Week 27: Instruments ~ January 25, 2016

Hola everybody! 

Well it's hard to believe that another week has already come and gone.  It feels like the time is starting to pass so rapidly. Maria came to church again this week so we're still headed towards the 13th of February for her baptism.  Another investigator also came to church. Her names is Jesica and she lives with a less active member of the church.  She would also have a baptismal date but we can never meet with her because she's always working. But the good thing is that she still comes to church. 

We also exchanges this week with the sister training leaders. It a little odd because now both my companion and I went to their area and we spent 24 hours there the 4 of us.  But we learned a lot and I'm excited to apply it all this week.

Lately I've been thinking about the opportunity that we have to be instruments in the hands of the Lord.  It started when the bishop here was talking about how before the hurricane all the members here were asked to fast so that mexico would be protected from the hurricane and at the end of the day almost nothing happened here.  I was thinking a lot about that. Because I'm sure there were a lot of people who both did and did not fast.  So is there some sort of a threshold that God has and if enough people are obedient they receive the blessings? That did not really meant sense to me.  Then this week when we were teaching Maria I was thinking "I'm so grateful that I'm here serving a mission, because if not she might never have been able to learn all this" But just as soon as I thought that I realized that is not at all true.  When it comes to what happens to, or the blessings received by others we have absolutely no control over what happens.  She isn't learning the gospel because I'm here. She's learning the gospel because she was prepared and accepted the invitation.  If I wasn't here there would be other another missionary.  The only thing that changed is the blessing that I received.  And I think it's the same with the fast. Those who participated received a stronger testimony of the fast, those who did not missed the opportunity.  God always provides us opportunities to be instruments in His hands. If we don't take them others aren't really going to suffer, the opportunity to serve just passes to someone else.  This also made me think about the friends I've had who've joined the church.  The majority of them joined without any help from me.  Had I be bold enough to share the gospel with them I could've been a part of the miracle of their conversion, but I didn't take the opportunity. They are still receiving the blessings of church membership, it was me who missed out on the blessings. I don't know if that all makes sense but it's what's been on my mind this week.  

I hope you all have a great last week of January and I'll write again in February. :) 

Love you!

Hermana Schmidt