Embrace the Hastening of the Work!

Familia y amigos,

Some highlights of the week:

1. Zone meeting: It is impressive to witness a group of about thirty 18 to 21-year-olds standing one by one and sharing how their Christlike characteristic of LOVE (our last month's focus) has grown, and then each sharing our goals of how to develop FAITH this month! We are aiming for 5 baptisms in zone one. It is going to be a month of miracles.2. Powerful lesson with our investigating couple, Hermano y Hermana Amaya. We had two incredible member team-ups who really complemented each other as they taught and bore powerful testimony. It is always SO much better when we work with the members. Hermana Amaya really opened up more to us and everyone of us could feel the Spirit so strong!

3. Took a bus down the road to visit an amazing older woman in our ward who lives in a care center. Afterward, we went to track down some names of less-active members who the bishopric gave to us. One told us that she used to be Mormon, but be was baptized too fast, and she doesn't want anything to do with it anymore. She kissed us on the cheek and told us never to come back! About a minute later we passed a white man on the street who called at us and said, "Congratulations!! It's about time there were women Mormons!... I'm Jewish, but congratulations!" We have crazy lives here, to say the least.

4. We've really been struggling to find and keep any progressing investigators lately. A few weeks ago, we passed a man sitting by a fruit stand and drinking out of a coconut. I said something like, "That looks good!" and he had his friend who owned the fruit stand give us coconut drinks and two bags of oranges. This week we went by the stand and saw the owner there with his wife and darling little girl. We gave them a short message on faith and his wife said we could come back the next day. One our zone's "faith calendar" for October, the day's challenge of faith was to invite 3 people to be baptized. We prepared a lesson during studies and shared it with the cute family that day. They accepted to be baptized on Nov. 17! Miracles do happen! We aren't able to meet with them very often right now because of different work schedules, but we are excited to keep meeting with them!

Let me introduce to to a couple more of the people we love in this area:

1. Hermana Cordova (Ecuador): tells us repeatedly to ask her for things as if she's our mother; sends us home with toothpaste, hair clips and groceries; shares a powerful testimony of God protecting her and her kids throughout their lives.

2. Hermana Almanza (El Salvador): Loves to laugh and call my companion, Sis. Clark a little "pollito" who follows her mother hen (me) around everywhere! haha She has been inactive for years, but just came to General Conference for the first time and is getting excited about reading the Book of Mormon! ("It's like a novella!")

 

If you didn't watch General Conference... repent and watch it! It was SO good to hear about prophecies being fulfilled and how we can better our lives today. I appreciate it so much more as a missionary. The world needs faithful Latter-Day Saints! I am recognizing more than ever that that needs to be my personal role and top priority always. I am learning more that why and how to put God first-- it is the only way to happiness!

I love you all! Embrace the hastening of the work! Sometimes I struggle to stay positive, but I know it's all worth it in the end and I cherish the memories I've been given these 8 months (as of yesterday!) that I've had on my mission!

Last Monday, I got a call from my former companion, Sis. Stansel, down in the area of Hightstown! One of our investigators, Hermano Solaris from Guatemala, after maybe 10 or so years of investigating the church-- finally got BAPTIZED!! He has has known the Church is true for some time, but he knew he'd have to sacrifice working on Sundays in order to be baptized. When I got the news, it was probably one of the happiest moments of my life! Plus what made it even better, is that our recent convert, Hermano Alejandro, is the one who baptized him!! :) That night, I felt like I could relate a little bit to all of the Book of Mormon prophets who collapse with joy!
During a prayer that Sister Nava gave at our last lesson together, Hermano Solarise had a vision that he saw a huge, white building all lit up! When I showed him a picture of the Salt Lake City Temple, he said that that was it!! I know he is going to the temple someday.

Love,

Sister Martin