A couple months ago we were tracting in an area and I was just about done with it because no one was home. We knocked on a door and a young woman answered. She looked oddly familiar but I knew I had never met her before. She introduced herself as "Maritza" and then it all clicked.
Flashback... When I first got to the area, another sister in the mission told me of a woman named Cinia who was baptized over a year ago but moved to New York for the summer. Her daughter, "Maritza", was interested in the lessons and had been dropped a couple months previously, but this sister missionary was insistent that I go find her and try her again. She showed me pictures of her and told me of how incredible she was. Well the number and address listed were both incorrect, but her teaching record was complete. The number we had for her mom was wrong too and no one in the ward seemed to know where they had gone. I tried right when I got here and then again at the end of the summer when Cinia was suppose to be back- but no such luck. So I basically gave up hope on both of them, but the mystery remained in the back of my mind.
Flash forward... So here I am, standing in the entry way of this house and Maritza is right in front of me and my companion is completely clueless to the entire situation and Maritza also has NO idea that I know exactly who she is. Awkward.
Then, Cinia, her mom who's the member, comes walking out of the back of the house and I just about die. The ward had been searching for both of them for months and here they are! Trying to control my excitement, we set up a return appointment to come back and teach them both. As soon as we leave the house, I pulled up Maritza's teaching record on my iPad and my companion realizes why I was freaking out when she sees that Maritza had been taught 96% of the lessons- thank you technology.
Well we've been teaching her for the last month, and due to odd circumstances, we were finally able to get her to come to church yesterday... The ward welcomed her with open arms and it was a happy day as a missionary. She's preparing to be baptized in a couple weeks and we are super excited for her.
Now to make the story even more confusing... Her mom, Cinia was one of the main fellowshippers for another family that was also baptized shortly after her. We will call them the Smith family :) well this family received anti-Mormon information immediately after their baptism and they have NEVER come back to church since. Another one that the ward has been trying to figure out since. Well yesterday, Cinia took the Smith's daughter to church with her since this little girl has been dying to come. I can't even explain how HUGE of a miracle this is. I also wish that I could have captured the look of one of the counsellors in the bishopric when he found out what was going on. I know probably none of this makes sense, but just know that yesterday was a very happy day.
The worth of souls is GREAT in the sight of God. Some of the expressions that I saw on ward members faces yesterday helped me to visualize how God feels when a soul returns home. This truly is the work of the Almighty.
Love you all!
Sister Mal
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