Week 43: Rescue (April 29, 2019)
This week, and the past few, have helped me to realize in a fuller
sense what a member relayed to me in a lesson on the Plan of Salvation:
"We are all in the same boat, on the same river, all trying to navigate to the same destination."
And yet, we all drive different boats. We all captain a little differently. And we all take varying paths down different creeks, some in wilder rapids, and some in too shallow of water. We turn off the innate, undeviating cruise control that would lead us through smooth waters towards our Father in Heaven. Why do we change course? Why do we jump ship into different boats? I would change the quote above to say that we all start in the same boat, but we do not always stay.
The past few weeks have brought some challenges with some of the people we are teaching. Satan took a toll on some hearts of some of the most prepared people I have ever had the privilege of teaching. And it was hard, heartbreaking even. Never have I truly understood how Nephi felt, until now, when he said, "...I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that He will hear my cry." (2 Nephi 33:3)
These souls matter to me. These are people, not numbers. And it has been made ever more clear to me that the best things have the greatest opposition. Satan will do whatever he can to not have people open the gate to the path, that leads to the eventual promise of never-ending happiness. But this week has also made clear the words written by Nephi after verse 3, saying,
"And I know that the Lord God will consecrate my prayers for the gain of my people."
He has set apart my strengths, and my weaknesses, for a holier purpose. I have not cried in vain, and neither have the words of the people I have taught. The Lord knows the struggles of their hearts. And I have trusted in confidence, that in time, all would be well. And let me tell you, that we are moving up stream now.
One evening in a lesson, I felt strongly throughout the entire lesson that we needed to leave. I felt antsy and almost had anxiety about it. So we shared our message and left. We walked down a buys road and around the corner to our car, and right as we got in, a van drove up and honked at us. I rolled down my window, expecting it to be someone whose spot I had parked in. The man said loudly, "Are you the missionaries for the church over there???" With a resound YES from us all, the man began to weep. He said, "Oh, God has answered my prayers. I am lost." And not directionally. We stood on the road and talked to him for about twenty minutes while he sobbed. He had been crying as he drove down the busy road, praying for help, when he somehow recognized us as missionaries, in the dusk, from a busy highway, and sped around the block to just barely catch us.
There is a song we listen to a lot that says, "I will send out an army, to find you, in the middle of the darkest night, its true. I will rescue you." In the past I had viewed this song from the perspective that I was the one He would rescue. But this one event made me realize that I am a part of the army, right now, that God sends. I am here to help rescue people like Dan, who was the man from the story above. People who are lost and hurting. And it was a miracle.
Another "rescue" this week occurred with Dave, one of the people we have on date to be baptized. He had asked us to no longer come by a few weeks ago... We saw him today in a lesson with his wife. He got emotional as we talked about Satan's opposition towards the best things. And he wants to come back. It was one of the most special lessons that I have been privileged to participate in, on my mission. I was also privileged to sing "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" for him and his wife in church yesterday. And He needed that. Did you know that before my mission, I couldn't sing that song? I was a strict alto. The Lord knows what we will need to be able to do, to accomplish His purposes.
Like Nephi, I know that the Lord DID consecrate my prayers for the gain of not only my people, but for me as well.
I was rescued too.
Sister Walstad
Why are there so many pictures of ducks and chickens this week? I don't really know, it just kind of happened that way...
"We are all in the same boat, on the same river, all trying to navigate to the same destination."
And yet, we all drive different boats. We all captain a little differently. And we all take varying paths down different creeks, some in wilder rapids, and some in too shallow of water. We turn off the innate, undeviating cruise control that would lead us through smooth waters towards our Father in Heaven. Why do we change course? Why do we jump ship into different boats? I would change the quote above to say that we all start in the same boat, but we do not always stay.
The past few weeks have brought some challenges with some of the people we are teaching. Satan took a toll on some hearts of some of the most prepared people I have ever had the privilege of teaching. And it was hard, heartbreaking even. Never have I truly understood how Nephi felt, until now, when he said, "...I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that He will hear my cry." (2 Nephi 33:3)
These souls matter to me. These are people, not numbers. And it has been made ever more clear to me that the best things have the greatest opposition. Satan will do whatever he can to not have people open the gate to the path, that leads to the eventual promise of never-ending happiness. But this week has also made clear the words written by Nephi after verse 3, saying,
"And I know that the Lord God will consecrate my prayers for the gain of my people."
He has set apart my strengths, and my weaknesses, for a holier purpose. I have not cried in vain, and neither have the words of the people I have taught. The Lord knows the struggles of their hearts. And I have trusted in confidence, that in time, all would be well. And let me tell you, that we are moving up stream now.
One evening in a lesson, I felt strongly throughout the entire lesson that we needed to leave. I felt antsy and almost had anxiety about it. So we shared our message and left. We walked down a buys road and around the corner to our car, and right as we got in, a van drove up and honked at us. I rolled down my window, expecting it to be someone whose spot I had parked in. The man said loudly, "Are you the missionaries for the church over there???" With a resound YES from us all, the man began to weep. He said, "Oh, God has answered my prayers. I am lost." And not directionally. We stood on the road and talked to him for about twenty minutes while he sobbed. He had been crying as he drove down the busy road, praying for help, when he somehow recognized us as missionaries, in the dusk, from a busy highway, and sped around the block to just barely catch us.
There is a song we listen to a lot that says, "I will send out an army, to find you, in the middle of the darkest night, its true. I will rescue you." In the past I had viewed this song from the perspective that I was the one He would rescue. But this one event made me realize that I am a part of the army, right now, that God sends. I am here to help rescue people like Dan, who was the man from the story above. People who are lost and hurting. And it was a miracle.
Another "rescue" this week occurred with Dave, one of the people we have on date to be baptized. He had asked us to no longer come by a few weeks ago... We saw him today in a lesson with his wife. He got emotional as we talked about Satan's opposition towards the best things. And he wants to come back. It was one of the most special lessons that I have been privileged to participate in, on my mission. I was also privileged to sing "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" for him and his wife in church yesterday. And He needed that. Did you know that before my mission, I couldn't sing that song? I was a strict alto. The Lord knows what we will need to be able to do, to accomplish His purposes.
Like Nephi, I know that the Lord DID consecrate my prayers for the gain of not only my people, but for me as well.
I was rescued too.
Sister Walstad
Why are there so many pictures of ducks and chickens this week? I don't really know, it just kind of happened that way...
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