The One

Buenos buenos tardes mis queridos, hope you all saw miracles and blessings every day this week!

This week was absolute chaossss!

☆we got to watch the livestream tabernacle choir perform from Lima! Handed out 200 invitations the day before and the day of the concert it just made me love missionary work all over again

☆my BEST FRIEND in the whole wide world got ENGAGED!!!! I love both of them with all my heart and soul

☆transfers tmrw! Not 100% sure on where I'm gonna go, just trusting the Lord but basically had to say bye to all the members because both me and me comp are leaving because they're closing my area for the hermanas theres only 20 hermanas in the whole mission so bye bye Ponceano:(

☆ate sushi for the first time in a LONG time and wow I've missed it

☆my comp got her visa! Shoutout to my bestie sister Strong from az, she's coming your way to the Santiago mission

☆my bestie in the ward, one of the recent converts her in Ponceano finally came to church again and made my whole week...here's the story below

SPIRITUAL!

Ok so my bsstie convert, Monica, basically dropped off the face of the planet about more than a month ago. I've tried almost every day to call her or send a message of love to her to remind her how much God loves her but nothing was improving. I got suuuuper sad because she is just so so amazing and I knew she was going thru a lot of hard things so I wanted to keep trying and keep trying but I felt like nothing was happening despite my efforts to help her.

She finally responded to a message on Saturday and I felt a little bit of hope, then I saw her in church yesterday in one of the pews and ran into her arms. After church we talked for a while about how she's been doing and why she wasn't responding to us. Basically she's been going thru a lot of things and got mad at God and felt like it wasn't worth it to go to church so she stopped. Completely. Gave up. And when she told me that, I had tears rolling down my face. Why would such an amazing daughter of God give up on God if he really is there for her?

Later in the evening we sent her an invite for a family home evening we had last night and she ended up coming which made me the happiest person in the world. She ended up sharing with all of us in detail what happened over the past little while and I was shook to say the least. So much bad happened in her life and it hurt me to hear everything, but then she shared something that I'll never forget.

She said that during this 6 weeks she didn't come to church she was super depressed and didn't have anyone to turn to. She kept praying and praying but felt like he wasn't listening. Then she said that their was one person that she felt like never gave up on her. Me. She said every time she received a message or call from me, she felt like a daughter of God again and a little piece of her heart started to heal little by little. 

All because of never giving up. I never gave up on her because I know that she's strong and I know that he never stopped listening to her. And all because of our Savior. He NEVER gave up on her. Remember that poem "Footsteps in the sand"? It says,

"You promised me Lord,

that if I followed you,

you would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during

the most trying periods of my life

there has only been one set of footprints in the sand.

Why, when I needed you most,

have you not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,

"The years when you have seen only one set of footprints,

my child, is when I carried you."

I know with everything in my heart that this is true. He looks for the One sheep that is struggling. He finds the One that needs helps. He brings that One back to the fold. Every. single. time.

So this week, go help Him find the One.

Xoxo, 

Hermana Jones