23 February 2012

Guess who is coming to be the next Australia Perth Mission President!  Bruce Lindsay!  Faithful KSL patrons will recognize that name as the head news anchor, who, as we read recently, has just retired from KSL.  We're excited to see him in July!


We have had two really busy days with one thing right after another, both days.  We had a really great lesson yesterday with Jill and Carol, and challenged Jill again to baptism.  She refused again, but said that she was still working toward it.  We had brought Megan Bailey along with us, who then gave a testimony about how she knew that the church was true even before she knew that she knew it.  She told Jill that she already knows it too, and that she is ready now.  She even said that she got a call yesterday morning from her former companion in the mission field, who said that she just knew that Megan was going out with the missionaries, and that the person she was teaching was ready to be baptized.  Megan said, "You're the only one I've been teaching with the missionaries!"  Jill said she would let us know when she feels ready.


We've also been busy with Home Teaching visits before we head out for a special visit to Bridgetown tomorrow.  We had a very interesting visit again with Richard and Christine Duffield.  Christine said she doesn't like the kind of God who lets me suffer what I have in the last month while I'm out here serving a mission for Him!  When she asked, "Why hasn't he helped you when you've asked for help?"  I answered, "He is blessing me!  I have been given special gifts for teaching, or explaining things clearly, I feel, and the Lord is giving me many opportunities to use that gift here on my mission!  And he has helped me with this illness!"  As I tried to explain how this trial can bless my life, etc., she only shook her head, unwilling to consider it, and called it folly.


I was very sad to hear her talk like that.  I love Christine.  She has been such a wonderful friend to me, coming to sit with me in the hospital every day while I was there, and inviting us into her home to eat with them several times.  Richard is the world's most faithful, patient kind of man.  I saw tears in his eyes several times during our discussion.  It seems that Christine has hardened her heart against the Gospel, and that she says things just to shock us.  I don't think she really believes them.  I think her subconscious mind is challenging us to help her see the light.  How can we get through that hard shell?


On the other hand, we had another lesson today with Jason and Alisha.  If you remember, they have 6 children between them.  The first time I met them, I told Alisha that we had been praying for 2 families to teach and help to join the church, and that when I saw all of those kids, I had the feeling that here was one of them.  


We have been there a couple of times before, but this time, we had the attention of the parents alone, and it was so wonderful to feel the Holy Ghost helping us as we looked into the eyes of these two good people, told them about the restoration, and testified that God will hear their honest, heartfelt prayers.  We promised that the Book of Mormon is the key, the proof, and we will give them each one when we meet with them next time.  He goes away to work in the gold mines at Kalgoorlie for 8-10 days at a time, but he works 12-hour shifts, and doesn't have much time for anything else then.  We will meet with them when he comes back.  In the meantime, he promised to read the pamphlet, and she promised to pray.  We said we will be asking her next time about her answer.  We are starting a fast tonight for them, and for all our contacts here.  


As we rode away from their home, I remembered saying last year that I just wanted to teach a family the Gospel--somebody who had never heard of the church before, or knew nothing about it.  I thought about how wonderful it is to be able to say honestly that I know that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ because of the burning fire of the Holy Ghost in my bosom.  I thought about my Patriarchal Blessing, which promises me that the righteous desires of my heart will be answered with blessings upon my head.  I thought about what the Lord has taught me through this illness, and how different it is from what Christine said earlier about me not deserving this.  I feel closer to the Savior because of it!  I really do!  I feel more acutely what He did for me.  Even though I have had a few more scares, I feel that I can put my trust in Him, and He will truly help me stay till the end of my mission, because of the 'blessings upon my head' which were given me through the Priesthood.