Ch. 24: Promising Blessings

Chapter 24: Promising Blessings

I realized while I was in a lesson with Francisco this week, that one of my favorite parts of being a missionary is having the authority to promise blessings! We decided that if we are going to continue with our goal for this Saturday as our baptism with the devil working so hard on him, we were going to need a miracle. And that we did receive! Francisco´s wife has not been against him coming to church, but she hasn´t been super supportive either. So, we went to our appointments with Francisco this week when we knew she was going to be home so that we could include her more actively in our lessons. I have never seen someone change so quickly. It was truly a miracle!! She is super cute and is working from 9 in the morning until 9 at night, and only has a 2 hour break for medio dia (lunch time/siesta time), and she says that she wants to spend as much time with us that she can during the week because we bring a special spirit into the home. (She´s seriously soo cute!) Anyway, Francisco was having his usual doubts about feeling prepared about baptism (he read the entire Gospel Principles book this week--he could probably teach me about the gospel), and his wife turns to him and says, "Francisco, this is what God is telling you to do. You have felt the spirit, and now you need to follow him, and trust him so he can bless our family." Now, I just want to stand up and cheer, but he was still a little hesitant. So my companion said to him, "Francisco, I promise that if you are baptized this next Saturday (August 31) that you will be healed of your health problems, and your family will enjoy both temporal and spiritual blessings for all eternity." I have always been hesitant to promise these kind of blessings, but then I realize that if we are listening to the spirit, then we have the authority given to us to promise them to our investigators. Then, depending on their faith, they can receive these blessings. I love to see people change their lives as they follow their Savior. We are still planning on his baptism for this Saturday, but the condition he gave us is that he has to receive his own answer that it is right for him. I know that is true, but it always worries me the ability Satan has to make people confused or conflicted about their answers that they receive. The spirit truly is a very still small voice. In other news this week....it was a hard week. hahaha We got dropped by 2 of our investigators, and had 15 lessons fall through. This is kind of the norm though during the month of August. I can´t wait for everyone to come back from their Vacations!! It´s incredible, it´s like a big migration for the entire month of August--even businesses shut down until September for vacations. Oh well. One thing that truly made my week was spending a lot of time with Feily and her Dad. We are really trying to get Feily´s dad back to church. He told us this week, "Hermanas, I want to come back to church, but I´m scared. I haven´t been keeping my covenants, and I don´t feel worthy to go back." We tried telling him that church is like a hospital for the soul, and not a place for the perfected saints. His friend was there during our lesson, and that was a huge miracle. He was just like, "Yea, we need to go to church so we can have Christ in our lives. I will go this week." Well, Sunday morning we got a text from Feily that said they wouldn´t be coming to church. We had no idea why, and needless to say, we were super disappointed. Then, right when the opening hymn started to play, Feily´s little face popped around the door, and she brought her Dad´s friend to church. She is my little missionary. She said she made a way so that he could come to church, and enjoy the blessings. Although her dad wasn´t there, I was so excited. I love that girl!! Francisco also came to church for the first time in two months. It was such a tender mercy after a really hard week. Sometimes I forget that this is the Lord´s work, not mine. I have definitely been humbled here in Barcelona, but it has helped me to see the hand of the Lord more clearly in my life.   

 Les Quiero

Hermana Hopkins

Chapter 23: Tug-o-War with the Devil

This week was time to get on our work out clothes, because we were preparing to play tug-o-war with the Devil. Let me explain from the beginning. We were having a rough week. I can´t tell you how many times we had the door slammed in our face, spit on, and yelled at on the streets. I thought these kind of things only happened in the cheesy missionary movies that the church puts out. Oh no, they happen. I went through 2 boxes of Nutella chocolate cereal in 5 days to prove it. We were praying for a miracle all week. Then, it happened. We had our cita with no other than Francisco. Hermana Shaffer and I went into this lesson prepared to teach about the importance of church attendance, because we felt like if we could just get Francisco back to church, at least he would be able to progress again. However, we both looked at each other and knew that we should talk about baptism. Again. We were really nervous about this because every time we have tried to set a date with him, he just ignores us until after the date. Well, we decided to follow the spirit, and we saw Francisco change right in front of our eyes. He said, you know what, I think you are right now. Give me two weeks, and I will be ready. So we set the date with him, and left singing the Hallelujah Chorus. My companion and I were so excited that we just ran to the closest, remotely quiet place and sent a prayer of gratitude heavenward for witnessing such a miracle. 

