Dear friends and family,
I didn’t write yesterday [October 9] because it was a work holiday here in Chile, something about the Evangelist church. I’m not sure…Chile has all kinds of random holidays that pop up every once in a while.
It rained all week this week, with a brief respite on the weekend. It’s so true that rainy days help one appreciate even more the warmth and joy of sunshine. 😁 Even with rain boots, jackets, and umbrellas, we still got wet, which resulted in a fun cold this weekend. Yay! 😛 But it’s not too bad, and the work goes on. 😀
We spent Friday night and Saturday morning prepping the church, and then Rayen got baptized on Saturday night! It was a wonderful experience, and it’s been a privilege to work with her and her family. Her family came on Sunday as well, and in Gospel Principles class, her sister, Alejandra, talked about the tranquility that has come into their home as they’ve listened to the missionaries and put the principles into practice. Rayen has a great support system, and she’s very content with her decision. I felt God’s love for her in her baptism, and I know her family felt it as well. 😊
We’re working with another less-active family, Marcela and her daughter Antonia. Antonia is 11 and excited to learn more. Her mom is working to reactivate and really wants her daughter to have the same knowledge and blessings that she enjoyed when she was active. We taught Antonia about prophets on Saturday, and her aunt, who lives with her, shared her testimony about the blessing of having a prophet in these times. I look forward to helping the whole family find greater peace and happiness in the gospel.
Monday was a regular P-day, except that we didn’t write. Nancy, Rayen’s mom, invited us to eat lunch with the family, and then she taught us how to knit! 😀 It was a lot of fun, although I’ve already forgotten how to start a new row…but that’s why you ask. ;P Later that night we had a Family Home Evening with the Sister Faviola and her three little kids. They led everything: the lesson, the game, the prayers and songs. They were so cute!! It reminded me of FHE with my family when we were little. Then, later that same night, we had FHE with Rayen’s family. I taught them how to make brownies, and we shared a lesson about service and gratitude. I really love that family, and I’m grateful to be a part of this part of their lives.
I read this morning in Alma 32 and in Ether 12 in the Book of Mormon. They both talk about the nature of faith, and I wanted to share a couple insights from my studies. Alma invites us to allow “even a particle of faith” to lead us to act on something we’ve learned. And in whom should we place that particle of faith? In Jesus Christ and in His teachings, whether we hear those teachings from His own mouth or that of His prophets, “it is the same” (Amos 3:7). Alma promises that if we’ll do that, we’ll know for ourselves if that “seed” is good or bad, but we have to DO something first. Faith, as Ether says, means that we trust in something we can’t see yet but know to be true because Christ has taught us that. We can have faith that as we repent, we’ll receive forgiveness and the power to change. We can have faith that we’ll receive healing–physical or spiritual–and wisdom if we ask for it in sincere and humble prayer. Maybe we can’t see the difference just yet, but with faith we keep working, trusting that God will keep the promises He’s made.
I love you all. Each of you have touched my life for good, and I’m grateful for what you’ve taught me. May you always trust in your Heavenly Father, and may you always remember who you are.
Love,
Hermana Saunders
Hermana Saunders in Chile 