The Hands of Christ

What´s new everybody!

  Welp, we had another disappointing Sunday yesterday, with no investigators at church. But I´m choosing not to get discouraged because I know that´s when Satan attacks. We found a lot of new people this week who have a lot of potential, but most new investigators don´t get to church the first week anyway so we´re gonna work hard this week and bring them this Sunday. Our whole zone has been stuggling and President has made it very clear the Lord expects more from this zone. I really hope things start to look up in February. We´re looking for things we can do better and making plans, but I´m trying not to stress too much because I´ve learn that when I self-criticize and worry too much about what I need to do better, I miss opportunities to see the needs of others and help them. So I´m just trying to trust more in the Lord.

  This week we had a special experience. Around 8:15pm one night, we came across a disabled dwarf woman hobbling super slowly up the mountain on crutches. My companion asked her where she was going and she pointed to a house about halfway up thehill. We offered to help her with the bag she was carrying and she thanked us, called us sweet, and blessed the Lord´s name. She had just come from selling tortillas so she could buy herself food. My comp carried her bag and we walked slowly up the hill with her as we presented ourselves and invited her to church. She was struggling so much to pull her heavy body up the hill with her stubby legs and crutches, it pulled at my heart strings. That image of her struggling up the hill will stay in my mind for a longtime. This whole time, she was smiling and talking about how wonderful the Lord is. As we got closer to her house, her energy started to run out and she moved slower and slower. Then suddenly, she cried aloud to God in prayer that he would give her the strength to go up the hill and said we were there like angels to speak of the beautiful things of God. It was incredible to see how much faith she had.I started to cry, seeing how humble she was and how hard of a life she had. As she was struggling more and more to keep going, I wished I could  help her, but wondered if I was strong enough to support her. Well I guess my companion had the same thought and a little more faith cuz she said, "Here, let us help you." The woman, named Pilar, resisted at first and said she was too heavy, but we assured her we could do it so she handed each of us a crutch and then we each linked an arm under one of her arms and helped pull her up the hill. She was heavy and it was hard to do, even to the point of making my back hurt a bit, but we did it. Perhaps Godgave us extra strength to be able to carry out this act of love for his daughter. The mission motto here is "We are the hands of Christ". I have never felt more like the hands of Christ than in that moment. As we got up to her door, we had to help her cross some rockier, uneven spots and she was so afraid we were gonna drop her. She said, "Don´t let me fall!" It was harder to support her as she stepped over those parts and for a minute, I thought maybe I would drop her, but we made it to the door, handed back her crutches, and she helped herself intoher house. She told us she didn´t have light. I pulled out my flashlight and she made her way over to her chair and lit a small candle.This lady lives alone in a house with no light and can barely get around! I don´t know how she survives! She definitely has the hardest living conditions of anyone I´ve met here. Pilar was so nice and invited us in and offered us her only other chair. We asked if we could sing her a hymn and she said she would love that and then said, "But let´s pray first." So she said a beautiful prayer and thanked and praised God and asked him to bless us.Then we sand "I know that My Redeemer Lives". I let some tears slip and got a bit choked up as I felt the truth of the lyrics. I think more than anything I felt my testimony of the living reality of Christ grow because I knew Pilar´sdid. She felt we were an answer to her prayers- sent on Christ´s behalf to helpher up the mountain and lift her spirit. The fact that God answers prayers means that Christ is ALIVE and because of Him, the Father continues to answer our current prayers. What a special moment it was to be able to serve Pilar and hear her exclaim how precious the sond was. My companion and I left with full hearts. It´s wonderful to find joy in service. 

I hope everyone takes a moment to serve someone today. Much love, Hermana Hawkins