MARCHing onward!

Saludos!

Exchange with the Kearny, English-Speaking Sisters

I went on two exchanges this week. It is always an insightful experience for me to see how other sisters do missionary work and think about the different abilities and skills different sisters have! I went to Kearny with Sis. Huele, a red-headed sister from Minnesota who was my current companion's trainee, from Tuesday to Wednesday. Then Sis. Insong, a sweet, hilarious sister from the Philippeans came to my area of Elizabeth with me from Friday to Saturday. We contacted people together and taught a member family we'd met on the street a while ago, then got fed a Mexican dinner, plus an Ecuadorian/ Honduranian dinner! Sis. Insong said that she'd like to request to be switched to Spanish-speaking. ;) I was impressed by the bold way she testified to the things I shared in lessons and how she boldly told a family in our ward that it IS possible for them to go to the temple to be sealed as a family someday if they have enough faith!

Our investigator, Luis, has progressed so much! Missionaries in this area met him in the past through members, but my last companion and I really started focusing on teaching him in December, right after I got in the area. A few months ago, he really struggled to read and understand the scriptures, and he frequently forgot to read in the Book of Mormon and pray daily. We had one lesson a while ago in which he felt really guilty for not having read the Book of Mormon, especially because his girlfriend who teaches with us mentioned that he had been wasting his day off on Facebook! Since then, Luis has been reading consistently and his understanding has increased! He has shared scriptures with us from 1 Nephi that are personally relevant to him. Luis had the faith to ask for work off on Sundays, which caused some contention in his workplace and he eventually stopped working there because of it. With the help of a lot of prayers from him, his girlfriend, and us, he found a job with even more benefits that doesn't require him to work on Saturdays or Sundays! It was a miracle! Luis is such a sweet, humble man. He passed his baptismal interview yesterday and will be baptized next Sunday! It is his goal to have an eternal family.

We have some amazing members in our ward who really support our investigators when they come out with us. One thing Sister Haycock and I enjoy doing is contacting with members when they come out with us as team-ups! I've only experienced it a few times, but it's nice when the members get to feel the spirit of missionary work more, and the people we contact seem to be more receptive and able to relate to the member rather than just us as missionaries! We've also been strengthening several members of the church and visiting them fairly often and sometimes bring other members to teach them with us
We had a good lesson the other day with our investigator, Rosario (a single mom from Peru). She really wants to be baptized to renew her commitment to follow Jesus Christ, but from what she told us, didn't really understand the significance of the Book of Mormon and why it is evidence that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that this is God's one and only true and living church on the Earth. We read in the Old Testament in Ezekiel with her about the "stick of Judah" (the Bible) and the "stick of Ephraim" (the Book of Mormon) and that it was prophesied that they would come together. Then we read in 1 Nephi 13 about how through the years of apostasy after Christ's death, people changed the Bible and took away "plain and precious truths." We taught her about the pattern God has always had in calling prophets to guide his church, even after they reject the truth for a time, and that this was the same thing that happened with Joseph Smith. We finished by reading in Mormon 7 with her about how the Bible and Book of Mormon testify of Jesus Christ, followed the Lord's commandment to all of us to be baptized in Christ's name.Rosario shared her own personal experienced about always being at least a little confused about the truth and questioning whether the way she's seen people worship really is from God. She told us that the "works" of charity that she has seen by the members of the church who have fellowshipped her have helped her know that it is true. We keep inviting her to study and pray to receive a spiritual confirmation by the Holy Ghost that this is the real truth.

I found my dog, Noodles!

Ahh, I'm going to be sad to leave Elizabeth and Sis. Haycock in two weeks! We decided to make it the best two weeks of our lives! We've experienced ups and downs together in this transfer. The saddest thing is when people reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ or just flat-out choose not to make time for it in their lives when they need it so badly. Kind of like when Moroni had the Lamanites surrounded and offered to spare their lives and let them go free if they'd only lay down their weapons and make a covenant of peace. I think that too often as people, we hang on to our own pride and selfish desires that will eventually destroy us, rather then humbly accepting the love and power that Christ offers.

I love you all! Life is crazy! And the gospel is truth and light. Share it.

Love,

Hermana Martin