It's Just a God Thing

The other night, my companion and I were invited to a worship service. When we came in, the room was filled with Southern gospel music on the guitar and violin. As I was trying to muster through songs I wasn't familiar with, I felt the love that each of these people had for Jesus Christ. While singing, individuals of all different faiths thanked the Lord for leading them out of dark places. Many testified of being protected while in car wrecks, in ICU, through deaths of loved ones, physical ailments and others. Miracles after miracles were shared that night.

After the service, my companion and I were able to clear up stereotypes of the church. I promise we don't have multiple wives. I met a woman, Mrs. Deanna, who is a recovering drug addict. She has been sober for a year and three months today, after starting in recovery back in 2006. I asked her what helped her through. She said, "It's just a God thing. It's just something that only He can do."She talked about how relying on Him is something gradual that requires a lot of prayer. After 18 years of drugs, she said she was just tired of disappointing her kids. Her best advice that I'll always remember is, "Sometimes we pray so much and believe in it so little. We must believe and have faith that He can heal us."

One of my favorite scriptures in the Bible is Psalms 37:5: "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." I know that what Mrs. Deanna taught me that night will stay in my memory for forever. Sometimes I feel like Peter when he walked on water and my faith shakes a bit but I just have to believe and get back on track. I know that despite the circumstances that we're faced with, when we trust Him we will be guided.

If you or someone you know is struggling with any kind of addiction, The Church of Jesus Christ offers an Addiction Recovery Program. I have heard amazing things from it.

Pineapples

As we sat on Ms. Edna's porch, a cool breeze rushed over me. I whispered a quiet prayer for the tender mercy. As we sat on her rusty lawn chairs, we learned of her gratitude and love for Jesus Christ. Ms. Edna, an 83 year old woman still nurtures her jungle of a yard. As we walked around her yard, she mentioned that her doctors tell her to stay out of the sun. But she pays no attention to the advice. Her worn out face showed hard work, love and exhaustion. As we walked she said, "I just don't know what I'd do without my plants!"

Ms. Edna used to do a lot of traveling and her favorite adventure was to Hawaii. As she reminisced of her trip, she mentioned that as she was in a taxi, her taxi driver pulled over on the side of the road and picked her a fresh pineapple plant. Little did the taxi driver know that his small act of kindness brought dozens more acts of kindness down the road. She packed the plant in her suitcase and took it home to Georgia. Since planting that pineapple, she has flooded her yard with over thirty pineapple plants.

As I asked her what goes into keeping her dozens and dozens of plants healthy, she said, "Everything needs re-potting and fertilizer." As we talked more, I told Ms. Edna that my mom loved flowers. With her frail skinny body, she picked up a pineapple plant and handed it to me. She said, "I want your mom to have this." I was obviously surprised and I asked her if she was sure and she said, "Yes, I have plenty!" From the small act of kindness from the Hawaiian taxi driver, I reaped the benefit of a pineapple plant from Ms. Enda. As we kept walking, with a huge pineapple plant on my hip, I thought a lot about my dad who spends a lot of time in the yard. Every Spring for Mother's Day, my dad and my siblings fill my momma's flower beds in our front yard. I think one of the most important things that my dad has always taught me is the importance of serving and loving my momma. Ever since I can remember.

Ms. Edna reminded me, that we must be willing to love and serve those around us.This experience reminded me of a quote by Elder C. Max Caldwell, an apostle, who once said, "Charity is not just a precept or a principle, nor is it just a word to describe actions or attitudes. Rather, it is an internal condition that must be developed and experienced in order to be understood. We are possessors of charity when it is a part of our nature. People who have charity have a love for the Savior, have received of his love, and love others as he does."

Ms. Enda taught me that in order to gain even a fraction of the love that Jesus Christ has for us, we must also be willing to make sacrifices. We must love and serve anyone and everyone around us, even a complete stranger like myself. I am grateful for the humble taxi driver's act of kindness that started a domino effect of Christlike love.

One of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon reads, "But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with them." (Moroni 7:47) I know that when I serve someone, I truly learn to love them.

Wish me luck as a proud new owner of a pineapple plant. Pray I don't kill it.

Choosing to Serve

I met Ms. Jean the other day when we were out walking on the hot Georgian dirt roads. The day had gone south after a solid lesson had fallen through. I was feeling frustrated, hot and exhausted. We decided to knock on a door nearby. As we approached a door, we met a Ms. Jean, who saw our badges and kindly declined our invitation. I thought, this is the icing on the cake for the day, sarcastically. As we explained who we were, she became more open and receptive towards us. Her hostile attitude towards us which began to be a 40 second conversation turned into almost an hour. She said her and her husband started a ministry and traveled across America in an RV in the late 90's. They traveled to every RV park that they could find. They attached signs with scriptures to their truck and RV to promote their ministry and Jesus. I asked her what made her want to spread the good word and she said simply because she just had always wanted to. As she was talking about her passion for ministering and serving, I thought back to my own decision.

My decision to serve was far from black and white. I had just gotten accepted into the Graphic Design program, I was dating a guy, and things were going well. I always had the idea in my head that serving a mission would be a way that I could give back to God. But I brushed off the idea as I got pre-occupied with worldly things. I had been praying for a few months quite causally about wondering if I should serve. After Spring semester of 2013, I felt impressed to do a session of Summer school. Which I had never done before. I lived in my own apartment, where I had a lot of time to myself to think. One night, I had got out of my painting class really late and I had one of my soul moments. I had the strongest impression come over me that I needed to serve a full time mission. I remember walking into my bedroom and collapsing to my knees. For the first time in my life, I gave the most sincere vocal prayer. I told God that I was going to serve a mission and I needed it confirmed to me. With tears running down my cheeks, I then turned to my patriarchal blessing and that confirmed it.

Over the next several weeks, My painting class became therapeutic and I was able to mentally prepare myself for what lay ahead. I began my make arrangements to put my schooling on hold, quit my jobs, and told the guy that I was dating that I was choosing to serve a mission. I knew that my parents would be fully supportive, but I was slightly apprehensive about my extended family, who are not all members of the church. But I knew without a doubt, that I needed to serve a mission.

As mind tuned back into our conversation with Ms. Jean and I felt a peace come over me. I had just recently approached my half way mark of my mission and was feeling like I could've done more up to this point. That I could've been more exactly obedient, could've baptized more people, could've had a better attitude, and so on, but after meeting Ms. Jean, I realized that God had given me a sweet tender mercy that day. He helped me remember that my service was good enough and that I was trying my best. Despite how many "could've's" I could come up with, I was simply ENOUGH. Ms. Jean found God later in her life and she taught me a valuable lesson, regardless or when you accept God in your life, you just have to be willing to share it. Even though I felt like I was giving " so much" up to serve, I actually gained a lot more than I imagined.

Ms. Jean is getting ready to share a sermon at her local church focusing on, "Who is in your DNA?" She is helping all her congregation realize that we are all children of God and each of us has God's DNA in us. Once we grasp our value as sons and daughters of God, we need to share that with others. Ms. Jean commended us for our service and invited us over to her home for a once a month for a worship service that she's been holding for over 40 years.

Well kids, as Ms. Jean says, let's be "gung-ho for Jesus."

"I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."–––Alma 29:9 (The Book of Mormon)