Week 75

These past few weeks I've been thinking a lot about Gods timing. More
often than not things don't happen when we want or in the way that we
think that we should. On my mission there's been so many times where
I've wondered why I'm sick, or why a person stopped meeting with us.

There's been three times on my mission where I've been pretty sick and
not able to go out and work for a couple of weeks. Every time I had
these thoughts cross my head, "I'm out serving God right now, I only
have a short time where my every single waking thought and action can
be for Him so why am I sick?" Every time I've realized that at in
these crucial 18 months I would not be sick unless God had planned it
to be.

Everything happened in God own timing in His own way. "To every thing
there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven"
(Ecclesiastes 3:1). Birth and death happen for a reason, trials and
miracles happen for a reason. God knows greater than I do and He knows
greater than you do. So just keep hanging in there.

I figure submitting to gods will is a lot like baking a cake, except
God has the recipe and we have no idea what we are baking, we just
know that it will be good. We patiently wait God to give us an
ingredient and tell us how much to out in the mixing bowl. Once we've
got the ingredients together we have to put it in the pan. And then we
have to wait and wait. Waiting is probably the hardest part. Sometimes
we want to take it out because it smells done and it looks done. And
finally when it is actually done we have to let it cool down.

God gives us blessings in ways we don't always think. As a big
blessing is coming (he cake itself) we often are gaining other
important blessings along the way. The gift of patience. The gift of
following instructions correctly. Each step of the process teaches us
different things, so as we are waiting for blessings in our life we
need to look for what other things God may be blessing us with as we
wait.

I have also come to know so strongly that I'm never truly alone even
in the times that it feels I'm patiently waiting for things to happen.
" I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall
be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you
up"(Doctrine and covenants 84:88). We have so much help when we are
amidst our struggles. We always have heavenly help.

On my mission I have literally felt angels with me, helping me and
protecting me from danger. I may not always feel them there, but I
know they're always there. Sometimes our angels are the people that
are closest to us. Look for the people who can be an angel to you, and
that you in return can be an angel to.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Pictures from our 4th of July fun!!