Letter to Pres

Presidente! 

Hermana Essig and I are both looking forward to your visit this week! We are really excited to see you and Hermana Harbertson.

Well, this week went fast and I always have trouble remembering what happened if I don't write it down. This week I recognized promptings of the spirit a lot. Sometimes I will try to disregard a thought that comes into my head to say something or do something, but I have been really trying to make an effort to evaluate where the thought is coming from and what it is telling me to do. If it is an uplifting thought and it is telling me to do something good, like bear my testimony, I most definitely should listen because it is the spirit. I still get scared sometimes though and try to say it is just my own thoughts, but nope. I need to follow these promptings so that the spirit will continue to speak to me.

I will share an experience we had. My companion and I were doing service in a home where two member families live and we began talking to a pregnant young woman that also lives there because the father of her baby is one of the sons in one of the families. We could tell she was distressed and she began to open up to us. Her story and sorrow pierced my heart like nothing else has up to this point in my life. She was baptized 2 or so years ago, but obviously she broke the law of chastity and now she is living with the consequences of that decision. Her "esposo" doesn't seem interested in marrying her (he is less-active) and she is looking into a future of raising a child by herself and she feels too embarressed to return to her family. We could feel how lost she felt and how brokenhearted she is. While she was telling us of her saddness, her embarressment, and everything, I didn't know what to say. I felt like I couldn't really help her, but then I felt a sincere love for her. I truly felt Heavenly Father's love for his daughter. I felt this love and I was prompted to tell her that truly she is a daughter of God and He loves her so much. She seemed suprised that Heavenly Father would still love her. I don't want anyone to be suprised to know their Heavenly Father loves them! In that moment, I knew how to help her. Heveanly Father's hand is outstretched to lift her up and bring her back to the path to return to Him. His hand is always outstretched. And we are here to help her and her desire to come closer to Christ.

This is sad example of what will happen when we don't keep God's commandments. The commandments are what make us free! Free from the sorrow and cosequences that accompany breaking the commandments. It is crazy how one decision can change someone's life, but the beautiful thing is that there is a way back. Jesus Christ is always there to help the lost sheep come back to the fold. The gospel is so amazing! I know of Heavenly Father's love for His children. What I privilege I have been giving to be one of His shepherds here in Peru to gather lost sheep. 

Thank you for everything you do! See you this week! 

Hermana Purse

LOVE YOU MY BEAUTIFUL FAMILY!!!!