divine forgiveness. She prayed to understand and know how Jesus Christ can forgive those who repent, how mercy can satisfy justice.
One day her prayer was answered in a spiritually transforming experience. A desperate young man came running out of a grocery store carrying two bags of stolen food. He ran into a busy street, chased by the store manager, who caught him and began yelling and fighting. Instead of feeling judgment for the frightened young man as a thief, my friend was unexpectedly filled with great compassion for him. Without fear or concern for her own safety, she walked straight up to the two quarreling men. She found herself saying, “I will pay for the food. Please let him go. Please let me pay for the food.”
Prompted by the Holy Ghost and filled with a love she had never felt before, my friend said, “All I wanted to do was to help and save the young man.” My friend said she began to understand Jesus Christ and His Atonement—how and why with pure and perfect love Jesus Christ would willingly sacrifice to be her Savior and Redeemer, and why she wanted Him to be."
I think that is so amazing and a great example of Christ looking at each of us. He sees us struggling, in desperate need of help and He sacrificed everything to be able to help us when we need Him. I am so deeply grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and for all of the opportunities it gives me to change and become a better person.
I love you all so much! I hit 1 year this next week which blows my mind, but I love this work so much and wouldn't mind doing it the rest of my life! (sorry mom ;) )
Have a fabulous week!!
Love, Hermana Griffin :)
Trying to get a picture with a Goat!
Teaching Makayla how to play the guitar!
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