This past Monday was crazy.
It was Monday evening, and we were biking out in the rain looking for our
Okamune San's house so that we could go and give her a new scripture reading
list because she finished her previous one. After trying to find her house, and
being unsuccessful, we called her up and she met us outside of a nearby
restaurant. We sat out in the rain chatting for a minute, gave her the calender,
and right as we are about to leave she says to us "Actually I decided that I
want to be baptized!"
Of course, we were super excited and started jumping and yelling all about
it right then. She was excited as well and told us that when she prayed and
looked for her answer about baptism, she just got the thought in her head of
"You already know, don't you?" and then she decided she needed to be
baptized!
We then ask her about when she thinks would be good. She tells us that on a
Sunday would be best, and the last weekend in November isn't going to work, but
the first Sunday in December would be perfect. December 7th.
December 7th. It clicks in my head in an instant that I will be in America
on December 7th and something inside of me that I had been trying so hard to
keep together finally shattered. We congratulate her, tell her that we'll make
sure everything will be ready by then, and start to bike home, at this point
soaked in rain, and I just cried the whole way home.
That night during my breakdown about the reality of my mission coming to an
end, I said a vocal prayer to my Father in Heaven telling him that I REALLY
wanted to see her baptism! I was the first missionary to talk to her on the
street, I've been at every single lesson, been here along every step of the way,
isn't there some way He could work it out? I had already faced the reality of
missing one baptism, and now the fact that I was going to miss a 2nd one by only
3 days was just too much. I started doubting whether or not December was the
right choice. I could have picked January 15th. I asked God if I had made the
wrong choice, what in the world I need to do, and how to cope with the reality
of my current situation. For real, I was at a loss of what to do. Nothing made
sense, I was just upset about everything and anything.
And then, I just came to a realization. She's not my investigator. It's not
my baptism. It's the Lord's. Just because I leave, doesn't mean everything is
going to fall apart because I was never the one holding it all together. It;s
all Him. It always has been and always will be. An overwhelming feeling of "You
just need to trust me" came over me, and I knew that I'm supposed to go home on
December 5th. I knew that Okamune and Elina would get baptized after I went
home, because the Lord will help them get there. Not me. Hard to swallow, but I
know that He knows better than me, and that knowledge is getting me through
it!
So anyway, this past week was filled with teaching, getting 2 people ready
for their baptismal dates that are approaching, and being fed WAY TOO MUCH
sugar. So goes the life of a missionary in Okinawa Japan. This week is looking
promising with Thanksgiving on the way, and service opportunities in abundance.
I love my mission and I'm planning on loving it until the very end!
Thanks for the support and love!
Sister Wells
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