From Dad 7/14
Hi family,
Even as the rain makes things grow so this work helps us grow as well. Through disappointments, no one home’s, and seeing and feeling the difference in the lives of those we teach who are willing to consider how living the gospel Jesus Christ teaches helps, we begin to get a picture of what a mission is all about. Life is going on.
Brother Vollrath, our 74 year old tennis buff, who had a serious infection in his left leg a few months ago, has the same infection again in its early stages. He was very humble when we met the other day. He was trying to figure out if this was a way Heavenly Father was trying to get his attention since he still had not yet ventured his own first personal prayer. He was not sure if that would be a right thing to do. He wanted to know if he needed to be sincere and really want to know whether God lives before he should ask for help. The question alone explains he has humbled himself considerably. We offered a priesthood blessing. We explained through the power of the priesthood he could be healed if he was willing to show some faith. We explained showing faith meant when his leg was better he would still pray and ask for help to know how to conduct his life and what God wanted him to do. To just say “thank you, I’ll see you around sometime. Have a nice day” and never venture further to get to know Him would not be pleasing to a Heavenly Father who had just helped him through a serious, life threatening problem. After the blessing he said he would make the attempt to talk with and listen to his Heavenly Father in prayer. We hope both things go well for him.
Ron Peterson is really struggling. Two weeks ago as we were talking on the phone it was important to look something up in the Book of Mormon. He left the phone for a minute to go and get his. In the back ground we heard his wife say, “Who is Alma? I don’t read about him in the Bible.” When he came back on the line he was so shaken he said we need to end our conversation. We were concerned. Two weeks ago he had expressed his wife seemed to have some concerns about the Jehovah Witnesses and most likely would not become a member. She loves the Bible and attends a Lutheran Bible study class each week. Tuesday when we talked we offered to only refer to scriptures in the Bible. He said no we needed to do both. Then he said, “I think what is bothering Martina right now is she can’t hear what we are talking about. I want you to come to our home again for our next visit next Tuesday.” This will be a challenge for mom especially. Martina is cordial with me when she answers the phone for which we are grateful. We hope that will be the case when we are once again in their home.
Mom is doing a super job with the English classes. Her training in the schools is coming through loud and clear. Her practical nature cuts through all the fluff and fuzz. She is loved by the students. It is almost funny to see people older than we are as well as those who are younger acting like grade school kids teasing, laughing, and bantering back and forth. Its just fun. I have no vision in these things. I would be totally lost without mom. In the preparing for an eternal marriage class it is the same thing. I have never been much of a teacher. It has and always will be something that takes great effort on my part and produces minimum results. It is awesome to see how mom functions working with people. She has an instant connection and knows how to build on those connections. It is a joy every time we are in a class setting together to learn from her.
Grandma Berner said both prayers, by her choice, when we met on Wednesday. She worked hard to get a grasp of what the Book of Mormon is all about. She is working through the difficulty so many people face. At first people just want to reject the Book of Mormon. Then they are concerned we are trying to replace the Bible. When they stay with us eventually they come to see how the Book of Mormon supports, defends and strengthens every teaching of Christ in the Bible. Anne Berner is somewhere between the first and second step. Her prayers are sincere. She asks to know what direction she should go. We know there is no other way but what Heavenly Father shows her. We can point the way. They will walk together whatever way is right for her. She treats the teachings in the Book of Mormon as truth but cannot yet see how the two were meant to work together. The names and places are so foreign. We are thankful she continues to make return appointments with us.
Yesterday was a long and hard working session with sister Kempe. We had mentioned there were many important teachings of Christ that are no longer included in the Bible. She is a person who requires knowledge. She wanted specifics. We referred to Isaiah 48:1 as mentioned in the Bible and the same chapter and verse quoting Isaiah found on the brass plates in 1st Nephi 20:1. The first reference does not mention baptism. The second one does. Then we were off to the races. She wanted to know why it doesn’t talk about baptism in the Old Testament. Since she does accept the restoration showing her the answers how the gospel of Jesus Christ was taught to all of the Old Testament prophets was not difficult. It just took time. She had so many questions. She wanted to know what happened with Moses and the house of Israel when they were stranded (spiritually) in the desert for 40 years and why Moses was taken away from among them when they entered the promised land and why they had such a strict law code given to them. What makes us the most happy about the growth we see in sister Kempe is knowing she now understands that continuing to work, understand and live the basic teachings Jesus Christ taught is a life long process. We remember a time when she said, “I know we have a Heavenly Father but I don’t feel anything for this Jesus you tell me about.” It is a great day when people recognize Jesus as the Christ the one who gave us the atonement.
