Week 17 - "A Savior is Born" & Godly Sorrow

December 7, 2015

Familia,

I can't believe how much can happen in just one of your days there! Haha, I've actually been thinking about those homemade peanut butter bars you ate lately, so I'm glad you enjoyed them for me too! Also, did you get my letter I sent?  I'm so glad you are all enjoying life! It is so fun to see what you are doing and how you are growing!

This week was quite the adventure! Like every week :) We started Tuesday with having to drop our family that had a date to be baptized, but when we went the father was drunk. We still walked in and taught a lesson about the Savior and the message that Christmas brings...and when we started testifying of Jesus Christ both my companion and I just started sobbing. We were testifying of how He can change lives, and we had started to see it change theirs, and then they decided that they didn't want to continue to follow the commandments. I don't think I have felt so much godly sorrow before. But we both knew that it was what we needed to do, so we went back later this week to really let them go, and cried some more, but the spirit was there. We know it is what we need to do to find families that are really ready to hear the gospel and accept it in their lives.

Cool thing that happened, though, is that the non member father of the member family we are teaching has changed. There is a different light in his countenance and he now tries to find reasons to let us in and teach him instead of reasons to change the cita (appointment). And he came to church without his wife for all 3 hours!!! He ususally comes to church but it's because his wife drags him along. I am so excited to be part of his progression! We had a lesson with him last night and he had such honest questions and I could feel the spirit put into my mouth exactly what I needed to say and the way to do it. SO COOL!!! 

Another miracle this week is that we went to visit a new family we have but they weren't home and we felt the impression to go visit a less active, so we started our walk there, and on the way the first family we went to visit drove by!!!! We talked to them for a little and set a new appointment with them! The spirit is real!

Click HERE to view "A Savior is Born"

So the initiativa (initiative) for this Christmas for the church is "Ha Nacido Un Salvador" or "A Savior is Born." We decided one night when our meeting with the bishop and ward mission leader was canceled that we would go try to take pics with people with their Christmas trees! Well this opened people up super quick because people love their Christmas trees here, and I feel like every person we went to ended up telling us their whole life story while we were sitting in their house! A really cool and much more effective way to contact...and really fun too :) And I would send pics but the computer I'm using today is being a pain, so I'll try next week!! 

Sometimes Satan just tries to get you down, but I've been learned more how to combat him this week. It is SO hard but nothing in life with eternal significance or really anything that really matters is meant to be easy. There were so many cute little kids who called  out, "Hermanitas," (sisters) and waved to us this week that really just helped me get through. So many tender mercies! Thank you for your prayers as well! I can definitely feel them; especially when it's hard. 

This week Ponderize scripture is 1 Nefi (Nephi) 15:7-11 And think about humility when you read it. 

One of my favorite quotes I put on my desk says "If you are the same person you were yesterday, then what was yesterday for? Don't be afraid to change!" 

I love you all so much!! You are constantly in my thoughts and prayers!

Love,

Hermana Briggs