Week Sixty-Eight: Working the Plan

Area: Collao
Companion: Hermana Quintana

Dear familia,

Can I just say that I love the church? I love this gospel so so so much.

We had a super awesome experience this week. Hermana Quintana is a master teacher. She is sooo good at being a missionary. We were teaching one of our investigators this week ... she is an active Evangelical lady that comes to our church in the morning and then has to run out to attend her church in the afternoon. But she is awesome. She keeps her commitments and is willing to follow whatever the voice of the Lord tells her.

Our lesson for the day was about the Plan of Salvation. We asked her how she had felt reading the Book of Mormon, and she said that the only feeling that she felt was fear. Uhhh, not the thing that you want to hear from an investigator, butchaknow ... we talked about the spirit and said a prayer and started to talk about the Plan of Salvation. When we got to this life on earth, Silvia (the name of the investigator) looked at the steps ... faith, repentance, baptism, the holy ghost ... and Hermana Quintana asked, "Where are you at right now?" Silvia looked at us and said ... "Well, I have been baptised ... but I don't feel like I have the Holy Ghost." She started to cry.

She came to the conclusion that the path that she has been on up to this moment isn't the right one. The Spirit told her in that moment that the church is true and that she needed to be a part of it. It was such a cool thing to experience. Hermana Quintana and I were walking in shock the whole rest of the day. Silvia has fecha to be baptised on the 25th of April.

Mini Cambio Girls

I went to Lirquen on a mini cambio this week. The girls over there are doing sooo much better. Since last cambio's crazy drama, things feel so much better. I was so impressed by the drive that all of the hermanas have to keep working working working ... to take advantage of every minute. That drive is something that is so important in missionary work. You have to be motivated by something higher than numbers and getting glory at home. I feel like I am pushed forward every day by something deeper than anything I can describe. It is an awesome feeling.

Sister study session. Our group is HUGE.

Really, the most exciting thing that happened this week was GENERAL CONFERENCE. I have been looking forward to this for so so so long. I didn't really have any burning questions that I wanted answered ... I just wanted the Spirit to teach me and testify to me that the church is true. Boy oh boy did I feel the spirit.

I learned a couple of things that really really made a difference. First of all ... I don't know if you caught on, but all of the talks on Saturday had so much to do with eternal marriage. Every single person said, "Eternal marriage between a man and a woman." (This freaked Hermana Quintana out ... because she is going to have to be thinking about that in 4 more weeks when she goes home). But I really did feel the spirit testify to me the importance of temple marriages. The importance of making sacred covenants in the temple. I am not trunky. I am not pining over every single thing that will happen after the mission, but I know and feel comfort in the fact that I am not going to settle for anything less than an eternal family. That is what I want for all of my investigators as well. I just want them to get to the temple!!

Some hills in Lirquen. The hills are crazy.

I love the basic principles of the gospel that the General Authorities taught. I loved that they used so many scripture stories. I loved Jeffrey R. Holland's talk (obviously). That story that he told about the two brothers gave me chills. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for the gift of his son. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ. What a wonderful way to remember Him by having conference on Easter Sunday! I know that he lives!!

General Conference!!

Not much new to report today. I am loving life. We are reaching our goals every day and are working hard to see the hand of the Lord in all things. I love you all SOOO SOOO SOOOO MUCH!! :) Have a great week!!

Love,

Laney

Bishop Vargas and his wife, Rosa.

Our Testigos de Jehova hats. All of the Jehovah's Witnesses
wear these babies.