This week has been a week of learning

This week has been a week of learning.  It has been very rough but I have learned a lot from it and am definitely a better missionary because of it! I have been very sick the last few weeks and this week was the worst, its been super hard to walk this last week which is where I’ve learned to rely on the strength of the Lord more than ever. I have also learned a bit about humility as well, Alma 26:12 has been something I have read nightly, because of my own strength I am nothing, but I have been amazed by how much I have been able to do with the help of the Lord!

I have also learned a great lesson of perservance this week! Just because something does not come easy or quickly does not mean it is against the will of God. When we pray to receive an answer and do not receive one just means that we have to keep searching, praying, so that we may receive a trial of our faith (Ether 12:6) I learned this lesson through an investigator named Jennifer. I found her about a month ago with Elder Humble, and she was SUPER excited and happy to listen to us!! The day after we met her she went to church all 3 hours and was super friendly to everyone. The next lesson we had with her she gladly accepted a baptismal date and agreed to take all of our lessons! She told us that she was going to pass the holidays in Guayaquil and would be gone for a while, unfortunately this ended up being for 4 weeks straight... and every day I made my companion pass by for her. After 3 weeks I was super upset that we could not find her and help her progress, but I never doubted the timing of the Lord. But this week I was pretty sick and was told I didn’t have to leave the house if I didn’t want to, but I decided I needed to work and as we passed by for her she was just getting back!! But the best part of this story was that her first question was "when can I be baptized?" I cannot describe how happy I was!!!

It was also my companion’s birthday this week, which was super fun!! People here go so hard for the celebration of birthdays. Like we had to eat 3 dinners that night, 2 other people made him an entire cake, and another made us a huge pan of flan!