September 21, 2015----Hello Again

Hey everybody!

This week my companion and I learned a little about the power of prayer.  We’ve been praying for specific things and we’ve received specific answers.  I know that the Lord listens to our prayers and is so excited to bless us but we need to ask in faith with real intent, that is, really intend to accept the Lord’s will and timing. 

The family Guisado that we’ve been teaching is getting baptized this Saturday!  The Lord has truly prepared their hearts to receive the gospel.  The dad used to smoke, but decided to stop when he had kids.  Also the parents randomly decided to get married about 2 years ago, which is kinda rare here.  Their oldest son passed away a few years ago and they are excited to go to the temple in the future.  Every lesson we teach seems to ring true to them, because the Lord has prepared their hearts for baptism long before we began teaching them.

My companion and I have been talking a lot about the gathering of Israel in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ.  I honestly don’t know very much about Israel nor do I fully understand the significance of this gathering, but something inside me is drawn to this concept.  I have a firm testimony that we are preparing the world for the second coming and as missionaries and members of the church we have the great role of gathering scattered Israel into the fold of God.

I read a talk from Presidente Harbertson yesterday about our Apostolic Responsibility.  I was touched by the story of Boyd K. Packer who held a little Peruvian boy on his lap during a Sacrament meeting here.  He said, “A voice from the dust, perhaps from the dust of those small dirty feet, whispered to me that this was a child of the covenant, of the lineage of the prophets.”  Then later he testifies that “the day of the children of Laman and Lemuel and Nephi has come.”  How cool is that??  What an awesome responsibility we have to find the descendants of the Book of Mormon. 

The scripture I put on my missionary plaque is in 3 Nephi 5 which talks about the gathering of Israel.  I love the promise which says, “And then shall they know their Redeemer who is Jesus Christ the son of God.”  Sometimes when I feel tired and I don’t want to work, I think of this scripture.  There are people here who don’t know their Redeemer and as His representatives we have the Apostolic responsibility to find those who are kept from the truth because they know not where to find it.  How great is our calling!

Sending my love from Peru,

Hermana Harris