Dear Family,
This week has been pretty great if I do say so myself. I
have quite big news.
The Branch of San Isidro will be converted into a WARD!!!
Next month when the mission divides, the Area Presidency will be coming to also
put into place 3 new stakes in Costa Rica, one being Stake Cartago. San Isidro
will be converted by the end of July. I really hope that all goes well.
Last night we had such an incredible experience. There is an
inactive named Xiomara. She has 3 kids but only one is baptized. She has been
inactive for about 5 years and has always slammed the door in the elders faces.
But when me and my companion came around, she was already outside. haha no door
to be slammed :P and so we began to speak with her and we found that she has
felt abandoned by God and that she just doesn't understand why she feels so
terrible all the time. We couldn't get in to teach but we planned to come
back.
Her mother, who isn't a member, told us that if we could
reactivate her, she too would come to church. Haha challenge accepted.
Yesterday we swung by and we somehow got in to teach her
with her 3 kids. Alejandro has 20 years, Karen has 16, and Sebastian has 9
years. We began by speaking about eternal families and how great they can be.
My companion wiped out 1 Corinthians 2:9 which happens to be my favorite
scripture from the new testament. He tried to explain what this verse meant,
but from the expression on their faces, they werent all into it. I felt that I should try to help them understand a little better. I asked them to close their
eyes and to think of the happiest moment in their lives. (Those reading can do
this as well) I asked them to picture it as vividly as possible. Who is there?
What colors do you see? What can you smell? Etc. Then i asked them to make it ven
better. Who else would you have liked to be have been there? Your favorite song
began to play, They brought out your favorite food, etc. Then, I said, now I want you to imagine that the Savior himself entered the room. Everything has
just become perfect and glorified. And I allowed them to then think and about
this perfectly happy place that they made.
I said that when they were ready, they could open their
eyes. One by one they eventually all opened their eyes and I asked how do you
feel? The mom bluttered out Que Rico! or in english, How rich! They were all
smiling and then I asked them to reread the verse in Corinthians.
Eye hath not seen, nor eye heard, neither hath entered into
the hearts of the children of men, those things that God hath prepared for them
that love HIm.
I testified that the Lord has prepared a place a million
times better than what they had imagined and that it could be theirs IF they
obey His commandments. My companion then invited the two youngest to be
baptized and i invited the two older to prepare to take the sacrament so that
they could all go to the temple one day, clean and ready. They all accepted.
Alejandro in his closing prayer asked Heavenly Father if He could watch over
them as they prepared to become an eternal family. What a great experience that
we had.
I know that this promise is the same for our family. I know
that as we continue forward with faith in the Lord and His Atonement, that we
can be together forever in a place that we cant even imagine how great it shall
be. I love you all and invite you to prepare to take the Sacrament this Sunday.
I would even invite you all to prepare to go to the temple this or next month
as a family. Whether just a stroll around the outside or actually performing
ordinances, it doesnt matter. Just go and keep in mind our eternal goal.
Sigamos Adelante,
-Elder Neider
