Howdy!
So are you all ready to read this email??
Okay, so the miracle is about my dad... :) We skyped him last night and read Mormon 9 with him and in case yall didn't know, it's a sweet chapter. We read through it and discussed the chapter and at the end we asked, "How do you feel about everything?"
(the following is the dialogue of how it went)
He said, "I feel good right now.."
-So do you feel like Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God?
-Yes, I think it's very possible.
-Do you think that the Book of Mormon is true?
-I think that there are certainly truths to it and that the principles are true..But I can't wrap my mind around these Nephites and Lamanites...why is so much of the book about their battles??
-The BOM is a record of a people..These wars actually happened so to not write them would be a disservice to the history of the people. It would not be an accurate history.
(This seemed to click in his head and he understood it)
We continued to say, "Have you ever felt the Spirit before?"
-Yes
-What did it feel like?
-Calm and peaceful
-How are you feeling right now?
-I feel calm and I feel a peace.
-You're feeling the Spirit right now?..(He shook his head in agreement) What exactly does the Spirit do?
-It comforts, guides us through hard times...But I don't have the Holy Ghost right now.
-You can still feel it! Let's turn to Moroni 10:5 to learn more about what the Holy Ghost does..
(He reads it with a grin)
I ask, "What does the Holy Ghost do?"
-Tells us what is true.
-So what is the Holy Ghost doing right now?
-Telling me that this is true.
UM...CAN YOU REPEAT THAT?
"This is true."
I was silent and I felt like someone needed to bring out the paddles and restart my heart. All I could do was smile and he humbly smiled as well..
-(us) As missionaries, our purpose is to help people prepare for baptism...we're not going to be pushy..we're just going to do what we do with everyone else..
We looked at the phone's calender and said, "How does December 20thsound?"
-I don't know. I don't know if I can say yes to that yet..Let's take baby steps here! I wasn't even going to tell you this but today I went to church by myself. Mom wasn't feeling well so I went.
This was another curveball that I was not expecting at all!
We said, "Okay..so what you need to do is pick a date and then ask the Lord if it's right. The Lord expects us to get everything together, be prepared, and then ask if it is right.."
Like the Brother of Jared and how the Lord asked him, "What do you want me to do?"
He understood this principle and agreed to pick a date and then pray if it was right.
I left the lesson on cloud nine to say the least. I've waited my ENTIRE life for him to say those words...that the BOM is true...and it has finally happened.
We've been seeing so many miracles in the ward..Our district, the six missionaries in the ward, have been working so hard on bringing back the lost sheep..for example, our church attendance is usually only 100 but this past sunday it was 130!
We've reactivated a woman, Betty Rios, and she spoke with the obispo about going through the temple. These people just need love! There's a reason why President Monson speaks so much about love...It's pretty important!
We were also able to teach a less active woman the Plan of Salvation..The lesson was so inspired because her mother is super sick and doesn't have much time left. Before her mom got sick, she was very active in the church so teaching her something that she has know for years was a new experience. But she had so many questions and concerns about what happens after this life. She told us that even though she knows the Plan is true, she's still afraid of what happens next..We reassured her that we just have to have faith in the Savior. Oh how I love this calling!
I've had the opportunity to really study the recent general conference talks and wow..I love them! There was a line from President Packer's talk that touched me..It said something along the lines of, "His (the Savior's) servants are no strangers to Him." How true it is. As we lose ourselves in the Lord's work something remarkable happens..We become like Him..Therefore, we know Him. I truly feel like I know the Savior. I know that He lives and I'm so grateful I get to represent Him.
Witnessing miracles on the mission has become one of my favorite things to do..All we have to do is open our eyes and hearts to the Spirit and let the Lord do the work.
Keep calm and hang on to the Rod, our Savior!
Love,
Hermana Emma Seymour
No comments:
Post a Comment