On Thursday, we made and delivered my mom's Oreo cookies for our investigator Noémie's birthday and then went back to Sylvie and Vianney's to paint their kitchen ceiling with a second coat of paint. We finished that fairly quickly and then went out to dinner with them.
Friday we had service at the Friperie (second-hand clothes shop) which was awesome because we haven't been in several weeks because we have been really busy so it was good to make it back and help them and talk with them.
This whole week we were battling colds so we were out of commission a few of the days with nasty headaches and coughs but we were still able to have some really good lessons with our members.
On Sunday, I was asked to give a talk on the parable of the Prodigal Son which I liked because there are so many perspectives to consider when looking at that parable. For my talk, I focused on two. The first perspective I considered was from the father's view -waiting, hoping, and praying for our "sons" or our families and friends who may have lost their way or haven't yet found their way.
I liked what Elder Brent Nielson of the Quorum of the Seventy said when he spoke about this parable. He said, "after all we can do, we love that person with all of our hearts and we watch, we pray, and we wait for the Lord's hand to be revealed."
A lot of the times we help our friends and families the best we can but it seems like it isn't making a difference. What Elder Nielson focused on in his talk was love. To love, to serve, and to wait for the Lord. Sometimes the only thing we may be able to do is to love them and to wait, but that alone can work wonders. As we think about and pray for these individuals I have found that we are given opportunities to be there for them. To offer advice, support, to be a friend, whatever it is we are there for them to show them we love them and care for them and to provide an opportunity for the Lord to soften their hearts and for them to feel His love.
The other perspective I talked about was the perspective of the prodigal son. We are all prodigal children of our Heavenly Father. We are all imperfect and we all make mistakes, but as we repent and continue to do our best we become closer to Him and we return to Him. I love how Elder Nielson described it, "The Savior's words in the parable as He describes the father greeting his prodigal son are powerful, and I believe they may be the description of the experience you and I will have with the Father when we return to our heavenly home. They teach us of a father who loves, waits, and watches. These are the words of the Savior: 'When he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him' (Luke 15:20)"
What an incredible experience that will be when we are reunited with our Heavenly Father. We must be in the world but not of the world. We must be examples of righteousness and continually improve ourselves and reach out to others. I pray that we may all have opportunities to be the answer to someone's prayer and to be a shining light to those around us. I love you all so much and I know this church is true and that our Savior Jesus Christ is merciful and is aware of everything we go through and He is there for us. I know that our Heavenly Father is waiting lovingly for us and is ready to welcome us back into His presence with open arms.
I love you all so much and I miss you just the same. Continue in righteousness, and as always, stay safe and stay faithful!
Love,
Elder DiReda
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