Hey, I think I've met you before!

This week I did exchanges with the one and only Hermana Quispe. It was such a good day!! I miss her (and everything that has to do with El Carmen) so much! She really helped me and encouraged me with some of the difficulties we face in Bella Vista. It's probably such a good thing that I'm not companions with someone who talks as much as me. It was tempting for us not to stay up talking the whole night. (Don't worry, we were very obedient.)

Last week we were about to leave a neighborhood and at the last minute I had a  thought come to me to try to find a less active, Roberto Rivero, that the branch president said had potential to come back to church. When he explained to us where he lived, we only knew more or less where he lived. So we just started asking. Someone told us that someone with that last name lived down the street. When we got to the house, the mom said that was the right last name but it wasn't her husband and she didn't know of any Roberto Rivero. So we started to explain we were looking for him because he is a member of our church, as we slyly started to testify to her of our message. It was raining so she told us to come in so we wouldn't get wet. Then she added, "Plus there is always more room for Jesus in our house." When we were teaching her, I started to look at the faces of her children and there is just something so familiar about them. Then looking at Ana I just felt so much love for her and I know that she is going to accept this message because I've met her a whole long time ago. She told us she talked with Elders about 20 years ago. Before she got MARRIED (it's kinda a REALLY big deal). She said she had seen us about a week earlier and that by the way we were dressed she thought "They must be the momons." Now that we had shown up at her door, she didn't think it was a coincidence because lately she's really felt the pull to get closer to God.

When we went back and taught her the second time, she had read the pamphlet we left her and she talked about how even though it's hard for her, she is making a huge effort to stregthen her relationship with God. I didn't know it was possible but I just felt so much MORE love for her. So I told her that as missionaries one of the greatest things we can experience is feeling just a tiny bit of God's immense love for people we barely know. The love I felt was really so strong. I had such a connection with her since the start and have been praying for her a lot. It made me just want to love everybody because it felt so good to feel so much love! When she prayed at the end she thanked God for her new friends who helped her feel that God was there.

I know God's love is real. Take it for a test drive. It will change you.

Love,Hermana Pearson

Sofia's Baptism