Hermana Haleigh Harris: Full of Smiles

Hey family!!

This week was amazing!! Honestly, it was a lot of hard work. We had a week that felt like no one wanted to talk to us. We walked a lot more then we taught. But you know what? It still was a great week! I love being a trainer! It is so amazing to be able to teach someone else. I am so grateful that my trainee is amazing also. It makes it so much easier!

One thing that was really amazing this week was one of our less actives, Sylvia. She is a less active of several years in our ward. To explain, when she visits her kids in the States, she goes to our church. But she loves her Baptist church here in Ponce. The thing with Sylvia though is that she doesn't remember anything.

She doesn't remember why she was baptized or any of the doctrine. We have begun teaching her like an investigator. We truly saw a miracle in her this week. We were teaching the plan of salvation and she had mounds and mounds of questions. We were stopping at every little point to explain and make sure she wasn't lost. She wasn't asking questions to just ask she started to ask really pressing questions like she had the desire to learn.

I really have gained a great love for her. She is so lost in all the different doctrines and teachings of every different church that she has trouble finding her own beliefs. We are really just trying to help her find what she beliefs so we can know from there how we can help her. We actually got her to assist in an activity this week so that is great success in itself. Little by little we can show her that there are people that love her and that we can help her to grow closer to her Savior.

Oh, another great blessing this week is that Julio received the priesthood last Sunday. It was so amazing to see the joy on his face as we entered our Gospel Principles class. I could just tell that something was different. He was so happy, with nonstop smiles. I asked him “Whats up? What happened?” At this point, his smiles were reaching his eyes and he was almost to the point of tears. He smiled even bigger then said “I get to receive the priesthood!” To see the joy that it brought to him, made it all the more special. It was so great of a feeling that I got to help him be worthy to receive such a sacred power, the power and authority of Christ. He also had the opportunity to use his priesthood for the first time this weekend helping the other sister missionaries at a baptism. It was such an amazing sight to see him be a witness at the baptism.

Well I can just say I love my calling as a missionary for Jesus Christ. Getting at half way mark of my mission I can definitely say that I have changed so, so much. I will never be able to give back to the Lord what I have gained and learned in this short time. I know without a doubt in my heart now that my Savior lives and loves each one of His children. I know that through the latter-day prophets we can receive blessings by obeying their teachings. I know that my heavenly father is waiting for all of my family to return to him in the celestial kingdom and I know that each day we can work to get there. :)