Missing My Missionary

My missionary has been home for almost 3 years now, and I never thought I'd say it, but I really miss having a missionary daughter and the letters they write home. It's hard for me to believe now, but at the time I really did not want her to go on a mission. She had already spent a summer in Peru and I just didn't want her to be gone again, let alone gone for 18 months! She felt like her life was incomplete though, and with encouragement from some very good friends, she headed out to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with whoever would listen. Little did we know how much that mission would enrich and permanently change her life for the better, and mine too! Her letters and insights are treasures to me now, many of them posted on her blog, "A Sorella On a Mission" -> http://katherinebeus.blogspot.com 

Missionaries see many miracles and receive many blessings from dedicating their lives to building God's kingdom on earth. Lucky for me, my niece is serving as a missionary for another few months so I have her letters to lift and inspire me.  She writes of miracles and testifies of truths learned. You will see what I mean about missions making marvelous women when you realize how wise she is for one so young. The Lord surely knows what he's doing. 

I asked her if she would be willing to let me share a story about a miracle she witnessed last month and she agreed. 

Soeur Lonas writes:

     Miracle number one from this week: We found this woman named M___ who was dumpster diving because she just moved from Columbia and she was only able to bring 50 pounds of stuff with her. We helped her bring her treasures back to her apartment and talked to her about our calling and she hugged us a lot and she said we could come back and share a message. But we weren't able to set a specific appointment because she wasn't sure of her son's schedule ... so we went by once later and she wasn't home. 
     Then on Saturday an appointment fell through so we decided to go to M___'s and she was just on her way out of the apartment to go for a walk. We walked with her and she told us that she told her son when she was leaving that she was just going for a walk, but really she was going to talk with God and when she saw us, she knew He had answered her prayer.  
     We made a return appointment for the following day and brought her a Book of Mormon. When we pulled it out she started crying and said that her birthday had just passed and she had prayed and asked God for a book of scripture to help her strengthen her relationship with Christ. She had only been able to bring a section of the New Testament with her from Columbia and she felt like she needed more.  

Another story with a shining jewel of truth in it: 

  C____________ is amazing, she has gone through so much in the last year and it is amazing to see how perfectly it has prepared her to accept the gospel. We weren't worried when she said that she didn't feel prepared to accept a baptismal date yet because she is praying and reading the Book of Mormon every day. And people who sincerely do those things have the desire to make covenants with Heavenly Father. Which is a desire she now recognizes :) We're really excited for her.

Wisdom worth sharing!: 

Pride is choosing not to have all the blessings of the Atonement -- an Atonement which has already been accomplished, and which is infinite. The power and influence of the Atonement in our lives individually is limited only by our own pride.

The power and influence of the Atonement in our lives individually is limited only by our own pride.

Testimony of True Doctrine:

I am so grateful to know that families can be together forever. I KNOW that is true doctrine. I know that as we share true doctrine, the Spirit testifies to the hearts of others' of its truth.

Doing Good

Sister Fisher and Deem

Reading melanoma survivor blogs today... surprisingly few to read... or maybe not surprisingly if you consider the eventual outcome of every stage 4 melanoma patient. So... sometimes I really appreciate having an obvious direct experience to show I still have purpose and I want to share it. 

THREE YEAR melanoma survivor from first diagnosis. Two surgeries and 10 months of immunothrapy later I am a ONE year survivor of stage 4 metastatic melanoma. At this point in time I am relying only my own immune system to find and attack melanoma. I am taking steroids to halt the side effects from the immunotherapy for another three weeks and enjoying feeling pretty good.

Jesus went about doing good. 

(Acts 10:38)

I had been out and about for hours, running through a list of errands with one after another unavoidable delay. I was tired and anxious to get home as I drove down Main Street just before 9 pm one night last week. The sight of two girls striding purposefully down the sidewalk in the growing dusk caught my eyes. I recognized the sister missionaries, still miles from their home and debated for just a second whether to stop and offer them a ride. 

Guilt raced through my heart, "Girl, you pray for opportunities to serve every day, don't you dare miss this one." I turned the car around, leaning my head out the window to see if they wanted a ride home. Sister Friendly called out, "Oh YES! We were JUST praying someone would stop and offer us a ride!"

It felt SO GOOD to know that through those seemingly frustrating delays, Heavenly Father had placed me right where I could help serve his precious missionaries. I was SO GLAD that I stopped to help them and have the opportunity to tell them how miraculous it was that I was led right to them in their moment of need. I was grateful I could bear testimony that Heavenly Father was aware of their needs. It feels GREAT to be the answer to someone's prayers!

I have no idea how long I will feel good when the steroid treatment is over or how long it will be before melanoma spreads again. I just don't know SO MANY THINGS! But I do know that Heavenly Father is aware of all of us and directing our lives in a way that we can learn all we need to learn and become worthy to live with Him forever. I pray that anything I need to endure I will be able to endure with dignity and courage and continue "doing good."

Stake Youth Missionary Weekend

Future Sister Missionaries added a wonderful dimension

FARMINGTON NORTH STAKE MISSIONARY WEEKEND

February 28- March 1, 2014

Purpose: Assist the church's "Hastening” efforts by preparing the youth for missionary service

Friday - Stake Center

5:30 Prayer Meeting for all leaders

6:00 Youth Check In, Name Tags, Available Pen, Note pads

*Note assigned areas for luggage drops off at check in for Friday & Saturday

6:15 Mission Conference – Mission President (Elder Kopischke) (Chapel)

7:15 Visit the World: 9 Rooms assigned for cultural presentations

Taste of the food, Culture, Language, fun experiences……

7:35 Youth rotate to other rooms for second cultural experience

8:00 Sack Lunch -  Dinner Break for overnight kids/excuse Deacons & Beehives to kitchen for ice cream and then return to their homes.

8:15 Move to “Zone Conf” meeting rooms for companionship assignments (4 rooms):

(Elder Kopischke/Stake Pres to make assignments prior)

8:40 “MTC” Study Class: Teaching the Joseph Smith Story, Teaching skill development

MTC room assignments on the youth's badge – Small group training sessions

9:30 Depart to ‘Apartments’ with companions 

(HOST FAMILIES PICK UP THEIR MISSIONARIES)

10:00 Personal Study

10:30 Companion Prayer-Lights out

Saturday - Stake Center

6:30 Arise, Shower, Shave Personal Study

7:30 Arrive at Zone Conference - Greet and Direct to Breakfast

7:30 Breakfast

8:00 Zone Conference Welcome – Mission President (In the Chapel)

8:30 Study Class/Lesson Plan (Preach My Gospel) - MTC room assignments

9:15 Tract-Teach-Testify-Invite Various Rooms/ 

Volunteer "Investigators" - Older missionaries in the Stake

Use all three chapel buildings to accommodate youth "missionaries"

10:00 Stop teaching and shuttle kids back to stake center

10:15 Testimony Meeting (4 rooms – Stake Presidency and Elder Kopischke)

11:30 Closing-Mission President (Chapel)

AMAZING FUTURE MISSIONARIES

Youth were "called" to nine different missions
 and rotated to two different "cultural" experiences presented 
by newly returned missionaries who brought authentic enthusiasm.

             Sack Dinners were distributed to the overnight "Elders and Sisters" before they left for their host family's homes.

Host families brought them back from their "apartments" for an early breakfast

Record amounts of food prepared and served - just a taste of the MTC

Overnight luggage assigned to drop offs

"Investigators" provided tracting experiences

"Can we share a message of hope and happiness with you?"

Handed these schedules out to youth and leaders - quarter cardstock sheets with a map on the back