Groetjes van België! (Greetings from Belgium)
Yesterday we had a huge miracle: this guy we met on Saturday actually came to church! We just met him while walking in a park, and he said that he would come to church the next day and we agreed to meet him at the station. We called him Sunday morning and he asked what time again and then said that he would be there, but he lives in a town that is an hour bus ride away, and we weren't sure if he was just saying that he'd be there. But we went, and there he was, waiting! He said that since we met him he had been thinking about it and wanted to know what the church was all about. So he went to all three hours of church and got a French Book of Mormon (he speaks several languages reasonably well). And we set up an appointment with him. Also this week we had a super good lesson with another man who is agnostic but open, and told him that all his questions would be answered if he read and prayed about the Book of Mormon. After all, that is true.
Everything we do is centered in faith in and hope in Jesus Christ and His Atonement: "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus..." (Hebrews 6:10-12,19-20).
That is one of the reasons I love the Book of Mormon so much--because everything it is is also centered on Jesus Christ and His Atonement, and how through Him we can return to our Heavenly Father.
The gospel is true! Have a wonderful week!
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
Raining While the Sun is Shinging
I was told that there is a Japanese word that refers to the interesting weather phenomenon when the sun is shining during the rain. Or anders om, I don't really know which is better. We experienced that a lot this week, both literally and figuratively. But I'll talk about that in a minute.
So, I realized that I forgot to mention one of the coolest things that happened not last week, but the week before. There is a member that goes to Sint Niklaas ward but who technically lives in our boundaries (although a bit further away). She is currently a family history missionary, and is really excited about missionary work. She's been just wanting to help the missionaries somehow, and so a few weeks ago she invited us and the Elders over for lunch and then the Elders went finding and we visited a few people that she had been thinking about as she tried to pray for people that could use the gospel. None of the people we visited were home (no appointments), so we just all went tracting together. It was super cool because we ended up with two potentials at the end, and these two women probably wouldn't have accepted the invitation to listen more except she was able to tell them that she was just a normal member of the Church and a nearby neighbor. It was amazing to see her excitement for missionary work and see the miracles that came from that. She attributes a lot of her desire and ability to do missionary work to her thorough study of Preach My Gospel. Elder Ballard's invitation really works!
One of our biggest miracles is an investigator who didn't think that she would be able to meet because of a busy schedule, but Thursday she texted us wanting to meet Friday. We had a really great lesson with her, and at the end she just kept saying that she just loved the feelings that she got from meeting with us and going to church and that she definitely wanted to keep those. Neither she nor we wanted to leave that appointment. We just love her! The best part is that this was one of the many days this week where the weather would go from cloudy to rainy to sunny to all of the above rather quickly. And we were meeting on a park bench. With umbrellas. We're glad she's a good sport.
Sometimes life is a little like that. Sometimes it seems like all is dark and gloomy. And yet, despite the rain, the clouds break open and the sun comes through, a little like God's personal reminder that yes, He really is there, even though you can't always see it. We might have the occasional (or frequent) disappointment, but that's just a little bit of rain while the sun is shining, because life really is good. Especially on a mission. I couldn't ask for anything better.
I learned a lot about faith this week. I learned that faith is primarily a principle of action, rather than just conviction. Just because we don't firmly believe that something will happen doesn't mean we lack faith, unless we then neglect to act on what little belief we do have. As we act without a knowledge or even a firm conviction that something will occur, we are demonstrating real faith--faith that God will reward our efforts and obedience, even if the immediate results are not what we had hoped for. This is the Lord's work.
By the way, everyone should read "Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence," from Elder Holland
The gospel is true!
