Hello Everyone!,
Another joyful week full of highlights to talk about! We found a wonderful new family. We have incredible members who are reaching out to help in any way they can. We’re excited to be working for the Lord and stand as witnesses to the miracles that He can do.
One of the biggest highlights of this week was the baptism of Emily. (See the photo.) She is the first child in the history of the Largo Spanish Branch to be baptized as a previous child of record. What an exciting and wonderful thing it was! To see a child baptized into the church is such a blessing to be a part of. To see her go into the waters of baptism with her father and to have the support of the branch was one of those moments of pure joy. We are here so those who are coming into the church for the first time can see and feel that sense of family and belonging. We are here so they can watch their loved ones follow in their footsteps by taking that first step to follow Christ. I pray for that experience for our converts and for the people we work with. All three of those who’ve joined the church on our watch have children who are not baptized. I pray they will have this experience just as I look forward to having it in my own family with my own children.
Speaking of joy and the children of recent converts, another of those joyful moments came this week while we were teaching Lazaro’s teen-age son. We’ve run into some rough patches with him, but really felt like we should try to teach him again this week. We found a boy who was not only ready to listen, but who had been trying to read the Book of Mormon and had not been able to sleep the night before because of all the questions and feelings it brought to him. He learned that night what the Holy Ghost is, and how it answers questions and testifies of truth. I know that we still have a REALLY long way to go with him, but I also know that Heavenly Father is working over-time to let him know that he needs the gospel in his life.
I think back to what I was like when I was 15. I know what I would have become if I hadn't had the church and it makes me cringe to think about it. I know that there are people in this world who do a lot better with a whole lot less, but for me, I would have been lost without it. I hope that somehow, through me, God can testify to him just how important the gospel is. The fact that a 15-year-old not only feels this way, but recognizes and points it outto us is incredible to me. I really shouldn't be that surprised; I have a younger brother just like him. He is a young man with a heart of pure gold, who loves his family and his friends and his God and wants to do the right thing at all times. He is a young man who is often misunderstood or under appreciated (a fact which breaks my heart by the way). He is a young man who would go to the ends of the earth to help someone else; young man who will do real miracles when he joins me in the mission field in a few months. How grateful I am today for the example, love and guidance that my younger brother Erik has given me.
How I love this gospel. How lucky we are to bask in the rays of hope and love that it offers. I have so much gratitude in my heart not only to be a member of this great church, but to have the opportunity to be in the front row as others turn on that light in their own lives. Is there anything more powerful and worthy of our love and gratitude? If there is, I haven't yet experienced it. My mission is the greatest blessing and experience of my life. Sure we have difficulties. We have bad moments or hours or even days. But the truth we occasionally forget is that the worst moment as a missionary is better than the best moment of someone without the light and truth of the gospel. We have the honor and the privilege to help others see that light that already exists inside all of us.
I am happy. I am so happy to be here, to share these moments with my sweet and wonderful companion Hermana Dollahite, and to build these life-long relationships with the members and investigators we have been given the opportunity to work with. I know that this work is a privilege. I know that there is such a big difference between thinking that we have to be here and knowing that we GET to be here. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity I have to be here.
Love you All,
Hermana Levanger
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