Brownsville, Letter 7
Hola Familia y Amigos!
So this week was an awesome, special week filled with amazing spiritual experiences. It is an amazing privilege yo watch the light of the Gospel light up the darkest of lives, and I love that I have the opportunity to represent the Lord Jesus Christ in bringing His sheep back to Him!
This week I learned that it is no accident that I am here serving as a missionary at this specific time in Brownsville, TX. This week I was blessed enough to discover at least a portion of the reason why I am here in this place at this time. This week we had a lesson with Jasmine Reguenes, but Brother Reguenes wasn't able to make it so it was just her and us. It ended up being an incredibly special lesson, because we got to just talk with her and focus on her and get to know her without anyone else being there, and she shared some really special things with us. She just talked with us for a while, all in Spanish, and we just got to know her for a little while. Then she started talking about her husband, and his journey with the church and about all the many previous missionaries that had been visiting them. She said that they had been visited by so many pairs of missionaries in the past, but nothing had ever happened. She could never make the decision to be baptized, and he never would go back to church.
But she said that the first day that me and my companion came to their door, they felt something they had never felt before with any other pair of missionaries that had taught them. She said they didn't know what it was, but it was different than they'd ever felt before. Do you guys remember when I told you that experience from that lesson with them when bro Reguenes was talking about how he was rebellious and I had that huge spiritual feeling come over me of God's love for him? She pointed at me and said when I specifically told Brother Reguenes in that lesson that God loved him, that moment was the change. She said that nothing changed with the other missionaries and she could never make the decision to be baptized, but that now she was sure. She knows it is what she needs to do, and Brother Reguenes is finally changing and taking the long waited steps to come back. She said that they have felt the love of God so strongly since we have come, and that that is what they both needed. That was the testimony that Brother Reguenes bore when he came to church, was about the love of God they had felt since we started coming.
This week I learned that Heavenly Father knew that me and my companion were exactly what they needed, and they sent us here when it was their time and they had been prepared and ready. My heart just wants to burst with gratitude! My eyes just want to cry with joy! I have been bold with that family in declaring God's word, but I have been equally as bold in declaring the great love that God and our companionship has for them. I think God knew that would be what they needed at this time and at this moment. I learned from the Ricciardi letters that overbearance is boldness without love, and so if you love someone you can never be too bold! I have also learned that the Spirit can only testify as boldly as you can, and I never want to hinder the Spirit by not being as bold as I could be - it has been incredible for me to speak the bold words the Spirit gives me and then feel the spirit hit like a wall, and watch that spirit work on the people that we are teaching.
Sometimes the Spirit is so thick I feel like I'm swimming through it, and I can't believe that Heavenly Father would be so good as to let me have and experience that much of an abundance of the Spirit, let alone give me the power to bring it like that with my words. My heart could just burst with gratitude. We had a word of wisdom lesson like that last night with a member with that family and the spirit was SO strong. Cause smoking is brother Reguenes s problem, that's the thing he doesn't want to give up though he has been cutting back since we have been there there's not as many lighters on the front porch anymore haha but Jasmine committed to live it, and Brother Reguenes said "I have to pray". And I felt to tell him "Then we invite you to pray, and I can promise you that when you do the same spirit that is testifying to you now will testify to you again that this is what you need to do." And then the Spirit just hit and he was like "I feel it." And I was like woahhh. I can't believe Heavenly Father lets me do that!
Okay I'm sorry for all the rambling back to my point - my companion and I were talking and she was talking about how we walked with God before this life and He told us how He was going to send us here to help this family at this time. We walked with Him and He told us that this would be part of our earthly mission. I know I was preordained to be a missionary at this time and in this place. Heavenly Father didn't call me to be a missionary a few months ago, He called me before the world even was! and this mission was part of His plan for my life all along. I have spent all of eternity before this time looking forward to this time in my life, and I will spend all of eternity reflecting on it - but I only have 18 months to live it! Heavenly Father set as at least part of my earthly mission for me to come here and to bring this family back to Him. I learned that this week and I am so grateful for it!) I have been so grateful to be a part of this family's journey back to Christ! We are so excited to help her prepare for her baptism this weeky! What a blessing that will be to their family!
I love the people here! This week we were on our way to teach a lesson and we stopped to talk to this family, and found out that they were about to have a bible study, song and worship night! We gave this lady a book of Mormon and went to go teach our lesson, which was a great success! Then on the way out, we decided to go to the house again. We knocked and they invited us in, fed us, sang songs and we told them all about the Book of Mormon and shared from the Book of Mormon with all of them! It was a sweet and spiritual experience. The people here are so kind and humble and they teach me every day!
This week has just been full of the Spirit and heavenly blessings, and as always, I couldn't be more grateful to be a missionary. I love this work and the one who leads it.
I love you all!
Con todo mi Amor,
Hermana Clarke
Write to Rachelle at rachelle.clarke@myldsmail.net
So this week was an awesome, special week filled with amazing spiritual experiences. It is an amazing privilege yo watch the light of the Gospel light up the darkest of lives, and I love that I have the opportunity to represent the Lord Jesus Christ in bringing His sheep back to Him!
