Ok I know I’m such a missionary right now, but I’m putting aside all
of the other stories this week to tell you about one, because its the
best story ever and nobody will appreciate it if its surrounded by
other random things.
When I got here there were no progressing investigators, nothing to
work with, my trainer was still new and there wasn’t too far we could
get with out limited experience and Tagalog. It was kind of hard going
to church the first couple Sunday’s knowing we had no investigators
coming, nobody even thinking of coming and having no idea how to get
them there. In probably my third week we went down this path that we’d
never been down before, I guess because nobody thought it was worth it
before. We go and we meet this lovely lady in her 30’s outside her
house and we teach her, as we do most people we meet on the street,
and shes nice enough, like everyone else we meet. We come back and her
husband joins in, we invite them to church as we do everyone and
didn’t really expect them to come. The place they live is so far away
from the chapel, they’re pretty poor and they don’t really go more
than a couple of minutes walk past their house ever. We walk into
church on Sunday and the dad is sitting there in the foyer waiting for
us and we were so surprised! He keeps coming back for the next couple
weeks, so we teach him but his wife has now stopped listening as she
has her own religion and doesn’t wanna change, we also find out she
only speaks Ilokano and doesn’t really understand us and they’re not
married, so even if he wanted to get baptised he couldn’t unless she
agrees. So it comes to the crunch, we take our secret weapon with us
and he works his magic in Ilokano and the spirit, and by the end of
the lesson we have both of them and two of their sons committed to
marriage and baptism!! The last few weeks they’ve been coming to
church so diligently. They read the Book of Mormon and pray together
every night, we shared the Word of Wisdom and they happily agreed. One
week their motorbike broke so the dad walked two hours to church. The
repairs also used up all their savings so they sometimes literally
can’t afford to eat, but they come to church every week. They have
that incredible faith you don’t come across often. This Sunday was
fast and tesimony Sunday, and the dad gets up, walks to the front, and
bears his testimony. He says he knows that this is the only true
church on the earth, its the truth hes been looking for his whole
life, and he has already seen it change his life. He thanked us for
coming to find him and his family and for the happiness that they now
have. We cried like babies. The ward was crying, everyone was feeling
the spirit so strong. He’s not even baptised yet! So in two weeks on
October 19th, they will be married and then afterwards the four of
them will be baptised. That moment when he spoke is one of the
happiest moments of my life. Knowing that that family is so converted
and has found that truth in the gospel through our efforts is the
greatest feeling in the world. And its not at all us, our teaching is
awkward and our Tagalog is bad, but they feel the spirit and they are
doing everything they can to come closer to the Lord. There is no more
incredible feeling. If I don’t baptise another person my whole mission
it will be worth it for them. The other best part is that we are also
teaching their friends who live close by. We have around seven lady
investigators who are seriously progressing and gaining testimonies,
but we’re holding off on their baptisms until we can teach their
husbands too. Oh it is a joy. I don’t know what the Lord is blessing
me so much but He is. I don’t deserve the happiness I have but these
people deserve the Gospel and someones got to bring it to them, and I
am humbled that I was chosen to be the one to do that. Missionary work
is the greatest work on earth.
Please understand the point of this story. I always used to think
like, well yeah I love the Gospel and it makes me happy, but I don’t
know why other people would want to accept it from the outside looking
in, because it is a lot of effort to stay strong. But this week I
realised from this family, and from the stories of other
investigators, that I have no reason to complain about my life in
anyway, I have everything, and there are some people who need this
Gospel in their lives because they literally have nothing else. Its
such a blessing to be here in this country where I can teach these
humble people and bring this joy into their hard lives.
This church is the best thing that ever happened to us, and only
through it can we be eternally happy. What have you done lately to
deserve to have eternal happiness? All of us, especially me, can work
a little harder.
I love this work. I love you all.
Mahal ko kayo,
Sister McKim
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