Hope everyone is doing well.
Canada has FINALLY warmed up and Sister Hoffmann and I couldn't be
happier. This week has been jam packed but I'll just share a few of the
highlights.
* Yesterday we went and visited a
86 year old women, who can't get to church anymore, so we have a
priesthood holder come and bring her the sacrament. Her name is Shirley,
and she is the most "with-it" 86 year old I've ever met. Her mind
is still so sharp, and she was, and still is, a professional piano
player. And watching her play the piano is one of my most favorite things.
Anyways, before we gave her the sacrament we had a super deep discussion
about the Plan of Salvation, as she needed some reassurances as she
gets (in her own words) "closer to the other side." And it was a great
experience for us, as missionaries, to confidently answer all the
questions she had about what happens after death. By explaining the
plan, we gave her comfort and peace by helping her understand what
happens to us and to our spirits after we leave this mortal life. After
we taught her, she was very calm, and more than ready to receive the
sacrament. And we watched as a humble priesthood holder, who was maybe
20 years younger than her, kneel and bless the bread and the water for
her to partake. It reminded me of the story Elder Renlund shared in
conference about how individual our relationship is with the Savior,
"A friend of ours in South Africa shared how she came to this
realization. When Diane was a new convert, she attended a branch outside
of Johannesburg. One Sunday,
as she sat in the congregation, the layout of the chapel made it so
that the deacon did not see her as the sacrament was passed. Diane was
disappointed but said nothing. Another member noted the omission and
mentioned it to the branch president after the meeting. As Sunday School began, Diane was invited to an empty classroom.
A priesthood holder came in. He knelt down, blessed some bread, and
handed her a piece. She ate it. He knelt down again and blessed some
water and handed her a small cup. She drank it. Thereafter, Diane had
two thoughts in rapid succession: First, “Oh, he [the priesthood holder]
did this just for me.” And then, “Oh, He [the Savior] did this just for
me.” Diane felt Heavenly Father’s love.
Her realization
that the Savior’s sacrifice was just for her helped her feel close to
Him and fueled an overwhelming desire to keep that feeling in her heart,
not just on Sunday
but every day. She realized that although she sat in a congregation to
partake of the sacrament, the covenants she made anew each Sunday
were individually hers. The sacrament helped—and continues to
help—Diane feel the power of godly love, recognize the Lord’s hand in
her life, and draw closer to the Savior."
The spirit in that room with Shirley was so strong and I felt how much our Savior truly loved this woman.
* Here's miracle. We have this investigator who travels a ton. So
he was out of town and didn't come to church, so we dropped in to see
him after church. Then his girlfriend comes in and we explain what we do
and she mentions that her kids haven't been baptized so we tell her
that's why we're here: to prepare people to be baptized and to help them
learn more about Jesus Christ and God. So she says it's a good idea,
she gives us her phone number and I programmed it into the phone while
Sister Hoffmann wrote it down (last night we realized we had different
numbers). But then we get back to our apartment at 9pm
and Sister Hoffmann texted and said, "Hey Caroline, it's the
missionaries- it was really nice meeting you, hope you have a great
day!" Then we get a call from the number and it sounded like a younger
guy. And he says Caroline is his girlfriend and we were like what the
what?!?!? (because our investigator is older so I'm like oh my gosh what
is happening and I'm trying to contain myself laughing) and anyway too
many details, and not enough time to write but, turns out this guy's
girlfriend is obviously a different Caroline, who lives near us and he
lives near our investigator. And he's 18, and just recently got involved
in religion. And as we're on the phone putting all of this together, we
both come to a conclusion, that this misdial wasn't a coincidence at
all. I told him it was a sign and he was like "yes! This totally is a
sign!" So he agreed to meet with us this next week to talk more about
our message. Sooo people, in conclusion, coincidence is NOT a thing. God
is REAL. And He works in a lot of funny ways.
Here's a family photo of us and Mike <3 <3
*
ALSO, really quick, a BIRD ran into our window this last Thursday, and
we thought it broke it's wing. So of course, we took the poor thing and
started taking care of it, made him a little home in a shoe box, gave
him some crumbs and water, ya know the works. And we planned to take him
to a vet after a meeting with the other missionaries in our district.
But, after I said a prayer, to begin our companionship study, and to
bless that the bird would be able to heal, the bird started FLYING
AROUND OUR HOUSE. And after I managed to catch him, and bring him
outside, he just flew away. Sister Hoffmann and I are convinced it was
the faith that we had in my prayer that healed our little bird friend,
AKA Mike. SO, everyone, FAITH WORKS.
Okay, I have to go now. But I hope everyone has a wonderful week!
Remember that God loves you, and so do I!
Sister Thomas
Close up of our handsome faith-healed bird before he flew away
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