HOLA!!! This week has
been super good!! Thanks for all your
prayers(: We have had to go into town a
lot this week to try to change the address of my companion (for her visa) and
(mission errands) and it was so fun for me!!
I still cannot get over how beautiful it is here and how perfect this
place is for me!! I love these people so
much!! There is a giant statue in the
middle of the park in Centro and the rumor is that if you kiss the golden toe
it means that you will come back to Punta Arenas! So, of course I had to do it! Super gross, but I did it hahah. So I better
be coming back one day! But ya this week
has been so fun as far as superficial things go! We have to walk along the coast a lot and it
has been so pretty lately with sunsets and everything! Today we went to 4 shipwrecked boats and they
were beautiful!! It was probably one of
the highlights of my life! I think I
have too much fun here! But the walk
there and back was incredible!! I don’t
know how we got so blessed to live on such a beautiful earth!! It is starting to get colder here, which is
kinda weird because we should be heading into spring...but...I don't know. I guess it always gets coldest when it is
going to start warming up! But apparently the wind that I thought was bad here
is actually not even here yet! In September,
it is supposed to get SUPER windy and that’s when they put out ropes and stuff
in the street so you don't get picked up by it!
That will be fun haha. We made no
bake cookies last night and they turned out sooo good (shout out to my roommate
Amanda Brinkman for teaching me the perfect way)! Ummm what else? I don’t know.
As far as the work goes, this week was really good!! We had another lesson with the girl I’m
teaching violin to. And we made a rule that we could only ask questions. We couldn’t explain anything or teach
anything. We could only ask questions
and share scriptures. It turned out
super well, and makes it so that only the Spirit is the teacher. It continues to be such a testimony builder
to me that God knows exactly what each of His children need, and if we are
listening to the promptings from the Spirit, miracles happen. We have also really been trying to teach and
find in the Savior’s way. It has been
nothing but successful!! Instead of
trying to knock every door and talk to every person (which is tempting to do
because you know how much it will bless them), we have been starting tracting
with a prayer. We ask to be lead to the
people who need us. The people who are
ready and prepared to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, someone who needs
service, or whoever God knows that needs us!
It is crazy how many people you actually end up teaching or
blessing!! One day after we just
finished our prayer, we started walking.
I looked up at a door and all of the sudden felt like I needed to knock
it. So we did! They actually let us in hahah! But it was really good!! They had a bad experience with some Elders a
while ago, and we talked about that, and about how we aren't perfect, and other
things. They weren’t interested in
listening to our message, but they said we could come back and do a Family
night with them!! So that was cool! Maybe they aren't ready for the Gospel, but
we were able to fix a bad experience they had had with the church, and help
bless their life by teaching them how to be more united as a family!! Also, we worked really hard to try to help
our investigators come to church this week.
None of them ended up coming, BUT 6 LESS ACTIVES CAME!! That was a HUGE miracle!! That is like seeing 6 baptisms, because people
who have made covenants with God and haven’t been keeping them were able to
renew the covenants they had made and have a fresh start again. I love being a missionary!! Also, real quick we stopped by a lady’s house
that we had a lesson with before!! She
had read a little in the Book of Mormon.
She had no doubt that it was true.
And she started saying things like, “I have been looking for a church
all my life, but I have always felt like something was missing. I have been searching my whole life but I
haven't been able to fill that hole. But
I feel like you guys are my answer. I
feel a whole being filled that never has been before.” On the outside we were
calm, but on the inside my jaw was dropping!!
I didn’t expect to ever see this on my mission. But Heavenly Father has
perfectly prepared one of His daughters to receive the blessings of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ and I’m so grateful to be able to witness it!! Anyway, I still love being a
missionary!! Miracles really do happen every
day. And if we open our hearts and minds, we will start to see the hand of God
in our lives every day! I love you all
so much!! If you feel like something is
missing or you want to be even happier, focus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and
the simple things like reading your scriptures every day, praying, and going to
church!! I promise that your life will
begin to be even more blessed!! I love
you all so much!! Have an incredible
week!!
--Hermana West
