Little Miracles at a Fast and Testimony meeting

   This week we received a wonderful report from one of our missionaries, Elder Navarro. He reported his excitement about having investigators at church that past Sunday. It was a Fast and Testimony meeting. After the testimonies had begun in the meeting, he turned to one of his investigators, D______, and said, “Hey, I’ll make you a deal, if you go up there and bear your testimony, I’ll go up too.” She looked at him with a big smile and nodded her head. He was actually surprised that she was so willing to go to the podium because she wasn’t yet a member of the church. Elder Navarro stood and walked to the pulpit with D______ following right behind. He shared his testimony about missionary work and about how grateful he is for the missionaries who taught members of his family. When he finished, D______ bore her testimony. The first words to come out of her mouth were “Hello, my name is D_____ R____ and I’m a new member of the church.” He thought it was amazing that she already considered herself to be a member though not yet baptized. She talked about how the missionaries had been teaching her and how she’s never felt anything like that ever before. She also said that she felt as though the people at the church were family. She expressed her happiness and her excitement to get baptized soon. Elder Navarro described the Spirit in the chapel as “indescribable” as she closed “…in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”



   That small miracle was followed by yet another. After D______ sat down, another investigator, who was studying with the sister missionaries, stood up and made her way to the pulpit. This was the first time that she had attended a sacrament meeting, but she was feeling the presence of the Holy Ghost. Even though she was obviously nervous, she began by saying, “Ummm, I’m not sure I’m supposed to say this speech but….” She then told about how the sister missionaries started teaching them and the blessings she has seen so far in her life as a result.


   But this was not the final miracle. Shortly after that investigator bore her testimony, another investigator, D___, who was being taught by yet another set of missionaries, made his way to the pulpit. This was his third time attending a sacrament meeting. He said, “I have wanted to come up here, so I decided to force myself and now I’m really nervous….” He was able to bear his testimony- despite his nerves- and he bore what is described to be an amazing testimony.


   By this point, Elder Navarro felt overwhelmed by the Spirit. He expressed to us, “Never have I felt such joy to see the Spirit touching the hearts of those that have just started learning about the Gospel- to share what little they know to be true. I wish you could have been there to see the faces of our investigators.”


   How Steve and I wish we could have been there too!


   I bear my own testimony that I know that it is the Spirit that teaches spiritual truths. Missionaries are God’s messengers who bring His message to the investigator. We have willing, righteous, obedient missionaries in the Texas McAllen Mission who strive to be humble so that they may teach by the Spirit.   We know that there are many people here who are prepared to hear this message. It is our job to find them. When both the prepared people and the prepared missionaries are brought together, these little miracles happen.


D&C 50: 13-14, 22: “Wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question—unto what were ye ordained? To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth. Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together.”