Monday, September 22, 2014
I will send you a quote from my
friend Maddie from her email today.
"You CAN make a difference in that city, but
don't feel like everyone's salvation is on your shoulders, because it's
actually on Christ's. You can do it."
I thought that was good advice. I am happy here
being a representative of Jesus Christ.
Yesterday was easily the best day so far in Luzern.
To start with, three less active people we have been working with came to church,
including the one we talked about in the ward email (I sent it to you Mom).
Then we were waiting for the bus to take us home from church and a member
family drove by and offered us a ride. They convinced us because they
practically pass our house on their way home. Then while we were in the car
they decided to invite us for dinner. But you have to understand. This family
has 5 kids and one on the way. When the 6th is born they will have 6 kids under
the age of 8. I know, crazy. Someone told them it was better to have kids
really close together than to have teenagers and toddlers or something like
that. So this family isn't exactly eating stake for dinner. We actually heated
up the canned ravioli that we all ate for dinner but HOW COOL ARE THEY?! They
are willing to share whatever they have with the missionaries. They are awesome and they have
such strong testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. So after that
we realized we were close to the home of an less active we had been meaning to
visit. And she is our new favorite.
Back up. Earlier this week we had the best relief
society activity ever. What that means is, we walked around Luzern with the
relief society and one of the sisters told us everything about everything. She
knows as much as any tour guide. We invited everyone we have been working with
to come, but none of them did. But two other less actives sisters did come with other
members and it was so good that we were there to meet them and to spend time
with the other relief society sisters. Not to mention, it was nice to go for a
good little stroll around Luzern.
Now fast forward. The lady who is our new favorite
who we visited yesterday is one of the ladies we got to know on the city tour.
Sister Oswald has seen her one time at church but that was it. And we stopped
by yesterday with a note and some chocolate for her and her husband and the
whole thing just could not have been nicer. Her husband was just stepping out
the door to go pick up their grandson, and any other day she would have been
going with him, but that day she hasn't been feeling very well. Which is why
she didn't come to church that day. Sad because she had grandkids in the
primary program! But she is wonderful and hilarious
and after yesterday I am convinced that a big reason that Sister Oswald and I
are here in Luzern together is to help her and her family. While we were there
her very less active son dropped by for a visit, and her husband came home with
their grandson who they take care of who I don't think has ever been baptized.
She is a convert, and she told us that she never actually got the lessons
before or after she was baptized (what??). So I said something like, well you
know who needs practice giving the lessons is us. And she agreed to be taught
the lessons. We have an appointment on Thursday. Their son also wants to
come. I don't know how to help you understand this but there were so many
little miracles yesterday. And it was so good because it has been easy to get
discouraged.
Also, we helped this family
move/clean for sooooo long one day this week. But now we are really good
friends with that family! And they are from America and fed us . . . Mexican
food!! And we're hoping to get ourselves invited for Thanksgiving. :-)
I read the talk from last conference about Joseph
Smith this week and I love it so much. As I read the list of truths restored by
the Prophet Joseph Smith I was overwhelmed with the knowledge that he was
absolutely divinely inspired. I know the things that he revealed to be true.
With all of my heart. And that is how I know he was a prophet of God. I also
thought the part about his persecution was interesting. Here is the quote:
"Look for the biggest dust cloud billowing
above the most dirt that is kicked at One who was most opposed, challenged, and
rejected, beaten, abandoned, and crucified, One who descended below all things,
and there you will find the truth, the Son of God, the Savior of all mankind.
Why did they not leave Him alone?
Why? Because He is the truth, and the truth will
always be opposed.
And then look for one who brought forth another
testament of Jesus Christ and other scripture, look for one who was the
instrument by which the fullness of the gospel and the Church of Jesus Christ
were restored to the earth, look for him and expect to find the dirt flying.
Why not leave him alone?
Why? Because he taught the truth, and the truth
will always be opposed."
Last night I had an interesting experience. This is
very personal, but yes I do know that God our Heavenly Father speaks to us. I
sometimes talk about my personal communication with God like He is my friend
and like we converse regularly and it really throws some people off. And then
they sometimes ask me, "Does He really speak to you?" And sometimes
that throws me off and I don't know what to say. Because no, He's not sitting
on one side of the room and me on the other and He doesn't always give a reply
to everything I say. I don't know, maybe He would if I were better at this. But
yesterday He said something to me. I was sort of complaining to Him because
things are sometimes hard and I was saying, "Heavenly Father, why
can't I just be perfect?! Why can't I act perfectly and then everything
would be okay and it wouldn't matter how others acted?!" And then He said,
"Sister Lewis, (He called me Sister Lewis!) that's what I'm doing! I'm
working on making you perfect." Or something like that. But it was a
thought in my head and it came suddenly and in the middle of my complaining and
it did not come from me. He spoke to me. And that is not the only time in my
life this has happened. I think it actually happens quite frequently, but it is
not always so clear to me that He has spoken as it was last night. He does speak
to me, and He will speak to you too. He would probably speak to me a whole lot
more if I was better at communicating with him. I'm working on it. And then
Courtney sent me this today at the end of her email: "I have a testimony
though that God knows what he is going and allows us to go through the prefect
trials that will help us develop that which is required to live with him in the celestial
kingdom." Same principle that I learned again last night. Obviously
Heavenly Father has to keep working on me because I'm 1,000 miles away from
being perfect (actually that was a gross underestimation), but He is working on
it. And that's why things are sometimes hard. And I know that I am here, now, because that is what I need in order to make progress. I, like Court,
have a testimony that God allows us (I like that she used the word allows) to
experience the trials that will help us to move toward being more like Him. After all,
isn't that why we're here on earth?
I have a talk in church next Sunday. Please
pray for me. Good thing it only has to be 5 minutes.
Love you family. Keep being the best.
No comments:
Post a Comment