Sister Madeline Abram

Feliz lunes!!

This week has been full of tender mercies and miracles. I wish I could share all of them, but some are too personal, and there are so many that I will definitely forget to share all of them.  The biggest one was about our baptism. We have struggled a lot to have a baptism recently, and  someone finally committed to be baptized on November 7th. We were unbelievably excited. And then a few days later, when we asked her why she wanted to be baptized, she told us that she had actually changed her mind. And then we were heartbroken. 

So... The miracle is that a few days later, we stopped by the Luna's. Many of
you will remember that the Luna's are a very special family to me. I
have been working very hard with them. The last month, Hermana Luna
has made such a wonderful effort to set the example for daughters and
attend church every week. Now Jocelin,one of the daughters, will be
baptized on November 7th :)

This Sunday, we had 15 Less Active members at church. Three families
that we have been working with for so long. The Hernandez family, the
Luna family, and the Reyes family. Each of them have such a special
place in my heart. And I got to watch them all return to the House of
God for the day and remember Him and be comforted.

To be honest, when I was told that I would not be transferred from this area, I was extremely upset. I have been in this area for 8 months, and it becomes very challenging to continue forward without many changes. but on Sunday, I was humbled as I realized that Heavenly
Father simply wants to bless me. He blessed me to see these families begin to return to activity and compare it to when I first got here. Truly, all the time and stress and prayers and fasting and work were absolutely worth it. And in the end, staying here for (at least) 6transfers, hasn't been a sacrifice at all, but a beautiful blessing.

Another tender mercy is regarding exchanges. The Lord knows us, everyone! I am constantly in awe as I realize that every time I go on an exchange with a sister, she is facing a problem that I have

recently gone through. She is facing something challenging and needs a friend. And I can be that friend for her because I have been there before. I can testify of the Savior to her and together we can face the challenge. This gives meaning to my trials and challenges.

I realized this week that serving the Lord with your whole heart,might, mind, and strength includes letting go of results. We need to serve "with no thought of reward." This means that if you spend all day trying to share the gospel, and no one hears you, it does not mean that you failed. You don't think about that. You don't think about the results. You think about the Savior, and you have so much joy because you know He is your companion in this work. You have joy because you focus on His sacrifice and His love. And then the results don't really matter.

Love,
Hermana Abram


Sent from my heart