Here's what happened.
I had to go to the immigration office with another Hermana to get some stuff worked out to get my visa soon. So we get there, and our guide has us sit down to wait.
My appointment was scheduled for 3, and my temporary companion, Hermana Bott, hers was at 2. So we go and sit in the 2pm appointment waiting area. After 20
minutes or so of waiting and not doing anything, I pull out the Book of Mormon and start memorizing Moroni' Promise (Moroni 10:4-5), in Spanish. In this scripture,
there are a lot of verbs in the vosotros form (ex: podréis, habláis, ect.) and Im pretty sure I was butchering all of them.
So, without really thinking about it, I turn to the Latino who was sitting next to me, and in my mediorce-american-accent-
kinds of words. He answered, and it was WAY different than I thought it was going to be. He obviously saw right through my confusion, and explained that he might
say it differently though because he has a Brazilian accent. Cool right? We started to talk about why we were in Peru, and I explained that I was on a mission for my
church for a year and a half. Talked about where I was from and how long I had been here, I talked about how I was here to teach people and do humanitarian work
as well. He asked if I was going to a lot of different countries, like a kind of tour or something. I explained to him that I was only here in Peru, and that I was called here,
as in it wasnt by my choice, but that I still loved it here. He asked who chose for me, and who is able to go on missions, and I explained how the whole application and
assignment process works, and I talked about prophets and apostles, and how they are all inspired of God and how they recieve revalation from Him. He definitely
thought that pretty cool! We talked about a lot of other stuff like what we do at the CCM, what I did before my mission, and a bunch of other stuff.
He then asked, ''So when you go out and knock on peoples doors and want to teach them, what if they dont want to be taught? What if they dont want to listen to your message?
What if they dont accept it?'' I told him that there are definitely going to be people like that, and Ive already encountered people like that in Peru and back home. But thats just
one of the great parts of being a missionary. You are a representative of Jesus Christ, but many people still rejected Him when he was on the Earth. I just told him that ultimately,
we can do everything we can, but God's timing is ruler over everything else. So maybe it wasnt that persons time to have the gospel. I told him that I knew God had a plan and a
time for each of us to change. Once I said this, things got REALLY GOOD.
He started to talk about how he loved studying the Bible, and loved learning about other religions. He asked me about our CCM training, and if we learn about other religions.
I told him that I actually took a class at my university in the states (BYU) about a lot of different religions around the world. We talked about that for awhile, then he really started
to talk. He talked about how he knew that God loves us all, and that he gives us each our own gift. ''I have my gifts and blessings, you have your gifts and blessings. But God
says he is the same before, now and forever. But yet, the Jews seem to get such speical treatment in the Bible. Why isnt God the same with all of his children? Why hasnt he
blessed and taught the rest of the world in the same way?'' Holy moly, like how perfect of a question is that?!
I immediately started to tell him about the Book of Mormon and how it was filled with teachings of Christ from prophets who were in the Americas, and teachings from when Christ
came and visted the Americas. He asked who the authors were, and I told him that it was written by various prophets of God, just as the Bible is. I also then threw in José Smith
and how he translated the BoM through the power of God, and that he was a prophet of today's age. We talked about that for a little bit, then he asked if we only believed in the
Book of Mormon, and not the Bible. (Literally, this guy was the PERFECT investigator, so many good questions. Golden.) I then explained how we believed in both and relied on
both. I also told him about how I have read the Book of Mormon a few times before my mission, but now being on my mission, Ive started to read the Bible more, and the similarities
between the two testaments of Christ are insane! I then said, ''Well, I mean it makes sense that they are the same I guess. Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow after all right?''
He then started talking about how he had this intense desire to truly know God. Not just to believe in a superior being that is distant from us and doesnt know us personally, but he
wants to know the God that loves us individually. He wants to come unto Christ and follow His example in all things! He said he has had this desire to change his life for long, but
he has never known what to do and what was missing. He said he read the bible a lot, but something was missing. (By this point I was basically freaking out inside and having a
spiritual party in my mind - this guy had been SOOOO prepared by the Lord to be introduced to the gospel, it was blowing my mind.) So then I bore my testimony to him that this
gospel, and these teachings of Christ really would bless his life. I told him that I know he can come unto Christ and know God, through prayer, study, and obedience. I told him
that if we want this faith and we want this change, we have to act on it. I told him I knew this because I had personally been changed through this gospel and through Christ. It was so cool!
After I told him that he just sat there and smiled. I gave him the Book of Mormon that I had, and he just smiled more. It was amazing. I almost started to cry. He thanked me over and over
again, and then we talked for maybe 20 minutes more. And then we went our separate ways.
Talk about being prepared and placed by the Lord. I was so lead by the Spirit of what to say and what to do. Like there is NO WAY that God's influence was not a part of that entire conversation.
We talked for an hour and a half! ALL IN SPANISH. Me! And a Brazilian! I spoke spanish, in the present, past and fututre tenseee!! Man, oh man. I mean, my spanish probably wasnt perfect,
and that man had SOOOO much patience with me, and was so willing to listen and was so willing to learn. It was the coolest experince of my life. Sadly, I didnt get his contact info... but I fasted for him,
hoping and praying that he would find the missionaries, or that the missionaries would find him. I had him read Moronis promise, and I know that he felt the Spirit. I know that he is going to find
answers to his prayers, and he is going to find what he has been looking for. Holy smokes. This gospel is so so true. God is so real.
Who knows. Maybe a few years from now, he is going to be giving a talk in his ward, hes been baptized, and hes talking about how this one sister missionary gave him a Book of Mormon in Peru.
Ya never know :) What I do know though is that God has prepared people out here in Peru and all over the world to hear the gospel and to come to Christ. They are literally WAITING for missionaries
to come and to teach them. They have this desire to know the truth, they just dont know where to find it.
My little girl's all grown up!!
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