La Oración de Un Niño

Holaaa mi gente!

DC is wet and cold this week but still, we had such an amazing week. I feel lame cause I say that every week but seriously, missionary work is amazing. Sometimes when I think about going home it really breaks my heart, the joy and spirit felt with my sacred calling is like nothing else. 

Today I wanted to talk about prayer. We have an investigator that has a CRAZY 3 year old son. I mean it when I say he is crazy. He has...

• Forced Hermana Bertagnolli and I to chase him ON THE PULPIT, DURING SACRAMENT.
• Punched Hermana Hasek in the face.
• Thrown a slobbery sucker at Hermana Hasek that hit her in the jaw.
• Pulls my hair every time he sees me.
• Rips pamphlets out of our bags and takes everything out of them.

The list goes on and on. Basically he is a really naughty child and does not listen to his mother no matter what she does. It can be a little stressful during lessons but we do our best to stay calm, bring toys to distract him and sometimes it works. Most of the time though, it doesn't. So, back to prayer. This crazy three year old has suddenly started to fold his arms, close his eyes and say prayers with us in our lessons. Which is a miracle because he never sits still for more then 2 seconds at a time.

This week we were having a lesson and the 3 year old's mom was frustrated with herself. She has tried for months to keep certain commandments that have been very difficult for her to keep. She felt unworthy and discouraged with herself. She even questioned her ability to be a good mother. She expressed that she has prayed as we instructed but that she didn't feel like God was answering or listening to her. Hermana Hasek and I shared the blessings of Christ's atonement with her and the spirit was so strong. We promised her that the Lord and her children see her sacrifices and efforts and that having the gospel in their lives will bring them unity and peace. Afterwards we offered a prayer to which I call out to her 3 year old, "Oración! The 3 year old drops what he is doing, sits down, folds his arms and bows his head for the prayer. And he stays like that the whole time. His mothers eyes were filled with tears and she looked at him. Even little Edwin can feel the importance of personally communicating with Heavenly Father through prayer. It is the only time he willingly will sit still and be silent. The hermana then realized God is listening to her prayers but she was just then realizing it.

My testimony of sincere prayer has grown so much on my mission. Hearing others pray for the first time is something so special. I have heard the most sincere and humble prayers on my mission. We have taught people the proper order of prayer. I love that we can all personally go to the Lord with our pain, fears and sorrow. Along with that we can also go to Him in moments of excitement and joy. He is there listening to it all and most of all, He cares. We can speak what we are really feeling. Nothing recited or memorized, just a conversation with our loving Father in Heaven. This being said He also answers prayers in His time and in His way. Not in our time and our way. I have learned that the hard way. But what is required of us when we pray? Elder J. Devn Cornish said in the October 2011 General Conference:

"We must not imagine that any kind of prayer, no matter how sincere, will be very effective if all we do is to say the prayer. We must not only say our prayers; we must also live them. The Lord is much more pleased with the person who prays and then goes to work than with the person who only prays. Much like medicine, prayer works only when we use it as directed.

When I say that prayer is a sweet privilege, it is not just because I am grateful to be able to talk to Heavenly Father and to feel His Spirit when I pray. It is also because He actually answers and speaks to us. Of course, the way He speaks to us is usually not with a voice we hear. President Boyd K. Packer explained: 

“That sweet, quiet voice of inspiration comes more as a feeling than it does as a sound. Pure intelligence can be spoken into the mind. … This guidance comes as thoughts, as feelings through promptings and impressions”

I have personally experienced this and have witness others do so as well. I know we can all receive guidance from God through prayer.

One more story with this sister! She has been studying for her drivers license test and was stressed all week about it. We felt impressed to promise her that she would pass the test if she studied the manual and read one verse in the Book of Mormon either before or after studying. She still was stressed and called us Friday after her test. "Hermanas, I didn't study very much so I knew I wouldn't pass the test... but every time I got worried I read the Book of Mormon and.... I PASSED MY TEST!" She was so excited and we were celebrating over the phone with her. It was so awesome!

I gained a really strong testimony this week of serving when we are in need. To focus on others in times when I have felt lonely, sad or discouraged I have been filled with love, joy and peace. If you are feeling sad go out and serve someone. The joy is contagious! A sweet friend sent this quote last week that I love, "When you're drowning in fear, doubt, or discouragement; don't forget your lifeguard walks on water."

Les quiero,

Hermana Tapia

"Yes Hermanas, I did pray. I know your message is true."

Hola!!!

