Musicals and Singing in the Car.

Recently a production came out called 

The Lamb of God.
It is a musical production of the life of Christ put together by
various Christian denominations who worked together to create it.

My companion was given the CD's and we have been listening to the
soundtrack non stop.
The last song of the first disk is right after Christ's death. 

As we sat and listened it talked about how hope did not die with Christ but
that it was here hope was made.
I thought of our Savior on the cross and how he cried out because The
Father left Him, Christ, alone.
"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli,
Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?"
Matthew 27:46
We teach a non denominational bible study class and we just finished
reading Matthew.
When Christ called out "Why hast thou forsaken me?" The class was puzzled.
Why had God left His Son alone on the cross?
We explained because Christ had to be the perfect sacrifice He
couldn't have help.
He needed to do it alone.
But it wasn't until two weeks later as we were listing to the soundtrack in
the car this image began to make its way into my heart.
The image of Christ on the cross was portrayed in a beautiful array of
music and words.
I was overcome with the scene and these thoughts came to my mind.

God had to leave Christ so Christ would never leave us.

If we will but trust in what He has done for us we never need to feel alone.
I knew this before but now I feel this truth even more!

(This was the car in front of us on our way to the library!)

Friend or Foe?

God knows me better then I know myself.
  A few weeks ago we had word that I would be getting a new teaching companion.
I was so nervous. "Would she like me?" " Would we get along?"
Each night I would pray to know what to say so we could be friends.
(Living with someone 24/7 is no peace of cake, being kind is a must!)
As I drove over to the transfer sight I wanted to cry.
Sometimes I can be a tad bit dramatic ;) and that was exactly the case here.
I had nothing to worry about.
Conversation came easy and teaching the people in our area have brought
  some powerful experiences.
I didn't know this girl but I expected the worst before she came.
God knows me better then I know myself.
Again I am grateful and excited to bring others to Christ with the
talented and beautiful Sister Guilott!

"Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give the aid.
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand."
-How Firm a Foundation hymn no. 85

God Has a Plan

God has a plan.

A Woman we know lost her son to leukemia.

Then on the following Sunday she went up in front of the congregation and bore her testimony of the Savior.

Her entire testimony was full of the Spirit.

I couldn't help but cry as I felt Gods love for her fill that room.

He gave her so much strength to make it through. 

She talked about young trees,

 when the wind blows then the tree becomes stronger when it is grown.

This made me reflect on my life.

Boy has the wind blown.

And looking back I am grateful for it.

After she sat down another young woman stood up. 

She also testified God has a plan.

The night before she helped an elderly couple as he slipped away from this life.

The wife cried thinking it was the end, that she would never see him again.

This young woman although not a avid church goer 

heard herself in this woman's sobs.

Something told her that wasn't right.

This inst the end. 

She would in fact see her loved ones again.

Love like that does not end.

Spiders are Friends?

Washington has more spiders then I have ever seen in my entire life. 

Last year we would walk along the road with our arms out stretched to catch the webs before they hit our face. 

This year a spider appeared by our front door and built a beautiful large web.

We were freaked out by her at first. 

But each night as we passed by her (we think it was a girl spider) we became a little more comfortable with her. 

One night we even saw a bug fly right into her web! 

She ate it so fast we quickly found another bug and watched her eat again. 

The people we live with cleaned up her web and took the door decoration she lived in down. 

When we came home we noticed the door decoration she lived in sitting in our apartment.

Fear came over us as we realized she could be in our part of the house. 

We told the people we lived with and they gave us some counsel. 

They told us a story of a young boy going into the mountains to prove himself. 

On the way down he meet a snake. 

The snake asked the boy to take him down the mountain.

The boy refused.

Earnestly the snake explained how he would freeze if the boy did not take him down to the village below. 

The boy still refused for fear the snake would bite him. 

The snake promised he would do no such thing. 

The boy finally agreed, picked up the snake, and carried him down the mountain.

Right before they reached the village the snake turned around and bit the boy. 

They boy asked "Why did you do that? You promised you wouldn't."

The snake responded "You knew who I was before you picked me up."

Sister Owens and I prayed to find the spider. 

A few days later we found her bigger then ever in the extra coat closet. 

The people we live with came down, kindly took her out and again knocked down all lingering web. 

Through this experience I realized how important it is to not become comfortable with things that can hurt us. 

There is no use in feeding the fire or thinking we are an exception to the rule. 

Spiders bite. Snakes bite. Sin bites. 

Becoming comfortable with empty promises does not take the consequences away. 

"No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon."

Locked Doors & Ringing Wall Phones

God really shows us what life is all about!! And I love it! 

The more I live the more I love life, God,
and all the people in between.

As missionaries we are in meetings all the time.

Last Sunday we had just gotten out of a meeting where we prayed to be able to find
and help those in need.
The meeting could have ended early but instead it ended right on time.
My companion knew something needed to be printed so we were standing
by the clerk's office.
 The Clerk unlocked the door and within a minute or so 

(the amount of time needed to print our paper)

 the wall phone rings. 

(Inside the previously shut office.)
Staring at the phone I laughed to myself, I didn't know that it was
even there! Who uses wall phones anymore and more so who calls them?
  The Clerk answers, asks a few questions, then hands the phone over to us.
A little puzzled we take the phone and find an answer to the prayer we
gave minutes before.
Someone looked up this number and called needing help.
We were at the right place at the right time to provide that help.

Because we have modern technology we have continued and will continue
to be that help for this child of God.
People who are seeking truth will find it with or with out 

our efforts.

If we are in the right place at the right time, ask God for help,

and are willing we can see miracles and be a part of them.
I am so grateful to be a part of this miracle.
Don't you love the power of faith and what it can do?

Matthew 7:7-8

 "Ask, and it shall be given you; 

seek, and ye shall find; 

knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

 For every one that asketh receiveth; 

and he that seeketh findeth; 

and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

I know I say this all the time but it is true, 

God can answer your prayers too.