Queridos Amigos y Familiares,
Well, this week has been more or less good. Our struggle now is to
have lessons with members present. We are having good lessons, but our
investigators need to progress and come to Sacramental Meeting and we
know that the key to that is to have members present in the lessons.
We try hard to have members with us and for most set appointments we
brought members, but either people were not there or they moved the
appointment and we weren't able to have any lessons with members
present. So I've been a little frustrated at giving more effort and
striving hard and not seeing the fruits of the efforts. But I know the
miracles come after the trial of our faith. Looks like next week will
be really good though, God willing!
Also, this week was a little frustrating because we could not teach
some of the investigators who are the most solid, and it was not for
lack of effort. With Roberto and Veronica we spoke several times to
set an appointment but they either did not answer the phone or were
unable because of work. Neither could we teach Dulce Rodriguez this
week who came to sacrament meeting last Sunday (not yesterday, but the
11th) and I'm a little worried about it because yesterday she sent
some odd text messages, and I got the impression that she might have
been drinking, which would not be good, obviously. Nor have we been
able to teach Iesica Sanchez who had baptismal date for the 24th of
this month, but didn't come to sacrament meeting then we had to drop
her date. Because she lives right by the chapel and the house of
another investigator we went by her house several times, but either
she wasn't home or was about to leave and could not make an
appointment for sure.
But all those frustrations don't mean we did not see miracles. We were
able to pick up a new investigator that the night before we had the
lesson she had been reflecting on her life and the scripture in Amos
8:11-12 and how she feels that spiritual hunger and knows she has to
change her life. Not knowing that we shared Amos 8:11-12 to talk about
the Great Apostasy and she really felt like it wasn't a coincidence
(which it wasn't of course). It was a miraculous moment. And we also
found another woman who was investigating and the reason she stopped
talking to the missionaries was that she moved from the area of the
Sisters to the area of the Elders and Elders couldn't enter because
she was a single woman at home. So we're excited to go next week to
talk to her and her son whose 18 or so. And we were able to teach the
younger brother of Iesica, Brayan, who is 11 years old and is very
interested in learning. In our last lesson he offered the last prayer
and said "thanks for these guys who come and teach my family about
truths that me and my family have never known. ¨ and things like that.
Also he was going to come to sacrament meeting, but his family and him
went to San Jose for the day, then he could not attend. I do not blame
him much because, well, he's just 11 and does not have much control
over that. So we do see many miracles here in Fairfield, is a good
area here. I'm very thankful for those miracles, but I also do not let
myself be satisfied while other souls perish by the roadside.
I love y'all and hope y'all have an amazing week!
-Elder Whitaker
Well, this week has been more or less good. Our struggle now is to
have lessons with members present. We are having good lessons, but our
investigators need to progress and come to Sacramental Meeting and we
know that the key to that is to have members present in the lessons.
We try hard to have members with us and for most set appointments we
brought members, but either people were not there or they moved the
appointment and we weren't able to have any lessons with members
present. So I've been a little frustrated at giving more effort and
striving hard and not seeing the fruits of the efforts. But I know the
miracles come after the trial of our faith. Looks like next week will
be really good though, God willing!
Also, this week was a little frustrating because we could not teach
some of the investigators who are the most solid, and it was not for
lack of effort. With Roberto and Veronica we spoke several times to
set an appointment but they either did not answer the phone or were
unable because of work. Neither could we teach Dulce Rodriguez this
week who came to sacrament meeting last Sunday (not yesterday, but the
11th) and I'm a little worried about it because yesterday she sent
some odd text messages, and I got the impression that she might have
been drinking, which would not be good, obviously. Nor have we been
able to teach Iesica Sanchez who had baptismal date for the 24th of
this month, but didn't come to sacrament meeting then we had to drop
her date. Because she lives right by the chapel and the house of
another investigator we went by her house several times, but either
she wasn't home or was about to leave and could not make an
appointment for sure.
But all those frustrations don't mean we did not see miracles. We were
able to pick up a new investigator that the night before we had the
lesson she had been reflecting on her life and the scripture in Amos
8:11-12 and how she feels that spiritual hunger and knows she has to
change her life. Not knowing that we shared Amos 8:11-12 to talk about
the Great Apostasy and she really felt like it wasn't a coincidence
(which it wasn't of course). It was a miraculous moment. And we also
found another woman who was investigating and the reason she stopped
talking to the missionaries was that she moved from the area of the
Sisters to the area of the Elders and Elders couldn't enter because
she was a single woman at home. So we're excited to go next week to
talk to her and her son whose 18 or so. And we were able to teach the
younger brother of Iesica, Brayan, who is 11 years old and is very
interested in learning. In our last lesson he offered the last prayer
and said "thanks for these guys who come and teach my family about
truths that me and my family have never known. ¨ and things like that.
Also he was going to come to sacrament meeting, but his family and him
went to San Jose for the day, then he could not attend. I do not blame
him much because, well, he's just 11 and does not have much control
over that. So we do see many miracles here in Fairfield, is a good
area here. I'm very thankful for those miracles, but I also do not let
myself be satisfied while other souls perish by the roadside.
I love y'all and hope y'all have an amazing week!
-Elder Whitaker