On Being Bold

This week was a whirlwind. We started out with training with our Mission President. My companion and I spoke on the importance of being bold, and we took them outside to do some practice. Some went to a market as a choir, some went with President to make a table stand of pamphlets and magazines in the plaza, and some went with me to teach Lesson 1 to passersby in the street.

President taught about being a missionary who challenges. He explained as soon as someone feels the Spirit, they should be challenged to baptism. The zone applied both trainings this week in admirable ways with outstanding results.

There's this small town about forty minutes out of Cerro de Pasco with two missionaries. The town has the smallest branch in the mission and it can be a fairly hard place to be. There, the little town -- in Peruvian celebratory fashion -- celebrated their 183rd anniversary. About two thousand people crowded into the plaza for an endless parade of representatives from all over the area and speeches from important figures. The missionaries there asked the mayor for a moment to speak with everyone the day before the activity. While they didn't get the speech time they were hoping for, they did introduce themselves to the multitude and invite them to church. It was an impressive sight to behold.

We contacted a family about a week ago in a park, but they didn't answer the door until Sunday when we tried one last time. We were invited in and talked to a large family who are facing particular problems that the Plan of Salvation specifically answers. For instance, one of the daughters died two years ago and they're still coping with worry, heartache, and the question of what will happen to their daughter who wasn't baptized. We taught them the hope the gospel brings and applied President's training to challenge them on the spot. They accepted the date...my last day in the area. We hope and pray all goes well!  They were certainly prepared, and if all goes well, will be a defining miracle in my mission. I know the church is true, and that God looks out for us.