Another Week, Another Miracle

3/25/13
So I have enough time this week, but my brain is kind of weird today, so I hope you guys don't mind that I'm just going to copy and paste my letter to President Fluckiger and then add some stuff.

Ola President, This week has been truly amazing! We are seeing so many miracles here in Lapa and our investigators are progressing really well.

Our investigator Margarida is marked for baptism on the 7th and is incredible. The first day we met her she was so depressed and just weary looking and sobbed from her depression and physical pains she is going through. She attended church the next day and in our second lesson with her, she said that she wanted to be baptized before we even had a chance to mention it. We told her she would need to quit smoking and also give up coffee and she accepted wholeheartedly. The next appointment we had with her she said she had already spoken to her doctor and started a plan to quit smoking within 15 days, which worked perfectly for the date we felt for her! I have never seen so much will power in a person, ever! She is already a completely new person and recognizes that it comes from the Gospel. She is reading the Book of Mormon every day and has a completely different spirit and light about her. The Gospel is changing her life so much already!

We are also teaching a man named Dean Lee, from China. He is here studying abroad and was a reference from a member in the same study program. He has already attended church three times, is past Chapter 20 of 2 Nephi, and said that after the first time he prayed he had a dream and saw an image of Christ, but that it was a little far away and he couldn't get to it. He is having some trouble recognizing the answers he is receiving to his prayers about God's existence and nature. We have seen so much grow in him though and to our baptismal invitation (without a date, just the general, will you be baptized when you know for yourself this is true) he responded, "I don't think I can say yes right now because if I'm going to be baptized I must know for myself that it is right and that I will be able to honor this commitment I make with God." So he basically said yes while trying to say no. I love working with Dean! My dad, brothers, sister-in-law, and best friend all served missions in Taiwan my family has lived in Asia for a long time, and my Dad served as a Branch President while living in China, so I felt a little like an outsider of the family coming here to Portugal. I feel like Heavenly Father has given me this tender mercy of working with Dean to have the same experience and joy my family has felt of bringing the gospel to the Chinese people. He was not at church on Sunday because he is in Spain right now, but sent a message to his member friend saying he went to visit the Madrid Temple grounds and loved it!

President, I love this area and all of the people we are working with so much. I have loved serving with Irma Walton and can honestly say this has been the best transfer of my mission as far as the work, as far as my confidence, and as far as my desire to keep participating in this work. Thank you so much for following the prompting to put me in Lapa. I know because of how badly I want to stay here, it probably means the Lord has other plans, but honestly the desire of my heart is to stay here one more transfer and continue to care for this area and these people I love so much. I do trust your judgment though, so I'll happily serve wherever the Lord wants me.

Thank you for everything, Irma Dean

So yeah, we are working with incredible people. We also have an investigator named Claudia who is working to be baptized on the 14th. She needs o get married first, but same with Margarida, she mentioned being baptized before we even brought it up, said she wants so badly to be baptized and has been to church every Sunday for a month (PS: she walks 40 minutes to get there). Today we went with her to the Guinea- Bissau embassy to see what papers she needs to get married. Guess what! His embassy is right across the street from the mission home! Sister Fluckiger saw us and invited us to come over after we finished at the embassy. She invited us to all come over and we made soup and had lunch with her and two of the office Elders and President. Claudia loved the soup and liked being with President and Irma Fluckiger as well.

Oh another miracle! We have a standard of finding ten new investigators every week. Friday we had only found 1 all week and then started a fast on Saturday to find new people to teach. We only found one new person that day, but on Sunday after we broke our fast, we found 8 investigators in one day without even trying! People approached us and asked to know more and there were new people in the homes we visited! Fasting woks and the lord blesses his missionaries!

Hope you’ve all had a wonderful week, sorry this is forever long, but I love you guys and I love Heavenly Father and I love the mission and I love these people!

Love, Irma Dean