Letter #31 - Week 33: Tapping on the Glass and Peruvian Grandma Feet

May 6, 2019

Hola Everyone!

This week we saw a lot of miracles.
We started it out by deciding to stop teaching five people. I was nervous about it and I didn't really want to start off the week like that, but Hermana Jeppson told me that Heavenly Father would provide new people to teach if we let go of these ones, so I agreed. Through inspired look-ups and following the prompting to knock on certain doors, we were able to find five new people to teach this week! It was such a tender mercy to me to remember how aware the Lord is of all of his children.

One of the greatest miracles we saw this week happened with a YSA girl named Anabelle. She lived a little bit out of the way, but her profile looked promising, so we decided to look her up. We had the opportunity to talk to her for a couple of minutes and she told us that she was supposed to be baptized in January but never went through with it. She told us that she had been thinking about coming back because she still felt like baptism should be a path that she should follow. We met with her on Saturday again and she accepted a baptismal date of July 13th and wanted to come to church the next day. She came to church and we left her talking to some members.

As I have been pursuing my goal of increasing my love for the people through prayer and service, Hermana Jeppson has been giving me many opportunities to serve those we are teaching by offering me to give them foot massages. This is usually followed by a laugh and an insistence that the person in question is really okay and doesn't need anything from us. Recently we visited a 90 year-old Catholic Peruvian grandma of a member in the hospital. At the end of the visit right before we left, Hermana Jeppson in her usual charming manner offered me to give her a foot rub and she accepted with a straight face. Hermana Jeppson felt so bad that she joined me. Overall, it was a good experience and it increased our companionship unity.

Last night we were driving to the home of our Ward Mission Leader when we saw two drunk guys walking around near the highway. We were kind of watching them because we were stopped at a red light and in some traffic, until one of the threw up in the median. I quickly looked away because that was gross, but then they crossed the street and I was suddenly looking at them again. I switched looking at them, then Hermana Jeppson then back again until ONE OF THEM STARTED APPOROCHING THE CAR. Hermana Jeppson just said "Don't look at them!", so I was staring at her. I started to hear a tapping noise. HE STARTED TAPPING ON MY WINDOW. We just kind of ignored it until traffic started moving again. Nothing other than that happened, so that was kind of exciting.

Elder Bennett of the Seventy visited our mission on Friday and we had the opportunity to hear from him. It was an incredibly uplifting experience and it brought me a lot of energy and hope. One of the biggest things I got from it is that Heavenly Father does the heavy lifting, he just allows us to help Him in little ways. We are definitely not on our own.

Other highlights:
- I got an Avengers happy meal with a War Machine toy inside
- We got to #triolife with Sister Myer while her companions were at a meeting
- I got bubble tea when we went to New Rochelle for Elder Bennett's devotional
- We moved a couch into a tiny classroom for studies at the church. Then we had to quickly and sneakily move it back because the Elders were giving a chapel tour.

2 Nephi 6:4-9

4 And now, behold, I would speak unto you concerning things which are, and which are to come; wherefore, I will read you the words of Isaiah. And they are the words which my brother has desired that I should speak unto you. And I speak unto you for your sakes, that ye may learn and glorify the name of your God.

5 And now, the words which I shall read are they which Isaiah spake concerning all the house of Israel; wherefore, they may be likened unto you, for ye are of the house of Israel. And there are many things which have been spoken by Isaiah which may be likened unto you, because ye are of the house of Israel.

6 And now, these are the words: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

7 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their faces towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

8 And now I, Jacob, would speak somewhat concerning these words. For behold, the Lord has shown me that those who were at Jerusalem, from whence we came, have been slain and carried away captive.

9 Nevertheless, the Lord has shown unto me that they should return again. And he also has shown unto me that the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, should manifest himself unto them in the flesh; and after he should manifest himself they should scourge him and crucify him, according to the words of the angel who spake it unto me.

¡Os amo!

-Hermana Prue