Hermana Tapia here, sorry I haven't written in a while but this week's miracle will make up for the absence of the other letters.

We met a family 2 weeks ago. The parents were both very skeptical about learning more of our message because of bad experiences they had with other Christian churches in the past. They are a very spiritual family but had a hard time believing in one church. We had a powerful lesson on the restoration and instantly the mother started asking where she could find evidence of it in the Bible. Little does she know my favorite lessons are ones where I can bring up verses in the Bible that actually teach about the restoration through the prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. (Hit me up for some solid scriptures on the restoration found in the Bible.) It's interesting because I found those scriptures when I was an altar girl in the Catholic church and was confused about some of its teachings. Investigating the church helped me to make sense of those Biblical verses. Anyways, back to the story. The mother was shocked after I shared the scriptures. They said they felt something special as we taught and that it all made total sense. Still, we invited them to get the personal witness from God himself and to pray about our message. We thought it would be overwhelming to talk about the Book of Mormon as well so we decided we would introduce it in the next lesson.

WELL, this week we go back with a Book of Mormon for them and plan on reading some of it with them. We weren't sure what chapter yet but we decided we would let the spirit tell us what chapter to read with them. We get to the house and after the prayer I ask them if they had the time to pray about our message. The mother looks at us, pauses for 10 seconds and says "Yes Hermanas, I did pray. I know your message is true." Instantly the spirit flooded the room. She went on to tell us that after we left that night she prayed and after she had a dream. In her dream she said she saw a tree with white fruit. And that Hermana Hasek and I were in her dream and we were inviting her to eat of the fruit. She said that she did and when she did the fruit was SO delicious. She said that when she woke up she realized it was God's way of telling her that our message was like that fruit and that if she continued meeting with us she would get closer to God and find his true church. UMMM YEAH, CRAZY RIGHT? BECAUSE, in the Book of Mormon in 1 Nefi chapter 8 there is a prophet named Lehi who had the SAME DREAM SHE HAD! With a tree, white fruit and everything! I instantly ask her if she has ever heard of the Book of Mormon before. She looked at it with a puzzled look and says, "No, what is that?" Immediately Hermana Hasek and I flip open to 1Nefi 8. The lady was AMAZED. "That was my dream!!!" She exclaimed.

Holy moly you guys, this is SERIOUSLY the work of God! These miracles have completely changed me and strengthened my testimony. I know it was no coincidence that this sister had a dream that was exactly like a chapter in the Book of Mormon without ever reading it or even hearing about the book of scripture. I know this is God performing miracles and that the days of miracles have not ceased. They happen every day if we look for them and live faithfully and with strict obedience to the Lord's commandments.

In other news:

• Our recent convert's whole family in investigating the church and her mom and brother who we have been teaching for 3 months are getting baptized next month! 
• That same recent convert and our investigator Pitbull bore their testimonies at Sacrament Meeting last Sunday. 
• I was nearly kidnapped one Sunday. (It's a long story...but I am okay!)
• This whole transfer we have had over 10 people at church every Sunday. It has been a blessing as we have focused on teaching whole families and have been exactly obedient and prepared spiritually to teach God's children! 
• It has been raining like crazy and it is going to rain every day this week. Here is evidence of how crazy it is getting. Also looks like hurricane Florence is coming in our direction so pray I don't get washed away! 
• I found out I get home January 23rd and I am freaking out. Trying to enjoy every second I have here and working hard till the end! I can't believe how fast time is going.
• Hermana Hasek is literally an angel. I love her so much and I have cherished every moment of training her this transfer. She is so hard working, kind, patient and amazing. We are almost exact opposites and have managed to work together in love and unity and become more like each other. It's so important to appreciate differences in others and enjoy diversity. Hermana Hasek has taught me that. Because of her I am more open minded, patient and kind. I love that we are all unique children of Heavenly Father and have so much to learn from one another. It is by divine design that none of the voices in God's choir are exactly the same. 

I'd like to end with the topic of obedience that ties into the story at the beginning. Obedience is so important. That would have to be the #1 lesson I have learned being a missionary. To feel more joy, peace, the spirit, to receive answers to questions, to know if the Book of Mormon is true, to gain strength to repent and be better we must be obedient and do what God has commanded of us. If any of you are struggling ask yourselves what you can change to be more obedient to God's commandments. And as a servant of the Lord I promise you that you will feel the difference and have God's help in your live.

1 Nephi 17:13 "And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led."

Los quiero mucho!

Hermana Tapia