Sister Selk: A God of Miracles

It shouldn´t surprise you all that this past week has been as crazy as the rest!

I feel like half the things that happened this week, didn´t actually happen this week, but about a month ago....time just doesn´t make sense on the mission.

We did a super successful activity with a Family from our ward this week. Our mission is always focused on getting references from the members, so we decided to go to the house of Família Garcia and make cookies with them, and then we put together little packets of the book of mormon with their testimonies inside, the restoration pamphlet, and of couse our number. They turned out super well, and they got so excited to do it. The best part was that we were able to present on of the packets to their oldest daughter and her husband who aren´t members.

Success.

We worked in a new area this week called Quinta do Anjo- it is an area that not a lot of missionaries have worked in in the past, but we had Incredible success there! In a period of only one hour we found 3 families that let us in to talk to them, and look like they have real potential! And altogether from the few days that we worked there, we found almost 7 potentials. One casal was incredibly nice, and we found out that the husband actually studies religion and has already completely read the book of Mormon.

My mind was Blown.

I had my final zone meeting and mission counsel this week. It was a bit surreal to be sitting in those meetings knowing it would be the last.

Ugh. I don´t like thinking about it.

It seems like there hasn´t been a week yet that I haven´t had to drive to some place unexpectedly. This week it was Lisbon. I had to drive to Lisbon twice this week to attend mission counsel and also so that Sister Ditton could get her eyes checked for her driving license.

Saturday was a bit of a trying day. Maria has been out of Setúbal this week because of a sick uncle that she had to take care of, but it actually turned out to be a miracle, because when I called her at the beginning of the week to see how she was doing she said that she wasn´t able to smoke in her uncles house. I was super happy and it was literally a blessing because she had to stop smoking by the middle of this week in order to be baptized on the 31st.

Unfortunately, when she finally returned home, and we visited her on the Saturday she received us with a great big smile, but then told us that she just couldn´t change religions. She loves us a lot, but she said that she thought about it a lot and she just doesn´t feel like she can give up the catholic church.

I was crushed. Literally.

Presidente Tavares has put a huge focus on having enough faith to make things happen, and I felt like I was putting all the faith I could into helping Maria be baptized, but in the end I just felt like my faith wasn´t enough. It was a hard thing for me to accept. Mainly because I have grown to love Maria so much, and I wanted to see her baptized before I leave. There were definitely a few tears shed...or many, but if there is anything that I have learned on my mission, it is that God is a God of Miracles. I knew in that moment I had 2 ways that I could respond to the situation. I could have continued to be sad, and dwell in the fact that our only person marked for baptism fell through, or I could continue to work even harder to find someone that is just waiting by the baptismal font, ready to jump in. I said a big long prayer at lunch, started a fast, and we went right back to work. We ended up working in Azeitão Saturday afternoon, and We saw tons of tender mercies from the Lord. Including teaching Joana-Alexandre´s girlfriend, and also visiting with a woman who´s son is severely brain damaged and discovering that her mom was actually a member of our church. I can´t even begin to explain the many small miracles we saw from the Lord this week. He is so loving, and knows our every need. I was reading in Mormon chapter 9 this week, which I feel describes my week perfectly. You should all go read it. It´s one of the best.

I love you all! I will see you in ONE WEEK!!!!!!!! Don´t get too excited. Keep calm and say a prayer :)

Paz e Bênçãos.

-Sister Selk