Tender Mercies!

Monday, 4 January 2016

Hi, everyone! Happy new year!

What a wonderful, crazy, long (and short) week this has been!

I though I would share my most recent Mission President update with you. Miracles! :)

Something I learned this week was that God gives us bad days so that we can learn to appreciate the good days. We had one day where all of our appointments fell through and we were having no success in tracting. Not one person answered their door. And to top it all off, it was cloudy, so the day just dragged on in a gloomy way. But before we went tracting in the last neighborhood we chose, we said a prayer, asking God for a miracle that evening. Then we went to work with a stronger faith and diligence.
That's when we were given the miracle. :) A pastor opened his door to us and let us pray with him. We spoke for a while with him, comparing common beliefs, and he encouraged us to keep working diligently as we served the Lord. His words lifted us up and helped us to see that there are still good things to be found, even on hard, gloomy days. :)

​Another amazing miracle happened this week! 

We met Claudette while caroling. She is an awesome Jamaican woman with such a fun personality! Our ward was having a pork roast dinner for New Years, and so we invited a bunch of people to it, Claudette being one of them. 

Then, at the dinner, we saw an amazing thing--Claudette walked in with a huge, nervous grin on her face! She kept saying, "Where is the Steward?" (where is Sister Stewart). ​We were able to introduce her to a bunch of people, and she was also given a tour of the building. Later, we were able to set an appointment with her to visit!

On Sunday, we followed through and visited her. We were blessed with a wonderful lesson about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. The most amazing thing, though, was that she committed to reading the Book of Mormon! She was very enthusiastic about it, and she is excited to learn more. I look forward to our next visit with her. :)

I testify that God knows each of us individually. He loves us. He wants what is best for us. He provides ways daily for us to draw closer to Him and to learn of His Son. His tender mercies are always there for us. He blesses us with them each day. 

My challenge for you this week is to look for the Lord's tender mercies in your daily lives. Write one tender mercy down each day. I testify that as you do so, you will be able to see the Lord's hand in your life each day. It may be in small ways, but His influence is there. He is always there, for He truly loves you!

Keep smiling, and have a blessed day! (A common Georgian saying. :))