'A week of miracles'
First and foremost, M. & A.
Well.
We met with them last Monday for a formal lesson. The Relief Society
president came with us and we had a really good lesson. Like. Real good.
We talked a lot about faith (it's a common theme...) and how we receive
answers to prayers. And how we know when something is right. I shared
some experiences from making that final decision to come on a mission
that I never expected to share with investigators. But it reminded me of
how much Heavenly Father loves us. He wants us to do what we want to do. And He wants us to want what's best for us.
M. made the comment that he likes to simplify things. That it all rests on
Joseph Smith. For if Joseph Smith really restored the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, then everything else is true. He asked us, "what if it's not?"
And I was like, "Well. Can I be bold?" And he was like, "Nothing has
stopped you from being bold in the past!" And I was like, "Okay! Well.
If you decide to get baptized and then decide that none of it is true...
then it's no big deal because the baptism isn't valid, right? but if it is true, and I know it is,
there are so many blessing, like the gift of the Holy Ghost that are
just around the corner!" And M. was like, "That's even something that
we've talked about before!" When it comes to the Gospel, they just get
it.
On Tuesday we had our Ward Family Historian
come with us to show A. how to set up a FamilySearch account. Her husband, M.,
already has one. His grandfather was very active before he passed away
and he's got a ton of family history done. She was clicking back through his family history and
he's got some lines that go back to the 1200s! Anyway. Before we got
started, M. asked a question about job opportunities. He interviewed
for a job that may need him to work on Sundays. He asked if that would
prevent him from being able to get baptized. We told him mostly likely
not, but to talk to the Lord about it and to go from there. A. piped
up and said, "Well. If he does get that job, will working occasional
Sundays prevent him from getting a temple recommend?" And I wanted to be
like, A. Honey. I think getting baptized is a bigger hurtle than
the temple recommend right now, haha. But I didn't. :) It brings us comfort to know that
they recognize their real goal is to be sealed in the temple.
On
Friday we had another lesson with them. That morning we thought and
studied and prayed and nothing was coming to us. They're done with all
of the lessons, so we've just been going by the Spirit for the last
month. The only thing we really felt strongly about was to invite them
to be baptized on Dec 2nd. Sis Adorable felt really strongly that we
needed to talk about prayer, too. On top of all of that, I wasn't going
to be there. We would be on an exchange with another sister missionary and I was the one leaving for
the night. Since I wasn't there for the lesson, here's Sis Adorable's
account:
Sister
Jacobs and I prayed
and prayed but didn't feel like we were receiving direction. We were
somewhat
frustrated, but in the end we chose prayer to be the topic and then we
went on
exchange. I was particularly stressed out because Sister Jacobs
typically leads
lessons, but because of the exchange, that duty would fall to me. I
normally
wouldn't have a problem with that, but we had no lesson plan and I would
be
teaching with a sister I barely knew. Right before the lesson, Sister
Alvey
(the sister who came with me) and I plead that the Lord would lead us.
M. and A. requested for this lesson to be in the home of some members
who have
fellowshipped them.
When we got to the lesson, Sister Alvey could sense my
nervousness so she began by asking M & A about their spiritual
journey. That was really great and I found out a lot of new information. At one
point they mentioned something and it made me think of something I had written
in my journal a few days before. I had felt prompted to bring my journal, which
made absolutely no sense considering I don't share my journal with anyone.
However, I brought it into the lesson anyway and shared an entry. Here is a
quick summary:
"Sister Jacobs and I had an interesting experience this
week. Something had really upset me and I turned to her for words of wisdom.
However, rather than saying just the right thing like she normally does, she
left me to ponder. I felt hurt and abandoned. I went to the kitchen table and said a
heartfelt prayer. I read The Book of Mormon for a few minutes afterward and
felt much better. It was then that a certain truth became very personal to me.
So often we turn to others to give us the solace we need. We wait for certain
circumstances to change or events to occur until we allow ourselves to feel
peace. However, our Father in Heaven and Savior Jesus Christ are the only
source of LASTING solace and peace. Every sorrow and every heartache, Christ
felt first. He is reaching out to us but we must reach out to him in order to
partake of the Balm of Gilead he wants to soothe our souls with."
Upon sharing this with M & A, we had a really good conversation
about prayer, but I did not feel the excitement that I normally feel when we
teach them. I wanted to invite them to be baptized, but I felt it was not
right. I thought to myself, why would I feel so strongly that I needed to
invite them to be baptized and then be told the time was not right. I was,
quite frankly, really disappointed and felt misled. At that point, I ended the
lesson, since it was time for us to go home, and was just about to ask Brother
T. to say the closing prayer when.....M asked if he could share
something with us before we closed.
M: "We've been
thinking a lot and quite honestly the only thing holding us back from being
baptized is my job situation."
A: "Sister Adorable
you've told us that God will speak to us in a way that we will understand. If
M. gets a job, that will be him showing me that this is the right
path."
M: "What are your
thoughts?"
*silence* *heartpounding*
Sister Adorable: "Well Sister Jacobs and I have actually discussed this is
great length and we feel that you will not get a job until you get
baptized"
*more silence*Sister Adorable thinks to herself ,''oh no.
