Ciao belli,
This week was full of miracles. Everyday something big happened! But a few of my favorites.
#1: Ester and Pia came on Wednesday!! We taught them the Plan of Salvation and it was amazing! They said they cried reading the BOM, where Sariah thinks that her sons are dead. It was so cute!! They didn't come to church... But we are still holding out hope for them!!
#2: later that night we had a lesson with Ornella, who was really close to baptism but we hadn't seen for a while. She just called us and wanted to meet! She wanted to see us! #miraclesfallingdownfromthesky She cried and she is so so ready but she has begun to drink coffee again a little. But she is really ready. And her spirit is so strong. So we are working with her. And we are praying our eyes out she will have the desire to quit and come around!!
#3: we saw the wonderful cute American family the Birds again. Literally they are the cutest family ever!! They have a boy and four girls, and the husband is in the navy and they live on the American base. So right now the husband is gone so we have been trying to see them frequently. And Sister Bird, the angel human she is, made us cafe rio burritos for dinner. Literally we both almost dropped dead in glorious gratitude for that wonderful food. Because fun fact cilantro does not exist in Italia!! Che strano. But it was so fun and I love them so much!!
Something I've been studying this transfer a lot is faith. And how you can have a lot of faith, but if you don't do anything about it, it doesn't get you anywhere. Your dreams stay dreams instead of realities. And it goes the same for the opposite. You can be working oh so hard to get somewhere, but if you have no faith you can't get there. We have seen that here in Caserta, that the more we just don't second guess or doubts things will happen, the more success we have had.
I have also been wondering sometimes why I am even here, really. Why would God send a bunch of under qualified young kids with barely any life experience to look after his flocks in all parts of the world? And to crazy different countries to teach people when they can barely speak the language? The only real answer I have is because God loves his children, equally. The ones who know and have accepted the gospel, and the ones who have yet to do so. I found this quote from Elder Holland which I love.
The first and great commandment on earth is for us to love God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength (see D&C 59:5; Matt. 22:37) because surely the first and great promise in heaven is that he will always love us that way.
So much of what so many think about God (if they think about him at all) must make him weep. In fact, we know it makes him weep. Could there be a more tender scene than this exchange recorded by Moses?
“And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; …
“And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity? … [How is it thou canst weep?]
“The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, … and … gave I unto man his agency; …
“And unto [them] have I … given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood; …
“The whole heavens … weep over them … ; wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these [who] suffer?” (Moses 7:28, 29, 32–33, 37). - "Look to God and Live" by Anziano Jeffrey R. Holland
I have had moments on my mission like this, where I can feel God's love for his children, and his disappointment, aggravation, and sorrow when they choose not to accept his way. When they choose not to let him exercise his almighty power and save them, from whatever temptation or affliction they have been facing.
I know there were a lot of times before my mission where I wanted to and felt like I needed to be saved. But I didn't think really, that God could save me. How incredulously ignorant I was, searching for a human, mundane savior, perhaps some person I could just forget all my worries in, when there was already someone there. Someone perfect and godly and someone who had already suffered for my sins, my flaws, but also the wrongs of others towards me, or just the plain pain I felt. The most glorious part of it, the part I never let sink in, is that he knows, in every moment, every drop of sorrow we have had, pain we have felt, every worry on our mind. Imagine how many times and ways his heart was broken for us, with us, whether we would do it to ourselves, to others, or it was from someone else's actions. He knows what it is like to receive the pains we feel due to others exercising their agency, often in a way we would not ourselves, or to them even. He knows what it is like to be crushed when life doesn't go the pretty way we had planned in our mind. And even he asked the father if there was another way. But he still accepted the will of God-- because he loves God. He loves his father. And we need to exercise that love more frequently, more deeply, more vibrantly. We need to pray and show him we want to see his hands in our lives. We want him to see that we love one other-- we love his other creations. I can't believe he actually constructed each one of us. He knows us. And not just shallowly or half heartedly. He knows what you worry about. He knows what scares you and what you love and he knows your limits. He knows when to let the rain up. He knows when to turn the storm to sunshine. But you can also ask for it to be easier. And if you truly need it to be, he will provide a way, give you a miracle, and give you support.
People think miracles don't still happen. That people don't change and endings are final. Well miracles do happen, people do change, and the end is never final. You have the choice to change your ending. You have the choice to choose to not be defeated. Your cause isn't lost. There is always hope for you.
And come back, because God is crying over you. He is waiting for you to run back into his arms and let him care for you. We are his pride and joy. We matter. This isn't just some fairytale. This is reality. We need to cling as closely to the Lord as we possibly can in these days. And we will be safe if we do. He will never let us down. Not if we believe in Him.
Vi voglio bene,
Sorella Jarnagin
Sorella Hannah Jarnagin
Piazza Monte Gemma 9
00141 Roma, Italia
Italia Roma Missione 🇮🇹
No comments:
Post a Comment