For those who already know Spanish, or for those
who are interested in learning ;) Spanish is an awesome language. I love
that I get the opportunity to learn it :)
So lots of things
have been going on this week. Lots of finding people, lots of being let
down by people who say they´re going to church that don´t show up...lots
of house hunting (President says that we need a room/apartment/house
that can fit four beds, since Hermana Miza is the STL [Sister Training Leader]...so you know.
Gotta look. No luck so far), and lots of being a missionary. But the
highlights of my week have been super awesome, and the main one was the
appearance of President Russell M. Nelson at a conference for the
missionaries on Saturday
:) He´s been traveling all over central America lately, teaching and
giving devotionals and such. I also got to be in the choir at the
missionary meeting :) We sung Lead, Kindly Light (or, Divina Luz), and it
was awesome. I love the meaning of the words in Spanish more than in
English. It`s just a beautiful testimony of how much we really need the
light of Christ in our lives.
Anyways, President Nelson. It
was incredible. He shook all of our hands, and he called me by my name
when I got to him, and he looked right into my eyes and all I could see
was pure love. And when he spoke, the Spirit was so strong. He really is
called of God. He was the mouthpiece of the Lord in that room, and I
will testify of that for the rest of my life. Our prophets, seers and
revelators truly are such. We are so privileged to have the truth here
on the earth, and that we have men worthy enough to hold the priesthood
and receive revelation. We members don`t realize what we have. We really
don`t. Why on earth would we have missionaries if it wasn`t important?
Read 2 Ne. 2:6-8. Maybe 9. Not sure. But yeah. Right there is why we
have missionaries. Don`t forget how blessed you are to have that truth
in your life.
[Another Mom Note: In a separate letter to me, she included this about meeting President Nelson. "It was amazing. We all got to shake his hand, and when I got to him, he
looked at me and said, "Hello, Sister Oliphant. Thanks for being here."
Or something like that, as he looked right into my eyes. Oh man, that was
cool. And when he spoke...holy cow. He is a prophet of God, Mom. Not THE
prophet yet, but he was the mouthpiece of the Lord Jesus Christ for us
in that little capilla in Antigrasia, Managua. I felt it with every
ounce of my being, and I got to listen to his words specifically for us
missionaries in Nicaragua, and I got to shake his hand and have him call
me by name. It was incredible. So worth waking up at 3:30 in the morning ;)"]
Some other cool stuff that happened: We got to
go have companionship study with President Collado and some other
missionaries. It was super great, and I left with a newfound energy to
just be an even better missionary. Studying with the mission president
can do that ;) It`s so hard, but being a missionary is the best and most
rewarding thing a young adult could do with their life. I`m serious.
Being here is the best. I`m trying to treasure every moment, but it
feels like trying to hold sand in your hands. You feel like you`ve got
it, but it just keeps going, no matter how hard you try.
Or maybe it feels like soap. You`ve got it and then it`s gone. And then you slip on it.
Nah, missionary work is better than soap.
We
also had a really cool experience. It was almost time to go back to the
house, and we both randomly decided to stop by the house of a less
active. We`ve been visiting her recently, and she´s happy to have us,
but still isn´t going to church. When we showed up to her house, her
daughter was there. So we´re all, Oh, cool. Here, have a hymn. So we
sung a hymn. It`s Jesús, Mi Gran Amor. I can`t remember what it´s called
in English, but it´s relatively well known. [Mom note: It is Jesus, Lover of My Soul.]
So we sung it
and talked about it. Then we asked her daughter what she thought. She
told us that she was over here with her mom because she was struggling
and needed someone to talk to. And we showed up right in time with a
perfect hymn and perfect thoughts. She´s just like, "Who are you guys?"
Hna Miza just said, "We´re missionaries. We´re here to help people and
follow the Spirit." It was so awesome. I´m so glad we did listen to the
Spirit so we could help her in the time she needed it.
Okay,
my spiritual thought of the week. I´ve been reading in the Liahona for
August (I snagged one in English!), and I read a fantastic article on
The Family, A Proclamation to the World. It´s called "The Proclamation
on the Family: Transcending the Cultural Confusion" by Elder Bruce C.
Hafen. It`s incredible. Lots of statistics, doctrine, and a little bit
of sass that seriously made me laugh out loud. It`s awesome. And really
enlightening, honestly, on just how important the family is. Not just in
the church, but for society, and the world. Read it. Seriously. It`s
the best use of your time :) Just read the whole Ensign. It`s amazing.
Alright
all. Time to go. I love you, and I hope you´re all doing well. Thank
you for your love and your prayers. I feel them. I´m learning so much,
and I´m so happy to be here. Treasure your loved ones and your
blessings. Our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are so
incredible. Never forget to take time to thank them for all they do.
¡Feliz semana!
Att. Hermana Oliphant
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