We are both staying in Bloomington!! Yay! There were some changes to the zone though! We lost our sisters in the Clear Creek ward. :( BUT we also got sisters from China in our branch! So now there are three sets of missionaries in our tiny little YSA branch and on campus! Both of these sisters are from China. One has been out for 5 months, the other just came from the MTC. It's been a busy week getting them settled in the area! They live less than a mile from us so we help them out a lot. It's so interesting hearing them speak with one another. It will be great for the population of Chinese students at IU. We are excited to get them up and running on campus!
On Monday we met this adorable girl named Violet. It was actually a little miracle. We were on campus and I am so happy I was listening to the spirit in that moment. We stopped her and began getting to know her a little. She comes from a non-religious background, but her grandmother is Catholic. She knows very little about God. We conversed about her understanding and asked if we could meet again. She said yes and we set up a time for Friday. Well, a lot happened between those two days. We had district meeting that morning and went to the institute. We had texted her the day before but no response. Usually people don't show up, but we received a text about 20 minutes before the time of the appointment. She said she might be late, but was coming! We had an amazing lesson with her! We discussed God and his role as our Father. We also taught her how to pray. She is very introverted and has some social anxiety, so it was a miracle that she opened up to us. She is sincere and sweet! She said, as we talked about the Holy Ghost, that she felt peace and safety. She said she enjoyed being at the institute building because it feels secure and safe. The spirit was strong!! Stronger than most lessons. We set up another time to meet on Monday. She is so sweet. Please pray for Violet that she will believe her worth as a daughter of God!
Naser is doing great! He has been busy, but we got to spend some time with him and some of the members of the branch on Wednesday. He is always willing to come to activities and lessons! Unfortunately, we will be introducing him to the elders of the family ward because he is too old for the branch. It's bittersweet. We are having a hard time deciding when to make the switch, but it will hopefully be the best thing for him. When this happens there is a big risk of losing the investigator, but it can also show their real intent and interest in the church. We hope he is interested enough to hold on through the switch!!
This week has been filled with learning opportunities! One thing Heavenly Father has tried to instill in me, to no success, is that I need to have faith in Him and His timing. At one point this week I felt very overwhelmed with all that I was being asked to do. The burdens felt very heavy, but I was studying and came across Matthew 9, which includes the story of the woman with an issue of blood. She comes to the Savior and just wants to touch his clothing. He felt the touch and turned to see her. He says "Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole." She is healed of that issue. Each of us are incomplete and imperfect. We each need to just touch the hem of his clothing, but in reality, we simply need to have the faith in Christ enough to be healed. That first line, "Daughter be of good comfort" touches my heart so tenderly. God is with us. He is standing next to us waiting to help when we ask. He can only work with as much faith as we have in Him, but even the faith as small as a mustard seed is enough. I believe in the healing power of the Atonement. I know God loves His children and He blesses us every opportunity we give Him. So give Him the chance to bless your life. "Believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth" (Mosiah 4:9)
That is all for this week! I love you all! <3
Sister Mondragon
Sister Luo
Porter <3
On Monday we met this adorable girl named Violet. It was actually a little miracle. We were on campus and I am so happy I was listening to the spirit in that moment. We stopped her and began getting to know her a little. She comes from a non-religious background, but her grandmother is Catholic. She knows very little about God. We conversed about her understanding and asked if we could meet again. She said yes and we set up a time for Friday. Well, a lot happened between those two days. We had district meeting that morning and went to the institute. We had texted her the day before but no response. Usually people don't show up, but we received a text about 20 minutes before the time of the appointment. She said she might be late, but was coming! We had an amazing lesson with her! We discussed God and his role as our Father. We also taught her how to pray. She is very introverted and has some social anxiety, so it was a miracle that she opened up to us. She is sincere and sweet! She said, as we talked about the Holy Ghost, that she felt peace and safety. She said she enjoyed being at the institute building because it feels secure and safe. The spirit was strong!! Stronger than most lessons. We set up another time to meet on Monday. She is so sweet. Please pray for Violet that she will believe her worth as a daughter of God!
Naser is doing great! He has been busy, but we got to spend some time with him and some of the members of the branch on Wednesday. He is always willing to come to activities and lessons! Unfortunately, we will be introducing him to the elders of the family ward because he is too old for the branch. It's bittersweet. We are having a hard time deciding when to make the switch, but it will hopefully be the best thing for him. When this happens there is a big risk of losing the investigator, but it can also show their real intent and interest in the church. We hope he is interested enough to hold on through the switch!!
This week has been filled with learning opportunities! One thing Heavenly Father has tried to instill in me, to no success, is that I need to have faith in Him and His timing. At one point this week I felt very overwhelmed with all that I was being asked to do. The burdens felt very heavy, but I was studying and came across Matthew 9, which includes the story of the woman with an issue of blood. She comes to the Savior and just wants to touch his clothing. He felt the touch and turned to see her. He says "Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole." She is healed of that issue. Each of us are incomplete and imperfect. We each need to just touch the hem of his clothing, but in reality, we simply need to have the faith in Christ enough to be healed. That first line, "Daughter be of good comfort" touches my heart so tenderly. God is with us. He is standing next to us waiting to help when we ask. He can only work with as much faith as we have in Him, but even the faith as small as a mustard seed is enough. I believe in the healing power of the Atonement. I know God loves His children and He blesses us every opportunity we give Him. So give Him the chance to bless your life. "Believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth" (Mosiah 4:9)
That is all for this week! I love you all! <3
Sister Mondragon
Sister Luo
Porter <3