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| Johnny, Lorena, John, Tiffany (TT) Almeida |
We have truly been blessed recently with the number of families we are teaching or are helping to teach. One of these families is the Almeida's. About a month ago we were asked by two of the Spanish-speaking Elder's (Gonzalez & Adams) to help them teach the lesson on the Plan of Salvation. Both of the Elders are more recent converts to the church and their parents aren't active so they asked us to come with them and talk of the importance of Eternal Families.
It was LOVE at first sight for this beautiful Spanish family. Their 18-month daughter, Tiffany (whose goes by "TT") is unbelievably cute and loves to give hugs so tight they make me cry. Man, I miss my grandchildren!!! We would take her home in a minute. Their son John is 6 years old and loves to tell us about his schoolwork. And when he talks to us he mixes his English and Spanish together. Lorena says he does not even know his doing it. We love it!
We have been back to teach them 3 additional lessons with the Spanish Elders. While Johnny (the father) and John both speak English very well, Lorena (the mother) understands it, but doesn't speak it very often so most of the lessons are in Spanish. Boy could we use the "gift of tongues!" Elder Gonzalez and Elder Adams both came to Chicago speaking English. Both of them had Elder Swope as a companion, one transfer apart. At transfer President Doll slapped Spanish books in their hands and said, "Elder you’re going Spanish." (The Joke after that was don’t become Elder Swope’s companion or you will be speaking Spanish in no time!!)
Back to the Almeida’s story, Elder Gonzalez came from a Spanish home though he didn’t speak it he understood it thus he picked it up fast and speaks it fluently now. With Elder Adams, now that’s another story. Let’s just say that when we ask him what they are talking about he says and I quote “Well I can tell you the a’s and the’s and will’s and but’s but I have no ideas what the subject they’re talking about is!!”. Let’s just say he is as lost as we are sometimes. We can feel the spirit though. Wow can we feel the spirit!!! Then it all comes clear when Elder Gonzalez turns to one of us and asks us to testify how eternal marriages have blessed our lives or Sister Beck can you tell us how the Word of Wisdom or Chastity has blessed you. It would be great if we could have a little warning. We really need to pray harder for the “gift of tongues”! We don't mind doing it on the spot though because we love them so much and enjoy teaching them.
This family is soo humble and soo generous. They always have us come at 6pm and Lorena always has something wonderful for us to eat. We are very grateful for what we are given for we know it is a hardship on them to feed us. The food is always delicious!!!
They hope to be baptized the 23rd of April, the day before Easter. We are hopeful they will meet all the requirements to do so. We meet with them again this week to discuss Tithing.... sounds like another topic the Elders will ask US to explain!
A week has past and the lesson on tithing went great. They accepted all the requirements and the baptism is set for April 23rd. This family is amazing. When these people ask with a sincere heart and real intent, and the spirit testifies of the truthfulness of the gospel we are teaching, we can really see their countenance change and they are ready to make big changes in their lives overnight! April 2011 will be a month we will never forget!!
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| City of Evanston, IL |
Our investigator in Evanston is doing incredible as well. Two weeks ago, she and her two children attended Sunday School and Priesthood/Relief Society/Young Women. Her daughter has even attended YW outings during the week.
She attended the Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon sessions of General Conference! She was SO EXCITED to hear the prophet speak. She was as gitty as a little child. She has met with her Bishop and Relief Society President who are helping her with some of her issues at home. She read the D&C and Book of Mormon all within a couple of weeks. She is now starting on the Pearl of Great Price. SHE is a "Pearl of Great Price", well to us anyway!! We need everyone’s prayers for her home life to change and she will be able to be baptized! She is GOLDEN!! We have conversations where she quotes conference talks from years past. I had a special connection with her from day one. One day I told her I believe that the people we meet here on this earth, and connect with, we knew in the pre-existence. I also told her that we promised each other, in that pre-existence, we would find one another once we came to Earth. She said “WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!” I know the Lord will bless and guide her because she is really doing all she can, with her circumstances, to do all the Lord wants her to do! After conference she took all to heart and said and I quote “the decisions I’ll make will be to serve God in his true Church under the direction of his Prophet!” I love this woman and know I have made a friend for the eternities.
