Zone Conference and a Miracle

Hey everyone! This week was a super busy one and we found so much time to teach in our area which was a miracle.

This week was Zone Conference week which is always fun. Not gonna lie, it is kind of a grind to sit through 3 different Zone Conferences. President basically teaches the exact same thing to all the Zones and tells the same stories for the most part, so I get pretty bored to be honest. But in the end I always leave having learned something new. 

On Sunday we went to church and thought that we had 0 friends come. Well after Sacrament meeting we decided to talk to 3 people who we saw, but know aren't members. Contacted all 3 and one of them is named Benilda. She is truly an amazing women. I am guessing she is in her 60’s, but to be honest I am not 100% sure. Benilda is the mom of one of the members and has been getting to know the church for 10 years. We had our first lesson with her on Wednesday and it was powerful. We were on our way to get water for some sisters who don't have water in the house and we decided to stop by Benilda’s first to teach her and then go get the water. I am so happy we did. 

The first thing she said to us was "Ya me quiero bautizar" which basically means she's done with going to church as a non member and wants to be baptized already. She told us she has a few problems that she wants to overcome and one of them is smoking. She knows that she can't smoke and is giving her best effort to completely stop. We extended a baptismal invitation for the 20th of January and she accepted. 

Thursday we had our 2nd lesson with her. It was so powerful. We shared about the Book of Mormon and then talked about Moroni 6:1-3 and how we need to be repented of all of our sins before we enter the waters of Baptism. When I invited her to "dejar de fumar definitivamente" (stop smoking completely) she started to cry and said that she will stop. She then shared with us how she went to the bathroom in the morning and took 2 smokes (or however you'd say that) and then she stopped and knew she shouldn't be doing that. She then showered and got ready and when she came out she saw the Book of Mormon on the floor opened. She told us that "Jesus Christ is here helping me." Benilda is wonderful! 

She needs LOTS of prayers from you guys. I know the atonement is real. I have experienced the power of it in my life and I am so happy that Benilda is trying to allow it to work miracles in her life. Pray for her so she can resist temptation and be baptized next Saturday. 

I love this Gospel. Everyday I have doubts and everyday God puts certain things in my path to help me overcome the doubts. I know Jesus Christ lives and that Heavenly Father’s Plan is real and perfect. We may not comprehend it all right now, but God doesn't ask us to do that. Have a good week everyone!

Elder Wilde