The Beginning of a New Year

I was shaking hands as I always do Sunday mornings before the Sacrament meeting begins. It is always one of my favorite parts of the day, getting to greet everyone who comes to renew their covenants with the Lord and feel the warmth of the Spirit as they sit through the meeting.

A man, gray and wrinkled supported by a walker scoots into the building, his caretaker and son nearly holding him upright and he move forward to the chapel doors.  The older gentleman, who is well past his prime, wears a brown 70’s cut suit and his hair is combed over the top of his head to hide the shine that comes from his balding crown.  I greet him as I do everyone who comes to the doors, but instead of shaking my hand he puts a chocolate KISS inside of it and winks at me.  I laugh as he does the same to Sister Goodman.  “That is what you get because he isn’t allowed to kiss you,” said Brother Barton, one of the members who watched the sweet affection of this elderly gentleman take place.  We giggled to each other as he continued to scoot to his designated pew.

As I sat down and the service began this same man caught my eye.  He was sitting alone.  And even though he is frail and aged he looked so bold and firm sitting there.  He does this every week, but never before had he captivated my mind in such a way that I couldn’t stop thinking about him.  His faith is strong.  He is a Spiritual Giant.  My thoughts were taken away to his morning and the work and effort that he much have gone through to look so sharp, to move such long distances , just to sit in a in a hard pew alone.

Obedience brings blessings.  Exact obedience brings miracles.  We teach people of the blessings that come when they obey God’s laws and since we are God’s children too we need to apply that to our lives.  We challenged the Elders to be obedient with exactness also.  We have witnessed miracles because of our exact obedience.  I believe that God will send prepared people to prepared people.  We have to do all that we can to be prepared.

This past week has been amazing.  Sister Goodman and I have been overly exhausted and to be honest I can say it is because the Spirit is with us more.  We are working so hard and getting so much done, and yet the work is never finished.  We are excited about our investigators.  They are accepting our challenges to pray and read!

Sundays are crazy.  We attended four wards yesterday.  We went up to San Lorenzo Valley and attended church meetings up there.  Sister Goodman and I stood out like sore thumbs.  The chapel was full of mountain men. No Joke! It seemed a bit weird. This area is part of the Red woods.

Oh I am so excited because Susan my very first investigator that was baptized is preparing to go to the temple.  I am hoping that I will be able to go with her. I love this work so much.  I have always wanted to be a missionary, and as my time is slipping through my fingers like sand I pray that I can forever carry the Lord’s name in my heart.