Wednesday, May 10, 2017

The House of Many Cultures

Hey Y'all! 

How is everyone doing? This week has been such an exciting week for us in the Highlands. We have seen so many miracles and have seen the Lord purifying us in so many ways. It has been a week of joy and tears and happiness and everything in between and even though there have been hard moments, I have loved every second of it because those hard moments made the amazing moments worth it. Yay for missionary work. Yay for the Atonement that makes joy possible. Yay for opposition that gives us the capacity to experience happiness and joy. Yay for this gospel that has been restored in these Latter Days. Yay for life 👏🏻

As you might remember from my last email, we spent most of last week clearing out our teaching pool because our investigators weren't progressing. While it hurts my heart to do that, I felt so excited for the week to come because I had a feeling that good things were to come. I could feel the Spirit testifying to me that as long as I was obedient to promptings and moved forward with faith, we would find the prepared. As we strived to do that, it happened!! 

On Monday, we met a girl walking her dog on our way to Miranda's. After talking to her, we both knew that we needed to teach her about God and His plan for her. After asking some questions regarding her religious background and her past, we realized that she was truly searching for the truth and had no idea where to find it. We both felt the Spirit so strong as we testified to her of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and the guidance found within its pages. Unfortunately, she wouldn't give us any of her information. She wanted to read the Book of Mormon first and pray sincerely about its truthfulness before moving forward and calling us. We left that night feeling like we were supposed to meet her. Such an amazing experience!

Then on Tuesday, we taught the most amazing couple!! She is from Japan so they met while her was there working for the Smithsonian. When you walk into their house, it is as if you just walked into about 10 different cultures all at once. They have so many neat things from their travels and it is just a treat to be with them. Sister Henderson and I found them on the street but they weren't very interested. Then, on our way to catch a bus a few weeks ago, Sister Moore and I decided to stop by and set up another time (Tuesday night) and they accepted. We brought a senior missionary couple with us to teach them and it was amazing!! This man's son joined the church some years ago and he was able to witness his baptism and even has read the entire Book of Mormon before! He admitted that it was very educational the first time so he was excited to read it again from a spiritual perspective. They even accepted a baptismal date!! Since then, we have been able to go over and help give service as well as watch a video in Japanese for his wife. He has already read 50 pages in the Book of Mormon and she is making her way through her Japanese one. We have felt the Spirit so strong in our lessons and I know that we were meant to meet and teach this sweet couple. I love them with all of my heart and can't wait to continue helping them along this conversion process ❤

We have also continued to work on using our technology to enhance our missionary efforts. We were able to have a lesson with a bus driver that we met who is interested in the gospel but has a busy schedule. We even had a member from the Ward on to participate which was amazing. We are excited to continue to help our investigators to strengthen their faith with all the different means that Heavenly Father has provided for us to hasten His work. We can't wait to continue teaching her and helping her progress :)

On Friday, we taught a less active that we found while cleaning out our phone. Unfortunately, he wasn't very interested in the church. However, it was amazing how strong Sister Moore and I felt the Spirit during the lesson. Even though he didn't want to change much, we were able to follow the Spirit and tell him what he needed to hear. It reminds me of a section in the Ricciardi Letter that talks about teaching with the Spirit. Elder Humphrey talks about how when the teacher feels the Spirit, the listener is also feeling it, whether they realize it or not (D&C 50:13-14, 17-22). So, even though the lesson didn't go how we expected, we really felt a love for him and knew that we needed to teach him. 

That night, we taught an investigator who was being taught by the AP's but needed to be taught by sisters instead. She is so sweet. She is struggling with understanding the authority of the church and is very fearful about leaving the church that her family has been members at for many many years but she reads the Book of Mormon regularly and is trying to gain a testimony of these things. 

On Saturday, we taught Terrance. He is awesome! He is a father who is working long hours to provide for his family and has developed a strong relationship with God. We are in the beginning stages of teaching him but we know that if he is prepared, he will progress and help his family receive these eternal blessings. We are very excited to see what Heavenly Father has in store for him!

Last night we had the fireside and it was AMAZING. I love the new member firesides with all of my heart because you get to see the way people have changed their lives by accepting this gospel and how joyful it is to be a part of it. Kansas was able to make it to that and she really liked it. There were two testimonies (even though I loved ALL OF THEM) that stuck out. One Elder stood up and said simply, "Why do we focus on the restoration of the gospel as missionaries? It's for you. When we pray, we pray for you. When we study, we study for you. The reason we go to bed at 10:30 and wake up at 6:30 is for you. All of it is for you." It truly is all for these people and I love them so much! I am so grateful for this chance to serve the Lord and forget about myself. The last testimony given was by a sweet little boy who got up and was very emotional for several minutes before he bore the purest testimony about being with his family forever and never leaving them. This gospel is so wonderful and it is all because Jesus Christ is our Savior. He lives and because He lives, we need not ever feel permanently sad. We can find true joy as we focus on Him and His sacrifice for us. 

I love you all so much. I know that this is Heavenly Father's one and only true church, with His Only Begotten Son at the head. It has been restored in these last days through the prophet Joseph Smith. The only way for us to fully access our Savior's sacrifice is through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is true and testifies of our Savior and how we can become like Him. As we go throughout our lives, let us try to become more like our Savior each and every day and take full advantage of this glorious eternal gift that He has given us through this gospel. Through it, we can be together forever. We can have joy in this life and eternal life in the world to come. How amazing is that?? I am so grateful for the truths that I know and for the privilege that we have all been given to share it. We can each pray for the desire to share this gospel and it will come, along with pure love for those you share it with. In the words of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's chosen apostles, "God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son." (The Living Christ)

Have an amazing week! 💕💕

Love,
Sister Dorian

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