This week we had some really great lessons.
On Tuesday, we were walking to visit a less active lady, and we heard "Hello missionaries!!" We looked, and it was an 87 year old lady who we take the sacrament to on Sunday´s. She called us over and invited us in for a little bit. We walked in, and not even two minutes later her less active grand-daughter showed up. We read some scriptures with her and she said "The scriptures just have a way of telling you exactly what you need in the perfect moment." It was a really great lesson. I loved it.
We had 6 less-active members in church today. It was awesome. Now, we just need their non-member family members to start following them to church.
Remember that 87 year-old lady? Her name is Ester Allende (we, of course, call her Hermana Allende). Hna. Allende has innumerable family members. She is a mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and a great great grandmother. Over half of her family members are members, but all are less active. This Sunday was the first Sunday in a long time that the doctor said she could go to church, and she did. We were sitting on the same bench as her. As we were singing the sacrament hymn, her youngest sister showed up (for the first time since I´ve been in Venado Tuerto), snuck up behind Hna. Allende, and gave her a big hug. The look of suprise and joy and happiness on Hna. Allende´s face made my week. It was incredible. It reminded a little of the look on my grandparent´s face the times I have ran into them in the temple. It was really, really sweet and memorable to see those two aged women embrace in church.
Last night, we taught the Taberna family. They are some recent converts who have trouble understanding what the Book of Mormon teaches. Last night, we felt like we should read 3 Nephi 14 (one of the chapters when Jesus visits the America´s) and at the end, the dad said "That was the simplest chapter in the Book of Mormon! I understood it all!" Then he explained what he learned, and he really did understand it all. He almost recited the whole chapter after just reading through it once. It was amazing to see that.
I am really grateful for the chance I have to serve a mission. They say you mature 50 years in these two years (or 1 1/2 for the women). This past Monday, we were eating with some recent converts, and the father (who is 50 ish) said "When people get to my age, they start to realize all the stupid things they did as a kid, how bad they treated their moms and just how much their mother´s really helped and loved them. People my age start to apologize to their mother´s for how bad they treated them as teenagers and try to fix all those things they did wrong." I don´t think that there is a single missionary in the world that serves a mission and doesn´t write his mom some sort of apology letter during his time as a missionary, apologizing for how dumb he was as a teenager and telling her how much he loves her. The mission really has helped me out in lots of ways that I can´t describe. I 100% recommend it to anyone who has the chance.
Elder Brown
Doctrine and Covenants 16:6
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