March 9, 2015

Dear Family,

On Friday we had a ward actvity about the Plan of Salvation. The Elders put it together and assigned every orginazation a theme- the example in the pictures A FIESTA and FHE. The investigators and a few members held to a rope with "the guide of the Holy Ghost" or the elders to two rooms. They had to choose a room and according to their decsisions they made they went to one of the three kingdoms.

I had to go in to the Terrestal Kingdom and explain to the people that they hadn't accepted Jesus as their Savior and so they didn't make it int the Celestial Kingdom. I can't imagine how it would be like for God to do the same for all of his children. It was sad to see their reaction to what I told them but it gave me peace to know that now they understand the importance of obedience and to make good decsisions.

Yesterday I had an experience that hurt but taught me a valuable lesson. I had the first door slammed in my face. We lost contact with our investigator Erica that was planned to be baptized this upcoming Saturday  and yesterday we went to see what happened (because she didn't come to church).  We knocked, they responded, but didn't come out to talk with us. We called her phone and she turned it off and ignored us. Then while we were waiting outside thinking what we should do next, Ericas mom walked by and asked what we needed. We said that we wanted to talk to Erica. She entered the house to look for her and the next thing we knew, her dad came out and began to speak angerly at us and told us that he never wants to see us again or know about us teaching his daughter and that "this house is catholic and always will be catholic" It hurt but in the sense  that I felt like in place of uniting the family with the gospel, we managed to separate them a little more. 

 I read the talk The Priesthood Man by  Pres. Eyring and found peace in reading the part where it talks about prayer. I applied it to my self and my situation and to pray with gratitud for the experiences I had with Erica and to ask forgiveness, etc. I felt a huge change within me that I can't express with words. I really felt the peace that I needed to know that Erica was fine and that her family also was fine.

I know that prayer changes who we are to help us become the children of God he knows we are.

Love,

Hermana Beardall