Dear family,
I started to write my email last week and then realized that
I never actually sent it! Whoops. Is anyone else having a hard time believing
that it's November already?
I realized that it's been a while since I've given a good
detailed update on some of the main investigators that we've been teaching. We
have a few investigators that we have stopped teaching for various reasons, I'm
not going to go into detail about all of their stories, because I know that
it's not the end until it's the end! And I feel confident that it's not the
end. One of them is Zahra. We have lost contact with Zahra over the past few
weeks. She has been avoiding us, and we think that she got scared again. I
really can't blame her. Zahra has one of the strongest testimonies of anyone I
have met, but she also has one of the hardest backround situations of anyone I
have ever taught. Baptism for her would mean a lot of hate towards her and her
mom from all of their extended family, to the point that converting to
Christianity would mean not being able to go see any of them ever again.
I've thought a lot about success on my mission, and how much
I have grown to love people like Steve, Jana, Gabriel, Bry, Zahra, Haley, and
the list goes on and on. If I were to measure the success of my mission based
on how many "almost baptisms" have happened than my understanding of
my purpose as a missionary would be very skewed. I succeed when I invite. I succeed
when I love unconditionally. I feel at peace with knowing that there comes a
point where you know that you have done everything in you power, and when it
comes down to it the rest is in the hands of the loved one and our Heavenly
father and His perfect timing. It is always hard when someone you love chooses
a path that you know isn't what will make them happiest. It's in these moments
that my testimony of the Plan of Salvation is strengthened so much. The Plan of
Salvation is tipped in our favor in every possible way. There really is not one
soul on this Earth who Heavenly father has not devised very specific plans and
means to save. He is a God of a million chances. He is perfectly just yet
perfectly merciful. He provided a Savior in the case that we would no follow
the "ideal" plan He has set for us. (which is the position all of us
are in if you think about it.) Words cannot express how grateful I am for my
brother Jesus Christ and everything that he has done for you and for me!
Despite the disappointments, there are so many golden
moments that far outweigh the rest. People like Everet and Darlene, Bennett and
Verna, Sandra, Melissa, Alexandra, Alvaro, Osh, Hayley and Emma! And the list
goes on and on! The worth of one soul is so great!!!!!!
Heather and LJ are both progressing wonderfully! Heather is
working towards baptism on November 22nd, and the ways she has blossomed have
been astounding. LJ, the man who for months claimed to want nothing to do with
organized religion, has softened so much and feels the spirit on a regular
basis! He has now been to church 3 times- imagine our surprise when yesterday
during sacrament meeting he got up to share his testimony! It wasn't a
thankimony or a travelogue. LJ bore pure testimony of the Savior, of our
Heavenly Fathe's plan for us, and of his hopes that the Book of Mormon will
make him a better man. The spirit was so strong!
The other miracle from last week was that Kent came to
church! Kent is the son of our old bishop. He's 27 and he stopped going to
church when he was in 7th grade. We've seen him a few times, but not at all in
the last 2 transfers. Last week we were on our way to tract a street the
Eastmont Elders had asked us to tract when I had the feeling that we should
stop by. I was a little bit nervous because he has an interesting situation,
and we were on exchange that day, but the feeling kept coming so we went. Turns
out, Kent has finally reached that low point and the last few weeks he has been
thinking about coming to church but always gets cold feet on Saturday. We had a
very powerful lesson with him, and he was at church yesterday! It took so much
courage for Kent to be there. Sitting next to Kent in the back was one of those
moments on my mission where I felt so much inexpressible joy over that one soul,
that I felt like I couldn't contain it all!
A quick reminder from President Hinckley: "The best
antidote I know for worry is work. The best medicine for despair is service.
the best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even
more tired."
By the way, November is gratitude month! please read
President Uchtdorf's talk from 2 conferences ago, and practice fostering a
spirit of gratitude!
Love you all bunches!
Love Sister Slade
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