Monday, March 4, 2013 - "The Spirit of God like a FIRE is BURNING!"

Hola Mi Familia! Yup, you saw right....the heat is beginning here in Hermosillo. 95 degrees doesn't surprise me, but that is a little cool for here. We will just wait for the coming months when it gets 120+. And they are saying that this summer will be quite heavy with the heat. I am so not looking forward to it, but hey, it will be my last summer in this horrible heat, so I better just enjoy it the most I can, because I can assure that I will NEVER live in a place where it gets soo hot!!!! Well, transfers came....and went. We didn't have transfers....again. Looks like the comp and I will be beginning a 3rd transfer together. This week has been, I would say, one of the most incredible weeks (spiritually) of the mission. We have heard so many experiences from our investigators about how the spirit has testified to them and how they have received answers to their prayers. Each time I heard an experience, my testimony grew of the power of prayer and that God answers EVERY pray. And each experience has given me more encouragement to keep going. I will share a few. Beginning the week off with the husband and wife couple. We had our last lesson with them Tuesday since they will be moving to Nogales. It was sad to realize that we would not be visiting them any more. They are really special and I really enjoyed helping them the best I could. Our last lesson we had was with them both. Previously, we had just been teaching one at a time because the both were never at home together when we went, but this time they both were there. We talked about the Atonement and forgiveness and the family. It was a spirit inspired lesson and I could really feel the spirit directing us and giving us the words that they specifically needed to hear. That first lesson of the week just really started me off good. The next lady we are teaching. Ah, our lesson Tuesday was the greatest! When we arrived with her, she was just beaming and something was different about her. She began to tell us that that morning she had had an experience. She said while she was walking back to her house after dropping her kid off at school she was just walking and pondering and decided to say a prayer while she was walking. She said in this prayer she really talked with God and that it lasted for quite a while. She said she specifically asked the questions we had told her, if Joseph Smith was a prophet and if all that we were teaching was true. She said all of a sudden she felt goose bumps or cold chills and just felt good inside and at peace and had comfort. She said she really felt close to God and just wanted to feel that all the time. We told her that was she was feeling was the Spirit testifying. She the basically asked us when she was getting baptized! She is just so excited and has loved the change and spirit she has experienced since meeting with us. This was just the beginning of all and just made us feel really special. We could really feel the spirit there with us as she was telling us of her experience and it was just really special. Later that day, we went with another couple. The lady is a reference that we got from a sister in our ward and the sister has gone with us to visit her. The first lesson we had with her we were teaching her and her 21 year old son, who walks in from work and he sits down to listen. It was amazing. He was so interested and it seemed like things were clicking as we were talking. When we returned this past week, they had both read and seemed to be different. They seemed happier and said that they had prayed and felt good about all that we had talked about. They said they felt peace and calm and took that as answers to their prayers. Well, the other lady finally got baptized this past week. After 4 months of being taught it finally happened. We went with the zone leaders for the interview Friday and she told us how things were coming up and she had family commitments and wanted to postpone her baptism for another weekend. We told her that this was just Satan trying to make her not go through when she had chosen to do something good. We knelt with her in prayer and as she prayed for Heavenly Father's help, I could feel the spirit there with us. She went through the interview and all and it seemed like she had a really spiritual experience with the interview. Well, Saturday came and we had everything ready and prepared. We had spent the whole week inviting members personally to the baptism. When the hour arrived, only 2 members showed....TWO MEMBERS!!! Of all the people that we invited only 2 came! That was so depressing. Not even the bishopric came. The first councilor we committed to come direct the services called us right before and said he was out of town and couldn’t. Not even the bishop came. We had to send him a message PLEADING him to come to be another witness. Well, we started and all and when the talks were given a really sweet spirit was felt. Just before the ordinance the bishop shows up and was able to be another witness. I was able to confirm her yesterday and she seems to be really happy with this decision she has made. I am so thankful this week for the Holy Ghost and how it has really helped us. I have felt it so strongly multiple times--in lessons as well as my personal study. I know without a doubt that God hears and answers EVERY SINGLE prayer. And he does it in his own time and his own way! Well, I wish you all the best of weeks! I love and miss you dearly and hope that everything is well! ¡Yo sé que vive mi Señor! Con Mucho Amor, Elder Joyner