This week has been... crazy. That is the only word that can describe it. I have never had a week that produced such a variety of emotions! It was full of miracles and tragedies. Can those two things go together? I guess so.
So we will start with the miracles:
Miracle 1: we didn't get locked out of the church! I have a history of forgetting the keys INSIDE the church building, you know, the keys to our house, car, and church. "perhaps [her] head wasn't screwed on just right..." probably. BUT this week we were about to walk out the door (about ten minutes before curfew) and then the thought came "turn around". And i did, and there on the table were the keys I was about to forget!
Miracle 2: We taught 25 lessons this week!! 16 of them were to investigators. That is the most I have ever gotten my entire mission!
Miracle 3: We didn't die on the bikes. Week two of pure bikes was exhausting, especially with how many lessons we were teaching. We had to bike SO FAST! I have never smelled so unpleasant in my life! Its been pretty hot here too- in the 90s. But we ain't seen nothin yet! Summer is still on it's way. And from the sound of it, this whole biking thing might become a lot more permanent. But Heavenly Father has mercifully held the thunderstorms until we were safely in a lesson or a members car.
Miracle 4: Coasting a car... uphill? Yupp! We were with some members, they had just taken us to one of our appointments and on the way back to the church where our bikes were, their car just died! Everything- it just all shut off. And somehow the member was able to coast the car uphill and safely into a parking lot. There were no cars around us! And we weren't quite on the busy highway yet, although we were close. Additional miracle: right when we pulled in and we were trying to figure out who we needed to call, the branch president, whose branch also meets in our building, called us! And we were able to tell him what happened and he came to our rescue!
Miracle 5: We didn't starve! Having so many appointments, and having to bike to every one of them left us with little or no time to eat. BUT every day we managed to get something. Whether one of our appointments offered us food, or something fell through allowing us time to stop somewhere to eat. We were always well fed and watered!
Miracle 6: The nine year old that is set to be baptized on April 18th made it to church! Her baptism hinged on whether or not she was able to come this week.
There were so many more miracles, and even more tender mercies! It has been a truly incredible week!
Now for the tragedy:( Remember the 93 year old that was supposed to be baptized? The day he was supposed to be baptized he was admitted into the hospital. He is going downhill, very very quickly. They are basically just trying to make him comfortable until he passes. But even wrapped up in that tragedy there are some miracles. His daughter was able to make it down from Indiana. And he isn't in any pain. It's sad because we love him so much, he's like a grandfather figure to us. But we know that his wife is waiting for him. And he has found peace in the Gospel. Even though he wasn't able to be baptized.
So in district meeting this week, we learned something really cool. It comes from Matt 4: 18-19.
Now these are pretty familiar scriptures, especially when talking about missionary work.
18. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
So what do we learn about Peter and Andrew? They are fishers. Its their lifestyle, its something they are good at, something they probably enjoy. Its part of who they are! You could possibly say fishing is their passion. They love it!
So...
19. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
So he asks them to leave everything behind right? Leave your lifestyle, your passion, your talent. Leave it behind and follow me! Right?
WRONG! He says, "follow me and i will make you fishers of men."
He says follow me; bring your passion and your talents, bring what you love and apply it to MY passion, MY work, what I love.
He needed them for who they were. Because of the skills, knowledge, passion, talents that they had. He needed those for His work.
Christ needs each of us for His work. He needs our specific abilities and talents and passions. He doesn't ask us to give up who we are in order to follow Him, in order to serve Him. He says bring those things and apply them to my work! Sometimes, as missionaries, we feel like we can't be ourselves. We become robotic. We feel like the things we used to love, the talents we used to have are things of the past and all we can be now is a missionary. But God called us to this place and this time because of who we are.
You, too, are where you are because of who you are. YOU, as yourself, can do an incredible work for our Father in Heaven where you are because of who you are.
In district meeting we all went around and shared our passion, then applied it to missionary work.
Someone mentioned how he had been a Student Body Officer in high school and he loves rallying groups of people together and getting them excited! Imagine the miracles this elder can do as he rallies the ward members together and gets them excited about missionary work.
Another elder loves basketball. He loves working as a team to make things happen. As members and missionaries we are on Christ's team to move the work forward.
One of the sisters loves shooting guns. She did it all the time! She learned that if you aim small, you miss small. She is focused on her work, she is focused on the most important things so that she can accomplish her goal!
My passion is children, families and motherhood. I shared how in an interview for Sterling Scholar in Family and Consumer Science classes (the mommy classes ;p) I was told that she could tell that I was going to be a great advocate for motherhood throughout my life, and that this world needed that. Families are central to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and God's Plan for us. As a missionary, I have the opportunity to advocate for families and righteous motherhood and fatherhood, and show families the peace and joy that comes from living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
God has given us our talents and our passions so that we can use them in His work. What are you passionate about? How does that passion help you as you serve God?
I know that Heavenly Father loves us, and He wants us to be happy. And I know that families are eternal. We are eternal and divine beings, with an incredible potential. There is so much good to be done in this world, and we are more than capable of doing it if we just "put our shoulder to the wheel" and rely on God.
I love you all so much! Have an incredible week!
Love always, Sister Rowland
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