Hello! It's been another beautiful week at the MTC!! I can't believe I'm almost done, I only have a week and a half left. Time is flying by. This week I wanted to write to you of tender mercies. We've experienced so many, some big, some small... I could never write them all. But I thought I'd share just a few of them with you.
"Behold... I will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty unto the power of deliverance" (1 Nephi 1:20)
The first one I'll share happened on Christmas. There were a few Elders in our district that didn't get presents, and so my companions suggested that we give them something... we gave them our Christmas presents. (I have the most AMAZING companions!) As I thought about what specific things to give the spirit prompted me to give the Elders my CD's. So I ran back to our Residence and grabbed them and came back and handed them out. I had no idea which CD was which because they were still wrapped, I just gave each elder a CD. A few days later Elder Parsons came up to me and said, "Sister Lewis, why did you give me the CD "This is the Christ?" I told him the truth, that the spirit had prompted me to give my CD's to the Elders, and that I didn't know that was the CD he had received, I was just obeying the voice of the Lord. He smiled and said, "Well, I was looking at that exact CD in the book store the other day and wishing that I could have it-- I wanted it so badly. Only I didn't have enough money and so I knew I would have to go without! Then I opened your present... and that found that, that exact CD was sitting in my hands!! I was just like... no way??!" Why did this happen? Because God loves Elder Parsons!
I have a testimony that God knows His children and loves them, that he desires for them to be happy and joyful, and so even in the smallest and simplest of ways he seeks to bless us.
Another sister in our Zone has been discouraged because she hasn't received a lot of mail. I was talking with her about it yesterday and wondering what I could do to help. As I was talking with another Elder about it he said, "Elder Davis has been writing her a small note of encouragement everyday." This was the most beautiful tender mercy-- to see how loving the people around me are. I know God uses us to lift and bless each other in times of need. Why? Because he loves us!
On another occasion we were heading to the bathroom, only there was a line for the bathroom on our floor... instantly Sister Richardson said, "let's go to the 3rd floor bathroom! We've never been up there." So we headed up there only to find a sister outside of the bathroom crying. We began talking with her and she told us all of the things she was struggling with. The spirit filled us with understanding and showed us how to comfort her, support her and give her words of encouragement. The peace that we felt as we talked with this Sister was incredible. I know the Lord leads and guides us to those in need. Why? Because he Loves us.
We have had experiences like this on so many occasions. There was another Elder we met who was having a hard time and not wanting to be in the MTC, we talked with him for a while and from that day forward he became one of our dear friends! Before he left the MTC he told us he knew God had sent us to help him through the MTC. Why? Because God loves him-- he knew he was struggling and so he sent someone to help, uplift, cheer and encourage his spirits.
How great is God's love!!
Here's one more. Sister Toushling. She is a convert of a year and a half. She told us that her best friend introduced her to the church and she began taking the discussions. It took her a full year before she was willing to be baptized but the Elders never gave up on her. She is such a beautiful girl and her testimony shines so bright!! She told me that she decided to serve a mission, and her friend who introduced her to the gospel also decided to serve a mission. They are in the MTC together, at this very moment, and, in fact, were working out together this morning. It never ceases to amaze me how intricatley God is involved in our lives.
Some of my favorite stories in the scriptures are when we see obvious evidence of the Saviors great love. For example, when the Soldiers came to arrest Christ, and Peter cut off the ear of the soldier, Christ healed him. Think on it, The Savior, who was suffering the greater pain than man will ever know-- pain for this man... even the pain of His ear being cut off... stopped and took the time to heal the man who was accusing Him. I also love in 3rd Nephi when Christ visits the America's and it says that he looked upon the multitude and his bowels were filled with compassion for them, and he asked them to come forth one by one and he healed them. Then it says he looked upon them and said,
"Blessed are you because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full. And when he said these words he wept, and the mulititude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them. And when he had done this he wept again."
How beautiful are the tender feelings of the Savior, that such an experience would cause him to weep.
I have a testimony that the Savior loves us. I know he seeks to bless us from moment to moment, and when we open our eyes to it, we will begin to see all the small and simple things he does for us. For example, one day during devotional Sister Sibbett said, "I wish we would sing called to serve!" and a few seconds later when we began the opening him, the music to "called to serve" began to fill the auditorium. Coincidence? I don't think so. This is what we call a tender mercy from God. Later that night she bore her testimony that through that experience her understanding of how much God loved her had grown.
I know the Savior and our Heavenly Father love us.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
I love you all!!!!!!!
Sister Lewis
Mosiah 9:18-21
2 Nephi 29: 7-11
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