Bring a Book of Mormon!

Dear Family,

Happy Birthday Ben! I don´t feel too old now that you are going to be 21 and me 22. I know I tell you this all the time but I´m gonna do it again, whenever someone asks me who my hero is, I tell them, “my brother Ben.” Here is a birthday poem that I made up just for you:
Ben your name is not Ken, remember the hen? You´re definitely not ten like when you were in the Webelos den. You´re out saving men while writing down their directions with a pen. I´ll see you when?
Happy Birthday!!!!

So we had exchanges with other hermanas this week and Saturday I had a prompting to bring a BoM when going to pick up my companion. We were getting to ready to go and get the other hermanas and I was packing my bag thinking, “I´m going to get my companion and then we are going to lunch and will return home to leave my companion´s things, so I don´t need all of my proselyting things.” Then I heard someone say, “Lleve un Libro de Mormon.” “Bring a Book of Mormon.” I thought, “No, we only have two and I don´t want to have the temptation to give it away to someone in the street, we have to save them for serious investigators.” Again the voice came, “Bring a Book of Mormon.” This time I listened thinking what could it hurt.

We went to lunch, ate, left and when we stopped at a stoplight a woman contacted us. Her name is Ximena and she asked us what we counsel someone to do if they are doubting their faith in God and his existence. We taught her the restoration of the gospel, right there on the street corner. We bore our testimonies about the Book of Mormon and the church, telling her how much it will help her four children and her marriage. She lives in the other mission and I will never see her again, but she is ready for the gospel. Ximena needed that Book of Mormon and the Spirit knew she would run into us Saturday.

We had lots of activities last week with the mission. One morning we played soccer. One morning we had zone conference. It was like vacation. A missionary vacation.

Gonzalo came to church yesterday. He had less questions and concerns this week in our appointment. I could see excitement in his face as we were talking and he has a commitment to pray about the BoM and Joseph Smith. He has had so many doubts about the restoration and one true church. But it's like it just clicked with him Wednesday and he understood that it is important to know if we have a living prophet because he is our access to our Heavenly Father. I can´t tell you how important the Book of Mormon has been in teaching him. Today we are going to eat lunch with them!

The thing I love about our message is that people don´t have to believe us! They can ask Heavenly Father, to know for themselves. This is what we stressed yesterday in our lesson with Segunda and Mirian. They don´t know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, they think they know because they believe us and what we say. We explained that they need to know for themselves and that comes through praying and feeling the Spirit. I think that is why they haven´t been progressing, because they don´t know for themselves that our message is true. Moral of the story: You need to know for yourself if something is true-don´t just believe other people!
Missionary work has become so deep lately. I love learning new things with investigators and seeing beyond the surface of our message.

I love you all lots,
Hermana Arnold