Running Away to Uruguay

February 16, 2015

We learn with the spirit so when the spirits not with us it is hard to ``know the truth of all things.`` Moroni 10:5. Many times when we teach someone who doesn`t have the holy ghost in their lives it`s hard to have patience when teaching them. It`s important to trust in the spirit and that it will enlighten their understanding. The spirit has to be there to help someone who`s so far driven from the Lord understand the truthfulness of the message we share.

There came a point in the Book of Mormon where the Lamanites wanted to fight the Nephites because they felt like God had punished Laman and Lemuel since the beginning and Nephi was his favorite.  

``12 They were a wild, and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, believing in the tradition of their fathers, which is this—Believing that they weredriven out of the land of Jerusalem because of the iniquities of their fathers, and that they were wronged in the wilderness by their brethren, and theywere also wronged while crossing the sea;

 13 And again, that they were wronged while in the land of their first inheritance, after they had crossed the sea, and all this because that Nephi wasmore faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord—therefore he was favored of the Lord, for the Lord heard his prayers and answered them,and he took the lead of their journey in the wilderness. `` Moroni 10: 12-13.

We know that it wasn`t that way and that Nephi was blessed for his obedience, but because the Laminites didn`t have the spirit in their lives they were easily influenced by the thought of Satan. I imagine it would be hard to teach a Lamanite who`s so caught in the power of Satan. Although, as missionaries we face people who have harden hearts just like the Lamanites every day.

The other day we had a meeting in the Church at 10 in the morning with our ward missionary leader. As we waited for him to show up there was a group of people showing up at the church. We had no idea what the group was for until one sister came to us and started talking. She told us that her and her husband had came from Australia and got all the members of the church who built our church building 50 years ago for a lunch.

It was like a family reunion was happening. She also told us that even though those members had built the church many of them were inactive. She invited us to have lunch with them. The interesting thing is that both the elders and us just happened to not have lunch that day, because the families cancelled. I was grateful that the Lord worked to cancel lunch and not have our ward missionary leader show up so that we could be part of that special event. The Lord is amazing.

When we went to lunch I knew my purpose. I eagerly sat right next to a couple of inactive members and started to casually talk with them. One of them is Nestor. He went inactive when he was in his 20`s and has had a rough life since. He recognized that unlike all his other friends who stayed in the church he wasn`t happy. He explained to me that he is fighting with God and that God has been punishing him for all that he`s done. ( Kinda of like something the Lamanites said ;).)

Luckily for Nestor all of his friends were listening to him talk and they all started testifying of the gospel to him. It was a miracle that he even showed up to the activity and just being there feeling the love of his friends helped him feel Gods love for him. As I went on listening to him I tried to be patient and just let him speak. I could easily interrupt him and answer every one of his doubts, but the spirit kept whispering to me to just be patient and wait. When the time came the only thing I did was testify of Christ. I felt so much power as I testified and I know he could feel it too.

After I testified he asked me `` Why is God punishing me then if he loves me?``. In that moment the Lord endowed me with power to explain to him the law of Justice and how our loving Heavenly Father sent his son Jesus Christ to pay the price of our sins so that we can be let free from guilt and the consequences of our sins. Alma 43:20 It was something so simple and clear that he understood. The spirit illuminated his understanding.

He then gave us his address and phone number to go visit with him, because he said that he liked talking with us. He like feeling the spirit and being able to have a better understanding through the spirit. I know that the spirit is key to changing hearts. I know that our Redeemer live and he lives because we have a Heavenly Father who loves us. I know that the Book of Mormon is a true book and that as we read it, it can illuminate our understanding.

Love,

Hermana Baca