Semana 20 en Kerman

On July 28, 2014, Hermana VanWie wrote:
Querida Familia y amigos –

                We had a great week! I love working with Hermana Jimenez! We worked very hard to reach the goals we set and in doing so passed our goals. One in particular was especially fantastic--we had set a goal to find 6 new investigators and we were able to find 12. We are so excited! The Lord is truly blessing us as we strive to find those that He has prepared for us to teach. 

Wednesday we had several miracles! We were on bikes this day. First miracle of the day--we lived!!!! We were a little worried about what would happen since it had been a while since Hna Jimenez had ridden a bike. But after a few problems with her chain were resolved, it was a wonderful day! We contacted a ton of people, found great potentials and a few new investigators.  The second miracle of the day--a less active member called us and wanted to come out with us on a team-up. Even though all of our plans fell through including all of our back ups we had a wonderful lesson with her and she told us she wants to come out with us 3 times a week. Yay! I know that this will help her testimony be restrengthened as we help her prepare to teach and help her teach with us and testify of the things that she has seen bless her in her life. 

This week helped us remember that the Lord is in charge of this work. He wants us to succeed. He has the best plan for helping us find, teach, and baptize. Even though we had days where it seemed that everything was not working and that our plans were of little help, the Lord had the Master Plan. When we have enough faith to keep on going and to trust in Him and His plan, we will be able to make more of our missions (and lives) than we possibly can on our own.

This week I have focused my personal study on the Atonement. As we have taught this week, we have found many opportunities to teach about the Atonement. One of our favorite scriptures and quotes that we found this week was in Alma 7:11-12. Elder David A. Bednar explained, "...the Savior has suffered not just for our sins and iniquities—but also for our physical pains and anguish, our weaknesses and shortcomings, our fears and frustrations, our disappointments and discouragement, our regrets and remorse, our despair and desperation, the injustices and inequities we experience, and the emotional distresses that beset us. There is no physical pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or heartache, no infirmity or weakness you or I ever confront in mortality that the Savior did not experience first. In a moment of weakness we may cry out, “No one knows what it is like. No one understands.” But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He has felt and borne our individual burdens. And because of His infinite and eternal sacrifice, He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy. He can reach out, touch, succor, heal, and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do relying only upon our own power."

I know this is true. I have been able to see the Atonement take effect in people's lives this week and it has changed our lives this week as we were able to accomplish things that we thought were beyond our reach.

I know our Savior loves us. I know He lives. He is always there for us. He knows us by name. He know how to best help us and succor us. 

Los quiero mucho! Espero que puedan sentir del amor que nuestro Padre Celestial tiene para cada uno de ustedes.   Gracias por todo lo que hacen para apoyar la obra misional! Que tengan una semana maravillosa!

Con amor,

Hermana VanWie