Hermana Christensen: Week 80

The engagement happened! Not mine, not Riley's, but Mario and Maribell! We figured out in our lesson that they are not yet married. They have been living together for over 18 years now. So we committed them to marriage. They said yes. She was laughing and crying hysterically and kept grabbing my hand. I suggested they do it on February 21st. No specific reason haha... But they agreed. So hopefully we can get everything all together before then! They have to get a license and such and we hope that they are legal ENOUGH to do so! Then they will still be able to be baptized March 1st! They both came to church yesterday with their grandson. They loved it. Hermana Medina was in shock because she helped with their lessons a few months ago. The timing is just now right! It is such a miracle!

Also the Cardenas came to church again!!! Alvaro is still sober and he volunteered to say the opening prayer the last lesson we had with them. WHAT?! You can actually feel the spirit in their home. They are talking with President Clyde to figure out when they can go to the temple!

We invited them to fast this week. Alvaro hesitated and said that he hasn't fasted since they lived in Mexico-over 20 years ago! He agreed! I CAN'T BELIEVE how much he is changing. He is so humble and willing to obey God's commandments.

I bore my testimony yesterday in Spanish. I just looked at Maribell the whole time. I love her a lot. She cried. She had a daughter die a few years ago and the idea of being able to live with her again really keeps her going!

I read a talk this week that really helped me appreciate the sacrament. By Cheryl a Esplin.

The sacrament provides a time for a truly spiritual experience as we reflect upon the Savior’s redeeming and enabling power through His Atonement. A Young Women leader recently learned about the strength we receive as we strive to thoughtfully partake of the sacrament. Working to complete a requirement in Personal Progress, she set a goal to focus on the words in the sacrament hymns and prayers.

Each week, she conducted a self-evaluation during the sacrament. She recalled mistakes she had made, and she committed to be better the next week. She was grateful to be able to make things right and be made clean. Looking back on the experience, she said, “I was acting on the repentance part of the Atonement.”

One Sunday after her self-evaluation, she began to feel gloomy and pessimistic. She could see that she was making the same errors over and over again, week to week. But then she had a distinct impression that she was neglecting a big part of the Atonement—Christ’s enabling power. She was forgetting all the times the Savior helped her be who she needed to be and serve beyond her own capacity.

With this in mind, she reflected again on the previous week. She said: “A feeling of joy broke through my melancholy as I noted that He had given me many opportunities and abilities. I noted with gratitude the ability I had to recognize my child’s need when it wasn’t obvious. I noted that on a day when I felt I could not pack in one more thing to do, I was able to offer strengthening words to a friend. I had shown patience in a circumstance that usually elicited the opposite from me.”

She concluded: “As I thanked God for the Savior’s enabling power in my life, I felt so much more optimistic toward the repentance process I was working through and I looked to the next week with renewed hope.”

I thought about how often I commit the same mistakes over and over and over a gain and I get discouraged sometimes as I evaluate my progress each day and week. I do this so often that I forget to notice the times where I AM strengthened to resist temptation a little more. I know that we can be given more divine strength as we partake of the sacrament each week and remember the covenants we have made! He will ALWAYS help us, no matter how Christ-like we are in any moment. He can always strengthen us. I really loved this story.

Also we went and taught a former investigator from when I was here with Hermana Pew. She commented on how she never wanted to talk to us but we ALWAYS said hi to her, and waved as would ride past her on our bikes. She grew to be curious and love Hermana Pew and I. I know that small and simple things can go along way! That is why she let us start teaching her. Every drop in the bucket counts. Artemia will be interested one day! She still isn't right now. She is a very straight forward and cold kind of person at the moment. BUT she trusts us! She called us on Saturday and kept asking for me on the phone but I was driving so my comps talked to her. She STARTED CRYING and asked if we could come visit her. She is really worried about her son. Anyways- we were in Mesa at the moment and couldn't so we sent Hermana Medina over. (BEST MEMBER MISSIONARY IS ONE WHO WILL VISIT THE INVESTIGATORS WITH OUT THE MISSIONARIES!) That was a miracle. We are going to see her again tonight.

I love helping people. I love it so much! We have a baptism this weekend! His name is Marcelino. He is really really crazy haha. But he has a lot of faith and comes to church! He is really excited! His family was not AT ALL interested but we are now teaching 2 of his nieces! And 3 of his nephews came to soccer on Friday! SOOO things are going well!

Hermana Christensen