The the next day happened.

In the space of 24 hours, the devil had taken his grasp on the rope of Francisco. 

My companion felt prompted to meet with Francisco again the very next day. She kept saying that she just couldn´t get it out of her head that we should pass by. So we did, and it was so good that we did. Apparently, him and his wife were talking. She was concerned that as big as a covenant as baptism is, that he wouldn´t be able to keep it once they went back to Peru in November. We gave one of the most powerful lessons we have ever taught, and now it is just up to his own agency. I pray so hard for that little man every day. For now, he has just got to choose for himself. I know that he has felt the spirit, and that he knows what he should do, so we have done our part. So, my plead, as usual, is to keep praying for Francisco. 

There are people prepared here in Barcelona, and I am so grateful that I am put into their paths, and I am able to see their personal progression towards the Savior. Sometimes, I feel like as I walk down the streets in Barcelona, I lose my hope for humanity. haha However, although I feel like I am playing tug-o-war with the devil, I have to remind myself that there are more that our with us than there are with them. 

So bring it on.

Les Quiero!

Hermana Hopkins

Chapter 22: The Plot Thickens

There we were: watching the Joseph Smith movie with Feily and her dad. However, Feily´s friend came over so the only ones really watching the movie were me, Hermana Shaffer, and Feily´s dad. We were at the part that they were forced to leave the temple in Ohio, and he asks us, "So after they left, didn´t they end up losing the property for the temple, then they built Nauvoo Temple, and then started the Salt Lake Temple, but the St. George Temple was finished first, right?" Alright. At this moment I knew that he had not just "taken the discussions". So, we decided to investigate, and as it turns out, Feily´s dad was a really active member back in the Dominican Republic, and became inactive here! That´s how he knows so much about the church. Anyway, we have really been working with the young womens and the young adults this week, as well as some less active members, and we have seen so many miracles. My companion was told when she was set apart to really focus on the young adults on her mission because she would be preparing them to raise children that would see the Savior. Incredible, right? So, first we decided to work with Iveris. I believe I have mentioned her before. She is our lovely 19 year old, super cute investigator that just doesn´t want to change her life. So, I decided to make Feily a missionary, and brought her with me to the lesson. She was incredible!! Feily just told her about her story--that she was on kind of a rough path and then changed and she has seen the blessings. She said that the church doesn´t make you change who you are as a person, it just changes you into the best version of you that God wants you to be. I felt like a proud mother during the whole lesson! She bore such a powerful lesson, and guess what? She came to church and sat with Feily and said she would pray about a baptismal date!. It was seriously a miracle. We also were able to bring 4 less active members to church this week, which was completely amazing. Two of them were both young adults that just needed a little bit more fellowshipping from the other young adults. I decided on a different strategy as well. Instead of telling the less active members why it is important to come to church, I have been giving them the names of people of who they can help us fellowship. It is kind of reverse psychology, but it completely worked! I was so excited to see all these people brought back with love! I don´t think it matters if you have a baptism or if you are bring back less active members, I get the same feeling from both! I am so excited to be working in this area that is starting to really come alive. Now, the week is not complete without a quick update of our friend, Francisco. He has been in the hospital I found out, and so we called him to see how he has been doing, and he just said, "Hermanas, I know I was supposed to get baptized today (we had set the date for August 10), and I have just felt sorrow all day because I haven´t. I feel like this time in the hospital has given me time to think, so I know that I need to get baptized. I just don´t know if I will ever feel ready." To be continued. 

Les Quiero!!

