Apr. 2, 2018 ~ How well do you know HIM? (Week 38)

Hello friends and fam! 

The work here is moving forward! It has been so fun to be a part of. The sisters that we live with had a baptism yesterday (her name is Martha), and we will be having a few next week! I'm super happy with the work here!

Conference was awesome. I unfortunately didn't really get to watch the last session because our investigators dropped their kids off with us in the English-speaking room and left to listen in Vietnamese. So, we ended up babysitting. Ha.  But luckily, an elder with us brought himself a bag of snacks that he shared with the kids ... 😅 So, I'm going to have to go back and re-watch that session or read the talks when I get a chance. But what I heard, I loved. And what I didn't hear, I know I will love. :)

President Nelson is so awesome. I am so grateful to be a part of the true church with a living prophet and apostles to lead and direct us. Our church is so cool. 😎😎😎

The 2 other sisters that we live with are being taken from our shared area. One is going back to Puerto Rico (her original mission) and one is being transferred to a different area. 😣 I'm pretty sad about it. We also will be taking over their area, which might be a bit stressful when added to training. But it will be a good experience. Haha, if you can't tell, I just want them to stay with us but I guess I knew they would leave sooner or later. I was just hoping for much later.

We taught a combined lesson with the English-speaking elders because our investigator wants to go to the English ward. He's a pretty cool guy. But it was interesting. Ha. The lesson went well, and luckily the English-speaking elders are awesome. During the lesson, our investigator read a scripture from the Book of Mormon and then refused to find any meaning or importance in it. Instead, he just went off on how the Book of Mormon isn't necessary and he doesn't see why we even read it. I kind of snapped, because the scripture he read was about Jesus Christ and His Atonement. So, I reopened the Book of Mormon and told him to find something from that scripture that he liked and encouraged him to make the Book mean something to him. He laughed at first and then realized I was serious. Ha. I think the elders that we were teaching with were afraid that our investigator would walk right out. But there's no way anyone who has a belief in Jesus Christ can read a scripture about Him and then say that it’s not meaningful or worth anything... at least not in the defiant way that this man did. Oooh I was fired up. Haha, but he definitely knows how much we love him and the good news is he said he wants to meet again. Haha we will see how things go. He really is a super nice guy. 👍

We had an awesome lesson this week with Raul the maintenance man. The spirit was tangible. He cried and said how much he loves what we have taught him, and that he knew we had something special from the first day he met us when he came to fix our sink. We invited him to be baptized and he said he had to pray about it because he already has been baptized 2x. We are excited to follow up with him this week. He randomly texts us messages of appreciation. He's the kindest man I've ever met and I love him so much. It makes me so happy that we get to teach him.

(We are working so hard~
my companion is exhausted!
I am too! I LOVE HER!)

On Friday night we had the opportunity to see Lamb of God with Sofia. It was absolutely incredible!!  I felt the spirit soo strong...

When Peter denied Jesus, it broke my heart. After his denial, Peter sang a song about the love He had for Jesus and said over and over "I know Him!" It made me think about the times in our lives when we knowingly or unknowingly deny the Savior in our words and actions. It made me realize that sometimes I deny Him by not choosing to accept His sacrifice through repentance and honoring His name. I hope that we all can remember how much our Savior loves us. I hope we can openly claim to know Him through our words and actions, and that His light and love may shine through us to others.  How well do you know HIM?

I'll never forget a story that my mom once told me. Many years ago, she and my dad were living in Alabama while my dad was attending graduate school at Auburn University. They were surrounded by many strong Christians who were not of our faith.  One day, a woman who knew that my mom was LDS said, “You are not a Christian”. She continued saying that my mom, as a Mormon, did not believe in Jesus Christ as her Savior. My mom was heart-broken and felt misjudged. She wondered if she was living her life in a way that others questioned her faith in Christ. She tried to explain to this woman that she did, in fact, believe in Jesus Christ as her Savior and that HE is central to her life and beliefs. But the woman refused to listen.

Then the 2 of them went their separate ways...

My mom left that conversation with the desire to learn how to better articulate her beliefs and to always live her life in such a way that people would know, without a doubt, that she is a Christian…

Fast forward a few months… my dad was doing his clinical training at Fort Benning in Georgia. He worked on base at the Chaplain Family Life Center as a therapist with many wonderful people. One man, named Tom was a chaplain there. He was a good, God-fearing man who was not a member of our faith… My dad thought the world of him. One afternoon, my mom went there to take my dad to lunch. She went inside the therapy center and briefly met Tom. Upon my dad's return from lunch, Tom told him that he knew my mom was a Christian… He could see it in her eyes. My mom says this was the greatest compliment she has EVER received! She also says that although she fails often, she tries to KEEP HIS LIGHT in her eyes… and that she continues to work at it everyday with HIS help. These two experiences combined have shaped my mom's life and the woman she wants to become.

(Mom's Note: I am embarrassed that Sister Brooks shared this story... hence, the hesitation and delay in posting it... Believe me, I fail way more than I succeed! 😁)

"And now behold, I ask of you...
have ye spiritually been born of God?
Have ye received his image in your countenances?
Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?"
(Alma 5:14)

May we always try to show our belief in Christ. May we always claim to know HIM and stand up for Him. We live in a world where we have to defend his godliness and perfection and truth every day.

I know Christ knows us and loves us. He lives. And whether we have a black tag that says "Jesus Christ", or not, we can still choose to have his sacred name on our hearts forever.

Love you all!!

Xoxo

Hermana Brooks