So once again here we are another week.... Last week was a really good week for Elder Harper and myself we saw a lot of people that pretty much fell of the face of the earth on us and we added 6 new investigators and for our area that's huge! I'm pretty sure that's the most we've added in a week since I've been here. So things are startin to happen.... It's been a long time since this areas been up and runnin and I just hope that I don't get transferred next week just as soon as it does but if I do it's nothin new...the story of my mission but I guess it's all in the Lord's plans and time maybe I'm just suppose to find em' and get em' goin...either way if it's the Lord's plan I'm down...can't really argue with Him right? But there is one story that actually happened yesterday that really struck me... Last week we got in contact with a man named Enrique (Iglesias...haha I wish) but yesterday was actually the 1st sit down lesson that we've had with him and there has been just a hand full of times that I've felt the spirit that strong like I did in our lesson with Enrique. Enrique kind of is your stereotypical Mexican he works a cleaning job, lives in an apartment with 3 other Mexican dudes, he's just everything Mexicany (new word I just made up) goin for him. That's what you see on the outside and to be honest that's all I really saw of the Mexican culture before my mission... A person exactly like Enrique was the 1st thing that always popped into my head when I thought of a Mexican before my mission but just like everyone... everyone has their own story to tell and a heart inside that's the same as everyone elses no matter the look on the outside. But the more we got to know this man the sadder and sadder it got. We learned that his wife left him with his 2 kids just some random day he knows where they are and he told us that that's pretty much the only reason why he works is to send his paycheck to his kids to support them.... he told us a bunch of other sad things but the saddest to me was that he's at the point right now that he questions if God even exists anymore... He told us that he had a teacher for 5 years that told him pretty much everyday and tried to prove to him that there was no God and chasing after vain hopes that He really exists is pointless and a waste of time. It's weird because 99.999999999% of the people that I've taught on my mission have a die-hard belief in God and His son Jesus Christ and to teach someone who questions that isn't really the easiest thing. So the more we talk I asked him so what do you want to believe? and he paused for a second....started to tear up and said I want to believe. and he told us that that's why he let us in...he said I've been lost for too long now...and now's the time to get on the path and be a believer. There are no coincidences he said and that if there is a God I know that he sent you two to me. So we started to talk more and I was shaking as I was baring just pure testimony to him of the reality and deity of God our Eternal Father and His plan for us to come back home to him because the Spirit was sooo strong and testifying right to me. To have different beliefs in religion is one thing but to not believe in God that's one of the saddest things anyone has ever told. How grateful we should be to have a testimony of our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ and that they live! Mormon, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist whatever religion people believe it the greatest testimony that we all have and all share is of our Father in Heaven. So with Enrique we introduced him to the Book of Mormon explaining to him that it is a sacred and divine scripture that testifies that Jesus is the Christ and God is the Father of us all and that he would draw near to them by diligently studying and praying and he told us that he believes that this is the way...he told us that he's never read a book in his life before but that this he will read and pay so close attention to, to gain a sure testimony of these things. "Oh sweet the joy this sentence gives...I know that my Redeemer lives." It's my pray that all His children may come unto Him and know and by praying directly to him, go to Church, and studying the scriptures we may know!
Love you all have a great week!!!! Talk at ya next week!!
Much love!
Elder Ryan Lawter
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