hola familia!
the main thing I've been reminded of over & over again this week is that I really am a tool in the Lord's hands, and if I'm listening to the Spirit, He will guide me where I need to be and who I need to talk to. It's been an amazing thing to see this evidenced this week in more than one situation. So, let's get to those, shall we?
On Tuesday, Sister Hale and I decided to walk to a park (we go on "car fasts" in order to see and talk to people). When we got there, there wasn't a soul in sight. I thought, "Oh, maybe my prompting to come here was wrong?" But, Sis Hale said we were there for a reason. We kept walking, eventually talking to a handful of people, and then started our walk back home. We hear someone yell out the window, "Miss Utah and Miss North Carolina!" Who could it be but DACK. He was a man we met more than a month ago who is AWESOME, but who we have not been able to contact since the day we met him. Well, he pulls over to the side of the road, jumps out of his car and is just smiling ear-to-ear. He told us how we'd elevated him to a higher lever and how he was so happy to see us; how he had always gotten home and heard we'd stopped by and hated missing us each time. He invited us to a birthday BBQ and then we went on our way. We were so happy that we followed the prompting to go to the park so we could see him again!
Then, we had an appointment with a less active whose name had recently come on our branch directory. We'd set up 2 times to meet with her and both times she'd called and seemed to have a sincere reason she couldn't make it. Well, we finally were able to meet her on Friday. She told us that she knew we were sent from God at this hard time in her life; that she'd been through rough patches (rehab, losing custody of her kids, etc.) and knew it was time to get back on the path. Her dad is an active member that lives in Utah and she was raised in SLC. She has a long journey ahead of her, but I know that we were there for a reason to help her. And that we can help her! She said she normally would've turned people away but for some reason, she wanted us to come. She said she's lived in the same house for 3 years, but her records just got to us about a month ago. The Lord works in wondrous ways.
Third, we were on our way to Dack's BBQ Sunday night and as we get to the park, we see him playing basketball with a group of youth, but no bbq. We decided to write our testimonies in a BOM for him & while we were there, we noticed a young woman at a nearby picnic table. We started talking to her, and she invited us to sit down ... an hour later, we got up from the table. We had an amazing conversation with Sonja. She told us, in a similar story to Corrine's (the LA), that she knew she wasn't putting God first in her life. I said, "Sonja, are you happy? Can you say you are happy?" She started crying as she said that she wasn't. We were able to teach her many things and she said, "Well, where is your church? Do you have a card?" We also got her contact info, so hopefully we can start teaching her! She is hesitant because she knows she needs to change, but she doesn't necessarily WANT to change. But she said, like Corrine, that she would've turned other people away that tried to talk to her, but she felt a pull to us and while we were talking, she said we answered questions she didn't even ask. It is so cool to be able to testify (over and over) that we are working through HIM. It's not us. It's Him. And it's incredible. And, in the end, we talked to Dack and he told us that his bbq was rescheduled but that he had seen us "ministering." We left him the Book of Mormon, but knew our real purpose there was Sonja.
Other incredible things this week? We had THREE new investigators at church! Woohoo! Fernando (the 16 year-old), and Evelin and Marvin came to church. I was playing the piano and when I looked up and saw their whole family...my heart was very happy! And I had the great OPPORTUNITY to translate in church yesterday. It still terrifies me. We had a Spanish speaker and then our stake president spoke in English, so I had to translate both directions. I prefer Spanish to English. But, I was able to be calm, even though I was sitting there at the front of the chapel with a microphone, attempting to translate simultaneously. And to think that back in college, I rarely spoke Spanish in class :) Boy how times change! The funny moment came when the Spanish sister said "We are not all millionaires" and I said, "We are not all missionaries." Luckily, she knows enough English to stop and correct me :) And then we all chuckled together.
I just feel really blessed this week -- to be here, to have these members supporting us and helping us, and to be learning and growing in so many ways. I started reading Jesus the Christ this week (thanks for the package, mom!) and it mentions that of his 33 years, Jesus was set apart as a teacher for three. As a missionary, I've been set apart for half of that time to teach. And I want to be the best missionary I can be so I can look back and know that I helped save some of the "trees in the vineyard." I love the verse in Jacob 5 that says "I will spare it a little longer, for it grieveth me that I should lose even one of the trees in my vineyard." (That's from memory and isn't word for word, but you get the idea). Everything happens for a reason. Every single person is important to Him. And I'm finding that love for others as I'm here as well.
I hope you all have a wonderful week! I pray for you all and feel the prayers from you too.
--sister peacock
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