Love and Belonging - God’s Great Plan
This week has been “interview week.” President Quinn (Mark) has spent 6 to 7 hours every day interviewing each missionary for around 15 - 20 minutes. He answers their questions and expresses his love and when necessary, offers counsel.
While this is happening, I have had the opportunity to visit with each missionary in the hallway as they are waiting for their turn.
Elder Caldwell
It has been fun to hear lots of stories! Some stories are a little upsetting like missionary apartments getting bed bugs and the Elders finding bites all over their bodies. And some are a little scary for instance the missionaries who related how they heard gun shots in the night.
I loved hearing the stories of how after a lot of effort, rejections, and prayers they find and teach a friend who wants to come unto Christ and make their first covenant of baptism. My favorite part is seeing the pure happiness that comes across the missionaries’ faces when talking about this person wanting to be baptized, knowing of the joy that they are bringing into their friend’s life through God’s love and His great plan of happiness.
Elder Poulsen and Elder Hawkins
We all need God’s plan! Brene Brown a researcher on human behavior, states: “In the absence of love and belonging there is always suffering.”
I agree with this and have seen as humans we have a strong desire to understand who we are, where we fit in, and how to be loved. We want to know what our path in life should look like and where we are going. It is as if deep inside each one of us we have a longing for a heavenly home.
God, our Heavenly Father understand this. He loves us, desires our happiness, and thus has a plan for each of us. In the Bible we learn, “The spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:16) As we come to understand this great truth, that we are a son or daughter of God who loves us, our lives take on a sense of purpose and we are never the same.
Our missionaries share God’s great plan of happiness. They teach that we are all members of God’s eternal family and through God’s Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His restored gospel we can find happiness in this life and one day return to God’s presence.
(Briefly: The Plan of Happiness is sometimes referred to as The Plan of Salvation. It consists of our pre-mortal life as spirits in heaven, coming to earth, relying on the atonement of the Savior, passing on to the spirit world, being resurrected , having a judgement and receiving one of the three kingdoms of glory. For detailed information go to Comeuntochrist.org. You can ask for a missionary to come teach you.)
One story told to me this week is of a woman who some sister missionaries are teaching. She has committed to read The Book of Mormon and actually read the first 22 chapters before their next lesson. They were delighted with her follow through. One night she had a dream where she saw herself in the church building and the spirit whispered to her that this is where she belongs. She felt God’s love and desires to be baptized. The sisters were overjoyed for her.
Sister Niedens and Sister Clifton
When we are training our missionaries, we talk about things to do if we ever feel disconnected from God. We invite them to do the simple things that God our Heavenly Father has commanded us to do. Here are some ideas from the church’s website for all of us.
Take some time each day to put away distractions, think of God and pray.
Read daily God’s word in the scriptures.
Keep a journal – write about blessings and how you have seen God’s hand in your life.
Share with family and friends how each of you feel God’s love in your life.
Practice Christlike love for others through service and forgiveness.
Attend church each week and partake of the sacrament.
I will close this weekly post/letter with a quote from Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf about God’s love: “Think of the purest, most all consuming love you can imagine. Now multiply that love by an infinite amount - that is the measure of God’s love for you. Love is the great commandment for all of us.”
It was a warm day during interview week!
Thanks for reading this weekly post/letter. Have a great day! Elaine
