Healing the Blind Man - Eyes to See
Drawing by Karly Christensen
Thursday on her last day in the mission field Sister Christensen surprised me with this beautiful drawing she had recently sketched of Jesus healing the blind man. I had challenged her a few weeks earlier to nourish her artistic talent, as she was holding back feeling inadequate as an artist. She responded to my encouragement and as you can see above, she is an amazing artist.
This week’s departing missionaries: Hermana Palmer, Sister Christensen, Sister Bennett, Sister and President Quinn, Elder Scoresby, Elder Kreimeyer, and Elder Burrows
See below for a duet by Sister Palmer and Elder Kreimeyer.
I was curious what had inspired her to choose to draw Jesus healing the blind man. She said she chose this piece because we talk a lot about miracles in our mission.
I was delighted with the gift because this account is one of my favorite miracle stories in the Bible! It is found in John Chapter 9. I spoke about this story with the missionaries awhile back. I taught:
Jesus comes upon a blind man, spits on mud making clay which He then anoints on the man’s eyes and then tells him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The blind man obediently does this, and his eyes are opened and he is given sight.
Jesus making clay to heal the blind man.
When the people of the town ask about why the man had been born blind, Jesus teaches that neither he nor his parents sinned making this man blind but that by healing him the works of God would be made manifest.
This causes a great disputation among the people there. They are upset by the fact that Jesus has healed this man on the Sabbath, which they believe is against the law. They want to slander Jesus and decide amongst themselves that if anyone suggests that Jesus is the Christ, a man of God, they will kick them out of the synagogue. Being “put out” of the synagogue is a devastating thing to happen. You become an outcast of society.
As the Bible story goes on the man’s parents are asked who healed him and they refuse to say what they think because of their fear of being cast out. After the people put pressure on this man who had been born blind, he finally says “If this man were not of God he could do nothing.” And the people cast him out.
Next comes my favorite part: when Jesus heard about the casting out, he returns and the scriptures say, “found him.” This man healed by the Savior, becomes a lost sheep – a cast out and Jesus comes back looking for him to love him. Jesus tells him that he is the one who can truly see, saying, “I am come into this world that they which see not, might see…” Jesus heals him physically and spiritually.
As missionaries we are here to help the Savior find the lost sheep. People that may be cast out. People who may not feel like they belong. We can help them to see their worth by opening their eyes as to who they are and their relationship with God. We want them to see clearly that Jesus is the Christ who loves and heals. We help them visualize that there is a plan for them to find joy in this life and one day return home to their Heavenly Parents.
Please consider introducing some of your family or friends to the missionaries, who are looking for answers, who are looking for light and truth, so that they can teach those you love about our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Thank you for reading , Sister Quinn
See photos of some of our missionaries here!
P.S. We had a fun surprise this week. My good friend, clear back from Clayton Jr. High School days, Pat Thomas and her husband Allan, dropped in for a quick visit.. It was wonderful having them here. They helped prepare meals, they did dishes, they visited with us, and they bore testimony of our Savior to our missionaries. We also sent them to Bodega Bay, Healdsburg, and to the Golden Gate Bridge. They did a lot in the three days they were here. We were so delighted they took the time to come visit! See below for photo!
Elders Smith and Cieslinski
Elders Berg, Barrus, and Hessing
Sister Rohr, Piippo and Sutton
Elders Gardner, Willhite Johnson, and Ririe
Duet by Elder Kreimeyer and Hermana Palmer
Good friends - Allan and Pat Thomas with Sister and President Quinn
