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| Gabby!!! She was one of my very favorite members in my very first area in san juan and I SAW HER AT THE TEMPLE. One of the tender mercies of the day. I cried a little.... hahaha |
Holy cow I love you so much my dear great family!!!
Well.... this week was insanity. I feel like a ton of things happened
but it was really all just part of one thing... THE TEMPLE. I have never
seen Satan working so hard in my whole mission, which was actually a
huge testimony to how important the temple must be if he is going to
work so dang hard to make it so people don't get there. It was a crazy,
beautiful week.
First off, I got a whole bunch of packages from friends and family this
week, so I just wanted to re announce to the world that I really truly
do have the best friends and family in the whole entire world and I am
not even sure why or how I got so blessed, but thank you. truly, truly
thank you.
Then.... the week was a whirlwind of stress. Tuesday through Friday were
full of last minute lessons and printing off different forms and having
people come in to print out there reserved names to do the ordinances
in the temple. They also all had to come in and pay for the bus and such
before Thursday, so there was a lot of frantic calling and coordinating
so that they could get the money together.
When we started out the week, we had a list of 21 people to go to the
temple. In the end, 9 went and 8 entered to actually do ordinances.
Satan worked HARD. Some people weren't able to get interviews for their
recommends, some people couldn't receive them (tithing kills here. It is
so sad because no one pays it! I knew it was a problem because it is a
huge focus in the mission. But it really wiped out like more than half
of our original 41 person list for the temple. It makes me really sad.
The church needs tithe payers! Because true discipleship requires
sacrifice.) Some people couldn't get enough money together to go to the
temple (which was so hard for me because it is like 50 soles which is
not a lot, but it is for them. I just wanted to pay for them all to go! But I also have learned that if they don't sacrifice to look for the
ancestors names, their dates, to get the money together, to be worthy to
enter, it isn't worth it to them. It doesn't have the same affect.
Sacrifice burns into you because it is something that hurts. something
that isn't easy. Giving up something good for something better. Sacrifice
is what refines us and makes us rock solid in the gospel. I think that
sacrifice is the reason that pioneer blood and pioneer fire has such a
huge effect in lives of people 8 generations down from the actual
pioneers! Because sacrifice creates and cements something that can't be
erased. IT is the refiners fire, and it is absolutely necessary).
We had
one person who was all ready to go, recommend and all, but then lost
her recommend for a mistake this week. We had another guy who paid and
everything, but then his crazy catholic family wouldn't let him go. It
was insanity. I felt Satan working on ME. Playing on my weaknesses and on
me and my companion and everything. It was actually almost funny, and
in a strange way it almost made us stronger.
In the end, all of the Satan fighting was totally worth it. On Friday
night, we boarded a SOYUS bus at 1130. We slept (sort of. Soyus is, I am
pretty sure what hell is like. But it is also a character building
experience so I am okay with it) and then at like 5 a.m. we got to Lima. At
like 530 we got to the temple and we got there right at the same time as
the caravan. We were all sitting in the dark, quiet visitors center
where everyone waits until the temple opens. There were a bunch of
people there from all over Peru and one group from Chile. It is amazing to
see the effort people put in just to get to the temple. The spirit of
happy anticipation to enter the house of the Lord was all over the
place. It was energizing. Then, the temple opened at 6 and we went
racing inside to start bargaining and pleading because we didn't actually
have an appointment (we found out that day) and so with a lot of prayer and
sad eyes and me promising them that this would be a part of history and
really having the church increase in Peru they let us sneak in our
converts :) It was a huge blessing. Huge. Then, Hermana Bott got there
with her converts from Ayacucho and I just about died with happiness.
Tender mercy. I love Hermana Bott soooo much. I am pretty sure we knew
each other in the Preexistence :) and I also got to give her a birthday
present, her birthday is today :) So that was great. Ah.
Other tender mercy was that right after all of our converts had gotten
into the temple, we were crossing over to the visitors center thing and I
saw Gabby!!! She always came out with us in San Juan my first area and
she is amazing. I love her soooo much. I just heard someone yell in like
a super incredulous voice HERMANA BAILEY?!?! It was amazing. We also
saw a bunch of missionaries from our mission, so that was fun.
Then the real fun started and the converts started to come out of the
temple, all excited and smiling and just gleaming really. It was
amazing. The mom of the family I told you about was able to do a
session for a family member, and it was her first time in the session in
over 10 years. It was literally incredible. They all just came out and
bore their testimonies and were just in awe of the temple and how
beautiful it is and the amazing feelings they felt. I love them so much.
I love the TEMPLE so much. This gospel is TRUE. The temple is....
magical. SACRED. It is the closest we can get to feeling our Heavenly Father here on earth. It is the end :) I am so grateful for that trip to
the temple. If only to see the smiles on the faces of people who now
GET IT.
Oh family. I love you so much I can't even say. Oh my gosh.... CHRISTMAS
IS NEXT
WEEK"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I get to see your gorgeous faces in like a week and a half!!! Hahahahahah I love you sooooo much!!
Have a great Christmasy week.
Remember that I love you. so so, sosososo much. You are my heroes and my best friends :)
I love you!!
Love,
Lauren.
I love you!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
I love you.
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