Jasna (Yasna) has set her baptism date for April 26th (the day before transfers... where Elder Buckway could be sent elsewhere). She has been smoking free for 11 days. She stopped cold turkey. Amazing what strength the power of priesthood blessings are. She has 10 more days to go!! She needs to get to 3 whole weeks in order to be baptized, so keep her in your prayers!! To help her, we took her out to the temple last Saturday to let her walk the grounds and even step inside. She said it was so peaceful there that she can't wait to be able to do baptisms for the dead once she is baptized. We also went to the LDS bookstore near the temple. She bought her pictures of the Savior to hang in her apartment. Her favorite one was of John the Baptist baptizing the Savior. We gave her a CTR ring to wear on the hand she uses when she smokes to help her remember to make the right choices. She loves it!!!
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| At the Temple with Yasna |
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With Yasna in front of Temple Elder Beck has calmed down a little since our last blog.... he hasn't gone "Samuel the Lamanite" on anyone... but I'm sure he is just waiting for the right person and moment. Our ward has been doing a 40-day fast for missionary work. A member or family selects a day and then "fasts" for that day and we do it with different individuals or families for 40-straight days (thanks to Bob Weidauer for the idea). The fast just ended and already we've seen results. The full-time Elders got nine new investigators and we had two new ones of our own that attended church with us last Sunday. John Jones I met as I went through the lobby door of our apt. He was having a conversation with the doorman about patience and where to find it in the bible. Seeing me he grabbed my arm pulling me into the conversation saying “See she understands, she has Christ in her nametag.” Well, I was now head first in the conversation and it eventually came around to John saying he was searching for the right church. Can’t get any better for a missionary! I know right!! (as Elder Buckway would say). I then invited him to our church and he accepted. AND HE CAME!! Laverne McGee we met in the exact same spot the next day! She saw Elder Beck’s name tag and ask if he was a minister and He said yes and the conversation began. When she realized we were Christians she said she wanted to come to our church. AND SHE DID!! Stay tuned on their progress.  For my birthday, Elder Beck took me to the restaurant at the top of the Hancock Building. It was a beautiful day, the company was good and so was the view and the food. We had a lot of fun seeing Chicago from up above. We've decided we'll take our kids up there when they come for a visit the end of May and the first of June. We can't WAIT!!
One more thing to share, remember Sharita way “out in the hood”. Well she has made and broke appointments for 3 months now. We finally gave her to the new Elders in her area and she has dogged them also. We took these Elders to the temple Wednesday. And I thought to put her name on the prayer roll. It’s been so long since we taught her I could not remember her last name. I just put Sharita knowing Heavenly Father would know who I meant. The next morning, out of the blue, Sharita calls the Elders and asks if they could meet with her in a half hour. They agree to meet her at the Logan Square Chapel and then they called us. We could not make it that fast. So they met with her. She told them she knew the Book of Mormon was true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet and she wanted to be baptized! She also wants us to teach her whole family. They invited her to church. She accepted and said she would bring her whole family (all 8 of them)!! Well today is April 28, 2011 and this week has been the most amazing week of our mission. I came home Tuesday night after Jasna's baptism to share all my thoughts while they were fresh on my mind. Spent one hour and a half on the computer writing about all the wonderful things that happened and lost it all in the blink of an eye!!!!! To say the I was I little upset is an understatement! So here I am back to try again to share our week!!! The Almeida’s were baptized on Easter Sunday. I can’t think of a better thing to do on the day we celebrate the most wonderful gift given to us by our Savior. His Atonement and His Resurrection! We had wonderful talks in our Lake Shore 1st Ward but one of them touched me more than the others. The sister asked us all to recall a time in our life when we had suffered immense pain. She then reminded us that through the atonement the Savior can bear all if we let Him! She reminded us that if we truly believe Christ and his atonement it is like having a direct line straight to Heavenly Father. I was reminded back to the time when Elder Beck and I were fixing up our house to put it on the market to sell for our mission. I had