This week has been quite interesting! Still working over here in Heredia. My companion and I get along SO WELL! She is so humble and wonderful! I am truly grateful for her. She helps me want to be a better missionary.
This week we are praying that R and O will be baptized! It's been so hard to help them take this step, but that's just a sign that the Lord has many things in store for them and that the adversary is working very hard. I once saw a sticker on a bus that had a phrase that called my attention: "No digas a tu Dios que tienes una gran problema, diga a tu problema que tienes un Gran Dios" ("Don't tell God you have a grand problem, tell your problem that you have a Grand God!"). I love that.
J is doing well. It's been hard for us to see her because she has started working, but we came by surprise on Sunday to see her because she didn't come to church.
We met several new investigators this week that are so great! We did divisions with some members this week and my lovely companion contacted a woman named M who had just moved to our area. We visited her the next day and she told us that she had been praying that God would send her somebody sent by Him to help her. She also said that when my companion contacted her and told us to pass by the next day, she told herself that if we came, she would know if we were sent from God and if not, that we weren't. It was pretty literal. She has a baptismal date for April 12!
Yesterday, we met a family. We contacted the father, J, on the street last week and he told us we could pass by on Monday. We were able to meet with him and his family yesterday and they are so prepared! His wife is named M and they have a 14-year-old son named A. When we walked into their home, I felt like I knew them. They've received the missionaries in the past and A has gone to mutual and LOVES the church. We put a baptismal date with them for April. The Lord truly does prepare His children to receive His truth! For example, in the past, J and M couldn't receive the missionaries very much because of their work schedules, but now their schedules have changed and they are able to attend church on Sundays! This work is true. We just need to have faith!
I was studying Preach My Gospel this week about setting goals and there was a word in particular that really caught my attention: stretch. It was repeated 4 times! In this part, they are using "stretch" in the sense that means "change." Every change we need to make will require us to put an additional effort. So I made my own acronym for the word stretch. Whenever I am feeling down or confused or mad, I remember these things and I always find what it is that I need:
S - Say a prayer
T - Trust in the Lord
R - Reject excuses, and Raise my faith
E - Effort/work
T - Turn out (love others, don't be selfish)
C - Choose to be happy
H - Humility
I hope that this can help you as much as it helps me! I love you all and remember that the Lord loves you more!
Hermana Whitman