My Dear Beloved Brethren ( yes I've been reading the Ensign a lot):
With each week I feel increasingly blessed to be serving as a sister missionary in Houston. Many times I will leave a lesson, after sharing basic eternal truths that I have known all my life with someone for the first time, and feel so blessed to have this understanding of the gospel and the opportunity to share it. At this rate I may never want to come home (no offense family). We've met some great people this week and had a busy time working hard. We met a single mother with five kids and were able to teach her the Restoration lesson. We were able to answer her questions about what makes our religion different from others and the need for a restoration. She told us she's excited to read the Book of Mormon and to see how she feels when she reads it. We met another family where the wife is Christian and active in a church but the husband only believes in God but not religion. He told us that he had to wait until he met God face to face to know what God wanted him to do. He was also saying that He didn't know what form God was in- a turtle, a bird, a man, etc. We testified of who God, our Heavenly Father, is and also that we are representatives of Him- that indeed, Heavenly Father had come knocking on his door. His wife told us later that he usually runs off missionaries, shouting and cursing at them. And though he didn't agree with us, he let us in and sat with us with we mostly taught his wife. Even if he didn't know it consciously, he knew we were different. I'm excited to continue teaching them. We also made some incredible progress with Elizabeth this week! She has turned down several baptismal invitations/challenges, first saying that she was already baptized in the Catholic church as a baby, then saying that all of her family didn't like the church. We taught about the priesthood, and about Moroni 8 with child baptism so she could see that we had to be able to knowingly made that kind of covenant with God. We have prayed and fasted and prayed some more to figure out how to help her progress. This last visit as we taught (long story short) and extended a baptismal invitation, she said yes!!! We haven't set an exact date, since she still needs to get married to her boyfriend, but I know that Heavenly Father is opening her heart and our mouths to say the things she needs. Please continue to pray for her. Yesterday, for fast Sunday we had a mission, zone, and area fast to find more investigators who are ready to receive the gospel. I'm learning how to discern through the Holy Ghost those people who are ready and those who are not. Some people may listen to us, but are not at a point where they will change so no matter how much we teach them or how much they feel the Spirit, they decide they won't change. Our real goal is to find those people who are searching, ready to listen and to change their lives. We are asked not to ask our family to participate in our special fasts, but I can ask for you all to pray for this area. I know Heavenly Father has prepared people all over, and we need but to find and teach them with the Spirit. The ward is catching the missionary spirit and we received several referrals this week from members <3 br="br"> Especially this week, we have asked people to act in faith. Sometimes we have to step into the darkness with faith trusting in Heavenly Father. We've asked less actives to fast to find solutions to problems. We've asked investigators to pray to know if things are true. We've asked members to pray as families to find friends and co-workers who are ready to hear the gospel. Time and time again, Ether 12:6 has popped up this week. There aren't blessings until after the trial of our faith, when we choose to act in faith and trust our Heavenly Father. We had one day when all of our appointments cancelled and we ended up knocking doors with very little success. But we kept working and praying to know what Heavenly Father wanted us to do. And the next day, Elizabeth accepted baptism and other wonderful and small miracles. The Lord is mindful of us, but we must fulfill our side (1 Nephi 17:3).
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers and know that someone loves you here in Texas!
All my love,
Hermana Koerner.
p.s Here's a pic with my new companion, Hermana Latu.
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