July 8, 2013
Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!
Do you ever ask yourself those
personal self check questions like, "What more could I be doing?" or
"How could I be better?" and so on? Well, I do and if you're like me
it can often actually do the reverse...it can bring you
unnecessary discouragement. You know? When no effort -even at it's
greatest degree- feels sufficient. This week I've learned the importance and
blessing it is to never actually be satisfied. It's because of my constant
hunger for improvement and God fills in the rest, lifts me higher than I could
have ever on my own.
My inspiring zone leader pointed out
in Jacob 1, where they found success because of their "faith and great
anxiety." I was relieved when I could find complete solace yet again in
the Book of Mormon. It can be a really, really good thing to be greatly anxious
in a good cause! Eternal matters take time. We give all we can give and our
Savior will never forsake us, ever!
Yesterday at church will go down in
my brain and my heart as one of my most glorious Sabbath days. Literally a
serious of miraculous events
::Sister Rader is a (completely)
less active lady whom I've been visiting since I got here in February. She has
been out of town for the last month but at transfer time 5 weeks ago she called
me and told me that she prayed and told God that if I stay in Lost Mountain,
she would come to church with me the Sunday she gets home from her trip. This
Sunday was that Sunday. Watching her partake of the sacred sacrament filled my
soul with as much joy as did witnessing our recent converts enter the waters of
baptism. She loved church and said she is coming next week, and every week!
Hurrah!
::Then I look over and there sits the
Pestana family surrounded by a ward family who love them. Their smiles were the
evidence of their conversion. Sara even got a calling this week and when her
husband raised his arm to the square to sustain her, it was just ah! beautiful!
God is so good! The gospel blesses families. period!
::And then, it being fast and
testimony meeting, my sweet (newly baptized) Tribecca (she's 10) walked up and
bore the most tender testimony. With tears in the bishop's eyes, he looked at
my teary eyes and it was a moment of pure peace and spiritual
confirmation of the reality of the glorious gospel. It changes lives. It brings
families together forever. It's for everyone.
::Sunday school came and we had a
lesson with our investigator from communist China! The other classes go over
his head so we have a lesson with just him. Teaching someone who God and Jesus
Christ are is very new to him. We had to whip out google translate and
as we typed the lessons, I was blown away by the spirit there as we did so. I
even invited him to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized over
google translate and he accepted! He gave the closing prayer in broken English
and after he said "amen" with tears in his eyes and sighed and said
it was the first time in his entire life he ever prayed to God. God is good.
::We met this lady tracting and when
she opened the door, she said, "You're representatives of Jesus Christ? Oh
good, I need you right now. Please come in and help me get closer to
God." She defines "golden" Anyways, so she wasn't sure if her
schedule would permit her to come to church. We walk out of our meeting with
Chin Po (Chinese dude) and there she is! In a skirt! Talking with the Bishop!
She cried all of Relief Society and is overjoyed to learn more and to bring her
family along too!
I left the church feeling overwhelmed
with excitement, yet a little run down because (of course, silly me) I wanted
to give more attention, more love to those special souls who were at
church. And then as I drove home, I realized that after we give our all, God
will always deliver!
Psalms 139:23 says, "Search me,
O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts." When we can
confidently say this to God, I promise you, the windows of heaven will be open
and blessings will flood into your life that is unimaginable!
Bring it on, week 5!
His truth is marching on!
xoxo,
Sister Avery Miyahara
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