2 Mormons vs 20 Testigos... who comes out on top?!? 🚪👊🏽🕴

Week 34

Annnnnnnd were back!

This week was way better than last. We are definitely on the up again and I got hope that the trend will continue! 

I am fascinated by the Jehovah's Witnesses. I never have really understood their beliefs. It is something I wish I studied more before the mission. People always get confused if we are testigos or not when we knock on their door. I never really understood why. I was always like "seriously? Are we really that similar?" That is, until I got to this area where there are wayyyy more of them and we pass by their chapel frequently. I have started to see some similarities, between the way that they dress when they go to church, the way they all come together to clean it, and more than anything, the way they go 2 by 2 knocking doors on occasion. Yesterday, we hit the testigo jackpot on complete accident. We had planned to visit someone we found about a week ago on this road. As we approached the hill, we see a pair of testigos.  Lit, no problem--we just say "buenas tardes" and pass them by on our way to the house. But as we crest this hill and start going down, the road is LITERALLY FILLED with Jehovahs Witnesses. Like every single house had a pair knocking on it. My companion and I were smack dab in the middle of them all. So, we decided to change plans, hold our Book of Mormons up high, and hoped that our plaques shined in the burning sun to differentiate us. This story really didn't need to be that long, but it made us laugh really hard and was honestly a missed opportunity to trade my LDM for one of their bibles 😔

        

    Hija 😘😘

Anywayyys back to the real stuff...First and foremost being that Andrés was able to be baptized on Sunday! Wooo!! It was incredible to see the work he put in to be able to come and have everything work out just right. The service was great and the Spirit was so strong. Fasting brings miracles everytime I swear 🙌🏼🙌🏼

Other miracle on sunday, our new little friend Luz! We found Luz literally the day before knocking doors looking for her mom, who is an inactive member. She is 11 years old and literally the sweetest thing ever. Her dad let us come in and talk to her. We talked about faith and baptism, and told her our friend would be getting baptized the next day if she wanted to come to church and stay a little longer to see it. She said yes and that she really wanted to go. We picked her up at 8:30am on Sunday morning. The giirl is the most responsible 11 year old I know. She was completely ready to go when we got there, even though it was early. Anyway, she LOVED church and when we asked her what her favorite part was, she said "definitely the baptism. Now I'm sure I want to have my own". When we dropped her off with her dad,  she marched right up to him and says "dad, I'm going to be baptized in the church next week". We were like 🤯🤯!!! Even more so because her dad said that it was chill with him. So now we're working with her to get baptized on Valentines Day! Huge miracle and major proof that God has people prepared NOW to hear his gospel and make the changes to be baptized, whether it's a 50 year old who sends a Facebook reference, or an 11 year old who is crazy smart. 

Only other thing I can remember is that we had a lot of random animal run-ins this week. Check the google fotos if you are interested 🐇🦜🐕

Also hit 8 months in the mish. Bonkers. Almost halfway! 8️⃣

I read Jacob 5 in the Book of Mormon this week--the famous allegory of the olive tree. Honestly this chapter always kind of confused me, but reading it as a missionary has really changed my perspective. I love the last part of verse 75:

"And blessed art thou; for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my commandments, and have brought unto me again the natural fruit, that my vineyard is no more corrupted, and the bad is cast away, behold ye shall have joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard."

I have absolutely seen this to be true. As members of the church, but as missionaries especially, we are the servants of the vineyard that work together with the Lord to bring more souls unto Him. When we are diligent in that work, we are blessed to have joy through the fruits of our labor, which is to see Christ change the hearts and minds of our friends. I love being a missionary. It is the hardest, most stress-inducing, sweat-producing work, but it is also the most gratifying. I have never been happier. 🌾🌾

Thank you for your love and support! 

Bout to hit it out the park with lecciones con miembros this week, 

-hermana Stephenson 🤝🤝