“Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.” -C.S. Lewis
I have often felt that there are no coincidences; only miracles in disguise. My goal here is to be forced to look for the miracles each day. I know if I have to write them down for all of you, then I'll be more encouraged to notice them in my everyday mission life--therefore, it's a win-win situation. Miracles are great for everyone to hear, don't you think? However, I want to forewarn you that I'm going to include both small and large miracles. Some of these may not seem like miracles to anyone other than myself, but for me, I shall treasure and cherish these special tender mercies. Please enjoy! And I invite all of you to think about what miracle has happened in your life recently. I promise you that the more you look for them, the more you'll recognize them. I hope we can all notice God's hand in our lives more fully, and that we may thank Him for all of our blessings.
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March 23, 2012
Yesterday we saw a miracle. There is a sister that we have been trying to reach out to, but the response has often been negative. Quite frankly, she scared me. Not because she's a scary person, but because I've never seen her smile. I've also never seen her look at me or stay in the same room as me. However, we had an experience that led us to go try her (that's another story). Honestly, it really was frightening. I prayed for courage. We had no idea what we were going to say or do once we got to the door. However, we prayed for guidance and help. It took everything I had to take that long walk to the door. Do you know that old saying, "shaking in your boots"? Well, now I understand that phrase (because yes...I'm still wearing boots). Much to our surprise, she opened the door with a huge smile on her face! She was very friendly and kind! She was giving her son a bath, so it was a bad time, but she told us to come back in an hour or so. During that time, we felt prompted to buy her a cake with a card. All we wanted to do was to help her feel our love, and especially the Savior's love. It's a difficult thing when you hardly know someone, but there's always SOMETHING you can do. We went back an hour later and handed her the cake and card. She was so receiving of us! It was amazing! She even let us give her a hug when we left. I definitely see how the Lord helped to soften her heart AND gave us courage to do something hard. Yes, miracles DO happen!
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MARCH 19, 2011
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MARCH 14, 2011
My companion and I went tracting the other day (going door to door, trying to find people to teach). I prayed really sincerely this time to pay more attention to the spirit and that we could be led to where we need to be. We were driving down a random road (seriously...in the middle of nowhere), and the idea popped into my head, "Stop here!" So, we did! The only person home was a woman who was gardening in her yard. We asked her if she needed any help and she replied, "No, I've got it." She was a bit standoffish at first. However, we continued to talk with her. After a few minutes she said to me, "I think we have met before". I was thrown off guard. Honestly, I couldn't even see her face due to the sun being in my eyes. I had no idea who she was. Luckily, we soon came to realize that she was the sister of one of our investigators. Her sister has told us multiple times that her sister is upset with her for meeting with us because she "doesn't like the Mormons". Even though I knew she doesn't approve of us, I tried to treat her as if she did. For the past hour I had to use the restroom, and we were in the middle of nowhere, so I kinda secretly prayed to find somewhere. Well, I recognized this as my only opportunity,so I asked her if I could use hers. At that moment, her wall came down and she treated us with hospitality. She even offered to make us a snack. It was a miracle! Who knew that having to use someone's restroom, could lead to a great experience. The spirit prompted me to offer to sing her a hymn. Much to our surprise, she accepted! To an outsider, this may seem a small thing. However, to a missionary- it is a miracle to see someone change from hating you, to serving you. I'm so grateful for this experience!
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February 29, 2012
Yesterday we saw a miracle. There is a sister that we have been trying to reach out to, but the response has often been negative. Quite frankly, she scared me. Not because she's a scary person, but because I've never seen her smile. I've also never seen her look at me or stay in the same room as me. However, we had an experience that led us to go try her (that's another story). Honestly, it really was frightening. I prayed for courage. We had no idea what we were going to say or do once we got to the door. However, we prayed for guidance and help. It took everything I had to take that long walk to the door. Do you know that old saying, "shaking in your boots"? Well, now I understand that phrase (because yes...I'm still wearing boots). Much to our surprise, she opened the door with a huge smile on her face! She was very friendly and kind! She was giving her son a bath, so it was a bad time, but she told us to come back in an hour or so. During that time, we felt prompted to buy her a cake with a card. All we wanted to do was to help her feel our love, and especially the Savior's love. It's a difficult thing when you hardly know someone, but there's always SOMETHING you can do. We went back an hour later and handed her the cake and card. She was so receiving of us! It was amazing! She even let us give her a hug when we left. I definitely see how the Lord helped to soften her heart AND gave us courage to do something hard. Yes, miracles DO happen!
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MARCH 19, 2011
Miracle #1: Our dinner appointment canceled for tonight. That's always a bummer because we don't really have food bought to cook ourselves dinner. There's always eating out, but that's expensive. We have had quite a few dinner appointments cancel lately, and it's a bit discouraging. A couple hours after our appointment fell through, we received a call from the dear sister we live with. She asked, "When do you have a free dinner night? I would love to cook for you!" We told her that our appointment fell through. Much to both of our surprise, she said, "Well, it was the strangest thing. I was sitting there minding my own business and I had the impression to call you about dinner. Now I know why!" It was a reminder to me that Heavenly Father is fully aware of all of our needs. It is even important to him that we eat. I was so grateful for this sweet sister who followed the prompting she received from the Holy Ghost.
