*We had Zone Conference on Wednesday and it was really neat. I loved all of the different trainings there were, it reminded me that there is always so much to work on. I was asked to do the special musical number and so we played Come Come Ye Saints - Elder Adams on the cello, me on the piano. It is such a simple song but the Spirit was tangible. I love music and have such a testimony of the power of music.
*Friday we had a carne asada and Abelardo, one of investigators came! He is really neat and the ward instantly fellowshipped him. There were testimonies given of how the gospel has blessed families temporally. At the end, he turned to us and said, "are you going to share your testimonies now?" We laughed and said no, we do that in the lessons! It was neat to see how much members impact the people that we are teaching. They make all of the difference. GO OUT WITH THE MISSIONARIES IN YOUR AREA! Find time, tell them "Hey I have one hour" and then consecrate that to the Lord. You will be blessed and the missionaries and those they teach or find will be blessed. Everyone wins!
*On Saturday we got to attend a baptism of Connie, our dear friend who we found and put on date. I love her so so much. Even though we didn't get to teach her, it was such a blessing for me to have developed such a brief and yet unbreakable bond with this amazing individual.
*Saturday night we practiced for Sunday with Brother Webb and it turned into a jazz session. Some much needed musical therapy. Again, music is so powerful.
*Sunday after the musical number I got kissed by a 6 year old. I confronted his dad (jokingly) and he said, "He likes blondes, he's crazy!" I also had a lot of people ask me to teach their kids piano and violin. It made me laugh.
*Sunday we played in both the English ward and the Spanish ward. One of our investigators came to church!! There were so many miracles that we saw, there are no coincidences in this world and sometimes we forget that we aren't the ones running the show. We're just little pieces to the overall picture.
That night we had an amazing dinner with a sister in the Sage Hills ward where we had a beautiful conversation about the Plan of Salvation. We just talked about the blessing that the gospel is in our lives and how much it has helped us. It reaffirmed my testimony and the reason that I am out here. It's been different to have little happening when at the same time everything is happening. But over and over I am reminded how much this gospel has changed my life. We decided to walk out pretty deep into our area and ran into a handful of guys who asked us a lot of questions about us as missionaries. They kept asking, "Wait, people slam the door on you?" "Yeah and sometimes they yell at us and tell us to get off their property!" "Why do you do it?" We got to talk to them and discuss how when you have something that you love, something that has brought you happiness, it's something you want to share. And this week I have truly come to understand that. It isn't fun to get run off of a doorstep, but it's mostly just sad that the happiness that they could have had, they just chased away. So often people think that we're here to make them Mormon. Of course not. We are here to help them come unto Christ, to receive the blessings of salvation, to have access through the Atonement. And that happens to make you a "Mormon". But it isn't the Mormon church, it isn't a prophet you worship. It is the church of Jesus Christ and if any single person will take just a small time out of their day to read and to pray they will know. So often they get offended, they think we're there to change them. We're here to invite them to change! We can't change anyone! Only Christ can do that and he can only do that when we take the steps to accept his sacrifice.
This week I have finally found the testimony that will not die. I have little time left but I would like to quote Alma 5:14-16
14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?
15 Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?
16 I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?
Have you been spiritually born of God? As you go from day to day, think about it, ponder it. We have a purpose in this life and we have been given all the tools we need to excel in that purpose.
Les queremos!
Hna Baird
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