So,
on Thursday we had what is called a Tormenta Blanca, which is a "white
storm", which is where all the missionaries in the Zone come to one area
- mine, this time - to work and tract; and with those eight
missionaries we managed to get a heap of references and six new
investigators! We've only had time to try to visit a couple of them, as
of yet, but they weren't there; but still, SIX?! And that in an area in
which we had had no success in any way previously! Then, on top of that,
outside of the Tormenta, Elder Avila and I found five more, making 11
new investigators this week! Miracle!
The next
day we saw another miracle. We went all the way out into the middle of
nowhere to visit a finca (a farm house) that is 13 km from our pensión.
We got two flat tires on the way there, and we got another miracle of
that happening right where there was a bicicletería, where they fixed it
up for free. So we searched for the house, but nobody was there when we
found it. We went back and inquired of a passing man which house
belonged to that family, and he directed us to one house further than we
had gone. We went back (about a kilometer to return) and found the
house, and there were people there! We talked for a bit witht he two
young men there, brothers whose parents used to go to church, and then
we were allowed to share a message. We discussed the Restoration of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, and as we taught I could see light entering
their eyes, and to cut a long story short they believed everything that
we taught them, and even accepted a baptism date for the 30th of March!
The Spirit was so strong, and I know that Christ was there with us; just
like we are promised, we were gathered together in His name, and He was
there in our midst. I felt so distant from the city that I'm certain I
wasn't in Kansas anymore, but I still felt at home.
Next
miracle. Two night ago, we returned to our pensión at about 8:00 at
night, intending to finish weekly planning, but then felt like we should
leave and do something outside instead. It wasn't what we had planned
to do, but we prayed and felt the same thing. We went to search for a
reference we had received from the Tormenta, but had to ask for
directions from a man who was just out on his porch. We got to talking,
and he allowed us to enter and share a message. We began sharing the
Restoration with him and his wife, and the Spirit grew so powerful that
she eventually began crying. Again, to cut a long story short, which I
could rant about for hours that I don't have, they are golden, and they
are so willing to learn and to read the Book of Mormon. The miracle: we
deviated from our plan and ended up finding prepared children of God
because of it. Guys, follow promptings. They're so important.
Final
big miracle. On Tuesday we found while tracting a teenager named
Agustín who is interested. He allowed us in, we talked about God's Plan
of Salvation, left him a pamphlet to read and pray about, but didn't
think much about it. Then yesterday we visited again and discussed the
last lesson and got to know his expectations of us a bit better, and he
directly told us that he intends to learn from us specifically what he
needs to do to follow the Savior and keep the commandments. He has never
even been in a religion before, but he is so quick of learning, and
more willing to learn and change than I have ever seen from anyone
before, in any sense or situation, especially the Gospel.
So,
to conclude, I want to testify that I have never known more strongly
that this is the true church of the true and living God. All of this is
so beautifully wrapped into one perfect whhole of truth, and my
understanding and vision of the truth has grown exponentially even just
since I left. I've been thinking a lot about the song Viva La Vida by
Coldplay, and one part of the chorus sticks out to me: "Be my mirror, my
sword and shield, my missionaries in a foreign field." And while I am
here, and for the rest of my life afterwards, I will always strive to be
His mirror image, His sword of justice and shield of truth, and His
missionary in the foreign field of the world (because with so many
turning away from Him, the whole world is now foreign to God).
I
apologize for the rushed feeling of this whole letter; I have actually
been pushing my time since I started writing this. But of all the things
I can tell you, this is the most important: Jesus Christ lives, and He
actually cares about every one of you. That, in and of itself, is a
miracle: the Creator, the Bosom of Eternity, cares about you all
individually. It's beautiful how perfect everything is in this universe,
and how wise His eternal Plan.
Con mucho amor de Argentina,
Elder Hill
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