There is a God. He loves his children and protects them through the thoughts, and feelings, he gives them and through the holy spirit. My testimony of this was so strengthened in an event I will never forget.
Backup: Its Monday, I was having the worst day. I lost my email to my family (which was totally golden) I felt pretty terrible. We were walking around the market, possibly ( no actually for sure) the single sketchiest place I have ever been. Its like Tijuana, and NYC´s Chinatown had some deformed baby. I thought I was going to have a panic attack when a gringo with me, my personal savior , Elder Lloyd told me I had nothing to worry about. The side of the street we were on was totally safe. As soon as he had finished that sentence my comp started to cross the street. He had spent about 40 minutes shoe shopping as I stood there just trying to remind myself to breath.
Crossing the street here is like playing frogger, expect far more terrifying cause you are the frog. You go from spot to spot of safety and do your best to predict the cars. And just like in frogger, if you guess wrong, they don't stop.
We were now across the street, and the sketchiness was most abundant. Shacks, with roaming gangs, and the stench there made me wonder where they buried their dead. My comp found a shack with cool shoes and started to talk to the lady, when I was flooded with the most terrible feeling. I simply had a thought "leave". I quickly washed away the thought (something of which I have had to sorely repent and ask God for forgiveness for ignoring the protection he tried to give me). I simply just thought the feeling was my gringo self, filled with fear. I have since made a covenant with the Lord to always listen when he speaks, for the following experience nearly broke me.
It all started with a touch. some one simply just touched my arm. I turned to see a laughing teenage girl who smiled and then walked back to her gang of friends. I thought nothing of it. I thought they were playing "touch the gringo" a game surprisingly popular amongst the youth here. The spirit again, stronger than I have ever felt it before "leave now". In my panic I turned to my companion and barfed out in English " I need to go, ahora (now)." he gave me a weird look, and then the lady asked him a question and his attention turned back to the shoes. However it was to late. I took a few steps back trying to think of where to run and how to take my comp with me, when it happened.... hands... hands hands hands and hands. Shrieking teenage girls saying words I don't think I want to know the meaning of. They pulled and grabbed and yanked. I was stuck in shock as I was being pulled into a female mass of virtue less hell. I have since thanked God for his servant Elder Lloyd, who came bursting into the group, screaming out Spanish, and grabbing me by the arm and pulling me free. They tried to grab him too but before I knew it he had taken me between shacks and alleys to a safer place. My comp during this whole traumatic event continued to buy his shoes. (in his defense they are pretty awesome shoes.)
As I sat against a shack wall watching my comp buy shoes, and the women continued to hiss, and make kissing noises I simply tried to pull it together. Flea bitten, dirty, sweaty, in the sketchiest place probably ever, tired, not knowing the language, having walked through sewers, been attacked by huge dogs, angry drunks, crazy buses, high mountains, terrible water, open sewers, hurricane level rains. I was done. I was more prepared to go home then I had ever been before.
I went back to the house to collect our things for our lesson that night, and I laid in my bed. Its not like I missed home, I just hated here. All the craziness. I just didn't think I could do it. I was listening to my favorite song on my boom box "senor, te neccisito" (its the Spanish I need thee every hour p.s. I swear the song is better in Spanish which is totally a sign) when the next song came on, a piano version of "Did You Think to Pray. I said a simple prayer. "Nuestro Padre Celestial, por favor da me con razon para me quedar aqui" God please give me a reason to stay here.
Back ground, The night before we had a lesson with a Hermana Sara (the most precious old lady in all of Honduras with this huge family of like 30 extended who are all converting.) She talked about how she had a dream that her family needs to be baptized, but she hadn´t received an answer if she should get baptized. I proceeded to have the gift of tongues, and literally poured out my heart to her about the the importance of baptism, and what her salvation mean´t to me. I used words I didn´t know I knew and conjugated with perfection. I nearly cried and I just poured out the spirit. Ever since I had met this women I knew that I would baptize her, and so I knew I just had to try everything. note this happened Sunday.
Monday night we walked to her house and she was standing on the steps, she asked me "are you ready to baptize me" I didn't understand her and my companion had to translate for me. I responded that its her choice not mine, then she said simply " I feel I should". My first baptism will be this Saturday, baptizing the women who the first time I met the spirit told me I would baptize. I had my reason, simply and swiftly. Its moments like those I can just remember why I´m here and forget the craziness and remember the Lord.
Now this whole story is back ground for the craziest feelings of my life. its Saturday we were walking to our house after a lesson at 9:30, we were walking down the street we have been down a million times before. We were talking about our previous lesson when I felt it. IIt felt as if something was crawling its way up my back, and into my heart. I had never felt so bad in my life, and the feeling was rapidly increasing. I knew there was something behind me, but I dare not look. I honestly didn't have the courage to simply turn my head I felt so scared and terrible. I thought if I turned around I would honestly see the gates of hell themselves open to accept me. I turned to my companion who had the same fear in his eyes. Then the voice in my head "corra!" I had learned my lesson Monday about ignoring the spirit. I turned to my companion and said the same "corra!" Corra is the command form of run, and did we run. We took off as fast as legs can carry some one, down a steep hill, and across a bridge. the whole time praying daring not to look back. It was as if I was Ichabod Crane, the moment I crossed the bridge I turned to see the solo silhouette of a man walking across the path we were on. I looked at my companion and back and it was gone.
As I prayed that night saying the most sincere thanks, thanking God for protecting me the spirit came again with great strength. It testified again that it will help me whenever I need it, If I work hard and remain obedient. I thank God for protecting and preserving my life for another day. It was the most spiritual experience of my life, I have never felt the spirit so strong in my life.
My first baptism is Saturday. The Monday after hermana Sara accepted, she received her answer that Tuesday night. She dreamed she was trapped in jail, and she was screaming out for the Elders to come and baptize her.
Finding people to teach here is like shopping for stuff on sale, super easy. However the problem is no one comes to church or is married! I feel like running door to door writing citations and commanding people to get married! its so frustrating!
Funny factoid: My mission manual has how to get robbed! its moments like these that I just laugh for A:there are rules for how to get robbed B:that it is actually frequent enough in our mission for it to be in the manual. ha ha
God Bless Love Elder Scott Wayne Morris
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment