What a wonderful day to be alive! Wouldn't you agree? This week I've had some really interesting opportunities to recognize all of the blessings I've been given in my life.
This week we were able to go back and visit a man named A. and his wife L. They're both kind of really old, but they're really just kind of adorable. It's been the most interesting thing to visit them, because they have such an interesting story. Hermano Antonio has practically been athiest for the last 30 years because he was in a really high ranking position in the Catholic church for a super long time, but something happened and they kicked him out. Ever since then he's basically been super angry with God. He's stopped believing in the Bible, and he's to the point where he literally doesn't want to pray because he says he doesn't have anything to be grateful for. His wife has some kind of sickness and sometimes she forgets a lot of things. It's kind of dangerous because he has to almost constantly be keeping track of her, or else she will leave the house and get lost and things like that. She is also almost completely deaf :( He takes that as another reason to be angry with God....or at least that's what he says.
He has tons of questions and sometimes just argues with us over the fact that there's a God and things like that, to the point where if it were anyone else, we would have easily stopped visiting him. However, that's where the interesting part comes in. Hermana Segovia and I both feel super strongly that Heavenly Father wants us to be there. We're still not sure why, but maybe it's just so that he can recognize that he really does have a Father in Heaven that knows his problems, knows his pains, and even his reasons for being angry...but He loves him anyways. Hopefully, in the course of the next few weeks, we'll at least be able to help him to reconcile things with God, and help him to realize that there's a better way to live this life--as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! :)
Every time that we go to his house, I have the strongest feeling of gratitude. Gratitude for ancestors that had the courage to be baptized in this church, for parents and grandparents that have continued faithfully, and for the blessing to have had a life filled with examples and experiences as a member of this wonderful church.
The other experience that I had this week that was extremely impactful was that we got the chance to visit a less active that is the father of our recent convert-J. M. Sr. The other night we were in his house teaching him a lesson, and it was really interesting because..I'm not even sure what we were talking about...but he asked us if we really believed that God loves us (or something to that effect). His reasoning was that if God really does love us, how is it that he can let so many horrible things happen in this world? Before we even got a chance to answer, he went into a semi-long, extremely sad story about his childhood and all of the things he's had to suffer. I was just sitting there listening to him talk and thinking....how in the world can I answer this man? This blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl from the USA that was born in the covenant and has had the blessing of never having to go a day without food, always had enough of everything and more....sure, of course she thinks that God loves her, because she's had everything she needs her whole life. Why believe her?
As I was sitting there thinking about all that, my dear companion began to speak. She shared stories from her childhood...how humbly she and her brother and her mom had had to live...almost never having food or protection...ahhh. So many things that would have been so difficult. But after sharing those stories...that pretty much gained the complete respect of the man with which we were talking..she bore one of the most powerful testimonies ever. She talked about how even though she has had ALL the reason in the world to be angry with God...to ask Him Why me? Because of the gospel, she's been able to live one of the happiest lives, and she wouldn't trade what she had for anything. When she finished speaking, the Spirit filled the silence, and I'm not sure if Hno Melgar felt that...but I certainly did. I walked out of that appointment EXTREMELY humbled. I have never felt so grateful for everything I have in my whole life. I know that each and every one of us will have different trials and challenges in our lives, but whatever difficulty this life brings, I know that through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we can find the joy that our Heavenly Father wants us to have.
In other news...yesterday was Election Day here in Peru, so since they have a law that nobody can have reunions on Election day, we didn't have church at all yesterday..not even General Conference. It's been rescheduled for this upcoming Saturday and Sunday here in Peru. Thanks for your wonderful comments! I'm looking forward to enjoying it as much as you all have. :)
As always, I love each and every one of you, and am so grateful for the impacts you've all had in my life. I'd like to encourage you to take a few moments this week and be a little more grateful for all that our Heavenly Father has given you.
Love,
Hermana Garner
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| Samantha & her companion |
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| Companions |
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| All the sisters in the zone:) |
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