July 1, 2013

Missionary Slim rediscovers that he is truly on the Lord's errand (Week 73 in Pennsylvania, Week 2 in West York, PA)

What a week. All things considered, it's been one of the best I've had in a long time. For some reason, the Lord chose to bless us in the very best ways. 

Last Monday, we went shopping and my companion was very carefully choosing between which honey he should purchase. A gentleman who was selecting pop-tarts overheard us and made a comment which just launched us into a conversation about how honey isn't really what it used to be. When I explained that my parents keep bees, he asked a little bit more and found out that I am from Utah. Naturally, he was surprised, found out that we were missionaries (it wasn't obvious before?) and told us he's met with missionaries before. We got his contact info and got another appointment scheduled. 

It was pretty incredible. That was just another testament to me that you can find people who the Lord has prepared anytime anywhere in any situation - you just have to be ready to talk about the Gospel. 

One of the families which have been taught live downtown, right in the heart of York. Their names are Jamie and Theresa and they've been through a lot. Jamie very recently got off house arrest and both of them are now ready to jump with both feet into the Gospel. They love the scriptures, they love the Lord, and they really want to make permanent changes to their lives for the better. It amazes me how far these two have come, considering their background. The atonement is real, and it really does pull people out of their circumstances of difficulty. 

We got a call from some sister missionaries in a neighboring area. They told us that someone gave them a referral for a person who lives in our area. Incidentally, we happened to be in the very neighborhood of the person who they wanted us to visit so we went over and introduced ourselves. This wonderful lady named Ferne came to the door and sat down with us right then and there. Like most people we teach, she's been to church before, but didn't have a lot of her questions answered. She was concerned about her sister who is dying of cancer, so we started talking about why bad things like that exist, who we really are as children of God, and what the true purpose of life is. The expressions on her face told us these were things that she had never before heard, but the feeling we all had was evidence that she felt they were true. She was more than happy to schedule us to come back. 

The longer I'm a missionary, the more I realize how much of this work really isn't mine - it's all His. I do the best I can to do all that I can do, and even then it doesn't even compare to how much the Lord is doing for me. Take a look at the things you all are doing in your life. Look very carefully, and I'm sure you'll be able to notice those tender mercies which seem to make everything you are trying to do for yourself fall into place. It's fascinating and inspiring how much He cares about us. 

That's about all! 

Love, Elder Alex Anderson, AKA Missionary Slim

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