What have I done?!"
Sister Alvey:
"M, if you were Satan and you knew that the only thing holding you back
from being baptized was getting a job, what would you do?"
M: "I would do
everything in my power to make sure I didn't get a job"
The atmosphere in the room immediately changes and the members,
missionaries and M and A have a long discussion about how the Lord has
blessed us when we were not financially stable.
Sister Adorable: "As we were preparing for this lesson, there were two
things that came to mind. The first was prayer. The second was that both of you
need to be baptized on December 2nd"
M and A both perk up on the sofa as they hear that
date.
Sister Alvey:
"A, why did you perk up when you heard that date?"
A: "Don't read too
much into it."
*M's' phone rings*
M: "It's the Bishop! Do you mind if I take this call?"
He leaves in the middle of the lesson.
A: "What
made yall say December 2nd?"
Sister Adorable: "I don't know. That is just the day we felt was right"
A: "Because
we have been talking about getting baptized. We know the job thing is
an issue, but we've thinking about just doing it next week. As we talked about
it though, November just didn't feel right. So we thought maybe the first week
of December would be good"
He walks back in and sits back down on the sofa.
M: "Wait you
told them about that? Well I might as well tell them about the other thing.
Well the other day I was looking for subbing jobs and there was one available
on December 2nd. I felt like I shouldn't take it though"
Sister Adorable: Well that sounds like an answer to me. So will yall do it?
Will you be baptized on December 2nd?
*silence*
Sister T: Oh come on! What else do you need? We're all betting money
that yall will get baptized!
M: We just don't
know!
Sisters Alvey and Adorable: Yes you do!
M: Well I'm all in,
but I don't want A to get baptized for me.
A: Well,
we're cautious people and I don't know.
M: How about we
pray about it and get back to you?
I love Sis Adorable. She's a good story-teller :)
So
pretty much our ward mission leader offered M part time job stuff
until he finds a legit job. They both came to church and met with Bishop
during the 2nd and 3rd hour of our Sunday meetings. Hopefully that went well. We'll talk
to them in more depth about it on Tuesday. *crosses fingers.*
And now for some miracles.
Sooo
Monday morning I woke up real sick. Our Pday consisted of sleeping.
emailing. sleeping. and M & A's lesson. As we got up to out
the door for the lesson, Sis Adorable wasn't so sure about it. I had a fever.
We were still sitting in the car waiting for our team-up, so I said a
quick prayer. I was expecting a miracle. I have been called as a
missionary to do His work. And if that means that I would feel worse
after the lesson so I could have strength and energy while we were
there, so be it. I expressed these thoughts with Father in Heaven and
asked for strength. After the prayer my voice lost its scratch, my
chills disappeared and the only evidence of my sickness was a sniffle
here or there. Much like I expected, the chills and fever resumed once
we got back in the warmth of our car.
Tuesday morning I asked
Elder Fowers (one of the Elders that came out with me and Sis Adorable) for a
blessing. He blessed me that I wouldn't miss a day of work and that Sister Adorable
and I would be able to bring people to the waters of baptism and back
into activity. What a powerful blessing. That is all that I needed.
Tuesday was the coldest day thus far this year and we were able to do so
much! I was so grateful-- I am so grateful for the power of the
priesthood and the blessing it is to be surrounded by so many spiritual
giants who either hold the priesthood, or perform a priesthood function
of sharing the Gospel.
Wednesday we took it easy. Mistake. We
did good work, but we did a lot of the less strenuous parts of
missionary work. By Wednesday night, I was feeling yucky again. And then
I had this epiphany. Heavenly Father was going to bless me as well as I
would work. I didn't work as hard on Wed, so I wasn't healed as much.
Well. I fixed that right quick! And Heavenly Father sure has blessed me
:) I'm feeling a lot better.
On Thursday we had
the parable of the Red Velvet Cake. This story starts a LOOONG time ago
when Sister Jacobs was a 'baby' missionary (at the beginning of her mission). My trainer and I were going
through a list of less actives to visit and we miraculously got in a
gated community to visit one of them. At the end of the lesson, the less
active gave us each a freshly baked cookie and wished us well. As we
walked out to our car, Sister Loader smirked and said, "Guess what. This
morning I prayed for a cookie." I looked at her, "You what?" "I prayed
for a cookie. I am Heavenly Father's daughter. He loves me. Why wouldn't
He bless His daughter who is doing His work with a cookie? So I prayed
for one." We laughed and I've yet to forget that experience. I know that
He loves us. Well. I told this story to Sister Adorable and then thought nothing
else of it. We were at dinner on Thursday and one of their daughters
walks into the dining room with a red velvet cake. Sister Adorable goes,
"Is that seriously a red velvet cake?!" And she almost started to cry.
You see, she had prayed that morning for a red velvet cake. Heavenly
Father is in the details of our lives. He really is.
This is insanely long...
Have a happy Thanksgiving and remember that Heavenly Father loves you!! :)
~Sis Jacobs.