Hi!!!

Last Monday I was not looking forward to the coming week. I couldnt imagine walking and knocking as many doors as we have been with out any results. I knew we could do it but as a companionship we just felt that maybe this wasnt the most effective way. I remembered a letter Dad sent me about 2 months ago with an experience from his mission.

He and his companion decided to do the opposite of what sometimes as missionaries we feel to do. He said instead of knocking every door and walking fast, they decided to walk slower and only talk with the people they felt inspired to talk to. This experience has kept coming to my mind. I told my companion about it and she was willing to try it. We started on Tuesday, we made our plans for the day, did our studies, put a smile on our face and left the house with faith we would find people. We had no appointments set for the day just areas of where we felt we should proselyte. We went to a little town about 15 minutes from Los Lagos to visit some contacts other missionaries had made. We said a prayer in the street and walked slow. As we walked I noticed there was smoke coming from a chimney so at least we knew someone was there. We knocked on the door and a sweet woman saw us and invited us in. (I was shocked, in the past 3 weeks we have entered one home.) We went in and had such a special lesson with her. She had a baby boy die about 10 years ago and has always worried that he wouldn't be saved because he was never baptized. We were able to testify that he was safe and waiting to be with her and her family someday. 

We left that house and did it again. We walked slow and 10 minutes later my companion said "lets go to that home". Another lady let us in. We shared about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the hope it brings us that we can be with our loved ones someday. She started to cry because that day happened to be the birthday of her husband who had passed away 2 years ago. She told us it had been a hard day and when she saw us she knew she should let us in to her home. 

We were let into 2 more homes that day. We decided to try this same way of proselyting the next day then the next. We had the opportunity to find people to teach this past week and appts for this week. 

This was so unnatural! It was hard for me to go slow and to listen. I would start to think "Ah we aren't walking fast or we are passing so many houses!" but then I would remind myself that Heavenly Father knew which houses had people that were prepared for us to teach. 

It is amazing. 2 weeks ago we knocked 60 doors in one day and did not enter one. This past week we knocked about 15 doors and entered around 10. We did not change much rather than we went slow, tried to listen and then acted on the first prompting. 

But I know that Heavenly Father listens. I know that He let us knock, and walk and contact so we could learn. I have grown so much closer to my Heavenly Father through these past 4 weeks. I have had to search for how the spirit speaks to me so that I could teach what Heavenly Father needed His children to hear. 

Being a missionary is so special because it is opportunity to get caught in the middle between Heavenly Father and His children. I have been trying to wrap my mind around charity. I think part of it is being a messenger of the love of Christ. It is helping others realize that they are loved. Not only by saying " I love you" or " your Heavenly Father loves you". It is by teaching them, listening, going slow and focusing on the individual and not the number. 

I know that Heavenly Father is a God of order but he also is a God of peace, faith, love, hope and happiness. Its just easy to forget that:) but thats why we are given more experiences, trials, etc to keep practicing:)

Love you all!

Love Hermana Egbert