August 19, 2013

Dear Family,

It has been a blessed week. We are teaching a girl named Alyssa (yes, same spelling!) who referred herself to Church head quarters so she could be taught. She has many LDS friends. Her one friend, Maddie, has been sharing the gospel with her for a few years. She has been to many church activities and has felt the Spirit. Our first lesson with her was amazing, like a missionary's dream come true. She has heard the lesson on the Restoration twice already, and so it was basically a question and answer session on the Restoration. The Spirit was so strong as she talked about her experiences and as we testified to her of God's love for her. Towards the end of the lesson, Sister Margaritis asked her if she would be baptized if she came to know the Book of Mormon was true for herself. With a big smile on her face she happily agreed to. She is scheduled to be baptized on September 7th! After that I told her how happy her Father in heaven is with her. At this point I looked to my right and her friend Maddie was in tears and I looked to my left and Sister Margaritis's eyes were glistening, and in my heart I felt JOY. It was one of those moments that are talked about that make up for all the hard moments, all the times we want to give up and turn back. To see someone have a desire to follow their Savior and be baptized through the proper priesthood authority as He was makes a missionary so happy, and Heavenly Father! Alyssa's greatest concern is that of the Book of Mormon and being able to overcome her need to find "proof" that it is true. She knows that only through reading the Book of Mormon and praying and asking specifically if it is true can she know for herself in her heart that it truly is the Word of God and that this is Christ's true Church on the earth. I love Alyssa and I feel so blessed that the Lord has allowed us to be able to teach her. Her friend Maddie is a great example to me. She openly shares what she knows to be true with her friend, because she knows how happy it will make her. Maddie has such a strong and beautiful testimony of the Restoration of the Church and the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

This week I went to my first zone conference. It was great! It included role play's, teaching from our zone leaders, teaching from Senior missionary couples, and teaching from President Eaton. Oh, and lunch! I just absolutely love President Eaton. He teaches in such a way that your mind is automatically broadened to a greater understanding about the gospel. His main focus has been on helping us to love our investigators and on relating the Gospel to every day life, creating analogies of the Gospel to things in life. It's still hard to have good, engaging conversations with people sometimes. It can be quite discouraging, actually, to see all the things I am not very good at as a missionary. At the same time, I see how the Lord is blessing me and is helping me to BECOME a different person. One of the greatest enabling powers of the Atonement is that we are able to leave behind some of our "natural man" tendencies and become people that the Lord needs to do His work. "Whom the Lord calls, He qualifies." It is all through our Savior Jesus Christ. What an amazing gospel this is.

It's amazing how as a missionary, you are receiving revelation for others throughout the day. A mere thought popping up in your head can be from the Spirit. The more we are thinking about our investigators, the more the Spirit will be able to lead us and guide us in our thoughts. And sometimes we wonder what is from the Spirit and what is from us, and sometimes when we wonder those things it really doesn't matter. Elder Bednar gave a talk and he talked about how we often wonder whether our thoughts are from us or if they are from the Spirit. He basically said as long as we are being a "good girl" or a "good boy" we are doing good and that's all that matters. Act on good thoughts that you have, because everything good is from Christ. The Lord is with us more than we know. He is watching out for us, even when we feel distant from Him. His love for us is incomprehensible, and it causes miracles to happen when we are obedient. So many times I wonder how such good things happen, but it's because the lord knows we are not perfect and He knows when we are doing our best to follow our Savior Jesus Christ.

I know Heavenly Father loves each and every one of you so much. I have an amazing family and amazing friends. I could not have asked to be more blessed than with the people who have been in my life. I miss you all so much, but the Lord has a work here for me to do so He helps to keep me here!

One last thing, this week there has really been a focus on the power of prayer. As we pray for specific things, we are blessed with specific things. The Lord wants to bless us, we just need to ask. As we pray to know the Lord's will, and as we put more effort into the detail of our prayer's, miracles happen. I know this is true! Have a most fantastic week!

Love,

Sister Mecate