Hello Everyone! What another great week here in the "City of Dreams"! Just kidding! But in all seriousness, this week was great.
This week, Elder Castaneda and I have had a sincere desire to find families in our area. Something that this area has been struggling with has been finding solid families that will help build the church. So we went to the Lord for His counsel. We have prayed and fasted to see and recognize families that are prepared to hear the gospel! As we prayed and fasted we knew the Lord would provide. As we have gone out proselyting this week, literally behind every door and street contact we have found a family! We have recognized them as prepared people and they have recognized us as representatives of Jesus Christ.
Last night we entered a family's home after contacting them on the street. They are from El Salvador. Much to our suprise they invited us right into their home. We offered a blessing over the home and the spirit was just so strong. We talked to this husband and wife about eternal families and the steps we need to take here on earth to reach our divine potential. We talked about baptism as the spirit was bearing testimony to them that what we were saying was true. We invited them to be baptized. They said "yes", and immediatley asked where our church was located. We bore testimony and this family we will be visiting later this week. My thoughts then turn to the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how we can internalize it into our lives.
Also this week, Elder Castaneda and I were stopping by some apartments. We saw a lady taking her laundry basket from her car and walking towards her apartment. She saw us and began to pick up her pace and entered her home and closed the door. We both looked at each other and said let's knock on her door! As we knocked, she answered and this woman looked like she had been through many difficult trials in her life. We could sense that she had fallen into satan's traps and lies. She looked depressed and could barely look us in the eyes. She asked if we were of a certain faith. We said, "no, we are representatives of Jesus Chirst sent to your home to bring you a message of our Savior Jesus Christ." We offered a prayer with her and as we ended the prayer she broke down in tears and said, "how did you know to speak with me"? I ran from you because I thought you were of another faith and you still knocked my door." She said that she had been through many challenges in her life. She had been raped by her father and his friends, she had been abused by her husband, she is addicted to drugs, and has been through prostitution. We looked at this woman not as the natural man would but through the eyes of our Heavenly Father. We bore testimony of our loving Heavenly Father and that no matter our circumstances or what we have done He will always love us! We testified of our Savior Jesus Christ who said in Matthew 11:28, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." This woman who had been cast into the darkness, and not seeing a way out, saw a glimpse of her Heavenly Father's love and that His arms are always wide open.
We ourselves must internalize the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We must understand our Heavenly Father's love for us. We must understand His plan. We must accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, and we must repent!
This woman who we have begun to teach is slowly making changes in her live. We are praying for her each and every day! I know that God lives and His love is never changing and is always there for us! Jesus Christ lives and his Atonement is for everyone! I love you all have a great week!
Elder Tanner Aiken
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