Feliz Pascua!

April 21, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Feliz pascua!!!! The whole world yesterday gave us pancakes (crepes), bread, and sopapillas (little round fried bread) and Torta (cake.) welcome to Chile, the bread eating capital of the world! (No, its actually the second country who eats the most bread per capita in the world. Second after Germany.) 

It was honestly a beautiful week- and crazy. Hermana Velderrain is in her first cambios being hermana Lider, and this was the first crazy week for her--poor thing. We had three exchanges this week. since there are 86 hermanas in the mission now, there are EIGHT hermana lideres and so we don’t have to travel so much (all of the areas of the sisters are close to our area.) But its still draining emotionally. We woman cry a lot...and add that to a mission? We sisters cry even more.

Do you remember the family that we found last week? News flash---they are NOT married. But are still progressing beautifully. And reading their libro de Mormon. 

Yesterday we had an appointment with a woman that on Saturday that had greeted us and had seemed very nice. We went and entered, said a prayer, and began to teach the restoration (she had informed us that "I am evangelical, Christian, and I let you in the house because Its what Christ would do" Okay, perfect!) 

We began teaching the restoration, talking about prophets, then Jesus Christ, and about the apostasy. It was going just swimmingly and she agreed with everything that we said until we got to Joseph Smith. and the Book of Mormon. It was so strange because she seemed to forget that she had agreed with us ten minutes before that we need a prophet and that without the priesthood the church of Jesus Christ was lost. Huh. "But! Girls!! you are pushing to one side Jesus Christ. I don’t have to pray about this, because I already know its not true. And you don’t follow the holy spirit, because if you followed the holy spirit you wouldn’t need this other book and this is OTHER gospel. this is not the same." 

This was not, of course, the first time that someone had disagreed with us. But I have never had someone disagree with such a awfully false smile on her face, that it made me think of how JK Rowlings describes Professor Umbridge (that reference was for you, Charity!) and in the end, she said (in a honeyed, condescending voice) "Oh girls, you are so wrong. Can I pray for you?"

And what did my companion do? She picked up her book of Mormon and testified. "I know, along with my companion, that this book of Mormon  is true and that it is a testament of Jesus Christ. I know, through the power of the holy ghost, that Joseph Smith was a prophet. I know that the same church that Jesus Christ established was lost and has been restored. and I know that if you pray and search, you can know as well."

I know it as well. and I hope you all know it. This week, I stopped reading the new testament because I missed too much the Book of Mormon, and as I read the book of Mormon there came a spirit that testified so strong and specifically of our savior, Jesus Christ. The book of Mormon truly helps us to know him, and follow his path for us. It is in honor to be an official representative of Jesus Christ. 

I love you all!!! Happy Easter!

 Hermana Monroe