I love you all
Monday, August 11, 2014
Blijf Bij Mij, Heer (Abide With Me)
Transfers this week! Always exciting. Sister R is my new companion and she's wonderful. :)
Well, yesterday a member referral and one of our most positive investigators, and also a good friend, dropped us. We met her husband earlier this week and that went well at the time, but apparently afterwards he looked up more things on the internet, got into some anti material, and decided that he didn't want her to have anything to do with the church anymore. She went to church yesterday anyway when he was sleeping, but that didn't go over well. Her choice now is him or the church, and being a foreigner who moved here only about 6 months ago, she doesn't really have any options. But we will all be praying and I'm sure someday his heart will be softened.
On the bright side, this week we had a really good super-member-present lesson with the girl we taught last week. It was really cool to see what a difference feeling the Spirit is making in her life. She had been going through a hard time before she started coming again, but she loves the church now and the feelings she gets from living the gospel, essentially. The gospel changes lives, and it makes all the difference in the world! Most people think that they don't need anything more than what they have. But they have absolutely no idea what they are missing out on.
On Tuesday Elder Enslow gave a really good district meeting about Mormon. It really puts the rest of the Book of Mormon into perspective to look at Mormon's life. Towards the end of his life, he had lost everything. During most of his life all of the wars and wickedness occurring gave little reason to hope for anything. In fact, at one point he said that he had no hope for his people. And yet he kept going. He kept fighting. He kept loving the people. And in the meantime, he compiled and abridged the Book of Mormon, plus contributed some of the most powerful doctrinal discourses in the book. He knew that the people wouldn't repent. But he still never gave up. Why? Because he had a deep and abiding hope in Jesus Christ, His Atonement, and His Resurrection. Mormon didn't have any converts. He read and wrote about the great prophet-missionaries like Ammon, Alma, and Nephi and Lehi, who converted entire nations--but never saw physically the fruits of his labors. And yet, without Mormon, the world would not be the same. I would not be here, doing what I love most, without him. What he did and contributed changed my life and those of countless people through all eternity. That is a greater perspective. I do not have all of the answers to why certain things happen in life. But I do know that my testimony of Jesus Christ makes everything else not only bearable, but worth it.
Well, yesterday a member referral and one of our most positive investigators, and also a good friend, dropped us. We met her husband earlier this week and that went well at the time, but apparently afterwards he looked up more things on the internet, got into some anti material, and decided that he didn't want her to have anything to do with the church anymore. She went to church yesterday anyway when he was sleeping, but that didn't go over well. Her choice now is him or the church, and being a foreigner who moved here only about 6 months ago, she doesn't really have any options. But we will all be praying and I'm sure someday his heart will be softened.
On the bright side, this week we had a really good super-member-present lesson with the girl we taught last week. It was really cool to see what a difference feeling the Spirit is making in her life. She had been going through a hard time before she started coming again, but she loves the church now and the feelings she gets from living the gospel, essentially. The gospel changes lives, and it makes all the difference in the world! Most people think that they don't need anything more than what they have. But they have absolutely no idea what they are missing out on.
On Tuesday Elder Enslow gave a really good district meeting about Mormon. It really puts the rest of the Book of Mormon into perspective to look at Mormon's life. Towards the end of his life, he had lost everything. During most of his life all of the wars and wickedness occurring gave little reason to hope for anything. In fact, at one point he said that he had no hope for his people. And yet he kept going. He kept fighting. He kept loving the people. And in the meantime, he compiled and abridged the Book of Mormon, plus contributed some of the most powerful doctrinal discourses in the book. He knew that the people wouldn't repent. But he still never gave up. Why? Because he had a deep and abiding hope in Jesus Christ, His Atonement, and His Resurrection. Mormon didn't have any converts. He read and wrote about the great prophet-missionaries like Ammon, Alma, and Nephi and Lehi, who converted entire nations--but never saw physically the fruits of his labors. And yet, without Mormon, the world would not be the same. I would not be here, doing what I love most, without him. What he did and contributed changed my life and those of countless people through all eternity. That is a greater perspective. I do not have all of the answers to why certain things happen in life. But I do know that my testimony of Jesus Christ makes everything else not only bearable, but worth it.
Have a great week!