This week I learned that it is no accident that I am here serving as a missionary at this specific time in Brownsville, TX. This week I was blessed enough to discover at least a portion of the reason why I am here in this place at this time. This week we had a lesson with Jasmine Reguenes, but Brother Reguenes wasn't able to make it so it was just her and us. It ended up being an incredibly special lesson, because we got to just talk with her and focus on her and get to know her without anyone else being there, and she shared some really special things with us. She just talked with us for a while, all in Spanish, and we just got to know her for a little while. Then she started talking about her husband, and his journey with the church and about all the many previous missionaries that had been visiting them. She said that they had been visited by so many pairs of missionaries in the past, but nothing had ever happened. She could never make the decision to be baptized, and he never would go back to church.
But she said that the first day that me and my companion came to their door, they felt something they had never felt before with any other pair of missionaries that had taught them. She said they didn't know what it was, but it was different than they'd ever felt before. Do you guys remember when I told you that experience from that lesson with them when bro Reguenes was talking about how he was rebellious and I had that huge spiritual feeling come over me of God's love for him? She pointed at me and said when I specifically told Brother Reguenes in that lesson that God loved him, that moment was the change. She said that nothing changed with the other missionaries and she could never make the decision to be baptized, but that now she was sure. She knows it is what she needs to do, and Brother Reguenes is finally changing and taking the long waited steps to come back. She said that they have felt the love of God so strongly since we have come, and that that is what they both needed. That was the testimony that Brother Reguenes bore when he came to church, was about the love of God they had felt since we started coming.
This week I learned that Heavenly Father knew that me and my companion were exactly what they needed, and they sent us here when it was their time and they had been prepared and ready. My heart just wants to burst with gratitude! My eyes just want to cry with joy! I have been bold with that family in declaring God's word, but I have been equally as bold in declaring the great love that God and our companionship has for them. I think God knew that would be what they needed at this time and at this moment. I learned from the Ricciardi letters that overbearance is boldness without love, and so if you love someone you can never be too bold! I have also learned that the Spirit can only testify as boldly as you can, and I never want to hinder the Spirit by not being as bold as I could be - it has been incredible for me to speak the bold words the Spirit gives me and then feel the spirit hit like a wall, and watch that spirit work on the people that we are teaching.
Sometimes the Spirit is so thick I feel like I'm swimming through it, and I can't believe that Heavenly Father would be so good as to let me have and experience that much of an abundance of the Spirit, let alone give me the power to bring it like that with my words. My heart could just burst with gratitude. We had a word of wisdom lesson like that last night with a member with that family and the spirit was SO strong. Cause smoking is brother Reguenes s problem, that's the thing he doesn't want to give up though he has been cutting back since we have been there there's not as many lighters on the front porch anymore haha but Jasmine committed to live it, and Brother Reguenes said "I have to pray". And I felt to tell him "Then we invite you to pray, and I can promise you that when you do the same spirit that is testifying to you now will testify to you again that this is what you need to do." And then the Spirit just hit and he was like "I feel it." And I was like woahhh. I can't believe Heavenly Father lets me do that!
Okay I'm sorry for all the rambling back to my point - my companion and I were talking and she was talking about how we walked with God before this life and He told us how He was going to send us here to help this family at this time. We walked with Him and He told us that this would be part of our earthly mission. I know I was preordained to be a missionary at this time and in this place. Heavenly Father didn't call me to be a missionary a few months ago, He called me before the world even was! and this mission was part of His plan for my life all along. I have spent all of eternity before this time looking forward to this time in my life, and I will spend all of eternity reflecting on it - but I only have 18 months to live it! Heavenly Father set as at least part of my earthly mission for me to come here and to bring this family back to Him. I learned that this week and I am so grateful for it!) I have been so grateful to be a part of this family's journey back to Christ! We are so excited to help her prepare for her baptism this weeky! What a blessing that will be to their family!
I love the people here! This week we were on our way to teach a lesson and we stopped to talk to this family, and found out that they were about to have a bible study, song and worship night! We gave this lady a book of Mormon and went to go teach our lesson, which was a great success! Then on the way out, we decided to go to the house again. We knocked and they invited us in, fed us, sang songs and we told them all about the Book of Mormon and shared from the Book of Mormon with all of them! It was a sweet and spiritual experience. The people here are so kind and humble and they teach me every day!
This week has just been full of the Spirit and heavenly blessings, and as always, I couldn't be more grateful to be a missionary. I love this work and the one who leads it.
I love you all!
Con todo mi Amor,
Hermana Clarke
Write to Rachelle at rachelle.clarke@myldsmail.net
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| Rachelle's Favorite Weather: Rain. The rain always helps her feel the love of Heavenly Father. |
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| I'm not sure why they are frowning. Are they lost? |
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| Rachelle's efforts to stay healthy as a missionary. |
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| This must be a P-Day grocery run. Funny pictures, but that's what she sends us. Oh well. |
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