Acting in All Diligence

Jan 14, 2019 

Hola hola!!!! 

I think this might have been the BEST week of my mission!!! Ever since Christmas ended I feel like I kind of hit a low point spiritually and mentally. I have been in this area for 6 months and I was getting sick of it. I wasn't feeling happy and I wasn't really feeling the spirit either. I prayed so hard this week that somehow I could enjoy what I was doing and find someone that genuinely wanted to hear the gospel. By some divine inspiration, on Wednesday night we got a call from the APs and after that moment my mental attitude took a 180 turn. 

Our Assignment 

They sent us a video that quoted the talk "Act in All Diligence" from President Eyring from the April 2010 Priesthood Session. They asked if we would make a plan to be diligent, act on it, and share what we learned at Zone Conference in a couple weeks. This is what the talk suggested we do: 

1. Learn what the Lord expects of me

2. Make a plan to do it

3. Act on my plan with diligence

4. Share with others how my experience changed me and blessed others 

Miracles

The next day we made specific plans about how we could be more diligent and we committed to it wholeheartedly. All of a sudden miracles started to happen.

Soon after finishing our plan we started knocking. We knocked a whole street with little success. On the very last house of the street we noticed there were some sketchy looking stairs leading up to a door on the top floor. We weren't sure if it was a separate apartment or if it was just part of the house, but we decided to give it a try. A nice hispanic lady opened the door and said "Pasen!" (Come in!) Her name was Yakelyn and her daughter is Shiry. They had recently moved here from Mexico and were looking for a church to join! We sang with them and taught the Restoration. They told us they couldn't come to church this Sunday because they were moving houses, but promised they'd come next week.

On Friday our car needed an oil change. We sat in the waiting room wondering how we were going to be productive while we were waiting, when a man walked in and started talking to us right away! After talking for almost an hour we asked if we could come teach him sometime. He added us on Facebook and we gave him our card. About an hour later he messaged us on Facebook and he sent his address, said that he loved talking to us, that it was an uplifting experience, and that he was going to come to church on Sunday!!!! He also posted about his experience and tagged us in it. Our minds were BLOWN! Stuff like that doesn't usually happen haha. The next day on Saturday we worked really hard and were able to find 3 more people to teach!!!

Sunday was the icing on the cake to our week full of miracles. We ended our personal study at 9:30 and were about to leave for church when Lee messaged us and said he wasn't going to make it. We didn't even have time to be disappointed because 30 seconds later Yakelyn messaged us and said she won't be moving today after all. We asked if she wanted to come to church and she said YES! We immediately called a member and asked if they could give them a ride and raced to our car to meet them at her house. Yakelyn and her 4 kids stayed for the whole church service and we couldn't stop smiling the whole time. We didn't even mind the fact that they didn't call speakers again so we were called on last minute to speak for the 3rd time (our poor small congregation is probably sick of hearing us but luckily they called speakers for next week!). We walked out of Spanish sacrament meeting and saw that an inactive member that we found and invited weeks ago came to church for the first time since she's lived in Minnesota (years) so that was a huge surprise too! After church a member named Catalina invited Yakelyn over to her house and fed them dinner!!!! When we got home last night we were exhausted and so happy. What a perfect way to end the week.

To Conclude...

The week before last we found zero new people to teach and last week we found 5. All of the negativity I was feeling before is gone, and I feel refreshed and re-energized! I have rekindled my love for this area and don't mind how long it has been since I got here. I feel the Spirit stronger than ever. I love my companion and I love my calling!!!! This is all because this week we made a plan to be diligent and acted on it. The call from the APs was inspired and it's exactly what I needed. The Lord has shown us that the second we show Him we care about His work, He blesses us. I have seen His hand more this week than probably any other week on my mission. I know He is there and I know He hears my prayers. 

"He doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you." Mosiah 2:24

LOVE YOU ALL!!! My invitation to you is to make a plan to be more diligent and act on it. I promise you it works!!! Have a blessed week! 

-Hermana Hansen 

Pictures: 

1. This is from a lesson we had about the Word of Wisdom with Crystell (11-year-old on date for baptism on February 2nd). We had hot chocolate to show her how much better it is than coffee haha.

2. Me outside our apartment

3. Our plan to act in all diligence. We broke down the definition in Preach my Gospel and found key things we wanted to improve on. 

4. Lee's facebook Post!