Agency

This week started out will cambios! My companion was in Lima for her carnet, and so I went out with Hermana Tui´one for two days. She is so great! She is half Mexican and half Polynesian so you can just imagine her personality. Hermana Tui´one is real, a little loud, fun, and really bold in her questions to people. She is a lot like Nana! lol. I loved every minute that I had with her to proselyte because she is such a great example of how we should teach with boldness and love. I totally gained another best friend in the mission this week.

Also: My compi is back!

Yesterday night Hermana C. and I were able to have another appointment with a progressing investigator. We have set several baptismal dates with her, but have not been able to meet each date. It was two weeks ago that Maricela told us that she wants to learn more about the church before she commits to baptism, and so she wants to wait until September. We were so sad to hear this from her, and so up to our latest appointment had been praying and studying in order to know how to help her. Yesterday during Church Maricela confided in Hermana Chipunavi that she has recieved an answer that she should be baptized, and she wants to do it, but that someone close in her life is telling her to wait. We tried so hard not to be upset at this! Maricela KNOWS the doctrines, is changing her life, attending church regularly, and has a testimony. How is she not ready for baptism? Anyway, we felt impressed to teach about obedience and reading the scriptures in our lesson last night. At one point I felt impressed to testify of how each commandment is calculated to bring us more happiness than before, and that she had chosen to follow the Savior in the life before. In this life she is now being asked to follow Him again, but it is now an issue of when. The Spirit was strong during this time, and even though Maricela still told us that she wants to wait,  Hermana Chipunavi and I walked away feeling that we did everything in our power and according to the Spirit that we needed to do. In the end, salvation comes down to the agency of the individual. 

As of now, we are still praying and seeking to help those we teach. We know that even when others use their agency incorrectly, our responsibility is to be guides in this work as we invite others to excerise their agency correctly. It is often times disappointing, but so amazing when we can see how people are willing to change their lives in order to experience the blessings. Nothing that the Lord asks us to do will take anything of worth from us. His commandments are designed to make us better, stronger, and happier in this life. This is my testiomony! 

Hermana Arroyo