Kia Ora, my whanau!! Hope it's a great week for you!! Happy Queen's Birthday here in NZ! Today is June 5th which means exactly 3 months till I get to see you, hug you, and love you!!!!!! I really can't believe how fast time is flying. Sister Ticong and I have been trying to work our guts out these last few weeks, and it's been really amazing. We have definitely seen the Lords love, and protection in every aspect of the work. Please continue to pray for us, and our safety, we really really do feel your prayers!!
This week was crazy!! We had to go on back to back exchanges with the Samoan Sisters, and president told us to work them hard... SO that is exactly what we did. Sister Ticong worked them till they were exhausted, and I did the same, it's amazing having a companion who I can trust so much to do exactly what is needed during exchanges. She is such a blessing. This week I could tell I was getting frustrated, I can tell that most things I say she will repeat them or do them too, and then I realized how big of a blessing it is to have a companion who strives to be exactly obedient, and really likes to follow things I did that she liked it. It made me rather than feel impatient feel grateful that she is so kind and willing to do what is right. Patience is something I am consistently working on, and I hope I can continue to improve with the short amount of time I have here!
This week we saw the kindest man at his mailbox, and began to talk with him, he said I would love if you came and visited me and my wife another day. We went a few days later and he opened the door, and said, "We have been waiting for you, COME IN", we were so in shock but walked in and he and his cutest wife were there and he said, I told my wife I met two of the kindest people, and I hope I properly invited them back, but we have been awaiting your arrival. We were able to talk with this family, they are from India, they are Hindu religion, but they are the KINDEST, most lovely people that I have EVER met. They upon letting us in their home said, this is your home now so whenever you come always make yourself welcome. Jiya is the woman and she pregnant, so we were able to testify that her baby girl is living with God right now, Prameet her husband was so kind to us, before we left he said, "Take our umbrella so that you have to come back again to bring it back, we just love you two and your message." HAHAH what, no one ever wants us to return. Jiya asked what we were doing Sunday, we told her church, and she said what were we doing for dinner, and she invited us back. We went yesterday for dinner and she prepared a huge course of butter chicken and she woke up early hours of the morning to prepare it, and Prameet said,"We woke up this morning so anxious for it to be 5 pm so that our sisters could come back over. We love the kindness you speak with." We were like in shock at their kindness, but just from talking with someone at their mailbox we have a new keen investigator family! We love them!!!
Thursday night we felt prompted to go eat at this certain cafe, I know it sounds silly.. hahah but we really did. When we got there, no one was there but us, a few minutes later a lady walked in, and we smiled and waved at her. She kindly said, I am so sorry I forgot your names, we quickly suggested that she didn't know us, but that we were missionaries for our church, and just wanted to say hello to her. She then came over and said, "What are you Mormons?" We said yes, and she said let me guess from SLC Utah, and I said yes I am, but she is from Philippines. She then began to tell us how she was Christian her whole life, she was protestant, but she felt like she couldn't stay there and be herself, we asked her what she meant and she told us that she was lesbian, and that she wasn't welcomed at her protestant church. We invited her to sit down and have dinner by us, and for an hour and a half we had the BEST talk with the kindest woman I have ever met. It was amazing to see her as what she truly is, A Daughter of God. So many times we see people as their title, but forget to see them as they really are. During our conversation she said, "To be honest, I actually don't know anything about Mormons, all I know is the anti stuff my church told me" we were then able to testify of Jesus Christ and the love that he has for her regardless of who we are. We then were getting ready to finish dinner and she said, "Wouldn't you come by and share more of your message with me, I really need this hope in my life right now" We surely would LOVE to and we got her address, her number and all her details. We made a great new friend named Adrian. She is so kind. As we left and sat in the car, we thought to ourselves, "If Christ had been in that cafe, would he have sat with her or sat alone? He would have sat with her."It's absolutely amazing to see people by who they truly are, a child of God. We made a new friend, because we saw her as that.
I am forever in awe at the many miracles that we are witnessing. We truly see God's hand manifest daily in our missionary service. I know you too can see these in your life, and I think the number one thing that we can all do it treat others how Christ would. I know without a doubt that if we do that, we look beyond differences and see similarities, that we are ALL in need of the same loving, and infinite atonement of our Saviour Jesus Christ. I love and appreciate ALL that you do for me as a family, I love you each so much.
Arohanui,
Sister Maddie DeLoach
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