Elder Benson - Arizona Phoenix Mission

Another Great Week of Wonders

This week was one of the best weeks I have had on my mission so far. As a focus for the month of March, our zone has been shooting for a higher goal in finding more New Investigators. It has been really fun to see the zone get excited and work hard. This goal we have is for 55 NI and on average we have been getting around 33 NI for the past few months. Right now we are already to about 40 and we are in week 3! One more week to go.

What I have been able to see has been something absolutely humbling and inspiring to me. As we have been working together as a zone to reach this goal, our focus has been more unified as a whole. One illustration of the unification of the zone we had both district meetings and after attending one, I was able to go on exchanges with the district leader of the other district. After talking with him, I learned that in both meetings they had a discussion focused on praying for one other so that we may have success. I had a spiritual confirmation to me of the power of prayer that Saturday night as as well as this morning when I saw that we were so well on track to reaching our goal. For as it says in Doctrine and Covenants 38:27 "Behold, ... I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine." The more unified our zone has been, the greater success and motivation has been present in hastening the work. One thing we do is that when someone has an amazing lesson, or when they find a new investigator, they send a text to the Zone Leaders. Who then send it out to the zone. In these previous weeks, we have had these "Ya Tu Sabes" (Means now you know! That was a zone inside joke, and since we are the zone with the most Spanish missionaries, we had to go Spanish.) almost every other day! I'll fill you in if we were able to reach our goal next week.

Another fun thing that happened this week with of the lessons that we had. With Luz Mejia, a single mother of 6.

We've been visiting with Luz for the past 3 months about. (Wow time really flies by). About two week ago we invited her to be baptized on the 27th of March and she accepted. The Spirit was in abundance and it was a sincere yes. However, after her not showing up for church the next Sunday, I was wondering what was going on. The reason being is because she doesn't really work that day and she lives 2 blocks away from the church building. We tried throughout the whole week to have contact, and had no success. Sometimes the kids would answer and say she was doing things like "She was in the shower" or "she is washing clothes" and for me, some of those things are so generic, it is hard sometimes to believe the credibility of those statements. So we continued and found her last week Sunday morning, inviting her again, with a yes saying that she was going. And again she didn't go.

So by this point we were coming to the conclusion that we were probably going to move on and give her more of a make or break lesson. Until she continues to show commitment and progression, in other words, is repenting and growing in her conversion, we would need to move on and would return when she was ready. So we had contact again with her Saturday. She answered the door and we caught up a bit and she was still very open and friendly with us. (Note: I was with an English Elder on exchanges, so unless I kept him in the loop, I was doing most of the talking.).

So we eventually started the lesson and followed up with praying and reading in the Book of Mormon. She said she hadn't read the Book of Mormon in a while, but said she enjoyed reading it. When we mentioned baptism, she expressed the doubt that she felt that because her baptism was enough because it was between her and God, not necessarily for a church. She also reminded us that she had prayed on multiple occasions and every time she said a prayer, asking if the Church was true, she would have a nightmare that night. As we continued to talk about baptism I asked her if she could go inside to get her Book of Mormon, so that we could share a scripture with her. It was to talk about baptism and then I was going to transition it into the necessity to be baptized with someone that had the priesthood. I still was going to focus on the positives of everything she did in her baptism, but also convey the necessity of it being done with the proper authority to be considered valid in the eyes of God. Along with that, we are the only church that can promise that, through the same authority, she could have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.

While she went in for her Book. I related what happened to Elder Osai he mentioned Joseph smith story in repose to her nightmares. So we read that with her. All meanwhile Elder Osai, my companion for the day, was praying so that she could understand. I bore testimony that it was true and that she could come to know the truth for herself. Following that I translated Elder Osai's testimony for her. I could see that was special and I could feel the sincerity through the Spirit. I promised her that if she prayed sincerely tonight to know it was true, and she didn't have another nightmare she could know for herself that that was an answer to her to know that this was true. She said she would pray again, and we left setting a visit for the next Wednesday.

We stopped by in the morning and she said she prayed! She told us that she didn't have a nightmare and that she was getting ready to go to church. The sad and confusing part of it all, was the fact that she didn't go. I pray that we know what the Lord would have us do, and I hope that we can help her to continue on with what she has been able to learn.

Talking afterwards, me and Elder Osai, about understanding the sons of Mosiah, we could comprehend better Mosiah 28:3 "Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.". I could understand better the need of having charity and a love towards all men. I know better now, being out these 20 months, and doing everything I can to contribute to the work, what it must've tasted like to be one of the sons of Mosiah. Truly it is a special feeling to have a similar love to all those around us. I wish that I will be able to develop that love for the rest of my life.

This puts into perspective of what life truly is, a fight between good and evil over the souls of men that they might be saved. Our very brothers and sisters in the spirit. I know that this work is true, it is the greatest work we can ever be apart of. I know as that we continue to further develop our relationship with our Savior, there is nothing holding us back from seeing our beloved ones as they truly are, as our brothers and sisters. I feel my love for these people and the Savior grow each day. I am so grateful for this privilege to serve and to be a servant of the Lord.