My Heart Was Touched

Last p day, President Huertas from Morropon called us asked us if we would come up to help move the church. I guess the house that they were in is too expensive, so they have moved to a new location to hold sacrament meeting. I’ll be the first to say, I’m not a fan. It’s a tiny house in the middle of no where. We went over to help move the pulpit and the sacrament table…it’s not like they have much else :) 

Our investigator Rubelia is doing awesome. We’ve been trying to get all the members over there to visit her and she has come to church the last 2 weeks and is planning on getting baptized on June 25th... fingers crossed. :)

Wednesday we helped a less active member pull out the forest next to her house again. We were happy to help. :) She also asked if we would dig a couple holes in her house so she could put up some big wooden log poles to stabilize her house. So we dug the hole, but the wood pieces were still too big so my companion and I went ham with machetes cutting it... and then... well it kind of of went too far. :)

Our buddy, Adinson took us to this little village outside of Chulucanas called Yapatera... Oh my word, it was so strange, they were all black... like very very dark skinned - all of them. We were looking for a couple members but it turns out we didn’t end up finding them. We were a little discouraged because we had gone all that way in vain, but we saw a man walking down the street, and we felt impressed to talk to him.  We started up a conversation and he invited us to his house. We sat down and he starts telling us that his wife was a member of the church but she passed away recently. God truly led us to this man. It was such a miracle that we found a person that had some sort of contact with the church.  We started talking and teaching him and his 6 children. We invited them to church and they were so excited to go. We even passed by Sunday morning to pick them up....but the story doesn’t end as planned, they didn’t end up going... but hey, maybe next week. :) 

 A member named Jovani took us to this house, and we knocked on it, out came a very very old woman.  She invited us inside, and I’m embarrassed to say, that at the moment I was a little reluctant to enter because of her age, but I said to myself "why not". She told us that she dearly misses her husband and her kids that have passed away. We promised her that if she was willing to follow Jesus Christ, she would be able to live with them forever.  I’ll never forget the light from inside that lit up her face as she started to cry.... "I want to follow Him", she says... the spirit filled the room. 

We met an 18 year old married to a 14 year old this week... they rejected our baptismal invitation. :)

We’re helping a recent convert prepare to go to the temple next month. Her name is Margot and she’s super awesome. We’ve been talking about temples a ton lately, the only thing that she lacks is the money. We’re fasting and praying for her that she can get the money to travel to Trujillo, which is the closest temple.  Please, if you would pray for her as well. :)

Sunday was a great day. I love going to church now. Haha!  It makes me laugh when I think about when I was young that I used to pitch such a fit going to church.. sorry mom. :) I love taking the Sacrament and renewing my baptismal covenants. I’ve learned over my mission that if you just keep going to church and reading the scriptures that everything will turn out alright in life. :) 

We met with an old couple yesterday... Genardo and Dolores. They’re such a cute couple... he’s deaf, and she’s blind. So it’s like they need each other to function...one body.  They live in a tiny little house, super poor, and they raise their 2 grandchildren that are 9 and 7.  They don’t work because of their age and problems so they are just getting by. The kids were so hungry and they had no food to give them but a little bit of rice and chicken the size of my finger. My heart about broke as I watched them eat it as fast as they could. Then out of no where, the little brother breaks half of his chicken in half, and gives it to his older brother because he was still hungry. I just about started to cry in that moment... my heart was touched. :) 

This week was great, still working hard, and doing everything we can . :)

I’ll see you soon. Love you guys!!

-Elder Harris