Week of Struggles, but as always, Love and Patience Win!!!

So this week...  Was a week a little bit different.

The first sweet think that happened is that President Mathews came out and we had interviews, so I got to talk to him.  A lot of things changed, but not that much actually did change. Sort of hard to describe.  Haha.  The interview was great, and it was great to just talk to him about missionary work.

Also this week we had a grand lesson with a less active, where we ended up talking about the Atonement.  Every time we are there, his mom herds some chickens that are outside into the house for the night so they can be protected from the dogs and stuff outside.  Some of them enter easily, but others have to be chased down to get them into the safety of the house for the night.  While we were there we compared this to the gospel and the atonement to help José.  The door is always open for José to enter into the safety of Christ´s church.  Because of Christ it doesn´t matter how many times that he comes in and then goes out, the door will always be open for him to come into the safety of the house.  The Lord loves him, and just like his mom was helping the chickens enter, God sent us, the missionaries, to help him enter again into the safety of Christ´s fold.  It was a great example for me of the Love that our Savior has for us in all things.  I hope and pray that José can come back and be the strong member that he was that this branch needs.

So, also this week were some comp learning experiences.  There were a lot of things that happened that you all don´t really need to know about leading up to the point where (not because of worthiness issues but because of other issues), my comp almost got sent home, and I was fasting and praying for him, and doing every type of service that I could think of for him, and trying to help him understand that I love him, and a lot of super hard stuff, that I never would have gotten even close to encountering without the Lord.  I fell like I don´t have terrible patience, but this week I got to demonstrate even more than I have at any other point in my life.  Anyways, it was decided that he was going home, and I asked for one more day to try to figure stuff out, and the said no, and then with the help of another Elder, we managed to get some stuff figured out so that my comp wasn´t going home, and we could keep working together.  It was a true answer to my prayers because I know he didn´t want to go home really, and that it would put a downward turn on his life.  I am so grateful that we are still serving together, even though it is still rough, I am learning a lot and have the opertunity to change and change and change and change to become more like Chirst and to use the atonement in my life.  In the middle of all of this, at the hardest part, I was praying, and was filled with the Spirit in a way that nothing could make me unhappy, and that I was led to do the stuff that I needed.  I was litterally lifted up from misery to the most perfect happiness that I have experienced here in a way that no power of Satan or man could affect me (or effect me?). 

So, Pray for my comp and for me!

The Gospel of Christ and the Atonement of Christ are useless without Repentance.  Repentance=Change.  We. HAVE. TO. CHANGE.  Just doing stuff doesn´t work.  We have to be changed to recieve eternal life.

I know this is the Lords Church and I am so Grateful for the Atonement.

I know I have weaknesses, but I have no doubt that the Lord has forgiven me as I change and forgive others.

Love,
Elder Sampson