Hey! So...crazy week! First of all the Marine base is part of our area. It's really cool working with a lot of people in the Military. In La Jolla every one was in the Navy. Here in Penasquitos, everyone is a Marine. We went on base yesterday to meet someone but they weren't home. Because we were already on base we decided to just try to contact the less active members we've been trying to get a hold of.
Walking around base was pretty cool. The coolest part of the week was working with one of our less active members, B. He's my favorite. He got baptized when he was 17 then went less active 6 months later. He said he never really had a testimony in the first place. Now he's coming back 10 years later and is trying to build a testimony. He's come a long way! He use to be a very heavy alcoholic but has been sober for 3 years. We talked with him about Temples and Eternal Marriage and future families last week and he's really excited about it! But this week a lot of hard things happened with him. He texted us Saturday morning saying that he relapsed. We instantly prayed that he would be ok. He didn't answer after that and no one else in the elders quorum was answering on a saturday morning. It was pretty scary. Later that night he texted and said he was ok. He didn't show up to church on sunday so we went by his house sunday night with our Branch mission leader who gave him a blessing. He said it's a miracle he's even alive after that much alcohol. Last time he drank that much he woke up in the hospital. Because of that, we knew our prayer worked. It was amazing. The next morning we met with him and a couple other members. We talked about redemption. The worst part for him he said was coming so far just to mess up again. The Atonement is like practicing the piano. The Savior is the mom who has paid the piano teacher for the lessons. The mom doesn't ask for the child to pay the mom back for the money she spent, all she asks is to practice. As we practice, no one is going to begin playing a song perfectly. Not even the most accomplished pianists. When we make a mistake that's not the end. The atonement has given us the oppertunity to continue practicing and improving. Even if it's the exact same mistake in the exact same part of the song. He doesn't expect perfection but he does expect improvement. B was saying one of the worst parts of it all that he was feeling was he knew he would probably relapse again in like 10 years. We explained that that's why we have the gospel. So you can use and apply it now so this doesn't have to be a thing in 10 years. Turn to what will strengthen you when things are hard. Not alcohol. It was a really amazing lesson. He's doing a lot better now.
It's also so cool because almost everyone in the branch has been less active or even excommunicated at some point in their lives and has come back. The Atonement is so real and it not only can change us but it can improve us.
So, I didn't mention my new companion! HERMANA Horton is teaching me Spanish. Good times. She's super quirky and fun. We're having a good time. This last week was stressful because I was taking over the area, and helping Hermana Horton adjust to English work. We're both just helping each other figure life out. It took us both by complete surprise. But things are really good!
I hope you all have a wonderful week!!
Love Sister Pilkington
Gecko
Snake
San Diego Temple
No comments:
Post a Comment