We were back-and-forth this week daily between the city and the University of Queensland, located in Saint Lucia. Literally every day (except for P-day) we went their for some reason or another; one of our investigators moved to Saint Lucia temporarily to house-sit for their friends. On Wednesday it was a bit of a mess because, on the return bus-ride (which is normally just 20 minutes), there was inexplicable bumper-to-bumper traffic stretching from St Lucia to the CBD. After sitting on the bus for over an hour and going only about halfway, we decided to hop off, walked 15 minutes to the nearest train station, and took the train instead.
On Thursday evening, we had a lesson with our most progressing investigator at a member's home! She is awesome, we feel she is very close to baptism. We also had a miracle earlier in the week: Wednesday afternoon, We received a phone call from a potential investigator that we met a few weeks ago, the roommate of a member. He was calling us to tell us that he had finished his exams and wanted us to come and teach him!! We taught him for the first time Thursday evening after dinner.
On Friday we had a great opportunity to accompany the newly arrived Senior Couple and the Part-Time Senior Couple who will support the Chinese program, as they inspected a few potential office locations in the city. It would be an incredible blessing to have a teaching office in the city, like they have in Sunnybank; currently, we just teach (usually) in front of the City library (apparently, missionaries are no longer allowed to teach lessons within the library, because of a policy against religious or political discussions there). However, this lesson is impossible on Wednesdays, because there is a farmer's market there until 5 pm; and also, every day after 5 pm (earlier on Saturdays) the chairs and tables are chained up making it nigh impossible to meet at those times as well. Overall, the environment is not very conducive to the Spirit. I don't know if I will be here long enough to see its completion, but an office would be a game-changer.
Friday we also had a HUGE miracle. Thursday we met with our investigator who just moved to Saint Lucia. After the lesson, that night, she was using her friends computer, and decided to watch a movie (common enough). Her friend has a folder full of downloaded movies on her computer which she opened up and selected a movie at random.
Almost as soon as the movie began, she was puzzled---the main characters were named "Elders"! Lo and behold, this movie was a true story about two Mormon missionaries in Russia. This coincidence shocked her.
We met her on Friday. We asked how her prayers had been, and how she had felt, and she began to tell us this story, and about the movie. We weren't sure how to react. She knew that somehow, this miracle was a sign from God, and she was filled with gratitude. After praying the previous night, she told us, she had felt a indescribable feeling. She then asked us one question: how can I have this feeling more in my life??
We shared with her Mosiah 18:8-10:
"And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;"
"Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—"
"Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?"
She accepted, and we set a date for July 12, 3 weeks from now.
That was definitely the highlight of the week.
"For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith."
Elder J. Colton Ladd
No comments:
Post a Comment