EDEN IN ECUADOR: LOS CHILLOS: Accepting the will of the Lord 2.1.16

Hola mi queridísima familia.

I am doing ok! We saw miracles this week!

So we have an investigator names José he is from Quevedo. We started out teaching his prima. She told us that her husband is a less active and that she wasnt baptized. We found out a couple days ago that she lied to us and that she is baptized! We have had some difficult and very direct lessons with her. It is so hard to call people to repentance when they dont have any desires to act! It really just makes me feel sad for them! Anyways so José is her cousin and the first lesson he was not even interested in listening to us.... but we arent quite sure what happened but all the sudden he started reading the Book of Mormon and he has come to church twice now. He keeps talking about how he just felt like now is the time for him to make the decision to change his life!

We are also teaching another investigator named Rosa. She commited to coming to church and she accepted a baptismal date... but when we passed by on Sunday there were people that were coming unexpectedly to visit her. I promise that happens so frequently here! Opposition is a real thing! I have learned as a missionary to just always expect and prepare for the opposition. So anyways we passed by and we were literally just trying so so hard to get her to come to church. Normally i would feel weird about "obligating" or "begging" someone to go to church... but Hermana McGill and I felt the spirit telling us to keep trying. She ended up coming to church and she LOVED it!!! And her visits didnt even get there until she got home. Miracles indeed. The Lord blesses those that are sincere in their intent and desires.

This week i am ponderizing Alma 29:3. I have been thinking a lot about Alma and his desires. They were righteous. All he wanted was to be able to declare the gospel to every soul. That is how i have felt lately. So many feelings of not wanting this precious time to end. Feelings of inadequacy, Wishing i could have accomplished more things. Verse three has given me MUCH comfort and peace as i have pondered these things. I, you, all of us! We MUST be content with the things that the Lord has allowed us to experience, do, and learn. I am learning more and more that our expectations about life, the mission, marriage, callings, school.... are normally so different than the expectations that The Lord has for us. But we must be humble and accept His will... and what HE has "allotted unto us"

1 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!

2 Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

3 But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.

Anyways i love you all so much. I love the sweet blessing that it is to teach the truths of the gospel everyday with the power and authority given from God. I love the gospel!

Con mucho amor,

hermana neff