THIS WEEKS EMAILS

Hey all! Well hope you guys all had a great week. We continue to see great things happening around the mission and in our area to know that things are really picking up. We had some great experiences this week me and my comp. one we were talking to a lady that we a re teaching named Ofelia, and she is planning on getting baptized. We hadn't even got to teaching the sabbath day and its importance yet, but she asked some questions that we answered. The thing is she works on Sundays, and has for the last 9 years in the same job, and its not very common to be able to have had the same job for so long, and so when we briefly explained that God wishes and commands that we respect that day, and don't work, she was a little not encouraged. But we weren't teaching that principle so we kind of left it for latter. But than on Friday we got to to appt with her, and she tells us, right off the bat, that she asked her boss to change her off day to Sunday instead of Wednesday, and she got it! it was awesome, something completely unexpected and it was wonderful to see the hand of God in her life. She has made a lot of progress, she has come a long way. And we are really seeing the blessings of God here in the mission, but also seeing the ever strong grip Satan has amongst these people. We can see he works on the people investigating the church through rumors and other people, so that they don't get to participate in a valid and true baptism. But his astucia(somebody help me here with English) is nothing compared to the wisdom of God. The book of Mormon is such an amazing book. When you have a testimony of the gospel, and look at things with eyes that God gives you, you really see that everything just falls in place, there is not a single doubt that cant be answered, the only problem is we don't always understand the answer. Comfort, its what gives the Holy Ghost. He is the Comforter. I love the mission. Every time the Lord touches you through a certain experience you just want to work harder, be more obedient, so that you can have more like it. Its fun to see that the zone I'm in is really doing a great job, working hard, and its just fun when you're doing it like you should. These principles that we learn here are everlasting, things i am gong to be able to take over for the rest of my life. Talking to the Mom of a recent convert about her son going on a mission, she was giving us the normal, hes going to lose two years of schooling!. Oh man, if someone could really understand the benefits of serving God for two years, there would be no complaint. Sure, it doesn't guarantee anything, but i feel MUCH more prepared to go back to BYU now with the habits that i am trying to develop. I love you all so much, you are all such an example to me, have been such a great support. I love you all so much!!! e
elder redfern

Hola!!!

Yesterday I was blessed with a few wonderful packages and letters from loved ones! Thank you so much, your support is needed and appreciated!
It has been yet another wonderful week full of blessings and surprises. We have a golden investigator! Carla is her name, she is 19 and has been prepared her whole life to accept this message. We randomly contacted her 3 weeks ago and has progressed so fast! She has already invited everyone to her baptism which we can’t plan yet because she got sick and wasn’t able to come to church. But she informed us the other night that she did not drink and talked to her boyfriend about the law of chastity and he wants to come to church with her!
This Sunday after 2 months of teaching Betty, begging, pleading with her to come to church she came and with her husband! I figured out the secret…Her husband likes to be “a man of his word” so I talked him up and got him to promise to wake her up and come with her. And he did, white shirt and all! The morning of we were in a taxi with some of our other investigators and I saw them walking towards the church, I about had a heart attack! We had 8 investigators and there was 79 in church which we normally only have 60. It was a wonderful Sunday filled with so many blessings, but towards the end I just felt a huge burden. I left feeling so tired think, “what a successful day but now we have to get these people to baptism”!!! I felt arms wrap around me and a thought came to my mind “hna redfern, remember you CANNOT do this alone”. It is so true and more and more I see in the mission that it is not possible for me to do this work without the help of my Father in Heaven. I know that as I work hard, follow the counsels of our leaders and try my best the Lord will make up for the rest, he will make things happen.
I love you all!!! Keep in touch!
KEEP THE FAITH!!!Hna Redfern