I had a great experience in Relief Society today. We are starting to study the Gospel Principles book and as we looked at the first Chapter it was only two pages long and we were all kind of wondering what we were going to get out of such a simplified gospel study. Well, it was the best RS lesson I have been to in a long time.
We simple talked about the wonder of this earth and the beauty of it and how there is no way that it could have just happened. I wanted to share my story about God’s manifestation to me while on the beach in Maui that I have included in a previous blog on gratitude. Every time that I am out in nature I am amazed at the beauty and majesty of the earth. I always try and offer a prayer of gratitude to the Lord for this marvelous creation.
Then we went on and talked about the Nature of God and then continued with Coming to Know God. I shared the scripture that I have been pondering all week:
Mosiah 5: 13
“For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?” I expressed that in order to know God, we must serve him. I am personally working on the “intents of my heart”.
(This scripture was brought to mind because a young man that Lindsey is dating had it on his Facebook page as his favorite quote. Now what mother would not want her daughter dating a young man whose focus seems to be to serve others and know God?)
I wanted to make another comment about what Lindsey had experienced on her mission but time didn’t allow. I had sat next to a woman who has been investigating the church for six months but this was her first visit to Relief Society. Dan had been the ward mission leader so we had worked with her for a small time. The current mission leader’s wife sat on the other side of her.
I put my arm around her and asked how she was doing. She expressed that it was hard. Then I told her about Lindsey’s mission experience of the joy of being able to tell someone that there is a God and that they have a loving Heavenly Father who is always there. For many people, they have never known this fact and the feeling and spirit that came when told this simple gospel principal would overcome them. Lindsey wrote home several times telling us about sharing God with people on the street and having them cry with the spirit of knowing it is true and that they are loved; many for the first time.
I choked up and we all three cried as I bore witness to her that if nothing else she knows that Heavenly Father loves her and will always be there for her and that yes there is a God. I felt so much love for her and for our Heavenly Father. This simple two page lesson was perfect. I felt a strong testimony that this manual will be wonderful for our gospel study this year.
Missionary work is so powerful! The only other time that I have felt the love of God so strong was when I was on splits with the sisters and bore witness to a drugy lady in the middle of a huge apartment complex on a Saturday afternoon that her Heavenly Father knows and loves her and wants her to be happy. We prayed, hugged and cried and felt the Lord’s spirit manifest so strongly.
I am so glad for the knowledge that I have a Loving Heavenly Father.
