We are slowly improving our apartment. I have hemmed up sheers to go on the balcony door, hand sewed a cushion, (showed Sr. Hammond how to hem her pants) and hung two pictures. We have moved a small table and two folding chairs from the bedroom and made another seating area in our living/dining room. It almost looks like someone lives here.
I learned how to listen to the Book of Mormon in French on one device while looking at it in French and English simultaneously on another. It makes studying much easier.
We spent a couple of hours with the Elders Quorum President and Relief Society President, the Farias, on Tuesday. Tom was helping him make ministering assignments. They are from Portugal but speak French also. I was able to communicate with Maria for over an hour in French. She asked about family, when I was a child. She asked about dual citizenship. She asked about children and grand children and traveling. I don’t think they have been anywhere but Portugal, France and Switzerland (they work in the temple for one week a month). They do not have many resources. She made an apple tart to share with us when we were finished. We got to meet one of their two sons and his wife.
Wednesday afternoon we got a text asking if we could bring dessert to zone conference the next day. We are trying to encourage missionaries to eat fruits and vegetables, so we prepared a huge bowl of fresh pineapple, strawberries, kiwi and bananas on a tray, surrounded by apple slices and orange chunks. The main course is always not-very-good pizza. We have started taking our own sandwiches with us.
Thursday we met Pres. and Sr. Schow. We knew as young missionaries they were in the same MTC district but called to different French missions, so both are fluent in French. All the Elders and Sisters in our zone had lined the hall way leading from the entry door to the chapel so everyone could shake their hands. When the president reached me he said ‘Do I get a hug? Tom and I had had some previous interactions by email. I gave him a good reaffirming one. He has piercing blue eyes like my dad and Pres. Hinckley.
Sr. Schow’s presentation was based on the idea that the gift of Easter is repentance. She used Van Gogh’s painting of the Good Samaritan (below) as her object lesson, where the beaten man refuses to look at the man (the Christ figure) who has saved him. Do we resist turning to Christ? Do we impose our own isolation? What did the Samaritan provide - oil, wine, food, clothing, shelter, protection? All are symbolic of covenants. Do we know how to repent? Will we allow Christ to heal us, to give us spiritual sight, to cover or clothe us in righteousness rather than be naked?
Pres. Schow continued stating that the gift of repentance comes through the covenants we make that bind us to Christ. We are trying to be yoked with Him in His yoke. If we choose to turn to Christ, He will show us only acceptance and love which will eventually transform us. If you love the Lord, spend time with Him. Be diligent and be patient. He talked of his desire to gain a testimony in the year before his mission. He knelt and prayed in a gravel parking lot. Nothing happened. Later, he was studying D&C 4:3…… “if ye have desires to serve God , you are called to the work”. He knew he had the desire, so he moved forward with faith. Many years later, he was praying mightily for the life of his son. He heard a voice saying “I have heard thy prayers”. Gratefully he acknowledged that patience does not mean being idle and concluded with his testimony. Inspiring and practical. We are excited to serve with them.
 |
| Sr. and Pres. Schow greeting the lined-up missionaries in their first zone conference |
 |
| The Good Samaritan, by Van Gogh (after Delacroix) |
No comments:
Post a Comment