This week has been a week full of endless miracles. Many of you know that during my time in Collao of our investigators named Gerald was baptized. Well it just so happens that where he grew up and where almost all of his family lives is here in Tomè where I was transferred to. My last day in Collao I was telling many members goodbye and asked Gerald for the direction to his house. I then promised him I would find it and strive to teach his family the gospel. When I arrived in Tomè I excitedly showed my companion and sure enough the dirrection is in our area, but it is in a part on the other side of the map where they hardly ever work because many are already very strong in their religion and there arent many members.
After being here for about two weeks I felt a strong impression that we needed to plan a specific time to go to that part of our area and find Gerald`s family. I told Hermana Kinkade and in our weekly planning we set aside Wednesday morning to go on a little adventure. As we wondered out to the other side of our area we came across a small little sea town with a lot of scattered roads and houses on a hill. We asked many people for help and finally found house number 300. It was a big two storied red house and when I saw it I honestly felt the spirit testifying to me that we needed to do everything we could to get inside. I grabbed my companion`s arm, pulled her aside, and told her we were going to say a quick prayer. We closed our eyes and I quickly thanked Heavenly Father for helping us to find the house and pleaded for him to help up find way to get inside. Right as we said amen, an old man walked up to us and asked what we were doing. I explained who we were and told him we wanted to share a special message with him and his family. He immediately began saying that no one else was home and that they already have a religion. I looked him in the eyes and then asked him, ¨are you Gerald Sanhuesa´s grandpa?¨ It was funny to see his reaction. He just stared in unbelief that I knew the name of someone in his family. I then told him that we were searching for Gerald`s mom and brothers and he quickly went to search for them. Before long Gerald`s brother came out, who happened to be at his baptism. When he saw me he was even more confused then his grandpa. I explained how I had been transferred and that Gerald had given me the dirrection to their house.
They invited us in immediately and in the end we were able to share a message with the grandpa, his brother, mom, and uncle. It is hard to explain how specail I felt the whole time during that first lesson. This family is prepared to accept the gospel and I am going to do everything I can to help them understand the message of the restauration of the gospel and the blessings their family can recieve by following it`s principles.
Yesterday we were able to visit them again with our ward mission leader and his wife. The spirit once again filled the room and as we left the house the members said, ¨that family is going to be baptized one day. there was such a special spirit there.¨
This experience has been a confimation that I am in the right place at the right time. I feel so blessed to be an instrument in the Lord`s hand to find his children who are searching for the truth. I can not explain the amount of joy I feel, it is honestly like nothing I have ever experienced before. I love being a missionary and my heart hurts and the thought that I have such a short amount of time left.
I hope and pray that each of you know how much I love you and how grateful I am for your support. I know that God lives and that he has a plan for each of us. I know that as we place Christ in the center of everything we do we can find joy in the journey back to our Heavenly home, and that as we daily study the Book of mormon and the words of the living prophets we will be given the strength and protection to continue strong in a lost world.
Have a wonderful week!
Con mucho amor,
Hermana Parkin