This has been a crazy week! On Thursday we had TRC again and we had to teach a lesson about prayer and how to receive revelation on prayer. My companion and I are not very good at planning things out, but we're learning. So we're waiting in this room and my teacher comes in to tell us which rooms to go into. Someone asked him if we're teaching one or two people and he said one. Then my companion says, YES!!!, really loud and he looks at her and says, maybe two. SO we taught our first person. She was a nice lady. She was a member and very understanding, probably in her 50's. When we finished teaching we went back to the room where we started and our teacher stops us and says, wait you have one more. Just us. We were the only ones that taught two people. At that moment I started to have a little panic attack because the lesson we just came out of was not great and then we had to do it again. But we said a prayer before we went in and as I was praying, peace came over me and I knew this was a good thing. We were getting more practice, and heaven knows we need it! So our second volunteer was an 18 year old girl. She seemed a little impatient with our slow, broken up Spanish, but we were doing the best we could. It was good practice and I'm greatful for the opportunity.
We got a new district in our zone (branch) on Thursday. There's an Elder Reed in my zone too!! Actually I've seen another Hermana Reed and another Elder Reed. Kinda funny. Oh my goodness. Can I just say I love my zone! And my district. The Lord really does know us better than we know ourselves and I know that we were placed in our districts and zones through inspiration from the Lord. The Lord knows the kind of people I need in my life. These people have been my strength and support during my stay at the CCM. And boy do I love my companion! I'm so glad we are going to the same mission. We might even be companions again!
Speaking of my zone, I have a really funny story about one of the Elders in my district. He cracks me up. So one time in class we were talking about how to manage stress and we went around the room and said what we do and how we feel when we're stressed. Now this Elder is constantly trying to speak Spanish. It's usually wrong but at least he is diligent and trying. When it was his turn he said when I'm stressed...Estoy en fuego! Which means I'm on fire. He was trying to say I'm frustrated, but we all just started laughing. He's always our comic relief and he loves it.
This week when we taught our two investigators we got one of them to commit to baptism! During the lesson I was able to speak fluidly and say almost everything I wanted to say. I was talking and flowing so well it been like 10 minutes until I realized I hadn't paused to let my companion say anything. So then she started to talk and we were able to bounce off of each other which usually never happens. It was awesome! When you are teaching by the Spirit you can do anything. WIth our second investigator everything we said came from the heart. Usually we have to read a few sentences from a pamphlet or preach my gospel because we don't know how to say something in Spanish, but we didn't read anything the whole lesson. We were able to look him in the eye and bear testimony of our message. We got him to pray and commit to read the Book of Mormon. It was a good teaching week.
Sunday was the Best. Day. Ever! For Relief Society we had a Reader's Theater where some of the girls read the story of Christ's Birth and we had musical numbers with violins and sang hymns. It was so pretty. There were things in the narrative that I had never heard or thought of before. An inn like the one that Mary and Joseph were trying to get into was actually just a big common room where people were drinking, and smoking, and cursing. It was definitely not fit for the Son of God to be born into. There was no privacy. Heavenly Father knew this and made sure that they were led to a place that would be acceptable. They had to stay in a stable, but really that was how it needed to be. Jesus was laid in a manager which is a feeding trough for animals. The way Christ was born foreshadowed His life. Then our devotional speaker was amazing! Every Sunday we watch church movies for an hour or so and this time we got to see the new Mormon Message He is the Gift. If you haven't seen it I recommend you look it up and watch it! And then we watched Joseph Smith:The Restoration. Ahh IT was so good! After the video we got together with our zone and the Latino zone that we're singing with on Christmas Eve. Holy Moly. That was an ordeal. For some reason these Latinos don't know that we are down in Mexico to learn Spanish to go to a SPanish speaking mission. They insulted us a few times and thought I couldn´t understand them, but when you say Americano I'm pretty sure everyone knows who you're talking about. It was good though. There were some nice people who came up and wanted to help me translate. We practice with them one more time tonight. Hopefully we can make it sound adequate enough. After I was talking with one of my roommates and she was saying how they don't have music programs or anything down here so these Latinos are trying but they just have never been around music enough to know how to read it and sing the right notes. Maybe I'll teach music to Latinos when I graduate from college...
So my spiritual thought comes from the devotional from Sunday. It was so good!!
- When he was in his mission Elder Holland came and spoke to them and told them a promise from the Lord: Give me your heart and I will give you my power and together we will change the world.
- If we want to be the best missionary we can be (or best person) we need to be humble enough to change. We may have things in our life that may not be bad, but that aren't helping us. Garbage. Baggage. Whatever you want to call it. And when we are doing what we are supposed to be doing and we have the Holy Ghost with us, He will come to take away that garbage to mold us, and shape us to become a better person. Are we willing and humble enough to let this change happen and to let Him take it from us? Or do we keep the garbage and push away the Spirit?
- There is a part of a poem that I want to end with.
Come to the edge He said. No, we'll fall.
Come to the edge He said. No, we'll fall.
Come to the edge He said. We came to the edge, He pushed us, and we flew.
Come to the edge where there is high fear and inadequacy.
Man's extremity is God's opportunity.
The Lord is going to push us. Life is difficult but the Lord has promised that He will not let us suffer above that which we are able. He will be with us every step of the way. Heavenly Father sent us His son, Jesus Christ, so that He could understand everything that we will be called to pass through. I am so grateful for my Savior and I hope He is in your hearts and minds this Christmas season because He is the gift.
I love you all! Feliz Navidad!
Hermana Reed
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