More than a transfer...

So I'm blessed to stay in my current area longer than just one transfer. Sister Sarmiento will be leaving me, though. She's been here four months, and this was her first area when she first arrived in the mission. She's ready for a change, but I'll be sad to see her go. She's a really hard worker, humble, and brings the power of the Holy Ghost when she bears her testimony.

Yesterday actually we had a sweet experience of being the instruments in God's hands to answer the prayers of one of the families in our ward. We had plans to visit this one less active, but felt to go to another in a different area. She wasn't home, so we stopped at the home of a nearby family and left a prayer because they were eating dinner. Sister Sarmiento suggested to go to another family with that area. My initial thought was they have been reactived for a while. They have callings, they're going to church regularly, they're preparing to enter the temple, etc. But I'm so glad Sister Sarmiento suggested it because we arrived, and the mom said she had been questioning God's love for her because of the trials that had come into their life recently. We taught about hope and faith frpm Moroni 7 and how it's all about trusting in the Atonement of Jesus Christ to make things right or to help make us stronger, and in the timing of Heavenly Father. She was crying, and her son was really cute and chimed in, "Be strong!"

Tapos... Sister Sarmiento and I had been studying the talk of Richard G. Scott from April General Conference about receiving inspiration and revelation this past week. He talks about dreams being one way God answers prayers and He'll use people we love and respect to reveal truths to us within our dreams. So it was the coolest thing when we were teaching one of our less actives and following up on his prayers. We had invited him to pray to know that Thomas S. Monson is God's living prophet on the earth. He said he dreamed about his old bishop teaching about President Monson, and I excitedly pulled out the conference edition of the Liahona and shared that part of Elder Scott's talk. Ah! The gospel is so real. It's not just some religion that people created to have purpose in life. It's from God and if we apply it, we can be happier. I know this. I see it week after week. And I know that Heavenly Father has not changed, and still calls prophets now like He did in Biblical times. But we need to listen to them and follow their counsel or it's all for naught.

Mahal ko kayo,
Sister Cope