Week #16 November 13, 2017 Miracles for a wanted man, and for a wanting man

Well this week was killer. Super fast and super crazy but super sick. I'm gonna start with the craziest story I've been a part  of so far.

A week ago today we got failed on by an investigator who we've been teaching for the past two months. He has been super busy with multiple problems every since we began teaching him (work of satan) but he has continued to read the Book of Mormon (the key to everything) and praying. So we went and taught some less active with the member we were with and ended up getting done super late because in Spain if you just swing by they always have to prep some food and then it takes forever and it's great but it sucks.

So after this lesson we were super late to our apartment, and were legit running back to piso when we go to run across a cross walk and we almost run into this guy on a bike which was actually our investigator! We stopped and talked to him and then he pretty much spills the beans. He's been having problems with his residency and of his children, also why we haven't been able to meet with him. But that day he had received noticed that he is being deported back to Venezuela. Well this is where it gets intense, so apparently Venezuela is in a state a turmoil (us missionaries know nothing other than the two gospels, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the gospel of football) and our investigator was a former antagonistic leader against the party in power apparently. He proceeded to tell us that all of his friends are dead and that this is why he fled to Spain is because he has people looking to kill him and if he returns he's a dead man. And the craziest thing is you would never guess, he's the nicest, most polite, happiest guy. 

So he told us he has 40 days before he gets sent back to Venezuela, to die. Now this is a man that I have grown to love, through service, through teaching, and through the friendship that we share. When he told us this, I received a glimpse of the pain and love that our Savior felt. My heart has never hurt so bad, it has never felt so heavy. This man is helpless, without residency, not enough money to pay for a lawyer even though he works 14 hours a day  6 days a week. He has zero resources, zero friends other than us. He has been getting 4 hours of sleep each night, has two kids to care for, provide for, and protect. He tells us, his two friends who are 2 18 year old boys, who also have practically no physical resources. What could we do?  Pray. 

That night we got home extremely late, and we dropped down and prayed for a miracle. Well folks let me tell you, God the Father is there, and continues to be a Father of miracles. After much prayer and faith we received one unexpectedly. The next day at district meeting, randomly a hermana mentioned a member who had a friend who was a lawyer that offered free services for refugees from countries in turmoil that had helped another family. Well we talked with our investigator  and with the member set it up, and now all is well. Huge miracle. How as two young men/boys with no experience in the outside world help this man? We didn't but God did. 

Now the man wanting. Thursday when we met with our investigator previously mentioned and the member, we were at the church. We stayed at the church to do our weekly planning while the others were at the lawyers. While we were there a man from the other ward showed up. This man, Domingo, had been struggling with a plethora of problems. With his car, spiritually, and with his life in general. He said that he had been prompted that morning to come to the church while he was driving around, and he did. So he came in and asked us if we could share something with him. Now usually on a Thursday morning, there would be absolutely no one at the church, but because of a previous miracle there we were. And so we did, we started with a prayer and immediately I thought of a scripture that I had bookmarked a few days prior. Now some might think of this as a thought that popped into my mind randomly, but I have came to recognize these "thoughts" as promptings of God the Holy Ghost. As long as they are good thoughts. As I shared Alma 38:5 with him, I asked him to put his name in for the name Shiblon (son of alma) ,as all of you should do as well, and as he read aloud this scripture he could not continue because of the emotion that came upon him. I don't share the scripture here because I want every one of you to look it up. But this man began to cry, and as he choked his way through this verse, the spirit was so strong and I believe that he felt the reassuring love of his Father in Heaven.  Yet another miracle that I was able to be a part of. 

These two miracles confirmed my testimony of an all powerful God, who wants us to realize that he is our loving father and ask for the things we need because he wants to give them to us, all we have to do is ask in faith and sometimes be patient.

 Now for those of you that watched the video last week that I mentioned, these miracles strengthened my testimony of our reality as a spiritual being. And that means that the most important thing in this life really is our eternal salvation. Now as a representative of Jesus Christ, I repeat a promise from our Lord. If you will read the Book of Mormon and pray with just a desire to know, to have knowledge, you will receive an answer. 

SO PLEASE READ THE BOOK OF MORMON!!! It's the key to everything. 

I love all of you. I love this gospel and I hope all of you can find the same love. I hope everyone has a good week! 

Here's some pics:

Every single bar and restaurant in Murcia has this beer; Estrella de Levante and it's because it's all made right here in Murcia haha. 

And then another night we were in the Fama, the ghetto of Murcia, we almost got jumped, got offered cocaine and some other stuff while trying to ask about a building, and then went up 12 stories trying to find a less active in a completely black stairwell and ended up finding roof access. 

And I got a panorama of the majority of our area in the shacks of Puntal. 

-Elder Batty