I really should make members a high priority every week. It is incredible the difference it made! Even just having a few more visits than we usually do made the whole feel of the week completely different. Oh man. Oh man. I just actually feel like we are a part of this ward even if we did miss our bus and showed up late to church.... Whoops. It just helps so much to feel included and part of these people's lives!
We were on our way home from doing some service and we decided to call one of our members real quick to see if we could come drop by some bread we made. (I know. Typical sisters bringing baked goods and all but wait for it.) We head over there and she lets us in and we are just having a nice little chit chat. And then we get to the thought and show the Mormon message of the will of God and how he cuts us down to mold us into the people we need to be. And tears begin to stream down her cheeks.... And then comes the whole story.
"I had been feeling extra lonely and was sitting here reading the Liahona and praying my heart out asking Heavenly Father to show me a piece of his love and at that precise moment I see "the sister missionaries" on my caller id. So I wipe my eyes and try to cover up the fact that I was crying and let ya'll come. That message was exactly what I needed to hear. Exactly. Do you know how grateful I am to hear that? How grateful I am for you? You are an answer to my prayer." And she then began to open up to us about all the hard times she has had lately and we just listened and prayed and hugged. We really didn't do anything. It was one of those times that I definitely felt like a tool in Heavenly Father's hands. To us it just seemed so simple. Honestly, I didn't even think much about it. We just needed to go by another member and she randomly popped into our heads and it seemed more convenient to go by her now while we were already out of the apartment rather than to go home first and we just so happened to pick that thought... Gah, God's timing. Sometimes I forget that members need our help just as much as anyone else! I love being an answer to someone's prayer. It is literally the best feeling in the world.
And the roles are reversed as well. So many people around me became answers to my prayers this week. We had zone training (a big pump up meeting for all the missionaries) and this one may have been my favorite soley because it was exactly what I needed. I have been praying for my "what lack I yet?" question and I have gotten so many things I want to work on. But during this particular time they took a totally different approach and instead of saying all of the things we have to work on or improve they went around the entire room and gave everyone a specific personal strength. And it wasn't the usual cliche things like "you are nice." Or "you are happy." But you could tell they really thought and prayed this out and it changed the entire mood of the meeting. They talked about how Heavenly Father called us personally to this mission because of these strengths. It was so cool to see how different each one of them were, but how necessary they all were as well. I remember Jack asking me once "do you feel like your mission was inspired? If so, why?" Absolutely. 100 percent. No doubt in my mind. It has been confirmed again and again to me. And chalk this one up as one more time I was reminded of that.
"Sister Heywood, I am pretty sure you have seen/made the most miracles out of anyone in this entire mission. You are a miracle machine." I hate compliments... And I could feel my face turning redder by the second but...It got me thinking. I really have been so so so so blessed with seeing so many miracles on my mission. Time and time again. I see them on the daily and I have almost gotten to the point where I expect them. Sister Johnson wrote something in her weekly letter last week that really stuck with me. She said how we shouldn't discredit a miracle just because it doesn't end in baptism. She talked about how much Heavenly Father loves these people that he is willing to send down thousands of miracles to them until one day they use their agency and choose to accept this wonderful gift he wants so badly for them. We want so badly for them. And between those two incidents I just had this little reflecty moment of all the wonderful blessings and people and lessons I have had on my mission and my heart just started overflowing with gratitude! Gah. How am I so stinking blessed? How did I get so lucky? Heavenly Father loves me wayyyyyy too much. I am so grateful for the people who chose to act on those promptings to give me a little lift.
I have learned this lesson over and over again, but yet again: never delay a prompting. Don't wait to ask: is this me or the Holy Ghost? Take Elder Bednar's advice: Don't worry about it. Hehe but really.
love you to the moon and back.
Xoxoxo
S. Heywood
ps: not a single one of our appointments fell out this week. Miracle? Absolutely. We met so many amazing people this week. With such amazing back stories.
pps: I also found out that we aren't supposed to have letters sent to our actual apartment so if ya'll have love for me, send it to this address now. Ya'll are the best!!
Frankfurt Germany Mission
Kirche Jesu Christi
