Also, I've almost mastered the refined chocolate chip cookie recipe! We've made them three times to take to other people and we are taking a break from them for a while because we end up eating too many.
We visited Dora and Ruud again this week and she knitted me a scarf! We had a lot of good lessons with members this week. Some of which were from Liahona articles, from the 5 lessons, and some were from Preach My Gospel. It's really frustrating when you teach great lessons with a really strong spirit to some of the less-active members and they still don't come back to church.
We do however have a really amazing member who is working several hours from Rimouski so he isn't able to come to church but we call him three times a week and read the scriptures with him. He is such an amazing member. Every time we read with him I find myself learning more and thinking more deeply because he will occasionally have deeper questions for us to answer. He has such amazing faith. I hope I get to meet him one day.
We taught our investigator Kathleen about the Plan of Salvation and she was involved and understood what we were teaching her. She is making great progress! It's incredible because she has known the missionaries for 3+ years, but now because she's older she's listening to the lessons for herself and is keeping commitments. We can see her faith greatly increasing!
We had our Branch's Primary Program yesterday which was really good, but since we only have 2 primary children, it was a shorter program. Also, since we only have 2 primary children they needed help filling some of the time. So, President Worner and Sister Worner asked us to sing. Now for those who have heard me sing you understand why this was a bad idea. For those who haven't heard me sing, count yourselves lucky. We did it nonetheless and it was a good program.
This week I found myself reading and listening to more talks from BYU Devotionals and General Conference talks. One of which was by Elder Eyring in a BYU Devotional where he spoke on "A Law of Increasing Returns". He talked about being examples of Christ and the trouble we have in our lives is that we can't see the seeds we are planting so it's difficult for us to know if the seed has yielded all it will yield or if we should continue working and waiting.
He shared 2 Peter 3:3-4 and posed questions that I really needed to ponder this week because it was a harder week for me. Elder Eyring said,
"You are believers, not scoffers. Yet the scoffers can be helpful, because they encourage you to get an answer to this question: What am I willing to keep giving heart and soul for, when neither I nor the scoffers may see returns for a long, long time? And when we decide there are potential rewards worth that commitment, you'll want answers to another question: How can I keep myself working and waiting if the scoffers are loud and the delay long? There are spiritual crops that require months, years, and sometimes a lifetime of cultivation before the harvest. Among them are spiritual rewards you want most."
For me this was powerful because the people in Québec, for the most part, despise the idea of Christ and God. It's demoralizing to see them shut the doors so quickly on the thing that will bless them the most in their lives and in the life to come. It's heartbreaking to realize that with each door slam or swear word or dropped appointment/commitment that people are rejecting Him. To think that if Christ were here Himself they would do the same thing to Him destroys me inside. Yet, I realize that as it says in Ether 12:6, "...I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."
Elder Eyring goes on to say that, "The prettiest flowers I've ever seen were among rocks near the tops of mountains. That must have been partly because I worked so hard to get there, for something else. And then, suddenly, there they were. By looking at them and at the blessings around you, it will be easy to do what King Benjamin suggested: O how you ought to thank your heavenly King."
It's hard for me and will continue to be hard for me to witness the hardness of hearts and the hatred towards God and Christ, but I have a stronger testimony now than ever and I know that if I keep working hard with all my heart, might, mind and strength that I will find those prepared who are searching for something more in their lives, who are searching for the truth.
I hope you all continue working hard in everything you do and never give up your faith because some of the blessings we desire most and seek after the most are the ones that take the longest to achieve. D&C 58:3-4
Love you all! Stay safe, stay faithful, stay strong!
Love,
Elder DiReda
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| We Have Snow!!!! |
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| What Else but SNOW ANGELS!! |
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| Cheese! Glorious Cheese!!! |
