A Lost Sheep On A Muddy Road
Hello
Friends and Family!
It has
been another insightful week here in LaGrange! We had transfer calls Saturday
night, and I found out that I will be staying in LaGrange, with Elder Sieverts,
for the next six weeks. I have also been
called as a District Leader. I feel that this is a great opportunity, and I am
humbled to be allowed to continue to serve in this area of the Lord’s Vineyard.
There are
two miracles I thought that I would share with you from this week. Elder
Sieverts and I have continued to teach Manny and Jackie every Friday morning
(over a nice breakfast that they cook for us) and I have been blessed to see
them grow in the gospel. Manny still has many doubts, and says that he is not
quite as interested in joining the Church, but Jackie continues to read the
Book of Mormon each week, and has already entered into the Book of Ether. In
our lesson this week, Elder Sieverts and I both felt the same spiritual
prompting to talk with them about the importance of prayer in conversion to the
Lord’s Kingdom. We were able to share with them the great allegory from the
Book of Mormon about Faith. We read how Faith is like a seed, and we must
simply plant it, nourish it with the Word of God, and let it grow within us to
see the blessings that come from the Gospel. As we both shared this message with them, the
Spirit was strong, and it testified to me of the need of prayer in our
conversions to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
On
Sunday, Elder Sieverts and I were standing by the doors, greeting people as
they came into the Chapel, and Manny walked around the corner! This is the
third time that he has come to Church, however Jackie has some medical
conditions that makes it harder for her to make it to Church occasionally (so
she couldn’t make it this week). Manny was able to stay for both Sacrament
Meeting, and Sunday School! He even participated in the discussion, and
contributed great thoughts about our Heavenly Father, and who He is. I felt humbled by the miracle of seeing
someone at church (for the third time), and knowing that someone was able to
feel of the deep spirit that exists in attending Church.
The
second miracle (among many) that I wanted to talk about was absolutely
incredible. Elder Sieverts and I had District Meeting this past week in Lanett,
Alabama, and as we drove there, a particular neighborhood stood out to me. I
have driven this route, to District Meeting, at least 20 plus times, and have
never even noticed this neighborhood! Coming from a small town, this is very
rare, as you might guess. After District Meeting, we both prayed, and felt a
deep impression that this was the area we needed to go knocking that day. We
had barely knocked an hour, when we came to a long dirt road with three trailer
homes at the end. The rain was in a downpour, which made the road almost like a
moving river! Elder Sieverts and I looked at each other, laughed, and both
agreed that we felt we needed to go down and try at least one of those
trailers. After much wading, jumping and effort, we finally made it to these
three small trailers at the end of the road. The Spirit quickly touched me that
the trailer, on the far left, was the one we needed to knock. Elder Sieverts felt the same way, and so we
approached the door. We knocked, and a younger man answered. The door was only
opened about a half of an inch, and I stated who we were. The conversation went
somewhat like this; I said, “Hello sir, we are the missionaries from the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and we are out spreading a message of joy
and peace, and a wonderful book that can strengthen your testimony in the
Savior called the Book of Mormon. Is this something we could share with you?”
He laughed, and quickly said, “Um, no. I wouldn’t be interested.” Right as the
door was about to shut, I heard a female voice on the inside yell, “WAIT! Is
that ‘them’?” Elder Sieverts glanced at me, and we waited on the porch until a
young lady (in her early 20’s) walked out. She smiled so big, and introduced
herself as Alyssa. We shook her hand, and introduced ourselves, and then she
said, “I’m a member! I used to attend a Ward in California, but since I’ve
moved out here to Georgia, I haven’t attended once. But I’ve just been hoping
and hoping y’all would knock on my door someday. I really, really, want to meet
and talk about the Gospel again.” The male who had answered the door was
standing behind her, looking even more confused, which made the scene even more
amazing! We talked some more, got her information, and then headed out. As we
walked away from her door, back through the muddy river once called a road, I
couldn’t help but smile. I felt the Spirit confirm to me that there truly are
lost sheep out there in the World, who simply need to be found. It was a
miracle that deepened my testimony of prayer, following the Spirit, and letting
Heavenly Father guide us in our daily lives.
I have a
testimony of this Gospel. I do know that the Savior lives, and that He is our
Brother
Until
Next Week-
Elder
Robb
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