Remind Me That I'm Weak (September 5, 2016)

When I grow up, I want to be like Christ.

Unfortunately, I'm not there yet. But I guess that's probably a good thing.
It's entertaining to see how the Lord reminds you every once in a while how weak you really are, and how you can't do anything without him. This week has been full of miracles and experiences that have reminded me just how little I really am.

Sometimes there are days (there have been a lot more of them recently than there used to be, which is cool) where I feel like Spanish is my best friend and I am practically a native. A guera native, but a native nonetheless. And then there are other days where I am just a guera. And super can't speak Spanish. I had one of those days this week, but it was interesting how the Lord decided to use it as a learning experience, rather than just a humbling one (because it was definitely that too.)

On Tuesday we got caught up in a mix up between one of the wards that we cover for Spanish and the elders that actually cover that ward. After deliberating for a while, it was decided that we would go out and smooth some feathers and try to fix the major miscommunication that happened. We had been painting for about 3 hours as service that day, and then we had to book it on the bikes to get over to the lesson on time. The lesson went really well and we did what we could to fix the situation and then we headed to our next appointment just a couple houses over. She wasn't able to meet with us but we found Jose outside of his house and tried to OYM him. I say tried because my Spanish had magically disappeared. I completely and totally butchered all of the things that I tried to say, I explained our purpose wrong, I introduced us wrong until the point where I was about ready to call it good, give him a pamphlet and ride off. Then Samuel, the investigator next door came out, offered us seats and pretty much told us we were going to have a lesson now with him and Jose (his uncle). So we sat down and began teaching. Throughout the entire lesson, my Spanish was trash. I kept getting frustrated that I was butchering it so badly and by the end really just wanted to leave and save myself from the rejection I knew that was going to happen. But surprisingly, they both had been touched by the Spirit, and when we asked if we could come back, they agreed. I was a little bit taken aback but we didn't have time to appreciate the moment because we had to race across town.

Note about the bikes. I have a stubborn streak in me. And due to that streak, sometimes I tend to "run (or bike) faster that I have strength" and I also tend to expect my companion to keep up with me. Neither of us are in that good of shape and by the time we arrived at dinner, we could hardly move we were hurting so bad. That night, I apologized to Hna Linsday and told her, "Hey you have to remind me that we're weak so I don't kill us on the bikes!"

The biggest thing I have come up against on my mission is my weakness. After dinner, we had another lesson that went along the same lines as the earlier one. My Spanish was all over the place and we struggled to get through even a part of the lesson. But at the end, he told us that he enjoyed meeting with us because of the Spirit that he felt during the lesson.

I thought about that the rest of the night. It's like the scriptures tell us, we are only instruments, the Lord allows us to participate in this work when He could do it all on His own. He uses the weak and the simple to proclaim His word and do His work so that we can learn that without Him, we are nothing, so that we can learn to rely on Him in everything that we do.

The next day, my Spanish came back and this week has been AWESOME. We have been blessed to find so many new people and teach with the powerful Spirit of the Lord.

I invite all those that read this to pray to the Lord to remind them that they are weak. It's a dangerous thing to ask for, but it's one of the biggest blessings that one could ask for as well.

Thank you for the letters, emails and pictures from everyone!!
--
Hermana Baird
Washington Yakima Mission

We found a black widow in the Primary room. The elders sucked it up with the vacuum.... Because elders.

We were doing the family history training when suddenly, I recognized the temple! But I wasn't sure...

Is that..??

IT IS!!!!!! :DDDDDD

In the bottom left corner you can see a bit of smoke where another one of the fires has recently started. Since we tend to work on the southern part of the valley, we aren't terribly affected but depending on the day, there's a lot of smoke and everything smells like campfire. *Leavenworth Fires/HorseLake Fires*