Dear Family,
I am really not quite as freaked out as that subject line might
suggest, but still, I am rather excited. I think Dad put it best when
he said they haven't worried about me too much because I have been in a
controlled environment, well that is about to change...I'm actually
excited about the rice, too much sitting the last two months, and I'm
excited to meet the people even if they will laugh at my accent or lack
there of of tones, but the Lord can make up for so many deficienies as
long as we do our best. These are His children I will be teaching and
he most definitely wants what is best for them, as long as I am trying I
know the Lord will help me meet the needs of His children. I am a bit
nervous to prepare to enter Cambodia for this last week, we have a new
Vietnamese teacher. We met him for the first time yesterday. It was so
strange having someone speak to me in Vietnamese, in the evening. He
seemed a bit abrupt, but most likely he was as nervous to meet us as we
were to meet him. I'm curious to see how my last five class days will
play out, and hope the Lord will prepare me for what is coming.
I share two things that have strengthened my faith in this
knowledge. First, after teaching our investigator Chi Thuy (who at long
last has committed to a confirmed baptismal date, that was an amazing
lesson) we headed outside to feel the rain and the sunshine. As we were
standing outside two elders who are learning German came up to us and
asked if they could share their testimonies. It was amazing to feel the
Spirit when I could only recognize half of the words. What struck me
even more was when the elders asked our trio to share our testimony. We
might not be able to street contact a single Viet our first day in
Cambodia, but each of us can share a testimony from the heart. I was
shocked to realize I could understand every word my companions were
sharing (considering we have all focused on different vocabulary, we
really haven't been able to follow every word before). I bore testimony
that I know God is our loving Heavenly Father, we are his loved
children, he sent us here to learn and grow. I know he sent his Beloved
Son to atone for us so that we can change, grow, learn and be better
than ourselves. As I bore testimony to two elders who really had no
idea what words I was saying, but could feel the power of the Spirit I
realized that is the message I go to spread throughout the world. Our
Savior enables us to become better than ourselves, to overcome
challenges that alone make us weep. Because of the Atonement of Christ
and the covenants we make we can and will return to live with our
Heavenly Father again, who promises us worlds without end. I'm so very
excited to share that message.
Second powerful moment this week, I was sitting in in-field
orientation ( a week early yes, but Anh Ca Bruggeman leaves tomorrow, so
they moved the rest of our district up a week) and our facilitator
shared something rather powerful. He told of a 92 year old sister who
bore her testimony in Stake conference having just received her
patriarchal blessing a week before. She was a new convert of about a
year and she shared just a brief line from her blessing. It read "dear
sister you would have joined the church sixty years earlier if Elder
White had served a mission". I was blown backward in my seat in that
moment. I admit that there has been times here when I have wondered why
I was sitting at the MTC learning a language I might not ever use again
instead of a myriad of other things I could be doing, like watering
tomato plants. Of course those thoughts were always shoved out of my
mind, but they haunted me as I wondered what my true purpose was and
what Heavenly Father had for me to do. In that moment I understood what
work he has for me to do. He loves that 92 yr old sister so much and
so wanted her to receive the Gospel and have all the blessings the
Gospel affords her, but he still allowed a prospective elder to have his
agency. Yes she still received the Gospel and she still will receive
the blessings, but when she received her blessing I wonder if she
thought about how her life could have been different. The second night
we were here we were asked to share how we managed to get to the MTC,
why did we decide to serve. I thought about the many different reasons I
was sitting there preparing myself to learn Vietnamese, but the one I
shared amounted to "I am here because Heavenly Father asked me to". He
did ask me to and I did say yes. I accepted a call to go to a very
foreign sounding land where I will stick out in every possible way, from
my height to my hiccups, but yet the Lord called me there. Somewhere
in that country perhaps waits a man or woman who will accept the Gospel
because when the Lord called I answered. Now you might wonder what this
information can be used for in your own lives. Well everyday the Lord
calls and asks us to do something, it is different every day and perhaps
it feels insignificant. But I promise you it is not. Heavenly Father
has billions of children on this earth at this time and if he asks you
to do something it is because He specifically needs you. Let him use
you, listen to those promptings and follow them with gratitude. What a
blessing it is to bless those around us and help them see the wonderous
blessings God has for all of his children.
I am so very, very excited to do this work, I don't know why it
is that Heavenly Father called me for such a responsibility, but I know
with His help He will make me equal to the task.
No comments:
Post a Comment