Elder Peihopa is going to be finishing strong - so far it is working out. Transfers have settled down and everyone is working their areas. This week was pretty slow though. Elder Christofferson is definitely my favorite, but it is pretty close. It sounds like it was a pretty busy week back home. I am pretty impressed by Mom and Dad being able to get everything done and really juggle life - I have some pretty cool parents. The Cabin is definitely a huge blessing. That trip to Keeg's mission sounds like it will be really cool. IDK if we will be able to come to NZ but that is something I would really like to do.
This week:
Most of the week was pretty slow, one of our elders has gotten a boil on his leg so we took him every day from Tuesday until Friday down to south Auckland.
I didn't know what to say and I didn't know what to do the whole time she was explaining I was praying pretty hard and I am sure the other Elder I was with was as well. In answer to my prayer the Spirit reminded me of a verse in Moroni. I shrugged it off at first thinking that it wasn't related in this situation. The same thought came again so I decided to stop arguing and when the sister was done I asked her if we could read from the Book of Mormon, at first she said no but with gentle encouragement she agreed. We turned to the verse and she read it aloud. She didn't even budge, she didn't really understand what it was and the wording confused her. I told her to just listen to the first bit. I then read it aloud. When I looked back up I was in the middle of asking if she understood what it was saying but stopped mid sentence when I realized she was crying, nothing dramatic or loud but silently tears were falling down her face and I didn't know what to say. We just sat in silence for a few seconds, maybe a min I don't know how long.
The Sister eventually broke the silence when she just started thanking us and asking if the verse meant what she thought it meant. We were able to explain and testify that because of the atonement the effects of this serious mistake could be erased. Clearly there were more details that I don't want to share publicly, and she never explained her concerns in detail, but the scripture relieved her concerns. Her questions were answered because of a spiritual prompting and she knew that she could overcome this mistake and finally repent for it. We said a prayer and we left.
We proceeded to schedule an interview with one of the counselors in the mission presidency. She talked with him and he decided that it would still be okay for her to get baptized. She was baptized this last Saturday.
I know that the Spirit is real and it is essential to missionary work. It is essential to everything. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the only way we can live with our families again and it is the only thing that could help this sister progress past this mistake. Experiences like this make me realize how much of a blessing it is to be a missionary and to have this gospel in my own life. I share these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Love
Elder Summers