I HELPED MAKE HONEY THIS WEEK! It's true. You are all shocked. I didn't go out into the hive, but I did boldly face a few bees that weren't happy we were harvesting their honey. With a nifty jacket, of course. Knowing that there would be many of you that wouldn't believe that I accomplished such a feat, Sister Wall took pictures.
Paul DeGraff in the Brockport Ward has his own bee hives! The DeGraffs are so cool. One of Brother DeGraff's favorite things to do is to compare bees to different Gospel topics. He explained to us how similar bees are to God's plan for each of us. He'd really have to tell you to do it justice, but just know that I keep some pretty stellar company out here.
Now that you all know that. We have been teaching a man named Emanuel who is a retired professr of philospy at the University of Rochester. Last time we talked to him he was just over 50 pages into the Book of Mormon. Emanuel was talking to us about how people are naturally in need of 3 things: To be loved, to be accepted, to be understood. I agree with him. Obviously there are different kinds of needs, like physical needs. But overall those are the most important. I've been thinking about how missions can take you away from those 3 things. You spend your days as a misunderstood outcast from society ha. People of different age and status mock us and our very presence often infuriates people before we even say a word- clearly far from loved. We are separated from attributes that made us accepted- good clothes, grades, income, talent, old friends, family- it's no wonder there are missionariesi that come home early suffering from depression. It's a very real concern and my heart goes out to those who feel alone and without solace. However, I have found that these most extreme of circumstances create the perfect opportunity to come to understand not only the necessity of, but the very existance of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
In the world we live in, the name of God has essentially been made into a joke. It's a taboo and uncomfortable subject. The problem is that not understanding God the Father and Jesus Christ leads to misunderstanding their roles in our lives. In knowing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior and Redeemer of the world, we can come ot understand how He can bear our infirmities and be there at all times. Slowly but surely it begins to mean something to say my needs of being loved, understood and accepted are met through someone I can't see. It's not an abstract idea anymore.
So then our role as missionaries is very real. Some make joke that we set out to save the world in vain, not understanding that curing the injustice and heartache of the world doesn't come through membership in a church or in reading passages. It doesn't come through being dunked under water and it doesn't come through doing nice things for people. Rather, those things are tools that help develop a relationship with our Father in Heaven and peace DOES come through that. Just as a tractor is not the ticket to sustenance and the paintbrush itself makes no one famous, we have been give tools to lead us to success. As it always has been and always will be, it is up to us as to how we use them. I am grateful for the experiences I've had so far that are allowing me to come to know Christ better. I'm grateful for the Book of Mormon and the Bible as well as modern-day prophets and apostles who lead and guide us towards Christ. I'm grateful that I've taken the time to figure out the truth of those tools for myself, because no promise that a paintbrush works will create a mural for someone who won't pick it up.
I've also been thinking a lot about how much we are like clay! Always being shaped and reformed. Sometimes it hurts, but it's going to hurt to be shifted! Resisting the process and hardening our clay creates two things:
1. An ugly product
2. A more painful process
As we soften and come to understand why were are going through the things that we are and why we're being molded a certain way, we can facilitate and even, at times, enjoy the process.
Ok well that's probably plenty from me for one week :) I hope everyone is doing well.
-Hermana Raines
No comments:
Post a Comment