Marinade of Life

When you have two people in two phones talk to each other.

Highlights:
From the last three weeks
*Got beard burn from an overly friendly potential investigator, who shocked me on the street, and greeted me in his culture before I could react.
*We were in the church and someone called the church phone, and we picked up, and the person on the other line said he wanted to be baptized and asked what he needed to do! We set up an appointment with him, but later felt like we needed to give him to the Elders to teach. At the moment the Elders were meeting with him, I was in a bus being told by a man that if I would join his religion, he would marry me...I think out of some misunderstood pity. The irony though. But, inspiration always hold true.
*We were dropped by an investigator through text, who told us amid smiliey emoticons that he researched us and didn't buy it and to never contact us again. It felt strangely like a break-up text.
*We explained the Atonement with the analogy of a rose bush to a Muslim, and he said that were extremely convincing, and that he'd have to think about it. Christ is our Savior!
*Someone who saw the beard burn encounter called me out and said simply "Du bist schlecht". When I further questioned him to figure out why, he got all confused and didn't give me a straight answer, and then ended up apologizing, just so I would go away...
*Someone called us yesterday to say that he had had an appointment with us two months ago, but at the time he cancelled it, and threw his Book of Mormon away. Since then, he has had only bad luck, and he knows it is because he has offended "our God". He wants to meet now.

World-o-meter
Egypt
Poland
Russia
Turkey
Croatia
Bangladesh
Iran
Syria
Gambia
Kenya
Afghanistan
Germany

Deutsch:
"Expectations" auf Deutsch is "Erwartungen", which is closely associated with the word "Warten" which means "to wait". Are our "Erwartungen" causing us to wait to act, wait to serve, or wait to love?

Be sure to watch the new video for Easter, my folks!


My thoughts today come from the talk What Lack I Yet.

Part of my MTC group at Zone Conference.

"Years ago I read these words of President Spencer W. Kimball, which had a lasting impact on me. He said: “I have learned that where there is a prayerful heart, a hungering after righteousness, a forsaking of sins, and obedience to the commandments of God, the Lord pours out more and more light until there is finally power to pierce the heavenly veil. ... A person of such righteousness has the priceless promise that one day he shall see the Lord’s face and know that he is.” (What Lack I Yet?)"

NOWHERE does it say "a perfect person", "a popular person", "a -whatever-you-currently-think-you-don't-have person". However, it does talk about being honest and genuine, about facing your weaknesses with honesty and love. It does talk about taking responsibility, and softness of spirit, and never EVER giving up.

If spiritual growth is not a priority in our lives, if we are not on a course of steady improvement, we will miss out on the important experiences that God wants to give us. (What Lack I Yet?)

And if we are, we need to not hyperventilate if it doesn't go as quickly as we think it should. God wants, and we want the change to be permanent. That means it has to go deep. Like when you marinate steak, you want it in the marinade for at least a few hours, so that the flavor seeps through. Same with the lessons that we learn. Don't be afraid if you seemed to be swimming in the marinade of life. It is not a sign of weakness or failure, but rather one of permanent and lasting change. It's a good thing.


Anyway, Happy Easter! Christ is our Savior, He has redeemed us. Hope is reachable, and we can be healed, fully completely, totally, and utterly.

Love always,

Sister Roderer