Miracle #2: We are expected to wash our truck every week. This particular day, my companion and I did not feel the slightest desire to do such a chore. Of course, the little devil in our heads told us, "Oh, don't worry about it. Nobody will know". But on the other hand, I remembered the promise I had made to the mission president and car coordinator to be honest. Most of all, I have promised my Heavenly Father that I would be obedient. With the remembrance of the truth, the thought of "nobody knowing" was exposed as a lie. I knew that God knew. So...the good won out and we decided to be obedient and wash the truck. Let me tell you, faith preceeds the miracle...and may I also say, obedience preceeds the miracle as well. We tried our best to beat the timer and wash the truck with speed. Even after I turned the power wash "off", it continued to charge me. I was very confused, and a bit frustrated. I thought how unfair it was that it was ripping me off. At the same moment, my companion and I noticed someone who looked like a worker. He was standing 6 feet from us, just outside our washing bay. We asked him for help. He explained to us that we needed to push the "Stop" button (and on my defense, it was HARD to see...no blond jokes, please) or else it would continue to charge us. After having been to that very car wash multiple times in the past, I felt kinda silly for not having known that. Also, I felt a bit ripped off, for the money I have wasted. I now understood why my $2 car wash turned out to be $8 in my account ($8 is the maxing amount). After explaining our past experiences of being overcharged, the manager left for a moment. He returned with $8 to cover for the past! It was great! I turned to my companion after that and said, "See...we got $8 because we were obedient". We would have never known, and we saved ourselves from losing future money. I don't think it was a "coincidence" that the manager "just so happened" to be there when we needed him most. See...obedience pays! Not only in money, but also in blessings!
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MARCH 14, 2011
My companion and I went tracting the other day (going door to door, trying to find people to teach). I prayed really sincerely this time to pay more attention to the spirit and that we could be led to where we need to be. We were driving down a random road (seriously...in the middle of nowhere), and the idea popped into my head, "Stop here!" So, we did! The only person home was a woman who was gardening in her yard. We asked her if she needed any help and she replied, "No, I've got it." She was a bit standoffish at first. However, we continued to talk with her. After a few minutes she said to me, "I think we have met before". I was thrown off guard. Honestly, I couldn't even see her face due to the sun being in my eyes. I had no idea who she was. Luckily, we soon came to realize that she was the sister of one of our investigators. Her sister has told us multiple times that her sister is upset with her for meeting with us because she "doesn't like the Mormons". Even though I knew she doesn't approve of us, I tried to treat her as if she did. For the past hour I had to use the restroom, and we were in the middle of nowhere, so I kinda secretly prayed to find somewhere. Well, I recognized this as my only opportunity,so I asked her if I could use hers. At that moment, her wall came down and she treated us with hospitality. She even offered to make us a snack. It was a miracle! Who knew that having to use someone's restroom, could lead to a great experience. The spirit prompted me to offer to sing her a hymn. Much to our surprise, she accepted! To an outsider, this may seem a small thing. However, to a missionary- it is a miracle to see someone change from hating you, to serving you. I'm so grateful for this experience!
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February 29, 2012
Miracle #1: Yesterday we were led to a woman's door who lived in the middle of nowhere. Looking back on it, we really didn't have time to stop by her house, but we did so anyways. What we didn't know until talking with her for a few moments was that we were an answer to her prayers. She is an older woman with many health problems. She told us that she had prayed that morning that she could somehow get the cans she had bought earlier, into her food storage closet. With her wearied body, if she were left alone to the task, it would have taken her all day. However, much to her surprise, her prayers were answered with a knocking on the door. We were able to get the job done in 15 minutes. We loved to help her. Before we left, we sang her a hymn “Be Still My Soul”. She started to cry and thanked us for following the Spirit and coming to her house. To us it was but a small thing, but to her, it was a miracle.
Miracle #2: The woman we live with left her house key in the house and locked herself out. She didn't know where we were for dinner, but she had the thought to call our ward mission leader. She asked him if he knew where we were having dinner. Because our dinner appointment had canceled on us, we "just so happened" to call our ward mission leader last minute to feed us. He answered, "Well, they're right here at my table". She was able to come get a spare key from us. Coincidence? I think not. If our dinner appointment hadn't fallen through, then he would have had no idea where we were located. It's amazing how the Lord orchestrates our lives.
Miracle #2: The woman we live with left her house key in the house and locked herself out. She didn't know where we were for dinner, but she had the thought to call our ward mission leader. She asked him if he knew where we were having dinner. Because our dinner appointment had canceled on us, we "just so happened" to call our ward mission leader last minute to feed us. He answered, "Well, they're right here at my table". She was able to come get a spare key from us. Coincidence? I think not. If our dinner appointment hadn't fallen through, then he would have had no idea where we were located. It's amazing how the Lord orchestrates our lives.
