This week I went on an exchange with the Spanish sisters we serve...I love seeing how a white girl can all of a sudden bust out speaking Spanish to someone. The sister I was with is from North Carolina, and so we'll be knocking on someone's door and they say that they don't speak English and she spouts off Spanish and the Hispanic person looks at her like, "Oh my, how on Earth are you doing that?" I watch this exchange transpire and laugh within myself. When the exchange is over and I'm back with my English speaking companion, I find myself using the common Spanish words for the next couple of days. It's fun :)
Diane was baptized this weekend! As you can see from the pictures above, she and Sister Warren are quite a bit taller than me. I'm going to feel so odd coming home and being the tallest girl in the family...wait, how tall is Mandy now? Anyways, let me tell you a little about the baptism. Diane has some pretty serious anxiety and a really bad back, so we had been telling her how the baptism program would go ever since she accepted to be baptized. We had her come early so she could practice the whole bending back and plugging your nose process. With all of this , she was still pretty frantic. She, without us even inviting her to, chose to fast the day of her baptism to give her the extra strength and spiritual in-tune-ness that she wanted. As we stood at the top of the font steps with her right before she went down, she told us that a calmness had come over her and everything was going to be okay. She walked down, the prayer was said, she was smoothly and gently immersed in the water, and came up beaming from ear to ear. She took a giant breath a few moments after she came up. This wasn't a gasping for air kind of breath, but a joyous relief kind of breath. She walked up the steps and we wrapped her up in a warm, white towel. We took a few moments to stand in silence as she soaked in the emotions running through her body and spirit. As we did so, I was taught by in high. I learned, as I looked into Diane's eyes, that ordinances, whether it be baptism, our first ordinance, or sealing, bring to a pinnacle point all the mistakes and sad times of the past and then...burns them to oblivion. Maybe this doesn't make much sense right now, but just think of ordinances you've taken part of and let me expound. In Diane's shoes, she's experienced loss of children, disability, cancer and many other hardships. Now that sigh of relief I mentioned earlier, that was an outward sign of her inward feelings leaving her body and mind. The negativity, confusion, doubt, pain, grief...all gone. When you reach a point where an ordinance is available in your life, and you accept that ordinance into your life, you also accept your past. You accept your past as God's way of preparing you for that ordinance. You accept them as positive, productive, and pertinent. Whether you've had a easy breezy go at life or the hardest bat...it is all for your good. When we finally make this connection, God becomes that much more identifiable. God becomes that much more desirable in our every day life. Sins begin to differentiate themselves from weakness. All of this did not come in about 5 seconds of time as we pondered where we stood, but the initial spark of hearing her sigh and then feeling her happiness got me thinking. I'm glad I've had and am having moments to ponder these important eternal life- changing things.
Another thing I feel prompted to share with you this week is part of a talk our stake president gave. His talk was drawing from three miracles in the New Testament.
1. Water to Wine:
-Christ is asked by his mother to somehow turn the water at the wedding into wine. Christ does not know how he will do it, but accepts the request of his beloved mother.
-He asks all to leave as he performs the miracle. A few minutes later, they are all happily drinking wine. No one, except Christ's mother and the fellow servants knows who did it.
-Christ is asked by his mother to somehow turn the water at the wedding into wine. Christ does not know how he will do it, but accepts the request of his beloved mother.
-He asks all to leave as he performs the miracle. A few minutes later, they are all happily drinking wine. No one, except Christ's mother and the fellow servants knows who did it.
2. Loaves and Fishes:
-Christ is teaching his apostles and other followers for an extended period of time and they all begin to hunger. His apostles ask what they should do because going back to town would take a long time and no one has food besides young lad with only 5 loaves and two fishes.
-Christ asks the young lad for all of the little he did have. Miraculously the meager supplies is enough to feed the 4,000.
-Christ is teaching his apostles and other followers for an extended period of time and they all begin to hunger. His apostles ask what they should do because going back to town would take a long time and no one has food besides young lad with only 5 loaves and two fishes.
-Christ asks the young lad for all of the little he did have. Miraculously the meager supplies is enough to feed the 4,000.
3. Raises Lazarus:
-Christ is asked to come see a dead man of who's family he loves dearly. The dead man's sister does not doubt the ability of Christ to raise him,
-Christ goes to the tomb and tells the family to roll the tomb stone away. Christ proclaims," come forth" to Lazarus. Then he tells the family to take the grave clothes off of him.
As President Long spoke of these three miracles, he drew a pattern. In the first miracle, Christ turning water to wine, no help from those receiving the blessings of the miracle was needed. He did it all himself, but the change was immediate and so distinct. The second miracle, feeding the 4000, Christ took the little that the boy had and he worked with it. He worked with what was available, and it was enough. The third miracle, Lazarus being raised from the dead, involved everyone's participation. Christ never touched Lazarus or even helped him stand. This miracle required much effort on the families part, and just the touch of God's power to come to pass.
-Christ is asked to come see a dead man of who's family he loves dearly. The dead man's sister does not doubt the ability of Christ to raise him,
-Christ goes to the tomb and tells the family to roll the tomb stone away. Christ proclaims," come forth" to Lazarus. Then he tells the family to take the grave clothes off of him.
As President Long spoke of these three miracles, he drew a pattern. In the first miracle, Christ turning water to wine, no help from those receiving the blessings of the miracle was needed. He did it all himself, but the change was immediate and so distinct. The second miracle, feeding the 4000, Christ took the little that the boy had and he worked with it. He worked with what was available, and it was enough. The third miracle, Lazarus being raised from the dead, involved everyone's participation. Christ never touched Lazarus or even helped him stand. This miracle required much effort on the families part, and just the touch of God's power to come to pass.
Miracles in our lives are the same way. Some come instantly and bring a 180 change, some require the little we have to offer, and some require much much much effort on our part. I know that miracles happen as we pray for them, have "felt need", and faith. As I've been studying miracles lately, I've come to recognize the way God works more. I've come to know the Savior better. I've come to know my instrumentality.
There's a lot that happened this week that I don't have time to expound upon, but I can testify from these experiences, that God lives. He is an active part of our lives. He is lovingly guiding our every footstep.
I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!
Love,
Sister Fredrick
No comments:
Post a Comment