Elder Braxton Shoemaker

Week #38: ¡El poder del Espìritu!

Wow what is going on everybody?!! Another good week down here in TBO! It was pouring rain all day everyday, but we still managed to find a couple awesome people to teach this week.

I'd like to share an experience that Elder Cruz and I had this past Saturday. We were walking along in our area, just chatting with some people in the street and we were just about to go visit this woman that we had contacted a few days before. We started walking to her house, and Elder Cruz told me that he felt like we should go visit this woman named Yaquelin (who lived a good 30 mins away). Yaquelin was a referral from another ward about 2 months ago. We were told her son and husband had recently passed away and that she was in a really tough spot in life. We tried for weeks to find her but we never could...until on last Tuesday when we decided to pass by one more time to try to find her, and we DID! She told us to come back another day, so we did, but once again we couldn't find her. Then Elder Cruz all of a sudden felt like we should go pass by again, so I told him 'lets get going!!' So, we sped-walked to her house.

Ive had a few experiences like this before, and they don't always turn out to be the person you were inspired to go visit, but rather someone else that you run into along the way. So I was very attentive of the people around us. We got to Yaquelin's neighborhood and I saw a house that I felt extremely impressed to contact. So we went, talked to this one guy for a minute, but he said he was busy so we left. I was a little confused, because I had felt so strongly to contact this persons house...but we continued and got to Yaquelin's house. We clapped out front, and a kid comes out and tells us that Yaquelin wasn't home. We were about to leave, but then I found myself chatting with the kid a little about futbol. Just then, Yaquelin shows up on her bike and tells us we can come in to chat. In that moment, I already knew without a doubt that we were sent from God above to talk with this woman in that very moment. She quickly broke down in tears to us about her son and husband and says that she's been extremely religious her whole life, but now that these events had happened, she was questioning her faith...and questioning God. We talked to her about the Book of Mormon, and how it explains the Plan of Happiness that God has prepared for us. We told her she would see and live with her family once again for eternity. She finally calmed down and Elder Cruz and I bore the strongest testimonies that we could to help this woman feel the truthfulness of our message.

Now I don't know if Yaquelin will go on to get baptized, or if she will even believe our message is true...but I know without a doubt, that Elder Cruz and I accomplished what we were sent to do in that moment. We felt very satisfied that God saw us worthy, to send us to one of His daugther's who was in a lot of pain, and needed comfort. I really can't always explain my feelings through email, but I hope all of you know that this Plan that God has for us is real. That we really will live with our families again, and we will live in a state of peace and happiness.

I can testify of the power that the Spirit has in us. If we just listen to that voice, we can be the cause for so much good in this world. I love what I do every day as a missionary, to truly be a tool in the hands of God to save the souls of His children. Have a good week everybody!!