Time Flying

This week has been a little frustrating, but ended with what is a complete  miracle.  This week we've been doing pure finding, and we had almost all of our appointments cancel or not show up.  Our only solid investigators right now are Laura and Juan. We taught them the restoration and a lesson on the Book of Mormon this week. They're both very open, but also seem to be a little complacent about keeping commitments. Laura is really involved with the Catholic church and while she could accept many of the doctrines we taught and is herself very spiritually prepared, she's reluctant to look outside her own religion for the truth.  It's always amazing to see how people will often teach us in the lessons as they express things they've learned through the Spirit.  That's always the biggest sign for me that someone is learning by the Spirit and has been prepared--when they start saying things that literally come right out of the Book of Mormon or Preach My Gospel.  It's always a little bit of a shocker, but it feels great. When Laura was talking to us in her lesson on the Book of Mormon, I couldn't help but think of Mary Aviles, the mom of the family that got
baptized in Richmond.  There's definitely a happy ending in sight for Laura, if not now than in the future! 
Our miracle this week came just at the right moment.  After church we went downstairs in the chapel so I could play prelude for one of the elders' investigator's baptism.  A ward member came and started talking to us an 
told us that the second counselor in the bishopric's mother said that she wants to receive the lessons and be baptized.  What?!  We ran upstairs and met this sweet older lady, Marina.  She told us how she always has felt happy when coming to church, and always feels happy learning about God, but has never been baptized and has been hesitant to meet with missionaries because she can't read.  We told her not to worry and that that happiness comes from the Spirit, and she said, "I know."  The only problem is, she wants to get baptized before she goes back to her country, which is in 2 weeks!  We'll meet with her tonight and talk about the sacredness of baptism and the commandments, and then we'll see if she'll be able to be baptized before she leaves.  Even if she won't be able to be baptized before she goes home, it's truly a miracle that we'll be able to teach someone that has a desire to be baptized, has years of experience with the church, and has an extremely solid support system and lives with members!
She came out of the blue and is truly the miracle we've been praying for, even if the missionaries in her country will be the ones that carry out the baptism.  This is the answer to weeks of praying in our apartment, praying in the car, praying on doorsteps, and in every other moment to find people who are prepared to receive the gospel.  Our God is a god of miracles and He answers prayers!

Haha, so kind of a funny story... this week we saw an old lady struggling to pull a little laundry cart down the street.  We asked if she needed help and started talking to her.  She let me pull her cart and we walked with her for about half a mile to her church, which is where she was headed with the cart.  We had a great conversation about the restored gospel, set up an appointment to see her the next day, and then walked the half mile back to our car.  I felt SO HAPPY--you know, the warm fuzzies you get when you help someone and they're grateful and very nice, and I was happy that we set up an appointment and that our conversation was so great.  I felt so happy that I wrote down in my planner right then that I'd share this experience with you in my email.  The next day, we drove looking for her house to go to the appointment and... she'd LIED to us!  She gave us an address that doesn't exist!  I was shocked.  No way!  After I pulled the cart up and down hills and we'd had such a great conversation--no way!  I decided that this is a lesson in service.  Sometimes people don't react the way we think they will, but all that matters is that we try our best to serve them. Their reaction doesn't really matter at the end of it all.  I'll just try and hang on to the happy feeling I had after pulling her cart, and not
worry that  she completely deceived us.  Bahahaha