hump day is the missionary linguagem for exactly half way through your mission. the peak the top. Today is that day. How did that happen? I am thinking of a song by Jack Johnson where he talks about life as a train. He says "The people on the steet that I'll never get to meet if these tracks dont bend somehow... i need this old train to breakdown." That is my feeling exactly.
I remember in the MTC one elder gave a talk about when missionaries approach the "hump" they have two options: to jump or to slump. I have served with dead missionaries. My fear is to become one. My will is to jump. This work is just too important.
This week we worked with Marta and Ailton a lot. Guess what they are golden. They are both PUMPED to be baptized...the only problem is that they need to get married. I will never understand why it takes a million years to get divorced here...but that isnt going to get us down. They both have felt the Spirit confirm that the gospel is true, Joseph Smith is a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. When we teach I know that they probably dont understand EVERYTHING but I know that they FEEL it is true. We are working on marrying them and baptizing them this transfer!
We also met Sonia. A cute little old lady with a haircut just like moms. She is hilarious. She always tells us that her dream is too "evangelize" like we do. She has felt the truth of the first vision and is reading the Book of Mormon. Sunday she is going to church with us. i am excited.
Oh we got a new Missionary Leader in the ward and HE IS AWESOME. He is always making visits with us and is so excited to get the members mroe involved.
Guess what l of these things that i am talking about are 1. A result of the goodness nd love of God and 2. a lot of prayer and fasting. I dont think i really understood the principle of fasting until my mission. in fact i dont think i truly understood anything before my mission. I am recognizing these days how vital the Spirit is. I feel His guidance at all times. I recognize exactly the moment when He leaves and how horrible i feel without Him. I feel the Spirit guiding this work. I am constantly reminded how this is not my work, but the Lord's and that this time is sacred. SO INCREDIBLY sacred.
I love my companion. Siser Souza will be leaving with Murbaki and Cataca in August. I am so grateful for my companions for the things that i have learned. Sister Souza has taught me so many things in the one week we have been together. One thing specifically is the importance of contacts. I got into the lazy habit of inviting people to church and asking if we could share a message. It was the same thing everytime. She has taught me the difference between that and giving someone every opportunity to feel the Spirit that is with us and to think about WHY some foreign girl with green eyes and light brown hair is asking them to church. To make contacts with meaning. To let them know that YES there exists one true church on the earth that has ALLLL the truth not just some of it. That uided by a prophet and that has the AUTHORITY to baptize people not just someone saying oh yeah i studied the bible i know what i am doing. God's work is not a mess but is orderly and perfect. So i am relearning how to do contacts and we are finding.
So the lanuage, still butcher it. This week i almost cried. I went to make a contact and i tried explaining as clearly as i could to a man about the gospel. He said he didnt understand i walked away in tears almost. We went and taught Marta and Ailton, people that dont have a lot of educational experience. They listen to me. They try to understand. Like Klisleide they think about the words i am saying and not how i say it. They feel what they dont understand. Maybe I will never speak perfectly, or i will always have this accent, but maybe this is just another tool to weed out the people who arent ready and to find those who are truly searching.
As presidente says we are "buscadores de perolas" Searchers of pearls. Not every oyster has developed a pearl yet, we need to find those who already have one. Some people arent quite ready yet, but it is a process really to make that pearl, to be ready for a change in your life so big and so wonderful... i know God has a lot prepared for this galega to find. I have nine months, thats it. I will find them.
Proud to wear the tag,
Sister J Peterson
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