Stories from Ruth #8

Oh my days I cannot believe I am alive biking in Cambridge! Some of the cars treat the bikes like cars, and others want to kill you. 

Nothing happens during Halloween over here. However Guy Fox day is a week long process. Guy Fox day is a celebration over the death of this guy who nearly blew up parliament. They set up fireworks and have bonfires where they burn scarecrows in representation of Guy Fox. They also used to stab scarecrow and stuff.  

I love my new companion so much! We are very alike in both our weaknesses and strengths! It is almost crazy because we are kind of like the same. This week we have seen so many miracles and we have given out at least one Book of Mormon a day. We have three English ones left in our flat! Good thing we should get more soon! 

There have been two instances where we have met an investigator and taught them the first lesson there. The first time the guy asked us if we had time to teach. We were very excited! The very next day though we were at the library teaching a recent convert and in the middle of the lesson I noticed this underage guy walk over, sit on the bench behind us and just was observing and listening in. After the lesson I got the courage up enough to ask where to buy ice cream and we started a conversation. I had seen this guy before when teaching Dan a lesson with Sister Cook and had felt prompted to talk to him then. I didn't though, but prayed that if he was prepared that we would see him again, I know that never happens and I need to be ready to open my mouth everywhere, but God blessed us this time as we started earning his trust. The boy thought we were Presbyterian or Baptist and I told him we were Mormon. He looked away at first and then told us that he had met two elders before and a member and was creeped out, but hey he was the one listening in on our lesson. He was really chill with us and his friend even came over. They asked a lot of questions and we taught them the first lesson about the restoration and then the Sabbath day before inviting them to church. We also gave them both Book of Mormons, and lesson 1 & 2 pamphlets. We are going to meet with them next week.

There is a lady in our ward who has a frozen shoulder and can't move it. She hasn't been able to really clean her

house in a while and she has two younger kids. I knew that the Lord wanted us to go over and help, so we did. It was interesting because we also taught English that day and it felt like there was something missing until we brought in the Book of Mormon. The first I felt was needful, the second I felt was not complete until we had her read the English and Portuguese Book of Mormon back to back. We also visited this sweet older Sister who has a disease in her leg and arrived just in time to help her do her groceries.

 I realize that we are the only church that believes in progression after this life and what would be the point of coming to this earth if we were to only live with our heavenly father after this life. If we were to be in the same stagnant state as we were before. If we did not have the potential to become like Christ in this life and after but we're all saved based upon only if we kept the commandments there is still no purpose to this life, only to lose many of our heavenly father's spirit children. God would not do that. We have the potential to become like Him. The scriptures say in Moses 1:39 that it is his work and his glory to bring about the immortality and eternal life of man. 

It has also struck me  in Matthew 10 denying Christ and proclaiming him. Matthew 10:32 "Whosoever therefore

shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." 

We are to be Christian soldiers. This implies a war with evil and we are to proclaim his name without fear! 

I had an experience this week where I feel like I failed at first, but barely proclaimed his name. I was teaching some Muslims and one was not having it. I felt like I needed to read a scripture then and I didn't. I read a different one, but at the end I did read the scripture. It was Moroni 10: 6 "And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is." As you see it defies the Muslim belief, but I was too timid to share it when I needed to. I have learned, though, that I need to declare with ferocity and without fear. This is the truth! We must declare his name if we want him to save us. We must become as he is if we want to be saved. We need to declare his name without fear and just state it as it is. 

I love when we were tracting and Sister Murakane was knocking and it came off quiet. Then she stopped said "wait I have the truth! Why am I knocking quiet!" Then she knocked really loud. It was funny. Last week we met this guy named John from China. He turned us down but agreed that maybe he didn't meet us by coincidence. The very next day we felt like we needed to be in a certain area so we went and we saw John again. He thanked us for when we taught him about God and agreed to read the Book of Mormon if we saw him again. Well this week we did and he happily agreed to read the Book of Mormon and meet with us! 

We have done so much this week! I am more tired than I have ever been before! It feels like We have absolutely no time to slow down, but that is probably how it should be!