Spiritual Cockroaches

Bolivia 101

I walked into the R.S. President´s house. Dirt floor, bunkbed and twin bed with a little gas stove and a dresser were the first things I saw upon entering her humble home. She was sick, but happy to see us (she was the woman I talked to a month ago on exchanges. I told her to pray hard that I would be able to serve in this ward! I forgot this until she reminded me that God always answers prayers, and thats why I’m in Guaracal). I sat on her straw mattress and my companion sat 3 feet in front of me on the bunkbed. We went to Vitoria Tame’s house to help her, but she edified us with her humility and spiritual strength. She taught us the power of Visiting Teaching by telling us her personal experience. She was less active for years but her VTs never missed a month in visiting her. She never came to the door, but they left the printed message at the door. Sister Tames cherished those papers and never threw them out. To this day, she gives credit to her Visiting Teachers for reactivating her. Now her leadership as Relief Society president has improved the ward greatly. She told me to tell my people in America to NEVER GIVE UP. She truly feels that Visiting Teaching is the glue that holds the ward together. So let Sister Tames´s words inspirie you now, and go get your visiting teaching done. If they can do it in Bolivia with almost nothing but their heart to give, you can do it with your whole heart in the States.

Also, Sister tames has had one big dream her whole life. She wants to write a letter to the prophet. Do you have any ideas how she could do it? She is praying so hard to find a way to write to him…

Lost in Translation:

We were all so excited for the women’s conference. The chapel was filled with members, recent converts, and investigators, all waiting to hear people called of God to speak to them. There was one problem: they couldn’t find the broadcasted version in Spanish. I could visibly see the discouragment in their faces as it was all in English. I couldn’t believe it. The stake president just sat on the stand not knowing what to do. Being the only sister who knew both languages I felt the responsibility to go ask the Stake President if he would like me to translate. You should have seen the relief on his face (and the horror in mine)  😉 I prayed for strength as they were preparing the mic for me on the pòdium. After about 5 minutes, they found the Spanish version and I was saved! I saw all the new American sisters who didn’t know Spanish and could feel their sorrow as they would sit for an hour and a half not understanding a word of the people they love and pray for so much. I gathered all the english sisters in a corner bench and began translating into English. I found it harder than translating into spanish as I haven’t spoken that language in a while. It took a lot of effort and mistakes but the sisters were patient and I felt a lot of help from the Spirit.

An Eternal Family Without Cockroaches:

Saturday night the ward mission leader couldn’t find anyone to teach Gospel Principles Class. To ease his burden I offered. I didn’t have a minute to read the lesson, and we had to leave for church at 7 am to pick up people, so I prayed for some inspiration. It came just before I fell asleep as I thought of the dressers we just inherited from the elders. The dressers only had a few cocroaches from their cockroach infested house and we didn’t kill them in time. Soon they mulitplied and we have found them all over. When I laugh about preparing our families to be eternal, I illustrated the story and talked about ways Satan sends in 2 or 3 “cockroaches” to infest the family. My companion said they had never had so much participation in class we had that day. I am sure the cockroach allegory helped in finding ways to ¨fumagate¨ our homes from Satan’s power. I was so grateful for Heavenly help in teaching the lesson as it was my first sunday there in Guaracal. Today I will spend time literally fumagating my house of all the cockroaches.

Sister Greenman