Hey amigos!
This week was pretty great! We had lots of great lessons. The Spirit has been leading the lessons and He is such a great teacher. Way better than me. I'm so grateful for His help.
Story time!
We have this friend named Iris. I don't know if I've written about her before. Hna Fernandes and I found her on our first day opening the area. She's a cute little old lady and always calls us her hijas and the muchachas. She gives us juice every time we come and from the beginning has expressed interest in learning about the gospel and reading the Book of Mormon. She even has shared with missionaries before, a long time ago.
Well, the weeks dragged on. Every week we invited her to church. Every week she said she would come, then she didn't. Then we came back to find out why and she gave us an excuse. Some were pretty valid (her son got stabbed in the chest and she was taking care of him for two weeks). Some were pretty lame (the neighbor showed up to talk). Iris has been on date for baptism but her date keeps falling because she keeps not coming to church despite her promises.
So last week something changed. She started actively looking for a way to come to church. She started praying that she would be able to make it and I could feel the real intent in those prayers. She genuinely understood the importance of it and was filled with desire to go. She prepared everything so that she would be able to come this Sunday.
Then she didn't come. We went to her house last night to see what was up cuz I was honestly devastated that after the genuine change I had seen in her this week, she didn't come. She told us that there's the lady who she works for on an un-set schedule who just sometimes comes to pick her up and help her out, and that that lady showed up yesterday an hour before church. She had to go and she was so sad she missed church for it.
But as she was telling us this story she told us that she'd had a feeling all week to call this lady just to make sure she wasn't gonna come on Sunday. She told us, "Hermanas, I failed. Because I had this feeling that I should call her and I didn't." She recognized the Spirit!! That's something that is often hard for people who haven't grown up feeling it and learning about what it is to do.
It was really cool for me because I promise people almost every single day that God will provide a way for them to get to church and that He will help them in their righteous desires. But we're not with them 24/7 and we usually don't get to see exactly how God does prepare the way.
But He does. He prompted Iris this week. He understood her desire and knew what was going to happen and He tried to help her overcome the obstacle in her way.
That's what He does. He has eternal perspective and sees things that we don't see. He does keep His promises. He does guide His children. Sometimes it gets hard to see because we live life so shortsighted and expect instant gratification and easy solutions too often.
Sorry about the novel to just tell one story. We had transfers this week and I had to say goodbye to my amazing companion Hermana Fernandes. It was a party every day opening this area with her and she is such a light in my life. But she's gonna go be comps with Hermana Cook who I also trained and I'm so excited about their compañionship! I got an hermana who has a year on the mission named Hermana Fifita. I'm training her to be an hermana leader and we are gonna have such an epic transfer together.
Love you guys!
Hermana Cazier
Pics featuring some sad goodbyes and my new favorite fruit
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