This is the first time I've stayed with a companion for two transfers
so its nice to have a normal pday and not worry about adjusting to
another place or person. We got calls and president said that he and
the Lord agree that we have unfinished business to take care of here.
We were so happy! He's totally right--both of us immediately thought
of our amie Nelly who has progressing enormously. So after her amazing
experience at conference we were able to meet with her again with the
goal that we would try talking about baptism again. After talking for
a while it was her hat brought up the subject! She asked what she
needs to do to be baptized. We were able to fix a date for October 31!
No better way to spend Halloween. 😊
At the same time for the past few days she had been letting a homeless
less active Maria in the ward stay in her apartment. It was only
supposed to be for a few days because another ward member was supposed
to house her after that. When it was the day to switch, the member
that had previously volunteered said she couldn't do it anymore, so
nelly began to freak out. She doesn't work right now and doesn't have
the means to house two people. Nelly has been dealt a bad deck of
cards in life, so she immediately became defensive and lashed out
about the situation because she thought she was being taken advantage
of and since no one in the ward was helping she texted us saying she
didn't want anything to do with the church anymore. It was a bad
morning. We didn't know what to do. Twice at ward council we had tried
to get the situation of this homeless less active passed over to the
ward because it is not our role as missionaries to figure out a place
for her and her son to stay. The bishop and the relief society have
stewardship over this woman and therefore have the right to receive
help and revelation from God about what to do. I don't know if I ever
mentioned anything about this situation before in my letters but we
had already made several efforts and endless calls to help Maria and
try to get the ward involved. Nothing was happening.
So when this situation occurred and we realized we had lost our
precious amie nelly over it, we were incredibly frustrated and
desperate for help. Again, we tried calling ward members. I cannot
adequately, nor wish to express the intense anger and sadness I felt
while listening to certain ward members that had no compassion for
Maria and this situation. I had to leave the room while my companion
was on the phone. We had nothing left to do. After several minutes we
reunited and both felt like we needed to call President. We did, and
he suggested we all kneel in prayer together. Each of us took a turn
to pray out loud and then we listened for ideas and revelation.
Our president gave us wonderful council about not judging. In
situations like these, it becomes easy for us to judge members,
members to judge us and each other and our amie, and our amie to judge
everyone else. He talked to us about how we can use this opportunity
to not only exercise love and patience within ourselves, but to teach
our amie that there is a lesson to be learned here. He gave us
direction on what to talk to Maria about for finding a home and what
we could do with ward members. He is wonderful.
That day we went over to nelly's to a find a home of contention and
shouting. I have never felt more like a parent on the mission than I
did then. It was the sister missionaries standing between two sides of
lashing out parties, holding them back. Finally we got everyone to
kneel down all together and we said a prayer for peace. After the
prayer, I think everyone felt a little better. Nelly wasn't angry at
us at all, she was just so frustrated and was trying to help Maria
find a solution but neither one was communicating or understanding
what needed to be. After a little bit more arguing we finally found a
temporary solution. We were even able to have a lesson with nelly
afterwards about love and patience and putting Christ always in the
center. When someone makes us angry, let Christ stand between us and
them. When we see at we have to go around Christ to lash out at
someone, we no longer have the desire to do so. By the end of the
lesson all of us were changed and uplifted and she is still good for
baptism. ☺️ It was such a learning experience for all of us!
Nelly came to church this Sunday and also a missionary fireside that
we had last night. She was chatting with president and members and
missionaries like they were best friends. I just want to express to
you the awe that I am in over her and the changes she has made. The
first time I met her six weeks ago she was frantic and terrified of
everything and always so paranoid and angry at the world. She still
has her moments, but now she is a completely different woman. When she
comes up in conversations with the members and missionaries, more than
once they have said, "Oh that woman that you've changed?? I've never
seen her so happy!" I cannot adequately express what I feel about her
and the Savior. The Atonement is real and its power to change hearts
and people is real. I know that with a surety, not only because I've
seen it in my own life, but because I've seen it so clearly in nelly's
life in only six weeks. She still has progress to make, as do we all,
but she is surely getting there. Being a missionary and being able to
witness this is one of the greatest blessings the Father has given to
me.
Allison is staying in Lyon too so I'm glad we'll still be able to see
each other often! Like you, dad, I am hoping to be able to serve with
her one more time before she goes home in February. 😊
Challenge is week is to take a rough situation that comes up and make
it into a really wonderful one! Learn from what the Lord lets us
experience. Pray. We NEED these tough moments to refine us and make us
more like Jesus Christ. Without them, we cannot become perfect.
Je vous aime beaucoup!
SÅ“ur Melissa Hurd
Fourviere at night
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