Ping's Flowers

 It's been a fun week!

Highlights:



*Our little seven-year-old looked at the Sons of Mosiah in the

children reader Book of Mormon and yells "fitness!" It was so funny!

Their headbands looked like fitness bands to him!

*All these potential investigators are coming to the Musikalische

Abend! One woman came to church a couple weeks ago with her friend,

and enjoyed Relief Society a lot and ended up staying for choir

practice. She's coming to sing!

*I felt the power of the gift of tongues this week. We went to a

member's house to pray for someone who randomly stopped coming to

church. I thought she was going to say the prayer, but I had a funny

feeling that she would ask me.

She did.

I wouldn't be able to repeat to you what I said in the prayer. I used

grammar and words that I have NEVER used before. The Spirit was

strong.



*I hit my half-way mark this week.







We went to the first part of the Stake Relief Society Meeting on

Saturday, because I was asked to play flute as part of someone's talk.

In this talk, she told the most intriguing parable.





   There once was a king who in his old age had no sons, so he began

his search for an heir. He sent a proclamation throughout the land

that all who wanted, could come and try for the throne. Once all of

the people were gathered, he gave each potential heir two seeds, and

told them to plant the seeds, and in a years time, the person who had

grown the most beautiful flower would become the next king.

    There was a young man named Ping. He was excited about the

"quest", because he had grown many beautiful flowers, and he knew he

could do a good job.

    He carefully took the seeds home and planted them in rich and

nutritious soil, and set the pot by the window in perfect sunlight.

Everyday, he did all he knew how to do for the seeds. He watered and

nourished them carefully, but they didn't sprout. He knew that some

seeds took longer than other seeds, so he kept trying, and waiting.

       Still nothing happened. He moved the pot to a better patch of

sunlight, he was even more careful about watering and fertilizing, he

even started talking and singing to the seeds, and still nothing

happened.

    Eventually, the time came to bring his flower back to the king.

He wept to his father, afraid and ashamed that he would bring this

empty pot of dirt to the king. His father hugged him, and told him

that he should go to the king with his head held high, because he had

done all he could. His father told him that he had noticed how

diligently Ping had watched over this plant.

    Ping felt the truth of what his father had said, so he took his

pot and began the journey to the palace. On his way, he saw many other

people with pots full of beautiful flowers. They began to make fun of

him, and he began to feel ashamed. He knew he had grown more beautiful

flowers before, but here he was with a pot full of dirt. Then he

remembers what his father said, and lifts his head and continues on to

the palace.

   The king slowly goes down the row of flowers, studying each on

carefully. As he comes to Ping's pot, he stops short and declares that

Ping would be the new king.

    Everyone was confused, but then the king went on to say that the

seeds he had given out were cooked, and could not have sprouted.



It made me think about the things we try to do to prove our worth and

make sure that we are being good people. I think we forget that the

seeds are cooked. Meaning, what we do is not as important as what we

become.


We were listening to a talk by Blaine Yorgensen, and he said something

interesting...





"   The true test of being a Mormon isn't how many commandments we

keep, it's how much we love.   "



Love what you do.



I gave a Thema on obeying with your heart. I used an example from

physics. The compliance of something determines how well it keeps a

new shape under pressure. So if something causes a piece of metal to

change shape, the compliance determines if it stays like that. When we

are compliant to the commandments, it doesn't mean we are then all of

a sudden cool people or worthwhile people, we are allowing the will of

God to change who we are becoming.



God lives.

He loves you.

I love you too!



Sister Roderer
A visit from Sister Eschenmann.