Hermana Hopkins

Chapter 21: The Rose Among the Thorns

This week was full of miracles, but full of disappointments as well. I guess that has become sort of the norm for this area. BUT can I just scream this from the rooftops: FRANCISCO IS BACK!! Now, before you get too excited--like I did--I think it would be important to mention that he said he would come to church again, but indeed did not. However, I don't even care! He met with us again, and said he would pray about his baptism. We noticed something though: Francisco has a fear of praying for specific things. We asked him to kneel with us right there and pray about his baptism, he agreed, but when he prayed he never once mentioned his baptism. We told him that it is ok to ask for specific things, and he just didn't say anything. So, that is something we will have to work on. But thank you for all the prayers, I know that with time our special little Peruvian will come around! This week was so full, I don't even know where to begin! I had my first intercambio of the transfer with Hermana Haglund again! (Oh my goodness I love that girl!) and we had a day just full of miracles. The first man we talked to on the street said, "Oh, so you are missionaries. My best friend served a mission for you church. All my friends listened to his message and were converted, I guess it is me and my family's time to listen and be converted as well" Why yes, sir. Yes it is! I am really excited to see how that goes. Then we went to our first appointment, but she was sleeping, so we decided to pass by some less actives on the ward list. We got into this huge apartment building and started knocking doors because the one we were looking for wasn't home. On our last door, this timid little latin American woman peeked open the door and almost started crying. I was thinking, "I know that I have kind of let myself go since I have been on a mission, but do I really look THAT bad??" haha Well, she said, "Hermanas I am a member of your church, but have not been able to attend because of my work here. I have been praying for a miracle, and when you knocked on my door I had a thought come to me to open the door because the Savior would be standing there. When I opened the door I found two of his missionaries ready to help me. I am have been aching to hear a hymn. Can either of you please sing me a hymn, and I will know that I can move on." Wow!! The Lord is really watching over the members here! We went in and sang for her, and then left her with a prayer, and she just kept saying over and over that the Lord really does answer prayers. It was so cute. Speaking of answered prayers, we had another huge miracle. Earlier in the week, I was calling some members to make appointments with them so that Hermana Shaffer could get to know the ward, and I accidentally called the wrong number, and it turned out to be this less active member that I have never heard of. I figured since I already got her on the phone that I would get her address down, and we could go visit her. So that night, we went and visited her, and she said, "Hermanas I have to tell you, the night before you called I decided to pray for the first time in a long time. I prayed that the Lord would send me missionaries, because I don't know how to get back to the church and my son is not a member, and I know he needs this in his life right now. The next morning I got a call from Sister Hopkins asking if she could come meet with me." Now, I remind you that I dialed her number on COMPLETE accident because I messed up the number. If that isn't a visualization of the Lord's hands in my life, I don't know what is! I was so excited. Now, this week we went crazy on finding new investigators, because it is really hard, and we found 11 new investigators!! We were so excited, and they all sad they were going to come to church! Well...here comes the sad part of the story. We didn't have one. Not one person showed up for church. So, it was a hard Sunday, especially when Feily wasn't there either! Which was surprising since she said she wanted to come out and help us teach this week, and has been faithful in praying and reading the Book of Mormon...anyway, it was really discouraging that we had worked so hard this week, and no one showed up to church. Then one of the biggest miracles of my life came to pass right before my very eyes. Remember one of my first emails in the mission that one of our less actives is a self-proclaimed Evangelical?? Well our dear sweet, 80 year old, Catalan Rosa showed up to church!!! WHAT?? Now, we have been visiting her every other week pretty faithfully, but lets just be honest. It was like a hopeless visiting teaching, or so I thought. Turns out after our last visit about coming to church and taking the Sacrament, she called the bishop and said she was going to church. When she walked in, her best friend in church just started bawling. It was almost as good as a baptism to watch. It taught me that even when you think someone is just hopeless, don't give up hope because God doesn't! This week we are going to get some of our investigators to come to church, and we are going to keep up the work here in Barcelona!! I am so grateful for all the prayers that are sent my way; I can feel them every day!! 

Les Quiero!

Hermana Hopkins