Week 60 - San Rafael

This week a story. A story of Esperanza. 

This week Thursday Sister Jeffrey and I were able to go on exchanges I was in San Rafeal looking with her for the day. We started off the day by really setting a goal to contact ten people and invite them to church. We walked to and from places looking for people and literally just ran into people on our walks that God placed in our path. At one moment we weren't sure where to go so we said a prayer for guidance. Sister Jeffrey being the amazing spiritual giant she is of course received a place and we went. 

We went to a street that they had been looking for someone earlier in the week but they didn’t find what they were looking for. But on Thursday, on Thursday the Lord needed us there and we found the street so easy. We parked and went to try the less active on the street. Let us point out here that we are in an English area looking for English members at this moment.

We knocked on the door and the moment the door was opened I knew the women in front of us was Hispanic, she was the housekeeper for the family who wasn't home. We say talk to everyone right? Well the spirit didn't give me a choice, he knew, and contacting began. We asked to share the hallelujah video with her and she accepted knowing that it was only 2 minutes because she had to leave to get home soon.

So the video began and the spirit swooped in and tears started streaming down her face. I asked her what she was feeling when the video ended and she hugged Sister Jeffrey and I saying that we had come in the exact moment that she was in need. She continued to explain how her husband had died two years earlier and that right now her kids aren't living with her, but that she was so grateful we had brought a message about Christ and how we can all be resurrected because of Him. We gave her our information and invited her to church, she lives in San Francisco but made sure she could call us to find missionaries by her. She hugged us again and the door closed and she hurried to finish everything up in the house. 

Sister Jeffrey and I walked away speechless for some time and basically just wandered down the street talking about how the Lord leads us and blesses us and about how strong the spirit had been in that moment. One of my favorite things was when this women looked at Sister Jeffrey and asked me if she spoke Spanish as well, I said no and she said something that hit me so hard. She looked down and then said "Oh, well it doesn't matter, you can see it in her eyes, she brings a message of love." 

What a blessing and what an experience we continued talking and realized we were aimlessly walking and needed to go back to our car, as we walk Sister Jeffrey being the amazing missionary she is asks if we should go back to give her a Book of Mormon. I wasn't sure but as we got to the car we looked over to see our friend putting all her things in her trunk to leave. We looked at each other and then just ran. I grabbed the first El Libro de Mormon that I saw and just started running. Let's talk about how we always need to be with our companions and we really shouldn't run from them... Is there an exception if you are running to give someone salvation?

Well we ran and we got to her, she was surprised to see us again but I explained we wanted to leave her with a book. I gave a quick intro to the Book of Mormon and tried to put into words the love that I have for it. Did I mention that the Book I grabbed just happened to be the book with the only Spanish restoration pamphlet the sisters had in their car.

The women grabbed my arm and she said you are back so I must ask you a question. We said of course. She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said "will I see my husband Jesus again? I've believed my whole life I would, but somebody told me that that isn't true." Through tears she explained more of her husband and the love they share and how he always told her she didn't need to worry because he would be waiting there for her in heaven, but at the moment she wasn't sure because of something someone else had said. The spirit was so strong and Sister Jeffrey and I stood with her and through tears bore testimony. I told her and was able to promise her that she would see him again and that they in fact could be together forever. I bore my testimony of the plan if salvation while she held my arm and closed her eyes to listen. And you best believe that Sister Jeffrey was right there and you best believe that I could feel the prayers she was so earnestly offering in her heart that our friend would be able to feel of the message.

I stopped and I said can you feel what is here right now and she opened her eyes and nodded. The spirit in that moment testified to me that what was said in my setting apart about angels praying for me to find those that they needed me to find was being fulfilled.

With the spirit strong I told her that her husband had lead us to her that day. I said we are solely instruments and through the spirit and your husband we were able to find you today.

This beautiful child of God looked at us and said "I know I will see him again in heaven and I know that you two will be there too". Our friend grabbed both of our name tags to really read our names and she hugged us both again she said "I know God is there and that he loves me because he sent two angels to me today". We ended saying she could call us and we would find the missionaries that could go and share more with her. She said of course and hurried to her car as she did have to leave as she looked at and hugged the Book of Mormon. 

We walked back to the car in silence and sat for a moment in the spirit. I know that I was sent to the Santa Rosa mission to do many things and one of those was to find her, to share those small but powerful moments with her. I may not be able to teach her the rest of the gospel or know what fully comes from our meeting but I do know we were guided and prepared in every way for that moment so full of the spirit. And I know that one day in heaven we together will be able to remember that special moment. 

I love being a missionary and I love this gospel, I LOVE it. I could probably actually talk about it all day. I know the Lord loves us each and will put so many things into perfect place so that we can receive the help and blessings we need to continue going throughout this life. We share a happiness that nobody else will ever be able to surpass and the privilege it is to be able to wear the name of Christ, the one who made that happiness possible, has changed my life forever. 

And one last thing, our friend that we meet, her name was of course Esperanza translates to Hope.  Because even in the hard times, when things feel lower than low, because of the Savior we always and forever will have hope. :)

As I was studying this week I realized how the spirit has been changing my heart step by step on my mission. It's so crazy to think about the things I've developed and learned, of course there is still so much more to go. I remember reading Preach my Gospel when I first started out as a missionary and wondering about so many things and how they work.  Reading it now I find myself thinking ahh yes I know what that is, that's an awesome feeling. Just goes to show when we are doing what is right while asking for help without us recognizing in the moment the spirit is working with us to change us piece by piece. The spirits got quite the job.

Do you all remember Jairo?  We visited with Jairo this week, what. Yep we saw him, he's alive, he's not dead. So we saw him and we talked and we were like yo you want to get baptized? Ok then get your act together. He said he still does so do you know what we did? Well we did none other than teach him the law of chastity and the word of wisdom and he accepted them both completely so that was great. We had a little kerfuffle when he tried to convince us that if you take a shot once in a while it's actually good for your health, but besides that everything was well. We established some baptism stuff and he promised to come to church. 

Something amazing happened at dinner, well not like super amazing but a realization. I remembered how upset I was to leave my last area, Woodland and I realized... Novato has taken its place in my heart, wow. The people here I love I think I've really like REALLY figured out how to be a missionary here and things have been going so well. I've seen this area progress so much. Whatever happens next week with transfers it will be hard to leave. I can't believe the missionary I am now and the person but I'm SO beyond grateful. Love is a very powerful thing that I think people sometimes take for granted and being able to feel Gods love for someone is even greater.

Elder Field and Sisters

Hermana Soba!