Today was the best day of the MTC (mission training center) so far ... no doubt in my mind. Read this slowly and feel the spirit of my experience.
We decided that we were going to teach our investigator about prayer and the Spirit. When we got to our appointment with Luwanna they told us that we had to sit in a room and wait, so we did. While we were sitting I heard her talking to the coordinator and she said, "there's nothing to think about or feel!" We got really worried that we had failed last time, so we started praying about it and then had to sit and wait for half an hour. He finally came and got us and we went down to talk to her We started by apologizing that were nervous last time and wanted her to know that we are regular people, and we care about her, so we spent about five minutes telling her about ourselves and then I told her I really wanted her to feel comfortable to share with us anything she wanted, and that was when she opened up to us.
She told us that her mom was a druggie and she never knew her dad. Her mom died when she was little. She also lost her only sibling her sister, too. She told us that her whole life she spent just surviving. She ran away from her foster care home at 15 years old and had been on the streets since then She said that she knew she had learned and grew because of it but that she didn't wish that upon anyone else. she said she saw and experienced things that no one should have to experience and see, and she was very emotional. she told us that God had never answered her prayers, and I asked her if she had asked with faith that He would answer, and she said she guessed she hadn't. She then talked a little more, and I told her that I didn't know her from Adam but I do know that Heavenly Father does and that He is literally her Father in heaven and loves her so much! I told her that she was a daughter of God and because of that, He loves her and listens to her and knows who she is and what she's gone through.
We then read James 1:5-6, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." We talked about what that meant and then read the bible dictionary about prayer and read the last two paragraphs of the Book of Mormon's introduction. And, we read her what Joseph Smith says about it in the intro. I then gave her her own Book of Mormon and asked her to read Moroni 10:3-5: "Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." We talked about that and I committed her to read in the Book of Mormon and pray about it. She said "Yeah I think I might be able to." and I said "You will?" She said "I'll try," and I said, "No, no cop out. Will you read and pray if it's true?" and she said, "Yes, yes I will."
And, then we asked her if we could end with a prayer. My companion asked if I would pray and I said, "No, actually will you pray, Luwanna?" and she said she would. I told her how to pray and she gave the most simple beautiful prayer I had every heard. She prayed that she would have comfort. She prayed to know if what we taught was true and thanked God for the sister missionaries. I honestly, in the middle of the prayer, stopped breathing because the Spirit was so strong. I had to remind myself to keep breathing the rest of the prayer. It was the most amazing experience in my life. The Spirit was the teacher - not me, not Sis. Hild. Tessa! Thank you for the conference talk! It was an inspiration for what we taught her about being a daughter of God. http://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/05/we-are-daughters-of-our-heavenly-father?lang=eng
The gospel is true! I AM in the right place right now. The Spirit has taught through me, and I am learning and growing! Share my experience.. I hope it will encourage you and others to share the gospel!
Sis. Thornley
