I am officially settled in and serving in the area of McMinnville Spanish. We cover five small towns in this area and are one of two sets of missionaries serving in the Dayton Spanish Branch. The branch is awesome!! Sunday, in PEC, the Branch President told us that the paperwork has been started to officially turn it into a ward so that's SUPER exciting! I'm really hoping I'll still be here when they have their first Sunday as a ward. One of the things I really love about this branch is that it is incredibly united; it just has a really good family vibe.
We had the coolest thing happen last night! There is this old man named Rogelio that the previous missionaries had met a while ago but hadn't contacted since. We went over there this week and taught him a bit outside (he lives alone so we couldn't go in) and we set up an appointment to come back on Sunday night.
Last night, we were at a lesson with someone else and it ended up running super late, like SUPER late. We had planned to bring a member with us to the lesson with Rogelio and we had to go pick them up to bring them. By the time we got to Rogelio's house, we were 45 minutes late. At this point, I was feeling a little stressed because I don't like to be behind schedule, ESPECIALLY when we have a member with us. Luckily, the member was super duper nice about it and the Hermano and Hermana both came with us. Anyways, when we got to Rogelio's it was really late. We walk up and there was this young guy standing outside the house at the top of the driveway not doing anything. We went and asked him if Rogelio was there. He said he was but that he had already gone to sleep. In my head I was disappointed because we had brought the members with us and I knew it had been our fault for being so late. But THEN we started talking to this guy (who's name is also Rogelio) and it turns out he is the grandson of the original Rogelio that we met.
He started telling us a little about himself. He had grown up in California and had gotten into some really bad activities. He witnessed something really tragic and, after that, swore off of that kind of lifestyle. His wife and kids are living elsewhere right now and he's doing everything he can to try and get them to Oregon. I just wish you had been able to hear the way this guy talked about his family and the deep, deep love he has for them. He and the member couple really hit it off and we spent the next hour-and-a-half out on that driveway, listening to stories from his life and then relating that to gospel truths that will bless him and his family. He said he had been waiting on that driveway, waiting for someone to come pick him up but that someone never came. I am convinced, even if he didn't know it, he was waiting there for us.
This experience was one of the countless times on my mission I've realized the plan we have is NOT always the plan Heavenly Father has. Because I was so stuck on our plan, I got frustrated about being late but, in Heavenly Father's plan, that was the perfect time to arrive. In my plan, I was sure we were there to see Rogelio Sr. and that we had figured out the perfect members to bring to have a great lesson with him but in Heavenly Father's plan, we were really there to see Rogelio Jr. and to teach him about the gospel during this really difficult and lonely time in his life. I am so glad Heavenly Father has a perfect plan. I am grateful that he just asks us to do our best and then he takes that and makes something far superior with it. God is good.
He started telling us a little about himself. He had grown up in California and had gotten into some really bad activities. He witnessed something really tragic and, after that, swore off of that kind of lifestyle. His wife and kids are living elsewhere right now and he's doing everything he can to try and get them to Oregon. I just wish you had been able to hear the way this guy talked about his family and the deep, deep love he has for them. He and the member couple really hit it off and we spent the next hour-and-a-half out on that driveway, listening to stories from his life and then relating that to gospel truths that will bless him and his family. He said he had been waiting on that driveway, waiting for someone to come pick him up but that someone never came. I am convinced, even if he didn't know it, he was waiting there for us.
This experience was one of the countless times on my mission I've realized the plan we have is NOT always the plan Heavenly Father has. Because I was so stuck on our plan, I got frustrated about being late but, in Heavenly Father's plan, that was the perfect time to arrive. In my plan, I was sure we were there to see Rogelio Sr. and that we had figured out the perfect members to bring to have a great lesson with him but in Heavenly Father's plan, we were really there to see Rogelio Jr. and to teach him about the gospel during this really difficult and lonely time in his life. I am so glad Heavenly Father has a perfect plan. I am grateful that he just asks us to do our best and then he takes that and makes something far superior with it. God is good.
Hope you have a great week!
Con amor,
Hermana Meise
Saying goodbye to Hermana Perez as she leaves to go home...
(They're going to be roommates in the Fall)
Goodbye, Hermana Rosado!
More Transfer Day pictures with Hermanas Duckett and Rosado
As were were driving away from the mission home...
These mountains are called "The Three Sisters"
how appropriate :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment