I have heard that Guatemala is very, very beautiful and I believed it from all the people that I have met. But this week I was able to see the geographical beauty. We had divisions with San Lucas Toliman and it was my turn to go, but unfortunately it was pouring rain all afternoon and the ride there was super cloudy. But in the morning, on the way back, I was able to see the prettiest views of my life. To get tro Toliman, one has to take a bus, then a microbus, then a pickup truck with a bar in the bed of it to hold on to. It was a clear morning and I was pretty excited to start the journey back with the pick up truck. It drove through on an old gravel road with thick forests lined with corn and other crops seperating different pueblos. Every once in a while, there was a break in the trees to be able to see the waters Panajachel. (Lake Atitlan) The lake was so clear and so still that it matched the sky...if it hadn't been for the volcanoes separating the water from the sky, it would've looked like the heavens never ended. I turned to the man next to me and said, "After seeing that, it really demonstrates to us that there is a God, huh?" He just paused for a minute and said, "Yes, yes there is." We were then able to share a little bit about the gospel with him. I love little moments like that as a missionary...There are always opportunities to testify of our message...there aren't missionaries that live in his area and there's a very small chance of ever seeing him again but we never know how a simple testimony can impact a life.
Another moment I loved was bringing Feliciana to stake conference. When Hermana Brough got up and started to testify, Feliciana was on the edge of her seat, trying her best to listen. With the power and spirit of her testimony, Feliciana loved hearing her speak. It made me think of how my own mother will have the same calling soon. Feliciana barely even speaks Spanish, and it would be even more difficult understanding two North Americans teaching her...but she has understand every word and continues to understand as she prepares for her baptism this Sunday. The grammer and pronunciation don't have to be perfect to share a perfect message...the spirit is what these people need to become converted, not convinced. When we went to visit her, she kept telling us, "I was with my mom this weekend. I just kept telling her that this is the church of Christ, and that the Book of Mormon is true and that this changes lives. I want her to see it for herself but there isn't a chapel where she lives, but at least she knows now that this is a true message." She is someone who isn't convinced with words, she is converted with the spirit. I am so happy that we were able to find her.
We also found a random man on the street, pushing his bike. We just talked to him and asked him if we could sing to him. He agreed and we sang and shared a scripture with him. It was probably the first man that I've talked to here that said he didn't believe in God...but after our short message, we realized that it was just events that has happened in his life that caused anger at God, no an actual unbelief in God. And after more than 15 years of not praying, he agreed to end our short message with a sincere, short prayer. We challenged him to be baptized on May 1 and he accepted, recognizing all the changes that he will have to make and willing to do them. I love teaching this message to people who sometimes have nothing...no money or no family or no job or no house...or sometimes no hope...it brings a light in their life that fills to the corners of every desire. This is a true message! Until next week...Hermana Hansen
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