Dear family,
There is so much to update you on! I'll start with the bad news first. That Ethiopian family we started teaching? We will no longer be teaching them. Sad, but it wasn't going to go anywhere. We had a lesson with them this past week, and we brought a member who knows the Bible very well, knowing that he would be able to answer any doctrinal questions they might have. Well, the lesson didn't go quite as we envisioned it. The best way I could describe it is that I felt like I was at a tennis match, and my companion and I were just spectators. Miraf would bring up some objection and over and over the member would totally confound her. Then, she would bring up some other random doctrine. Back and forth, back and forth it went. In the moment it was a little intimidating...my poor companion was scared to death. BUT, now looking back at it, it was pretty funny. In the end, Miraf said if we wanted to come back and talk about the Bible that would be fine, but she would not read the Book of Mormon. I told her that we wouldn't be coming unless she was open to it because it is central to our beliefs, but if she ever changed her mind she could give us a call. And that was that. You have to have lessons like that every once in a while...it's all part of the mission experience :)
In other news, we have seen some awesome progress with less-actives. We had a lesson with Zenas and Rensi (he's a member and she's not), and it went really well. We brought a young married couple from our ward with us, and they really hit it off with them. I tell you, one of the greatest things to witness is seeing less-actives and investigators develop friendships with ward members. For Zenas especially, having member friends will be a huge factor in him coming back to church.
Now, for the coolest experience of the week. First I'll give you some background. We have been teaching Goldie and her seventeen-year-old granddaughter Megan (they are both less-actives) ever since I got here. Goldie is a wonderful woman, and she LOVES the gospel. However, due to some experiences from the past, she has had a lot of guilt and feels she is not worthy to be at church. We have taught her every week and have tried to help her overcome these feelings. At the end of our lessons she always says we will be at church, but then she never comes. About a month ago she told us that they would be moving from their apartment because they couldn't afford to live there anymore. She agreed to be out by the beginning of February, but she had no idea where they were going to go. This past month has been stressful to say the least for them. With the task of getting the apartment packed up and finding a place to live, the ward has really stepped in and helped them. During this difficult time, they have reached out and shown their love for Goldie and Megan. Luckily they were able to find a nice apartment still in our ward boundaries, and they are now all settled in. It was truly a miracle! This past week we had been discussing whether or not we should continue teaching them because they are not coming to church, but we did wonder if this experience would give her some motivation to come. On Sunday Goldie, Megan, and two of Megan's friends walked in the chapel just as Sacrament meeting started. I was in total shock, and it brought tears to my eyes. Not only were they there, but they absolutely loved being there. Later that night we talked to Goldie and she expressed with much emotion what a monumental day it was for her. She is finally overcoming those feelings of unworthiness. I have no doubt that the love shown to her by ward members helped her to feel God's love for her, and helped her to more easily love and forgive herself. The first and most important step in helping someone change is loving them. I know that as we have charity and serve those around us, we can see miracles happen!
I love you guys! Thanks for everything.
Love,
Sister Denney
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