dulce o truco? 11/5/24

I'm back! So sorry for disappearing on you guys! It's been a crazy couple of weeks!

Some highlights/photos:

☆ Intercambios with hna Fernandes!!

☆ Had leaders council and got to see some of the hermanas!

☆ Mamá Zanni

☆ It rained on Halloween! Oncativo actually takes Halloween semi-seriously! The stores were all decorated and the kids went out at night asking for candy!

☆ We bought these little pumpkins and filled them with candies and baptism cards to hand out to all the people in the street!

☆ Transfers!!! I actually can't believe we're already here, it feels like I just got to Oncativo yesterday. But I get to stay at least 6 more weeks! And my new comp's hermana Smith! She's another blonde gringa, so you already know we spent today buying a christmas tree for the pension! 

Here's some other random stats from this past week:

◇ 1 song sung to us in the street

◇ 2 men asking for fotos with us

◇ 1 woman offering us bread after we watched her take it out of the garbage can outside.

◇ 3 men telling me my eyes are beautiful

◇ 1 lesson where the police were called in the middle of it

These last few weeks my patience has been tried and tested, there's lots of things in our area that we can't control. And we haven't seen the results that we were hoping for.

Last Sunday instead of the regular class, we read Ether 6:5-11. It talks about the story of the Jaredites in their journey to the promise land. They were doing what God wanted, they left their homes, built a boat and trusted in God to lead them where they needed to go. He could have made the journey easy, reward them for their sacrifice and make it a quick easy journey. But instead,

“God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind. And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind”

Sometimes we're like the Jaredites, keeping the commandments, doing what we should, but the journey doesn't get any easier. We're faced by walls of water, sometimes being buried by difficulties that we can't face alone. 

The wind never stopped, it kept blowing ferociously until they got to their final destination. But why? What did they need to learn so badly that 344 days of being tossed around in the ocean was necessary?

 I think the answer comes from their reaction when they finally made it to shore:

“And when they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them.”

Even though they had faced endless difficulties, they remained grateful. They were humble, knowing that God's path led them where they needed to be. 

I'm not quite at my final destination, I've still got a lot more to learn. But I know that as I face the challenges with faith, God will lift me up when I'm buried. And even though the storm doesn't stop, I'll be able to rise above it. And like the Jaredites,

“And they did...thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord.”

I know that Christ lives, that he knows and loves each one of us perfectly. I am endlessly grateful to know and feel this love, and to be able to share it with others. If you feel like life's burying you, call to Him. I promise you he's listening!

Sorry that got long 

Love and miss you all!! Have the best week!

♡ Hermana Milne