Apr. 23, 2018 ~ The Parable of the Oyster (Week 41)

Hey hey!

How is it already Monday? This week flew!

Things here are going well!

I'm happy...

and I love my companion and area and missionaries with whom I serve.

I'll be sad to leave this area when the time comes!

Today we went on a sisters P-Day with all of the sisters in our mission. It was amazing. I'm convinced I serve in the most beautiful mission in the world. 😍😍😍.

(I enjoyed visiting with my previous companion!)

We went to the coast and saw lots of pretty rocks and the ocean. Haha not really sure how else to describe it so be sure to look at the pics 😉😙.

This week was cool. We found a lot of new investigators and have been progressing well with the ones we already have…

We were looking for a referral and accidentally knocked the wrong door. A man named Mario opened the door. He explained that he used to be a gang banger and just got out from serving 20 years in prison. We talked to him about baptism and how he can start a fresh life and he said, "I've never been to church or anything like that but being baptized sounds like something I would really like to do. I've been praying for a way to change but I don't know how." BAM. So, we had a super cool doorstep lesson and invited him to church. But he didn't come. BUT, he texted us and apologized for not being able to make it to church and told us to not give up on him. Soooo we're super excited to teach him this week. It's pretty cool how sometimes knocking on the wrong door turns out to be the right door after all. 😊

This cute little girl answered a random door like this and said, "We have cats." Haha

Raul (our maintenance man) is soooo close to being baptized. He had an in depth, 2-hour lesson on religion and the priesthood and it was awesome. He also committed to live the word of wisdom on the spot and loves everything we've taught him. He even texted us this morning and said, "I miss my coffee, but I will stay strong." Gosh I love him. The only problem is that he doesn't feel a need to be baptized again, so he doesn't wanna do it. We have explained the importance of the priesthood and the holy ghost and how our church is different, but he was baptized and confirmed in his other church and feels content with that. So… any advice for him would be greatly appreciated. We will be teaching him about family history this week to show from a different perspective why baptism is essential.

Last time we met, we asked him why he agreed to meet with us if he was already content with where he was with God… and he told us that from the moment he saw us, he knew we were different and he wanted to have whatever it is that we have that makes our eyes bright and happy. Ugh. I just wanna throw him in the font!!! He’s reading the Book of Mormon every day and marking things he likes. He believes that all we have taught is true and comes to church. He's so close! Sooo close. We are praying so much and working so hard. Please pray for him to feel the need to be baptized in our church with the proper authority. I love him so much!!!

We met a girl named Danya this week who was found by the other sisters that were in our area. She has a cousin, whom she considers a sister, on a mission right now, and other family members who are currently meeting with missionaries. When we met her, she hadn't read the Book of Mormon like the sisters had asked her to, because she thought it was a weird book written by Jo Smith. Ha. We explained to her that it was a history of her ancestors here in the Americas, and that there was even a part where Jesus Christ appeared to her ancestors. She was super excited and wanted to read the story ASAP! 2 days later we passed by, and she had read and annotated what we assigned her to read. She LOVED it!

We taught her the restoration and told her over and over that this is the true church. She admires her cousin a lot and agrees when we tell her that this church provides happiness and peace and enables change, because she saw it happen with her cousin. We invited her to say the closing prayer and she did. In her prayer she asked God if this was the true church, and expressed how she was tired of feeling lost. Her voice started to shake and the Spirit filled the room and we all started crying. She could barely finish her prayer! We were then able to testify that she had received her answer and that the Spirit was telling her that our message is true and she was so so happy. Wow I've never experienced anything like it. Obviously, she's pretty awesome and golden and I’m excited to see her this week and I love her. Ahhhhh THE CHURCH IS TRUE!

We have passed by Danya’s neighbor a few times because he's always outside playing with his grandkids. We invited him to church AND he came AND brought his son AND stayed all 3 hours! (Their names are Elias. Latinos just name their kids after the parents. It makes real life easy but family history work super hard.)  He also volunteered to bring food for our mother’s day party. So yeah, he's awesome too. And so is his son... The first time we met the dad, he pretty much said (please excuse my translation...), "How weird that two white girls like you can speak Spanish. And you're pretty. AND you're really nice.... Where is your church??!" Hahahahah he’s such a good man. I'm excited to teach him this week as well!

Yes, we are still meeting with Ruben. He's confused and doing some major soul searching. But he's super nice and always plays ping-pong with us. We receive frequent nice texts from him thanking us for doing the Lord's work, and he reads everything we assign him in the Book of Mormon. Last time we met, he had very few negative remarks about what he read, so I would consider that progress!  Also, He wants to take us to a game of the SF Giants minor team. Haha he’s just so cool and such a good guy. I love him.

I JUST LOVE EVERYONE WE ARE TEACHING!!
This place is the BESTTTT.

We have said many prayers of gratitude for the many miracles we have seen this week.

However, I just want to make it clear that not every week in the mission is awesome. Not every week in life is awesome. Sometimes, we are faced with trials and things that are really hard to deal with... But they're only meant to help us grow.

During one particular difficult week, my amazing companion wrote this poem (at the end of this letter). I remember exactly where I was when she first read it to me… in my bed. Yep. I was lying in my bed crying because I didn't understand how my heart could hurt so much when I was doing everything the Lord had asked me to do.

Sometimes, life is just hard and sometimes there's not really a reason why. 

But Heavenly Father can see the whole picture. He sees who we can become. He sees where we can be. He sees that we want to be better, and he knows how to help us. He loves us more than we can comprehend. Don't blame him for the sand that enters your shell, but rather ask Him to turn it (or you) into something beautiful.

"Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain.” -Jeffrey R. Holland

I love you all! Thank you for your love and prayers and support. 💕💕💕💕💕💕 God is so good.

Love,

Hermana Brooks 

The Parable of the Oyster 

Once upon a time,
Living on the Ocean Floor,
There was a small oyster
Who wished to be more.

More shiny, more sparkly

More colorful too;
For his shell was so drab
A greyish-brown hue. 

One day the current

Got a little too fast,
And it tossed him around
Til he crashed down at last...

He brushed off the sand

And got settled again,
But something was wrong;
He could feel it within.

A small grain of sand
Had gotten into his shell
It itched and it bothered,
And it hurt him as well.

The small little oyster,

Well, he began to fret.
He couldn't get it out!
He was getting upset.

For days upon days

To feel better he tried.
But it was too hard,
And he began to cry.

He cried unto God, 

"Why's this happening to me?

I'm trying to be good,
But I hurt inside, you see!"

So, to the small oyster
God lovingly spoke:
"Oh my dear friend,
I know the sand pokes,"

"But you wanted to be more,

And I knew you could be.
But a sparkly shell is not
What matters to me."

"I care what's inside,

Who you have become,
Your relationship with me,
And with my Firstborn Son."

"You're upset with this trial

Because you don't understand
That it's changed you for good-
More than you can comprehend." 

Then God told the Oyster

To look deep inside.
And right where the sand was,
The oyster found a surprise.

A pearl more beautiful

Than anything he'd seen
The treasure that God
Had shaped him to be.

So, if you ever feel

That the sea's been too rough
Or the pain that you feel
Is really too tough,

Remember that God

Has love beyond measure
And if you let Him, he'll shape you
Into a priceless treasure.

-Kika Londoño