September 11, 2011, 10 years after the tragic events that transpired in this great city of New York, was a very lovely day. It seemed the city took a bit of a vacation. Not in the party/celebration sense of vacation but in a "vacation from the usual calamity that is living in a city with 8 million people" way. It was so solemn, and a bit strange to peer down 3rd Ave and see nothing and no one for blocks. People were hard to come by on the street that day, to where I say a much needed shift from the norm. What a day it must have been 10 years before?! It was nice to see how people had taken time to slow down and remember how life changed for everyone in a moments notice.
God bless them.
The rest of the week just seemed to be in preparation for that day. You could feel the city dumbing down in anticipation for the weekend, preparing themselves for the reminders. It was nice to go out and speak with the people. Many just wanted to let off steam, while others were excited to recall where they were and what they were doing 10 years ago when the events happened. A listening ear and an attentive spirit were really all that I could afford. With pleasure.
Other than that Sister Tuke and I have survived another transfer - Upper East Side is where we are for another 6 weeks! The work here has been miraculous! We have been so blessed with work, which also is a much needed shift from the norm, haha. We have been working hard in preparation for the coming YSA Multi-Stake Conference as well as the Semi Annual General Conference in October. Wow, I cant believe we have reached another 6 months where we get to hear from the authorities once more! Everyone is returning for another round of school too so Sacrament meeting has at least doubled in size :) Along with that came two amazing investigators. Both of whom have had past experiences at church and with missionaries. Two completely different circumstances, but one unanimous conclusion: baptism is the next step.
Such faith that must have taken. Both girls sought us out and explained to us that the experiences they have had led them to the Church - again both in very different ways. In some ways without knowledge and in other ways reluctantly. Leave it to the Spirit to continue to press and help us make valuable decisions. Matched with meaningful and sincere prayer they took the steps necessary to quench this initially unrecognizable thirst for the gospel. What a blessing that is. I am always taken aback by the way we "fall" upon things that are so right for us. Case and point, I am serving a mission, haha!
I can say that this one single decisions has drastically changed my life! I cannot do without the experiences that I have had. I was reading in the Ensign this morning the talk given at the CES Fireside in April by Elder Ballard some items on the principle of faith. He says, "Faith is one of the greatest powers that you have in this sojourn of mortality." Faith is what it is. Faith is what leads us to act on that prompting that may initially be uninvited by the Spirit. Faith is what helps us keep hope for the future. Faith is what keeps us holding on actively to the knowledge that Heavenly Father is leading us if we will listen to his voice.
I always like to say that "there are no accidents in history, everything happens for a reason" (thank you Mr. Stordahl for ALWAYS saying that). It is true! I am thankful for my faith and the miracles that proceed it. It is in that order that we see the best that life has to offer. Have faith. Have a great week, and know I love you :) and so it is...
No comments:
Post a Comment