So this past week was definitely one of the biggest learning experiences I've had so far on my mission. Our week started out SUPER good. We were teaching a ton of lessons everyday and meeting some super interesting people (like always) as we were talking to everyone and their cats. Last week we had gone on exchanges and while I was out of the area, my companion & one of the Sister Training Leaders added 2 new investigators which was exactly what we had been praying for!
We kept trying to meet with one of the investigators, but right before our appointments he would have to cancel. So on Friday around 3:00 pm we were finally able to meet him and had the craziest/worst/most intense lesson I have EVER experienced. We walk into the apartment & sit down and start getting to know him a little bit better. His girl friend was cooking in the Kitchen and she was a little stand-offish at first to us. But once she found out that we were Missionaries she comes and sits down with us and wanted to hear what our message was about. For the first little while, everything was going great! This lady was a rambler and would go off on some random tangents, but we would relate everything back to the Gospel and it fit in perfectly with the message of the Restoration! We asked about their religious backgrounds and she has some really interesting beliefs...she had some interesting views on prayer & talked about some of the really difficult things that she has experienced in life & how she would only call upon God then. She then said about how there is NO way that we could have ever experienced anything like that yet and know what it's like to truly call upon God.
So after her discussion about prayer, she stands up and goes into the Kitchen to check on what she is cooking. As my companion was very simply teaching her husband how to pray (he didn't grow up with any religion and had never prayed before) right when she got to the part about how we close our prayers in "The Name of Jesus Christ", all of a sudden his girl friend walks back in and stands right in front of us and basically says, "Alright girls, it's time for you to leave NOW. You are talking to people who already know how to do this stuff and we have experienced a lot more in life than you can even imagine!" (she said a lot more, but most of it isn't rated PG). I look at my companion and she is already in tears, & I'm just thinking to myself, "What the heck is going on?!" She flipped SO fast on us and it seriously came out of NO where. But as she was staring at us, I could just feel the Spirit spread from my heart throughout my whole body. As we stood up to make our way to the door, I looked at this lady RIGHT in the eyes and calmly but powerfully said, " You see what's on my knee caps? Those are calluses from being on my knees so much and pouring my HEART out to God. I KNOW what it's like to have absolutely nothing besides my relationship with God, Christ and my family! I may be young, but I KNOW that during THE most difficult times of my life, that God did truly strengthen me and saved me from my despair. Despite the difficult circumstances I've been in, in my heart I had PEACE, COMFORT, & LOVE & i KNOW that it was because of Christ's sufferings that He was able to take away all of the pain once I turned to HIM."
Then this lady started going into a random tangent about how the Roman's killed Christ & it seemed like she had completely forgotten that she had just yelled at us to leave. But since I was standing closer to her this time, I finally noticed the smell that was emanating from her breath. This lady was DRUNK & probably on a few other drugs. As soon as that light bulb went off, my heart instantly broke for these 2 people. I tried to make my way towards the door but it seemed like I couldn't even move my feet. The Spirit just kept telling me to testify & testify & TESTIFY. So I pulled out a Book of Mormon and said, "Before we go, can we give you a book that has a really special place in my heart?" Then this lady was like, "Of course! I love to read and learn more!" I gave one to her boyfriend as well and looked him in the eyes (because I think he actually was sober & he kept apologizing under his breath about this lady) and testified that if he reads from the Book of Mormon and asks God if it's true, that God WILL answer his prayer and he will have more peace in his life than he can ever imagine.
Then I asked if we could leave them with a prayer and the girl friend was like, "Oooooo! Can we do the kneeling thing?!" So we got down on our knees and I offered one of the sincere prayers of my life. As soon as I said, "My Most Dear & Gracious Heavenly Father.." I was completely overwhelmed by the Spirit and couldn't suppress the tears anymore. In that moment I could truly feel Heavenly Father's love for these people and at the same time, how SAD He was by the decisions they were making. I felt like Alma in Alma 8:14 'being weighed down with sorrow...because of the wickedness of the people'. I truly felt the importance of making these things known unto ALL of the children of men & my heart ached for these people because I KNEW how much the Gospel could truly bless their lives. Right in the middle of my prayer, this lady interrupts it by saying, "Ladies! Bring your hands in, I have a ball of energy and we CAN'T let it go!" I just continued on with my prayer and after finishing in Christ's Name, she was like, "I think the Angles are trying to tell us something!" and then I was like, "Yes, they are trying to tell YOU that the message that we bring to you is TRUE." and she was like, "Yeah, it's good!" and then I was like, "No, it's not just good, but it's of GREAT importance! I KNOW that it is true!"
Then we stood up again, shook their hands, and walked out with tears rolling down both of our faces. We walked into a back parking lot and just cried and cried for these people. I have never experienced the Spirit so powerfully before in my life, and have never felt God's love for His Children SO powerfully before either. This experience has completely changed my perspective and I am so HUMBLED to be a Representative of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I KNOW that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is TRUE and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God!
I love this Gospel, I love all of you, and I am so grateful for all of your love and support.
xoxo Sister Morgan
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| Gotta love random "God-squads!" |
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| Jammin' out on our Ukulele's with a member family! |
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