Right off the bat I have some miracles to share: Timing. Last week we were to print our names to take to the temple. You do not print from the same computer that you email. We email for an hour, then print quickly without doing anything else. It was at the end of our session so my hour online had terminated. We got up to go to the printing computer, i signed in, and saw that I had received an email in the last 30 seconds, my cousin got her mission call! I wanted so badly to open it and check, it would have taken only 6 seconds or so. But my time was up, I was only there to print. I opened up the pdf that we needed, the worker pressed print, we hear the printer start up and then the power went out. We panicked. We needed those names and there was no other time for it. The paper was still inside the printer, but the worker thought he would unjam it for the next use. He pulled out our paper and to our great surprise, our names had printed. Completely! There were no missing lines, not even damaged. Blessing for being obedient to the Lord's time- that 6 seconds would have made the difference in having names or not.
More on timing. We had an appointment scheduled to drop an investigator, but it fell through. We missed her twice. Days went by, and one of our appointments fell. We were in the neighborhood and decided it would be a good time to pass by. We walked past her tin wall into her dirt yard and saw her sitting on her bucket in the doorway, as if she had be waiting for us. But she wasn't, you could see on her face she was surprised. This is a big lady, and really dark, the whites of her eyes are very obvious. So we greeted her and sat down. Before we had a chance to say any more, she said, looking at the dirt, "God always knows. Right when I need you, He sends you." She went on to explain that she had lost it. Crying, she let us know she was overworked, underappreciated and her older daughter had gone too far the past couple weeks. She motioned to a wooden beam at her feet, about the length of my forearm and narrow enough to hold in one hand. She said that she knew the consequences would be bad, but she was already having it bad. That rod was for her daughter when she got home. She wasn't waiting for the missionaries, she was waiting to beat her child when she got home. "He always knows. You always come." She quieted, still crying. Her daughter came then. About 17 also big, with attitude. She crossed the dirt to the little house and said, "Maria, what is wrong?" Yeah, she calls her mom by her first name. Maria said nothing and the daughter sauntered off. Maria unloaded a lot that day. And we were there to listen. I don't know what would have happened, how bad it would have been, but it is a difference that we made just by being where we needed to be when we needed to be there. We let her know that we may be crying with her, but we couldn't really understand what she was going through. We testified though that Christ did. We told her we loved her, but wouldn't be coming back. And Said goodbye.
The temple was incredible. It always is. I have now been to Santo Domingo as many as any other temple- strange to think when I get home it will be my temple most times visited. This occasion was very special to me. I was grateful to have names because I felt so at home! and the only thing missing was family. But I had family, on a little pink slip. Beautiful. There is more, but that is going to be shared through letters.
TALENTS! We had a talent show in the church on Saturday and my companion and I sang "El Valor De Nefi," Nephi's Courage. We had actions and everything and, because it is me and I live for kids, we invited the primary to join us. I have it on film. Best talent show performance ever- on the kids' part. Hermana Erekson and I messed up. Haha.
Anyway, my testimony is strengthened all the time here. Thank you for letting me share it with you. And so you know, we have a few investigators progressing toward baptism and many have dates! But that is all I am going to say, I don't wanna jinx it.
I send all my love and some of the Lord's too.
Hermana Charity Paige Meldrum
