Gabriela Lopez Called to Serve: Trials and conversion

This week was amazing!!

Last week I talked about a family where the young boy ran up to us. We visited him and his family in their house this past week and we were able to meet his wonderful family. They recently moved here from Chile. Well we are still teaching them and they are so so amazing. Luis has a baptismal date and he wants to be baptized so badly, he says he just feels this gospel is true and wants to be a member.

We were teaching him about God and that He actually loves us and has a plan for us. Luis and his step brother Vidal don’t really understand that because they go through a lot of trials. Their 20-year-old sister has 3 kids and desires to be baptized to follow the example of Christ and to be a good example for her kids. However, she is very ill and is going through difficult times.

I recently read a talk that quoted CS Lewis and I shared this quote with them:

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

I know that the spirit really prompted me to share that example with them because they understood it so well. They just kept on repeating God is tearing our house down...and it hurts. And it was really painful to hear them say that, but that’s how trials are, they are supposed to hurt because we are supposed to grow, and I am so thankful for growth.

There is a very old man in our ward Hermano Camacho, he is an amazing member missionary. He always wants the missionaries to come over and so we complied. He just talks a lot haha. But he came out with us and it was amazing what he did. He knocked doors with us but the best part was that he only took us to his friend’s house and knocked on their doors. HE IS SO CONVERTED! It is so amazing to meet such humble people like that that truly understand the commandment of opening our mouths.