This Week Was Pretty Awesome

Here is Kathleen's latest letter from the field (posted by her Mom--just so no one thinks she is sneaking out and playing with Facebook!!)

I´m so happy to hear about Whit's mission. It sounds like he was really successful. He certainly had the right attitude. If you go into a mission looking to find yourself, you´ll be sorely disappointed. A mission is about finding others. And what he said about creating yourself is true. I´m understanding the importance and developing a desire to be more like the savior. One of the characteristics of the Savior was that despite his own discomforts, fears and insecurities, he never turned inwards and focused on himself. He instead fought his afflictions by focusing on loving and comforting others.

This week was pretty awesome! We have one investigator, R, who we are preparing for baptism on the 29th. She´s from the Dominican Republic and she is full of sass and doesn´t care what anyone thinks about her. She is awesome! She gets the Telling-It-How-It-Is Award. Also, she is super prepared. She understands things so clearly and beautifully. It´s like the Spirit is whispering in her ear the whole lesson.

This week she brought her adorable grandson, P, to the lesson (he is just like his grandmother). We talked about prayer and he even answered some of the questions in the lesson. R knows how to pray like we do, but her grandson doesn´t. She asked P to pray at the end of the lesson, and he protested. She was having none of it. Her response: "You know ´Our Father´ don´t you? Good. Say that." I had to hold back my giggling.

I gave a talk in church. Apparently the congregation was a little surprised. A lot of them told me my Spanish was really clear, and that I´ve learned a lot since I´ve been here. This week I have to give the lesson in Family Home Evening for the branch. I sure hope I can speak as clearly then.

We also had a new investigator this week. We met A on the street the first week we were here, and she said she was looking for a church. She´s also from the Dominican Republic. She has three children, but unfortunately, they are in the Dominican Republic while she works here. She said she really trusted us and that´s why she invited us over.

We could tell how prepared she was to hear the Gospel. When we talked about her beliefs she expressed frustration that there are so many churches that teach different things, but to her "there is only one God." We taught her the first lesson, and she understood everything: Prophets, apostasy, the church Jesus Christ established on the earth. She accepted the message so well. She´s a really special person.

Spiritual thought for the week:

In my personal study this week I read the first chapter of John. In verses 6-9 I felt like it was speaking directly to me. I know that I was called by God to do this work. I know I´m here to bear testimony of the power of the Atonement to all who will listen. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives. 

"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world."

In verse 12 I was reminded how powerful the Atonement is and how powerful and real the ordinances of the Gospel are. (Particularly, baptism).

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

I love you all.

Warmly (even though I´m freezing),

Kathleen