This
week went pretty well. The things with the other Sisters are A LOT
better. Thank you for your prayers I know that they helped. They were
very much felt this week. These weeks seem to be passing faster and
faster. Our Mission President was in the District Conference in Vallenar
this week and he had all of his missionaries stand up in the Adult
Session in the afternoon (it was more of a conversation than a formal
meeting) and he announced the we were all his best missionaries and he
sent us here for a reason. And that we are there to serve with all we
can. And then he announced to everyone that I only had 2 weeks left,
then turned to me shrugged, looked at the audience again and said, ¨She
has a cruel Mission President¨ then he chuckled to himself. It was
funny.
But this week was a good one filled with
many miracles. And with many eye openers for me. I have seen a lot of
things in my mission that have really opened my mind and my eyes to the
living situations of people and cultures. But this week I had two new
ones. Two that break my heart and I feel like I need to share them.
There
is a family of investigators here that are progressing very well. We
may even be helping them to set a baptismal date this week (faith!). But
while we were teaching them, just the Mom and the Daughter, and
finishing up the lesson. In stumbled Dad....... Completely drunk. He was
still on his feet and coherent. But you could tell that he really wasn't
all there..... He began apologizing to us saying it is just who he is
and making jokes. And the Mom and Daughter, you could tell that they
were just so sad and so embarrassed...... When everything settled down
and we finished the lesson they invited us to have a little meal with
them. So we did. And while we were sitting there, the father had his
little grandson (who is 4 years old) bring him a cold beer. The little
boy dutifully went and got it, and before giving it to him looked at his
grandpa in the eyes and said, ¨The only one okay Grandpa? Just one.¨
And the Grandpa agreed and went on to drink the can. We conversed more
(or he was talking and we were responding but the responses weren't
really getting to him, you could tell....) And then he ran out of
beer.... And he asked his little grandson again to bring him a beer. The
little boy said no. He repeated the request and the little boy covered
his ears with his hands so he couldn't hear his Grandpa.
I
share this experience because I know my family isn't perfect. But I am
so incredibly grateful that my Grandparents, and my Dad, are active
members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am
grateful that I never had this experience. I have such a testimony of
the Word of Wisdom, and of a happy family. I could never imagine not
being a member of the Church. My companion and I were talking the other
day about members who go inactive in the church for whatever reason. And
she said, ¨Well we can say things now, but we never know what is going
to happen to us in the future to make us go inactive.¨ And I thought
about that.... And NO. JUST NO. My Mother always taught me that we make
the decision RIGHT NOW about whether or not we are going to be faithful.
Or aren't we. I make the promise and the covenant looking forward to a
future. Not until the day that I get tired of something or when someone
offends me. My Mom always said, ¨Make the decision right now not to
break the Law of Chastity, or try drugs, and when the situation or if
the situation arises, you already KNOW YOUR ANSWER.¨ It is the same with
the church. You were baptized.
You aren't going inactive in the church.
You are going inactive on Christ.
You are falling into your own form of apostasy. And who knows how many people are going to be affected by your bad decisions.
Sorry
for the rant. I just love this gospel, and I know it is true and how it
blesses people. And I feel so so so so sad. That people see membership
in the Lords church as something as an option. It is not an option. It
is salvation.
The other experience was with a
single sister with no family. She is 64 years old and her children have
given up on her as a useless old lady. She built her own house out of
cast off wood on the side of a hill. She doesn't have running water or a
bathroom. No job. Nothing. Literally, this poor woman doesn't have
anything. She has gifts of dishes and a table a little refrigerator,
etc. But it is empty. She has no food. Nothing. She had to beg food from
a friend to feed her little cat that shares the house with her. And you
know what she told us? ¨But I don't worry. God knows me. He knows what I
need. He will help me find some food.¨ That type of faith is an example
to us all. We are doing what we can to help her of course. But she doesn't worry. She is more than happy to wait on the Lord with faith and
patience.
I share these stories, and this
lovely rant. Because I have felt many feelings very strongly in this
last week. This world is so beautiful. We have everything in front of
us, ready for the taking. And when we get to the tree of life.
What do we do?
Do we partake and WALK AWAY?
Or do we eat, and keep eating, inviting our family and friends to partake also?
Or do we reach the tree, look at the fruit and say, its too far, I cant reach it, and walk away.
Or maybe we are among those who partake of the fruit, and then ARE ASHAMED AND FALL AWAY INTO FORBIDDEN PATHS AND ARE LOST.
Make
the decision NOW. Don't say what my companion said. Make the decision
NOW. And pray with all the energy of your hearts that you enter not into
temptation.
I hope that this email makes
sense. It is much longer than I intended. But I feel that the spirit has
sent me a couple of these thoughts. So I hope that they reach the
person that God wanted them to reach. Maybe they were just for me in 30
years. I don't know. But thank you for reading. For loving me and
supporting me in this wonderful time in my life. My Mission. The Mission
of the Lord.
I love you so much. I will talk
to you one more time next week. So until then. I love you all. Think
about which decision you are taking right now. Make it now, not later.
Love,
Hermana Randall
PS. And go watch this.
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