Wanderers in a Strange Land

Alma 13: 22-23

22 Yea, and the voice of the Lord, by the mouth of angels, doth declare it unto all nations; yea, doth declare it, that they may have glad tidings of great joy; yea, and he doth sound these glad tidings among all his people, yea, even to them that are scattered abroad upon the face of the earth; wherefore they have come unto us. 

23 And they are made known unto us in plain terms, that we may understand, that we cannot err; and this because of our being wanderers in a strange land; therefore, we are thus highly favored, for we have these glad tidings declared unto us in all parts of our vineyard

I can describe teaching Spanish speakers in the United States as the above two verses. We, as missionaries, are called to bring the word of God to all nations in the area of Kansas City. Whether that be from Guatemala, El Savador, Nicaragua, México, or Perú. The incredible thing has been teaching people from all across the American continent and learning about them and their culture, their families, and learning how to understand their accent. 

But they all have the same thing in common. They are all "wanderers in a strange land."

The stories of our friends have given me a deeper appreciation for Nephi and his family. Our friends, like Nephi, walked for months, traveling through dangerous territory, risking everything to follow God. And only through their faith in Christ, and their love of God did they arrive here. And while now they are scattered, the missionaries and members of the church are here to gather scattered Israel, and all of God's lost sheep.

I've also gotten to see a lot of how much good the church can really do. We watched a man, who had lost his family, his home, and his job, gain shelter, a friend, and a family in the church. Not only that, but he's also learning about how we can get more access to the power of God, and make lasting covenants with Him. His life along with so many others are completely different made so much better. 

On an unrelated note, and without further ado... the stories of the week. 

Set the scene. Blue balloons taped to the wall, a sonic stuffed animal hung directly about of the main window, and a beautiful sonic themed towel draped on the wall. 

It was David's 5th birthday, and for assorted reasons, I'm assuming, we were invited to his birthday party. Which involved us eating second dinner, because gosh dang it, when you love someone, you overeat for them.

Than we read and watched the first 14 verses of the bom with them. We talked about the importance of prayer and scripture study and invited them to read the rest of the chapter and to come to church the next day, which they said they would. Than they brought out sonic birthday cake, and took photos

First the family juntos, than us with Fatima and finally Carlos was like "vamos a switch" and Fatima took the picture with us and Carlos and David. Than Hna Lay cut beautiful slices of cake. And than me and her, we ate freakin' cake. Fork to mouth, chew, swallow, and again and again.

But it was the sweetest thing because they were so grateful we had come. We've also met a lot of new friends, and members who got lost in their journey here. This Sunday was amazing to watch as everyone was just finding their place. The members, newly moved in, were getting to know everyone. Our friends were getting to know each other and other members. Honestly it was a really great example of a Gathering. And it was sweet to watch. And everyday, all I want is for them to choose to have that Joy. But the hardest part is just hoping and praying that all you've done will be enough and they'll make the right choice. 

But really, God bless, it's been a good week. 

Hermana d’Evegnée