La familia de la Hermana Miguel...
They still call me that and spell McGill like that. I love it. Makes me feel more like a Guatemalteco than a tall, white girl with green eyes. Ha. I love it :] This week, Hermana Bautista asked me to translate for her in her talk at the 6 week (half way) trainer meeting. That was the scariest thing I have ever done. But it was a good learning experience for me even though yeah right did I know the word "Modules" to translate it... but we got by.
On one street in our area there is an enormous, orange door. Every time we knock on it nobody answers. I have always been curious about this giant door. We walked past it one time, and to my surprise, it was open. It did not lead to a home, but rather a long, skinny dirt path and back to a gorgeous area and a row of houses that we didn`t even know existed. I now refer to that area as Narnia and we are hoping to find much success back there. Who knows... maybe the Lord kept that door shut until they were ready to listen. We are looking for a lot of new people right now which is fun but also tiring. Living the dream.
I like learning. Sometimes it is hard and you feel so dumb or inadequate or bugged in the moment but learning through experience is very powerful. This week we went to visit a little investigator named Florinda. She is a muchacha [kind of like a maid or nanny type thing here] and originally from San Sebastian so she doesn`t understand a ton of Spanish, but we are getting there. She had a ton of work to do and dishes to wash. We started helping her with the dishes in the pila [the thing they wash everything in] and towards the end of the million dishes, my companion started scrubbing a glass vase. I told her to be careful because the pilas are made of rock and other hard material. I turned around to dry and organize some stuff when all the sudden I heard a giant crash. I got so stressed out thinking of the woman whose vase it was... and tried to just clean it up and not say anything. It turned into a super powerful experience for me though. I was thinking to myself ¨poor Hermana Call probably feels so bad right now and just wants to cry. And in the end, when I am standing before my Father in Heaven will it be more important that I got mad at her and made her feel ever worse about it, or that I learned patience, helped her clean it up, and told her how much more important she was to me than a vase?¨
One thing President Uchtdorf said that helped me is to realize that ¨the Lord can use us for His purposes if we simply set aside whatever thoughts limit our ability to serve and allow His will to shape our lives.¨ One of those things that we can put aside is unkindness and impure thoughts about other people. That distracts us from so much. Satan often uses that to drive the Spirit away and thus we are left to make choices alone, often in the way of the natural man. Something I love that Mom and Dad have shared with me is that ¨Charity is the greatest of all and never faileth, because it takes away all the power of the adversary. If we act and live in charity, then Satan can have no power over us. Charity encompasses everything else. And love disarms the evil power.¨ I can do better at loving more fully and praying for that precious gift of charity that truely does help us purify and cleanse our hearts.
I love this country and these people. They are so precious. They have very little. I have had so many people come to me in the last week [members and investigators] telling me that they had to cancel a cita or couldn`t come to church or something because they had to work because they hadn`t eaten yet that day. It breaks my heart. But I know that the Lord watches over all of His people and I have seen amazing things happen with Fast Offering funds. Keep paying those. You have no idea how crucial they are for the families and people down here. I might donate whatever is left of my entire savings to Fast Offerings when I get home. Along with those experiences we had many people who really connected with the knowledge that the Savior came and visited the America`s. My favorite thing is when people like this woman named Gabi just say ¨I always knew that He didn`t forget about us.¨ These people truly are decesdants of those that we read about in the Book of Mormon. Huehuetenango really is ¨the land of the ancestors¨ as signifies its name.
I had the most powerful impression while I was reading in 1 Nephi 15 this morning...
14 And at that day shall the remnant of our aseed bknow that they are of the house of Israel, and that they are the ccovenant people of the Lord; and then shall they know and dcome to the eknowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him; wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved.
Those are the people that I am blessed to know and teach. Those are my friends and my angels here in Guatemala. They are coming to know of their forefathers, and coming to understand who the Redeemer really is that visited here long ago. We are just helping them understand where they came from and the blessings, miracles, and promises that lay in store through their obedience and faithfulness. Mayra and her girls are coming along. President doesn`t want us to baptize them without her husband so we are working so hard with them. Someday. The work is moving forward. Sometimes faster than I can keep track of it... but we just work and work and work. And are so blessed to witness these miracles and keep our eyes and hearts single to the glory of God. Focused forward.
1 Nephi 14:14 ¨And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were aarmed with brighteousness and with the cpower of God in great glory.¨
Nothing can stop or hinder the work of the Lord. We have His power and His protection when we remain true to our covenants. ¨True to the faith that our parents have cherished.¨ Thanks for always cherishing it. I am just trying to be true to that sacred faith. Love you all so much. More than I can express. Thank you for the love and support and prayers. They never go unnoticed. Hermana McGill
