"not a God of the probable"

 Week 62

This week has been generally not that exciting. Between having like no one in teaching now and knocking probably every door in our tiny area and balancing the needs of 6 companionships of hermanas, we've kinda been all over the place. BUT the Lord is cooking something real good up over here.... you can smell it 👃

We'll hit the bullet list quick this week cause there's not much to report:

- ran up 2 exchanges 

- saw a big friendly dog (probably had fleas)

- turning over every rock to find the elect 🔍🪨 (including the brick fields)

- accidently drank a bottle of unfiltered water 💀💀

- got bobaaaa

- multi-zone conference with 5 ZONES! 

The main thing I wanted to share this week comes from zone conference. We had a couple from the US that showed up to the conference and none of us really knew who they were or why they were there. Presidente didn't really introduce them either. Jeff (the husband) got up and told us his story as a young missionary in Argentina who really had a tough go of things. He really struggled with the language and teaching and pretty much every aspect of missionary work. He was dyslexic and had always had learning difficulties and at many points felt like he was wasting his time and the Lord's. But everything changed for him at the end of mission when he was able to find, teach, and baptize a young 16-year old named Marcelo Paz, aka my mission president. 

The spirit was so incredibly strong in the room when we all collectively realized who Jeff is (the Elder on the far right). There was not a dry eye in the place as he described his experiences and how it had led him to President Paz and how he knows the Lord consecrated his efforts to change the lives of others. Jeff couldn't have known just how large that impact would be, especially on missionaries like me. I am so grateful to him and for pushing through his difficulties so that I could have Presidente Paz as my mission president, someone who has had such a profound impact on me. But what Jeff also gave us that day in the conference was hope. Hope that what we do every day isn't in vain. Hope that people we love, teach, and help enter into the waters of baptism can go forth and make a bigger difference. As missionaries it can be so easy to get discouraged and like nothing we do matters, but IT DOES. I was so filled with gratitude that day for the chance that God has given me, someone extremely imperfect, to be apart of his work and touch the lives of his children. It is a privilege and an honor 🫶🏼

Jeff then went on post-mission to attend BYU as a cheerleader and study medicine, despite getting an 11 on the ACT, being rejected 3 times, and every college counselor telling him is wasn't possible. He is now extremely decorated in the medical world and will be the Dean at BYU's new med school. Something that he said really stuck to me and was one of my biggest takaways:

"God is not a God of the probable. He's a God of miracles"

DIOS. OBRA. MILAGROS. Don't focus on what's probable or possible. Let him change who you are and what you can do. 

I love you all. Your prayers are felt daily. 🫶🏼

-Hermana Stephenson

 The brick fields (they make their bricks by hand)