It is humbling and amazing to see
the way the Lord blesses those who keep His commandments. We are reminded of
our own blessings or rather we see, with “new” eyes, the many blessings we
enjoy by embracing His commandments when a less active member decides, with
full purpose of heart, to rejoin the fold. As the reactivated member begins
anew, step by step, to remake covenants, their blessings become many and easy
to see. We, on the other hand, may have been taking those same blessings largely
for granted. An example of that is
our Br. Klingman. With his new Elders Quorum presidency assignment he is now asked to
teach the group at least once a month. This assignment means, of course, he will need to
study and prepare. The experience will deepen his conversion, which will cause
him to want to be closer to the Savior etc. This becomes an upward spiral, and
it is a spiral not a circle, a growth spiral that leads him (and us all) to a perfected condition.
We have been blessed to be and to continue to be a small part of
this miracle.
This coming week is Pasty week
once again. It is scheduled one week earlier in November because nothing is
allowed to get in the way of the deer hunt that begins on the 15th.
 |
| Bringing it home Yooper style. |
Also, this coming week our son and his
wife are flying out from Mesa to see us and to see our area. They will be with
us for just 3 days. They have asked to help with the Pasty preparation. We will see. The
grandparents of his wife, our daughter-in-law, served their mission in Oshkosh
and Iron Mountain in the 70s. Our daughter-in-law fondly remembers her
grandmother’s pasties. One or two of the oldest members of the branch remember this couple,
or think they do.
We have friends (Gary and Nola Cockerham) who are serving in the office of one of the missions in the
western U.S. Their president is telling them to expect a 30% increase in the
number of missionaries in the next few months. According to what they have
heard, because of visa restrictions, most of the recently called
missionaries will be sent state-side. Procedural changes are being made. The MTC experience will be shortened, English speakers will have two weeks instead of three and foreign language missionaries will have six weeks instead of nine. In some cases the MTC experience will be skipped entirely with the training shifted to the mission. New cars, new apartments, new areas, new trainers, more
office help needed, etc. we can’t imagine the challenges that will come with
this latest “blessing”. The work is truly being hastened. (D&C 88:73)
Elder Young who was "blessed" with a hernia which he discovered a few weeks back went into surgery last Friday to have it repaired. I picked up he and his companion at 5:45 AM that morning and went with them to the hospital. (I didn't know 5:45 came twice in one day) Everything went just fine. I knew he would survive when I offered to buy lunch for them and he said he wanted a "Baconator" and a large Coke from Wendys. I figured if the hernia didn't kill him then this probably wouldn't either. These Elders are amazing. They are frequently pressed into service moving members and non-members alike. I am surprised he has lasted this long without this happening. Also this week I was given the results of the stress test I took. My doctor was not happy with the results and has arranged for me to see a cardiologist later in the month. We will keep you posted.
With love,
Elder and Sister Johnson
No comments:
Post a Comment