used and abused my arm so badly that my carpel tunnel had flared up to no relief. The pain was so severe I could not sleep. I woke Elder Beck and ask him to give me a blessing. As he laid his hands on my head I knew the Savior would take away my pain. I KNEW IT! It was the first time in my life that I knew my pain would be taken away immediately. AND IT WAS! My husband climbed back in bed with me and as he wrapped his arms around me I once again felt that direct line to my Savior and Heavenly Father. Through the priesthood my husband held I felt myself being enveloped with the pure love of Christ. I knew what the sister was talking about. I knew how the atonement worked. That blessing that night allowed me to understand how the atonement works. We just need to BELIEVE! The only thing that would have made this day more perfect would to have our family here to share it with us. Elder Beck was asked to baptize Lorena. He decided he needed to learn the baptismal prayer in Spanish for her. He did a beautiful job. You would of thought he too had gone Spanish. The spirit was so strong. I also learned a little Spanish so I could tell them how happy I was for them. When I told Lorena she began to cry. WOW !!! I will say it again WOW what a day !!!!  Elder Beck, Johnny, Lorena, Elder Gonzalez Johnny’s family and a friend came to share the day with them. They came to all our meetings not just the baptism. While in Sunday School I noticed that the uncle was reading Johnny’s scriptures through all of class and continued to read through the whole baptism. Johnny’s friend was doing the same with Johnny’s Gospel Essential manual. I decided they all needed to take home their own Book of Mormon. Luckily, the chapel had a case of them in Spanish. I placed a book in all their hands and promised them IF they read it with real intent asking if it was true the Lord would confirm to them that it was true. The uncle and friend both said they were eager to read it. They have had the book in their hands since Sunday and we are meeting some of them at the Almeida’s tonight! We can’t wait!!!!! Lorena and Johnny will be confirmed on Sunday!!  Elder Beck, Jasna, Elder Buckway, Sister Beck Jasna’s baptism was Tuesday!! Every morning for the past 21 days she would call us and tell us and I quote “ I feel so clean and fresh!!” It has been an awesome sight to see her embrace the gospel. After her baptism when you ask her how she feels, she now says “ I feel Beautiful just Beautiful!!” Jasna will also be confirmed Sunday. As missionaries of this great gospel of Jesus Christ we are so grateful to be here in a city that is spiritual dead (200 active members in a city of 2 million people) and with the power of the Holy Ghost finding lost souls one at a time!!! Sharing the gospel with others comes easier and easier each day. We look for opportunities. We are learning more and more everyday! 2 million people Wow we need more missionaries. We only have 6 months left. We will never make it!!!!! Elder Beck and I have been given the greatest gift. We as members of the Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints have been given the greatest gift. That gift is the plan of salvation. We want everyone to know that Christ Lives. He has restored his Gospel to the Earth. We can live with him again. All we need is Faith in Christ, Repent, be Baptized, Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. It’s not to late for anyone!! These are the last days. We love you all and want you all with us Forever!!! We will leave you with the words to my favorite song! His power is real! I trust in his will! I will not be STILL!!! I WILL NOT BE STILL(Click on the link on the right to hear this amazing song)I've never been the kind to testify. I don't have the words his truth deserves. But it's a simple thing he asks, a worthy heart and willing hands. He says if I'll make the choice, he'll help me find my voice. He calls me to serve and I cannot fail him. The one who has given me all that I have. I place my trust in him alone. He knows the yearnings of my soul. Because he believes in me, I will go willingly. How can I keep this gift to myself, when I can lift somebody else? I am a witness of his miracles and his mercy. I put my future in his hands knowing he's made me all I am. When I put my faith in him the truth begins to speak. His power is real, it moves me until, I will not be still. Lifting the hands that hang down in sorrow. Strengthening knees that bend in despair. Reaching the hopeless hearts who do not know his love. Seeing their lives begin to change, I know I'll never be the same. How can I keep this gift to myself, when I can lift somebody else? I'll be a witness of his miracles and his mercy. I put my future in his hands knowing he's made me all I am. I put my faith in him and truth begins to speak. His power is real, it moves me until, I will not be still. His power is real; I trust in his will, I will not be still. |
