True Joy

Monday...September 1, 2014

This week was truly a GREAT one! I am amazed at out how time is just flying. The work of salvation goes on.

This week I got one of the most HIGHS of my whole entire mission. Saturday night comes around when we were on the street contacting and at about 8:30 I get a call from the elders back in Torrejón and little did I know that it wasn´t the elders but that I was..

J.M.! I got the best news I have ever heard in my entire life as he told me, 

"Guess what? I just got baptized." 

I about fell on the ground of happiness and and true joy. Right there in that very moment I felt the spirit so strong talking to someone who I love so much take the step into baptism and grow. He really DID IT! He did it and it was the most rewarding thing of my entire mission. Someone who I have laughed so hard over, prayed so much over, and cried so much over. I never had felt as happy as I felt during that moment. Even though I couldn´t be there to see it, I know I did my part. Man, Hermana Carroll and I worked so so so so hard with this 26 year old good guy who has had a hard and wild life. Its like as if every struggle, every tear, every effort is SO worth it and you would do it for every single person you could just to feel this joy. I just have been ever since that moment with the thought permantly in my head, you know this really is worth it. There truly is NO better feeling than seeing. This time is was different than any other baptism that I have been able to see. It was just so clear to me the Lord´s hand in this work. After all this time after all these prayers and preparations and soul pouring out, the Lord really does provide. It doesn´t matter how much we go through and how much we try, the Lord magnifies our efforts and it IS worth it. 

It was the best phone call of my life.. I almost cried just hearing voice and testimony again. He just thanked me over and over and over again telling me that the baptism was even more amazing than he ever imagined that it would me.  I just thought, everything we do in and behind the scences are so worth it in the work of salvation. We can´t ever give up on someone! For the worth of souls is GREAT in eyes of the Lord.

Last night I was reflecting on the week. Thinking about what I did and what I can do better. And it just hit me so hard again, HOW GOOD I FEEL. I have never felt so good as I do as a missionary and where I am in this mission.

Something different about the North and the Islands compared to Madrid is that the church is small.. just a bunch of branches. So as missionaries we really WORK with the members. You just desire so bad the progression of the branch and its leaders. This past week I have just felt SO GOOD about the growth and mainly the future of the branch here in VIGO. There is NO feeling better than when you just feel so good and happy seeing people who you work with living the gospel and living happy. Seeing people experience TRUE happiness for the first time. Happiness that the world does not offer. I just have the greatest feeling about the future here in Vigo. I can´t wait to see it in about 20 years. To be able to see where it starts and where its potential will take it with the ALIVE FAITH of the members here. With the unity with the members and missionaries. I see the branch here slowly turned into the true church that Christ established and directs. God is so good. He really does provide. The branch here really is progressing and understanding its eternal significance little by little. Such an incredible feeling seeing the members do their missionary work and be GOOD and happy people. Its like all of your efforts of the missionaries and investigators and members really to count and become magnified. The Lord WILL soften hearts and bring forth miracles when the missionaries, members, and Lord are compltely unified in the faith. How much of an eteral role do the members of the church have. When there is unity and daily increasing faith is when the work really does take off flying. As missionaries we need to always do everything in power to leave our area stronger than we when we arrived. 

We had planned an awesome lesson to teach M. the other day about the Sabbath day when as all of a sudden we just felt a huge prompting to change and just ask her whats in her mind. We could tell that she wasn´t being herself and that something needed to fixed. She opened up and told us about this decision she had to make and I could tell that she was really just stuck in the middle. I could feel her confusion. I love Margarita so so much. I don´t think that I have ever taught someone who I just FEEL so much for. As I sat there and listened, I just started to pray. And you know what happened? The mormon message Wrong Roads just came to my mind and it would NOT leave! I knew that I HAD to show her this amazing video. I am telling you me heard was just POUNDING and the thought would not leave me! Right as this all happened I went over and used her ipad and pulled up this mormon message. As I sat there and listened and watched her watch this video I just felt the spirit so strong just DESIRING for her to understand this and feel the love of Heavenly Father so strong for herself. You heart grows so much on your mission you know. I was so perfect and what she needed. Little to know that as we left the lesson Hermana Braithwaite told me that she had the same thing happen to her....that VERY mormon message. Helping M. and her daughter A. understand and begin to understand the role of God in there lives and their divine potential.

I swear you just leave these lessons at the end of the night as you walk home just feeling so ALIVE

I had the realization this week of what missionary work is. It is revelation line upon line. Precept upon precept. Here a little, there a little.

When we teach someone, NEVER do we know exactly what they need. WE ACT and go little by little. We learn their needs and we work prayerfully and according to faith. It is give to us line upon line what this person needs. And it is through the atonement of Jesus Christ that we are able to do that.. that we are somehow able to even KNOW what this person needs and how to relate to him. There is not a greater feeling that that of know that you have taught someone what they needed. When you truly teach people and not lessons, you take on the role of Christ in teaching them what He would teach them

Another high of the week.. meeting my very first person from NICARAGUA! Shout out to Jess!

On Monday night we contacted a Lady and told her who we were and what we do and she told us that she indeed is also a missionary for HER church and she does the same thing that we do every day.. haha. Anyways I asked her where she was from and she told me that she is from Nicaragua

I ABOUT DIED haha ask my companion. My entire mission I have met people from almost all over the world but never anyone from Nicaragua and FINALLY it happened! My companion said that I looked like the happiest girl in the world and that I like started to talk really loud just drilling her with questions about Nicaragua and talked about my good friend Jess who was a missionary there and loved the people so much

OS QUIERO! 

Hermana Nydegger

We had a SWEET ward activity on Saturday morning and the park/ beach with this pretty sight