sometimes i feel like i get "hand me down" miracles. like ones that are "not as good" as someone elses... or "pity" from someone else. but the truth is... god never gives us anything that is second rate. he never goes shopping at DI or goodwill for something to give us... he wants to give us prada or gucci... or things like nike and addidas... not the fake knock-off stuff.
something i learned this week was that miracles always come directly from god. and they are directly pertinent to our specific needs and desires. he never gives us something that is wrinkled or crumply. he wants to give us a shiny new car, or a golden investigator.
sometimes though... we need to understand that even though a new car is nice. there are other things that are more important that our heavenly father wants to give us. sometimes we need to remember that other people have their agency. that they can choose to keep the commandments, to get baptized, to decide that they don't want what we have to give them. and we have to be ok with that. it doesn't take anything away from the miracle though.
i've been thinking about them a lot lately.
wondering about why god gives us miracles that don't always turn out... the way that we expect. like may. our "golden" investigator. i'm pretty sure that she still is. the timing just isn't right. was she a crumply, pitiful miracle? NO! i love her probably as much as i love the people that get baptized. maybe even more. because i know how much she wants it... and how much more it will mean to her when she resolves her problems and can get baptized. i know that god is watching over all of his children. and he loves each and every one of us.
(end of baptism/miracle rant...)
anyway. last week. rode my bike down a mountain. it was fun. biking up the mountain... realized how pitifully out of shape i am. worth it? yes.
on tuesday we had an awesome training with president and sister senior. they came and talked to us about families. about the importance of teaching about eternal families. (i WOULD like to add that when we DID that... we had several AWESOME lessons. obedience guys... it's a thing.) they also talked about our individual conversion. about how we all have a "vision" of what we want to be and what we want to accomplish. but that more important than the goals we set is the process that we take in getting there. are we constantly praying, studying, working... or are we sitting around and hoping that a trainer from the gym is just going to pop out of the tv and.......... the process is what is important.
sad story. we had a miracle man show up last week to church. we kept trying to call him for our appointment on tuesday... he never showed. i was about to not call him again, but i tried on thursday. he answered. turns out he got in an accident and was in the hospital. go figure. so pray for "joe" (i don't actually know his name) and that he gets better soon.
this week was rough. we DO have investigators.... they just struggle meeting with us. and for whatever reason... they all decided to go out of town this week. so we spent all of our time calling to confirm... learning that they weren't even in chiang mai any more. ugh.
but we persevere! and conquer.
we went contacting with 2 recent converts on saturday night. i wasn't sure how it was going to be... paired with a 16-year-old sister... but guess who got 12 numbers? not me. the 16 year old.
miracles.
and on sunday we had a random guy that learned with elders once a year ago... walk into church during relief society. when we taught him about the restoration he said, "i believe it. it's just a start... but i believe it." and he accepted a date for the 15th! pray for tay.
so... last but not least. the reason this email is coming... somewhat later than normal...
2 am wake up call this morning to go watch a sunrise on the tallest mountain in thailand. such fun! chiang mai is different from the rest of the country... because they have a lot of fruit here. a LOT more than the rest of thailand... because of the cooler weather. strawberries... they are sooooo delicious!!!
anywho. that's life. it's good. i love you!
keep being awesome!
miracles: A miracle is an extraordinary event caused by the power of God. Miracles are an important element in the work of Jesus Christ. They include healings, restoring the dead to life, and resurrection. Miracles are a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Faith is necessary in order for miracles to be manifested.
god has not ceased to be a god of miracles!!! (mormon 9:10-20)
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