Monday, August 4, 2014
Finding Joy in the Journey
Well well, transfers are here again. I'm staying and Sister Riley is coming to join me. Sister Hudson, my companion, will be going to Maastricht, which is next to Heerlen.
We've had a good week of finding this week! We've actually met some pretty nice people and I'm sure things will pick up again soon. Things also just feel a little slow right now because we are without bikes right now since Sister Hudson's got stolen. I don't know how other missionaries ever made it on only public transportation here in the past. I'm missing my bike a lot after one week. But we are still making sure to talk to people on public transportation, and we've given out several cards that way at least.
One of our biggest miracles this week was a student who investigated the church about a year ago, but then got busy and stopped. About a month ago she just showed up at church again, but didn't seem to want to make an appointment. Then last week she just came again and we started teaching her again on Tuesday. She really has a sincere desire to know if the Church is true, and she's even felt the Spirit strongly during church, which is why she keeps coming. We had a really good lesson and she's decided to investigate again.
I learned a lot this week about gratitude. When things are not going the way we want them to, it is very easy to get discouraged and disappointed. One of my favorite talks this week was President Uchtdorf's talk from last conference, "Grateful in Any Circumstances." When we live with faith, hope, and confidence that no matter what, if we do our part, things will turn out the Lord's way (which is the best way), we can live with a deep and enduring joy.
A part of this talk:
"This type of gratitude transcends whatever is happening around us. It surpasses disappointment, discouragement, and despair. It blooms just as beautifully in the icy landscape of winter as it does in the pleasant warmth of summer.
When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise. In pain, we can glory in Christ’s Atonement. In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven’s embrace.
We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?
Being grateful in our circumstances is an act of faith in God. It requires that we trust God and hope for things we may not see but which are true. By being grateful, we follow the example of our beloved Savior, who said, “Not my will, but thine, be done.”
True gratitude is an expression of hope and testimony. It comes from acknowledging that we do not always understand the trials of life but trusting that one day we will."
I'm grateful that I get to be here in Gent and I love you all!
Love,
Zuster Stevens
We've had a good week of finding this week! We've actually met some pretty nice people and I'm sure things will pick up again soon. Things also just feel a little slow right now because we are without bikes right now since Sister Hudson's got stolen. I don't know how other missionaries ever made it on only public transportation here in the past. I'm missing my bike a lot after one week. But we are still making sure to talk to people on public transportation, and we've given out several cards that way at least.
One of our biggest miracles this week was a student who investigated the church about a year ago, but then got busy and stopped. About a month ago she just showed up at church again, but didn't seem to want to make an appointment. Then last week she just came again and we started teaching her again on Tuesday. She really has a sincere desire to know if the Church is true, and she's even felt the Spirit strongly during church, which is why she keeps coming. We had a really good lesson and she's decided to investigate again.
I learned a lot this week about gratitude. When things are not going the way we want them to, it is very easy to get discouraged and disappointed. One of my favorite talks this week was President Uchtdorf's talk from last conference, "Grateful in Any Circumstances." When we live with faith, hope, and confidence that no matter what, if we do our part, things will turn out the Lord's way (which is the best way), we can live with a deep and enduring joy.
A part of this talk:
"This type of gratitude transcends whatever is happening around us. It surpasses disappointment, discouragement, and despair. It blooms just as beautifully in the icy landscape of winter as it does in the pleasant warmth of summer.
When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise. In pain, we can glory in Christ’s Atonement. In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven’s embrace.
We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?
Being grateful in our circumstances is an act of faith in God. It requires that we trust God and hope for things we may not see but which are true. By being grateful, we follow the example of our beloved Savior, who said, “Not my will, but thine, be done.”
True gratitude is an expression of hope and testimony. It comes from acknowledging that we do not always understand the trials of life but trusting that one day we will."
I'm grateful that I get to be here in Gent and I love you all!
Love,
Zuster Stevens
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