A week of Reflection...

***NOTE from Mom: I headed out to YW Camp last week before I was able to make the weekly post to Courtney's blog. So here is her entry for Monday, July 11, 2011:

I am including photos of my area and some kids of a family of investigators. The older girl? She says that she can’t wait to be baptized because she feels in her heart that it will make her eternally happy. Pretty cool how the spirit testifies to children actually..

This week we had a huge disappointment.. We were teaching this amazing family we had found and everything was great and the wife said she knew it was true and passed her interview and everything.. we had a lot of beautiful experiences there and then comes the baptismal day and it turns out she had been lying about being prepared and doesn’t want to get baptized at all for a good amount of time and I feel really bad for my comp cuz she is leaving the mission in a week and she felt like she was finally going to see a miracle here in Esteli.. and right before she was to head home too.. it was supposed to be her final family miracle. And it fell through.. I felt so bad. But we will be baptizing a man this weekend named Raul who is super great so that is awesome. It was just so hard in the way of disappointment this week cuz we had been so thankful to God to be able to participate in a miracle and everything and then.... yea.

However, before you guys think I’m depressed I want you to know that we are now tranquil. At least myself because I know we did everything we could have done and I know that the spirit did testify to them.. They just had challenges that they couldn’t overcome. Everyone has agency.. my job is to invite people to bring a change in their lives to come closer to God... The objective of teaching is to inspire the person to think, feel and later do something about living the principles of the gospel. I am pleased to know that we could do everything that He wanted of us and we have worked really hard this change. Tangible fruits of the work are just hard to bring about here.. you have to look for a different type of fruit. I am strangely at peace with this place even though it is difficult. It is teaching me so many beautiful things. I am so grateful for a gospel that inspires a person to become better than they are and to always continue to work.. to only press forward and don’t give up. I’m thankful that Christ is the head of the church and for the fact that He guides us. I know He is our redeemer and friend.

Off in search of more work to do....