Hi Mom,
I'm sorry I am emailing so late. We had to go to the
mission office in the city to sign for some more visa stuff. It took a
while. But that's alright.
This week was a harder week. We have been teaching
this lady and her daughter for a month now. They are actually my first
investigators. We thought they were going to be baptized but no.
Last week she told us that she got a message from God and he told her that he
has been with her all along and that she needs to trust him. So she took
this as he was telling her that the Catholic church was the right church.
But we were telling her that she had turned that answer around. We told
her she knows its true. She has been praying and reading the Book of
Mormon and been doing all of the commitments we give her. But she just
doesn't believe anymore. It is so sad to me. We told her we couldn't visit her and teach her anymore because
she isn't progressing. We can't teach people that don't progress.
After that, we continued to teach her 13 year old
daughter. On Thursday I went on splits with my district leader so he
could interview her for baptism. At the end of the interview he asked her
if she had any doubts, questions, or comments and she said "I have one
thing.....I have no doubts about the church......Heavenly Father answered my
prayers.....I know this church is true....I want to be baptized."
When she said that, we were not expecting it. It made us so happy.
But because she is underage we had to have the permission of her Mom. But
her Mom said that she wants to talk with the daughter first and we should come
back the next day. So we came back on Friday and we taught her. And
she said she was going to get baptized. But we knew her Mom was
sad. So we came back the next day to talk to her about what is going to
happen when she is baptized and what she needs to bring. We then asked
her who she would like to baptize her. She sat there for a
minute....which turned into five, and at that point we knew something was
wrong. So we asked her, and her Mom said that they were not going to make
it to church the next day and that she had something she had to do. Then
she continued to say that she didn't feel ready. Me and Elder Sylvestre
sat there in shock and sadness. So that fell through and we were so
sad. And I say that very humbly.
Later, we stopped by another investigator's house who has
been taught by the missionaries for the past five or six months and hasn't come
to church. So we had a really powerful lesson and I bore my testimony
about church attendance and the power of prayer and repentance, and shared that
my life before my mission wasn't good at all, and because of repentance and the
arms of the Savior, I was forgiven. So the next day we went by
before church and reminded him. But he didn't show up at church. We
had to drop him as an investigator. I was so sad to do that.
Because he was so ready; he was so amazing. We love him so much.
I have another sad story. Right before church we saw a
man and a woman standing in front. The girl was 16 and the man was
23. They were dating. They told us they stopped two missionaries on
the street the day before and told them they want to be taught. The other
missionaries were from another mission, the northwest mission I think.
Those missionaries told them to come by our church on Sunday around 12:00
before church and they would find missionaries. Well they told us where
they live and it just happened to be in our area. So they went to church,
and after, we went with them to their house. This was the most humbling
experience that has happened to me so far. They live in a place that
is 12 by 12 feet with holes in the roof. It rains every single day.
They also sleep on the floor. The man makes 700 pesos a week.
That's like less than $70 a week. Not to mention that he works 70
hours a week. He makes less than a dollar an hour. Oh, and the girl
is pregnant. She just turned 16. They want to get baptized really
bad but can't because they have to get married. See this would be easy
because we would just have to marry them. But her dad forbids it, because
she has a baby on the way, she is 16 and he is 23. And we can't
split them up because she is pregnant.
This is just a sad situation.
My testimony of prayer has really been strengthened. I
know that if we rely on the Savior and his Atonement he will help us. He
will lift us when we cannot lift ourselves. We need to do our part to do
this though. I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father Knows us and
knows exactly what we need. I love you all. Your help and
encouragement has really helped me. I am not going to lie. But this
has been the hardest thing I have ever had to do. The Savior and the
Atonement and His suffering for the worlds pains and afflictions was not easy,
at all. In the words of Elder Holland "Salvation is not
cheap! How can we expect it to be easy when the Savior took upon Himself
the world's pains and afflictions." It isn't easy but it is worth
it. I love you all and I know I am here saving lives. The Savior is
with me every step of the way. He lived my pains, afflictions, and
sufferings. He lived yours.
Oh remember, remember, that it is upon the rock of your
Savior which is Christ the Lord that ye must build your foundations.
Elder Hancock,
Helaman 5:12
P.S. Mom I got the three Dear Elders and the letter
yesterday.
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