Not trunky at all right now, just workin' hard, but I can't help but be amazed that this is my 3rd to last time writing you guys... HOW CRAZY! This last week flew by, and we'll be seeing each other in no time! (just to get you guys trunky haha!)
This week was shoulder to the wheel! We worked hard, and in the end, saw miracles (the biggest of which was actually pretty funny). I was also able to do some great divisions, get a visit from the great and powerful Asistentes Viajantes, and do a special division with a member named Nahuel!
The division with Nahuel was really special. While we were thinking of ways to use our time to the maximum, as a compañerismo we had the idea to do divisions with just 1 member in order to have 2 companionships working at the same time. So I went with Nahuel to the first visit with an antiguo investigador named Rafael. Upon arriving in his home, Rafael said "Let's break the working tools out!" and took out his Bible. I cracked my knuckles, said a silent prayer to the Lord to bless us with His Spirit, and almost heard the Spirit saying "It's game time baby!". We had been working so hard in these past weeks without any success, but thanks to the obedience of my companions and I, Nahuel and I qualified for the Spirit.
At first, Rafael began asking questions intentioned to get me off track and stumped, including the ideas of Heavenly Mother and the race of the leadership of the church. If the appointment had happened earlier in my mission, I may have been tempted to try to answer his questions. However, the Spirit whispered, and out of my mouth came the question: "Rafael, how bad do you want to know the truth? Do you really want to know?" He was surprised at the question. I then proceeded "Every answer to every question you may ever have is found in the Book of Mormon. You can pray and know that it's true" Maribel, Rafael's girlfriend, who had joined a minute after starting the lesson, listened attentively. We proceeded to talk about how to recognize the Spirit, and it filled the room. The Spirit was so strong that everyone could feel it. Maribel began to cry, and Rafael got quieter and quieter. Nahuel, a recent convert, and I gave powerful testimonies of the Book of Mormon and of the Savior Jesus Christ. The Spirit was literally pulsing in the room! After leaving them commitments, we all kneeled down, and Rafael offered the closing prayer, thanking God for the message that we had brought him. After leaving the house, and walking a couple blocks, we stopped to give a prayer of thanks. After the prayer, Nahuel looked silently off into the street, then said to me "My heart's still beating in my chest from the Spirit that was in that lesson. That was the strongest Spirit I've felt in a long time!"
I'm so grateful that the Lord gives the Holy Ghost to His worthy sons and daughters. Sadly, Rafael is choosing to reject the clear and powerful spirit he felt, and is not currently progressing. But we're going to work with him, and I'm hoping he'll have a change of heart.
However, not all hope is lost for one baptism more in the mission! I know that it's not about baptizing, but you can't blame a man that spent more time traveling than teaching for 7 months for wanting to get someone wet! Patricia. Like Luke Skywalker, she's my last hope, and she has to do with the biggest (and funniest) miracle of the week. We were discouraged with the strange attitudes that she had shown us the week before last week, and so we waited to visit her until Friday night. When we got to her house, we met her son Nicolas, who had arrived from Buenos Aires. Buen pibe! But here was the miracle: It became very apparent to me that during the first 3 interactions we had had with Patricia, she had been very drunk! It was hard to tell because she hadn't smelled of alcohol, and although she had acted a bit strange, I've met a lot of weird old people here in Argentina that were stranger than her. To my defense, neither of my two companions noticed either!
The miracle is that Friday night, she was sober, and desired to go to Conference! She's so much easier to teach while she's sober, and actually really likes the message. She told us that she wasn't going to be able to on Saturday, but that she wanted to go on Sunday. So, Sunday morning, we passed by her house with a member to take her to church, and to our despair, she answered the door in pajamas and said that the injury to her spine and knees were giving her a lot of pain, and that she wouldn't be able to go. Luckily, today on the earth, we have a prophet of God who, Saturday night, boldly called all of the priesthood holders of the church to rise up, and bless the people of the earth. So we broke out the consecrated oil, and gave Patricia a blessing. I told her that we were going to visit her between sessions, and if she was feeling better, could go to the last session.
Upon arriving at church, I offered a silent prayer, asking God that He would give Patricia strength, and upon arriving at her house after the first session, we found that she was feeling 110%, and was excited to go to the second and last session of conference! She LOVED IT! I'm praying day and night, and I think that if things keep progressing at this pace, we'll be having a baptism my last Saturday of the mission. PRAY FOR US!
And last but not at all least, General Conference. By far the best I've ever seen, it changed me as a man, and I think it changed my life. I feel proud to live in these last days before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and very pleased to have been able to be one of the lucky souls that was able to raise his hand in favor of President Russell M. Nelson. He is a prophet of the living God. Jesus Christ lives. I feel so privileged to be able to start my personal ministry in His service in these last weeks of the mission, and especially on the home front!
FAMILY! How lucky we are to be members of the true church of Jesus Christ! Let's pay it forward, and start ministering to all that surround us, searching for personal revelation, and blessing those who surround us! MOM! Enjoy spring break! I LOVE YOU! see y'all soon! LOVE YOU GUYS! - Elder Jimenez
P.S. Aguante un apostol latino y el tercer templo en la Gran Argentina! #TierraPrometida
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