HABEMUS PAPAM!!!!

Hey family,
Well the big news for the Catholic Church has finally come to an end.  They picked the Pope and everything is settled!  It is so funny because my companion is from Argentina and apparently the new pope is from Argentina too.  People always ask her, "Well how do you feel that the new pope is from Argentina?"  And she looks at them and says... "Uhhh I`m a Mormon... So I feel pretty normal thanks for asking."  I guess that everyone thinks that she should be pleased or something.... 

This week when we were contacting I made the mistake of mentioning to someone, who is Catholic, that their church was in the process of picking a new pope.  She then replied saying in the snappiest tone you can imagine, "HE RESIGNED FOR MEDICAL REASONS."  I was so shocked that she snapped at me like that and I said, "Yeah I believe you and I never mentioned that he resigned... I just said your church was having some excitement. That's all."  Well needless to say she didn`t let us inside to explain more about the truth.  And I have stopped mentioning that they have got a new pope... Its a touchy subject... 

This week went by really well... Well that is an overstatement.  But the week passed so that is a plus!  We are having some trouble getting people to actually accept a baptismal date... So that is frustrating since you need a baptism date to baptize someone!  So basically we are contacting and contacting and people don`t want to listen or lie to us and say they do and are never there when we go back to visit them... So all in all we are working and are waiting for the results.  (If you couldn`t tell... I am not a very patient person!)

But my companion is getting really good at teaching... I am really impressed by her progress and I am even more pleased when she is happy at the end of the day.  Going on a mission is a huge change and she is taking everything in stride.  When we practice in the morning she gets so frustrated with her teaching and then when we are in the lessons I know that the Lord is blessing her.  It is pretty neat, I just wish she could realize how much she has progressed!  

This week I was pretty down,  we have been working hard and have been praying extra hard to be able to find someone to teach who is prepared to hear the gospel and who can be baptized and every lesson we go to I just think in my mind... "Well she doen`t want to listen to us."  Or "He will never get baptized"  and I was prejudging everyone before we really gave them the chance to read or pray about the things we were teaching and on Friday we were headed to visit one woman who we bumped into contacting.  She had heard the missionaries before and couldn`t get baptized because she isn`t married. (She is living with someone.)

Well when we were on our way to this lesson I was just frustrated and was thinking to myself... Why are we even meeting with this lady... We are wasting our time with her.... she isn`t married and can`t progress like we want her to.  Well when we got to the lesson we talked about having faith in Christ and how we can be clean again of all our sins through His atoning sacrifice.  As we were teaching her she mentioned that she felt guilty for somethings in her life.  I told her that she could become clean again, I was about to go on, but her chin started to quiver and tears immediately streamed down her face.  I felt so bad for her.... I couldn`t believe that I was so selfish earlier and didn`t even want to go visit with her just because she can`t be baptized.  

I felt the spirit so strongly, I knew that the Lord loved her and wanted her to know of His love and I was really humbled by the Lord in that moment.  I don`t know what He has in store for these people but I don`t have the right to choose who I will serve and who I will not serve.  I am on the Lord's errand.... Not my errand.  This is His work... not mine... As I testified to her I almost lost it and started to cry but I know that the Lord lead us to her house in this time of her great need.  As we left her house I felt such a peace knowing that we could help her... Maybe not in the way that we had intended but we are not in charge.  

The words of a hymn immediately came to mind...

Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?
If not, I have failed indeed.
Has anyone's burden been lighter today
Because I was willing to share?
Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?
When they needed my help was I there?
Then wake up and do something more
Than dream of your mansion above.
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,
A blessing of duty and love.

I really need to wake up and do something more!  I hope that this week I will do a little better and I am so glad that I was able to have this experience this week.  I know that the Lord is correcting me and teaching me so much and I have so much more to learn.  

I love you all more than I miss you!  

Love, Hermana Welch #1 (Jess)