We can't do this alone....

We had a lot of lessons this week, again, but we didn´t get ANY contacts.  2 for the whole week.  I was a little ashamed to tell that to our district leader. But it was okay because we had 10 lessons with members present.  I increased my testimony of inviting investigators to ward activities.  We had a lot of investigators that came to our Spanish cooking class or our FHE and it was really cool. 

But what I want to talk about today is Carmen.  I don´t know if I´ve mentioned her before or not...sorry, I´m just going to repeat her whole story. 

Carmen is Spanish and a less-active sister who went less active 10 years ago when her husband suddenly died.  He wasn´t very old but he suddenly got sick and while the doctors were still trying to figure out what was wrong with him and were assuring her that he still had a while to live, he just suddenly died. She lost a lot of faith in God and was also offended that the members of the ward didn´t come to visit or help her, and so she just stopped coming. My companion found her on the ward list with her old companion and started to visit her.  She was always nice and receptive, and knew the church was true and liked to listen to us, and would sometimes come to activities, but didn´t really have interest in coming to church.   Then for the summer she started to have more time for us to come by and so we came more often to answer her questions about her scripture study and to talk with her son, who isn´t a member.  Then 3 weeks ago I looked over in church and there she was, just sitting on the front row.  My jaw hit the ground and I think I might have smacked my companion in the arm kind of hard.  We were shocked because we hadn´t invited her or anything.  She just showed up.  She only stayed for Sacrament Meeting but still.  It was amazing.  We went to visit her a few days later and she just said that she had realized that she can´t do this alone.  Just her faith and scripture study aren´t going to save her.  She needs to renew her covenants and be strengthened by the other members in the ward. It was amazing to hear her say that and to see her faith.  She´s been coming to church still and yesterday stayed the entire block.  We got to sit next to her in Relief Society and it was the best feeling in the world.  She´s also really excited that we are teaching her son and I know that she wants so badly for her family to come back to the church.  Her older kids are also less active and she feels responsible for having pulled them away from the church.  But every time we´re with her, I just know that they´re going to come back.  Her kids will see her example and remember what it feels like.  Her son will get baptized.  She has so much faith that the miracles are going to flock to her. I have been so blessed for seeing the miracle of her change of heart. 

As for other news, nothing much different with our other investigators.  Transfers are next Monday, so Sunday we´re going to find our what our fates will be.  And we get to do it with Jhony and his family!!  One of the Elders in our ward is the district leader, so he has to go to check online what the transfers are before he can call us to tell us.  And Jhony has internet, and he invited us all over for a dinner/FHE/transfer surprise at his house on Saturday night.  And he had the presence of mind to invite an investigator!  I cannot even put into words how much I love Jhony and his family.  They are the best.  I am so excited.  And I sort of accidentally volunteered myself to make rice krispie treats for it.  At least they are ridiculously easy to make and I can´t mess up the recipe.  And they have butter, marshmallows, and rice krispies in Spain. :)

I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week. 

Keep Carmen and her family in your prayers! 

-Hermana Lara Schaumann