Hola! Hola!
Well, we are just truckin along in the sun here in Puerto Rico. Also, we are moving! Our new house with 3 rooms and 2 bathrooms is ready! YAY! So, just send everything to the office address :)
I seriously love it here! It is so beautiful, and we are able to see beautiful experiences every day!
For example: So my companion and I are just walking along, and we find a woman sitting outside on a little chair with her son. We had talked to her before, and she wasn't really interested. She didn't really want to talk to us. But, she was also with another lady who we had talked to, and she told us we could come back. We decided to talk to them, and they let us sing for them. We sat right there with them on the sidewalk, and chose "I am a Child of God" A children's song that every little kid in the church knows. When we were done singing. We asked them what they thought. This woman who didn't want to talk with us turned to us and said, "I just felt so calm and so much peace, seriously, thank you" We testified to her that our message was just as simple as the words, "I am a child of god, and he has sent me here. Has given me an earthly home, with parents kind and dear. Lead me Guide me, walk beside me, help me find the way. Teach me all that I must do, to live with him some day" We are literal sons and daughters of our heavenly father. He has sent us here to learn and grow. But, we are not alone. We have our Heavenly Father to lead and guide us. How wonderful is that message, and how great of a blessing it is!
This week, I also had the opportunity to go to a Missionary Leadership Conference (MLC) where all the leaders of the mission get together to talk about how we can better the missionary work. We decided that we need to work on our invitations. An elder shared a story about how, in the beginning of his mission, they had an investigator. This investigator loved the messages and read, and prayed and went to church. About the 4th lesson, they invited her to be baptized. She sat there, and just cried. Then she finally said, "I have been waiting for you to ask me that" You can imagine the guilt those missionaries felt waiting to help this woman make such an wonderful covenant (or promise) with the Lord when she was already ready. Why did they wait? They were probably afraid, they probably didn't think she would respond well, they probably thought that she would want more time....but how do we really know the answers to these questions? We have to ask. So, our goal is to be more BOLD! To invite. After all, the worst they can say is "no"! As missionaries we invite. It's not an obligation. We all have our free agency. But, it is an invitation to act on faith. To just see if our message is true. In this past general conference, Elder Bednar, an apostle of the Lord said, "Come and See" He gave an invitation to see if this message has any worth to you. That's what I love about the mission. I love to INVITE!
Well, I love you all! Be safe! Make good choices! Sigue Adelante!
Love,
Hermana Vankammen
Well, we are just truckin along in the sun here in Puerto Rico. Also, we are moving! Our new house with 3 rooms and 2 bathrooms is ready! YAY! So, just send everything to the office address :)
I seriously love it here! It is so beautiful, and we are able to see beautiful experiences every day!
For example: So my companion and I are just walking along, and we find a woman sitting outside on a little chair with her son. We had talked to her before, and she wasn't really interested. She didn't really want to talk to us. But, she was also with another lady who we had talked to, and she told us we could come back. We decided to talk to them, and they let us sing for them. We sat right there with them on the sidewalk, and chose "I am a Child of God" A children's song that every little kid in the church knows. When we were done singing. We asked them what they thought. This woman who didn't want to talk with us turned to us and said, "I just felt so calm and so much peace, seriously, thank you" We testified to her that our message was just as simple as the words, "I am a child of god, and he has sent me here. Has given me an earthly home, with parents kind and dear. Lead me Guide me, walk beside me, help me find the way. Teach me all that I must do, to live with him some day" We are literal sons and daughters of our heavenly father. He has sent us here to learn and grow. But, we are not alone. We have our Heavenly Father to lead and guide us. How wonderful is that message, and how great of a blessing it is!
This week, I also had the opportunity to go to a Missionary Leadership Conference (MLC) where all the leaders of the mission get together to talk about how we can better the missionary work. We decided that we need to work on our invitations. An elder shared a story about how, in the beginning of his mission, they had an investigator. This investigator loved the messages and read, and prayed and went to church. About the 4th lesson, they invited her to be baptized. She sat there, and just cried. Then she finally said, "I have been waiting for you to ask me that" You can imagine the guilt those missionaries felt waiting to help this woman make such an wonderful covenant (or promise) with the Lord when she was already ready. Why did they wait? They were probably afraid, they probably didn't think she would respond well, they probably thought that she would want more time....but how do we really know the answers to these questions? We have to ask. So, our goal is to be more BOLD! To invite. After all, the worst they can say is "no"! As missionaries we invite. It's not an obligation. We all have our free agency. But, it is an invitation to act on faith. To just see if our message is true. In this past general conference, Elder Bednar, an apostle of the Lord said, "Come and See" He gave an invitation to see if this message has any worth to you. That's what I love about the mission. I love to INVITE!
Well, I love you all! Be safe! Make good choices! Sigue Adelante!
Love,
Hermana Vankammen