Today the sun is shining. We will have a great day. I love mom. She warms my heart every day. This mission is a great sacrifice for her. She has made it willingly but through much pain. I hope to become more like her. She teaches by her example little things every day. We can still laugh. The other day riding the elevator from our car back up to our floor we were talking and had to smile as we noticed her name badge had been upside down while we were out. There are times life just feels upside down but OK anyway.
Have a great day and a good week. We love hearing about all of your adventures.
Love always,
Dad
Even as the rain makes things grow so this work helps us grow as well. Through disappointments, no one home’s, and seeing and feeling the difference in the lives of those we teach who are willing to consider how living the gospel Jesus Christ teaches helps, we begin to get a picture of what a mission is all about. Life is going on.
Brother Vollrath, our 74 year old tennis buff, who had a serious infection in his left leg a few months ago, has the same infection again in its early stages. He was very humble when we met the other day. He was trying to figure out if this was a way Heavenly Father was trying to get his attention since he still had not yet ventured his own first personal prayer. He was not sure if that would be a right thing to do. He wanted to know if he needed to be sincere and really want to know whether God lives before he should ask for help. The question alone explains he has humbled himself considerably. We offered a priesthood blessing. We explained through the power of the priesthood he could be healed if he was willing to show some faith. We explained showing faith meant when his leg was better he would still pray and ask for help to know how to conduct his life and what God wanted him to do. To just say “thank you, I’ll see you around sometime. Have a nice day” and never venture further to get to know Him would not be pleasing to a Heavenly Father who had just helped him through a serious, life threatening problem. After the blessing he said he would make the attempt to talk with and listen to his Heavenly Father in prayer. We hope both things go well for him.
Ron Peterson is really struggling. Two weeks ago as we were talking on the phone it was important to look something up in the Book of Mormon. He left the phone for a minute to go and get his. In the back ground we heard his wife say, “Who is Alma? I don’t read about him in the Bible.” When he came back on the line he was so shaken he said we need to end our conversation. We were concerned. Two weeks ago he had expressed his wife seemed to have some concerns about the Jehovah Witnesses and most likely would not become a member. She loves the Bible and attends a Lutheran Bible study class each week. Tuesday when we talked we offered to only refer to scriptures in the Bible. He said no we needed to do both. Then he said, “I think what is bothering Martina right now is she can’t hear what we are talking about. I want you to come to our home again for our next visit next Tuesday.” This will be a challenge for mom especially. Martina is cordial with me when she answers the phone for which we are grateful. We hope that will be the case when we are once again in their home.
Mom is doing a super job with the English classes. Her training in the schools is coming through loud and clear. Her practical nature cuts through all the fluff and fuzz. She is loved by the students. It is almost funny to see people older than we are as well as those who are younger acting like grade school kids teasing, laughing, and bantering back and forth. Its just fun. I have no vision in these things. I would be totally lost without mom. In the preparing for an eternal marriage class it is the same thing. I have never been much of a teacher. It has and always will be something that takes great effort on my part and produces minimum results. It is awesome to see how mom functions working with people. She has an instant connection and knows how to build on those connections. It is a joy every time we are in a class setting together to learn from her.
Grandma Berner said both prayers, by her choice, when we met on Wednesday. She worked hard to get a grasp of what the Book of Mormon is all about. She is working through the difficulty so many people face. At first people just want to reject the Book of Mormon. Then they are concerned we are trying to replace the Bible. When they stay with us eventually they come to see how the Book of Mormon supports, defends and strengthens every teaching of Christ in the Bible. Anne Berner is somewhere between the first and second step. Her prayers are sincere. She asks to know what direction she should go. We know there is no other way but what Heavenly Father shows her. We can point the way. They will walk together whatever way is right for her. She treats the teachings in the Book of Mormon as truth but cannot yet see how the two were meant to work together. The names and places are so foreign. We are thankful she continues to make return appointments with us.
Yesterday was a long and hard working session with sister Kempe. We had mentioned there were many important teachings of Christ that are no longer included in the Bible. She is a person who requires knowledge. She wanted specifics. We referred to Isaiah 48:1 as mentioned in the Bible and the same chapter and verse quoting Isaiah found on the brass plates in 1st Nephi 20:1. The first reference does not mention baptism. The second one does. Then we were off to the races. She wanted to know why it doesn’t talk about baptism in the Old Testament. Since she does accept the restoration showing her the answers how the gospel of Jesus Christ was taught to all of the Old Testament prophets was not difficult. It just took time. She had so many questions. She wanted to know what happened with Moses and the house of Israel when they were stranded (spiritually) in the desert for 40 years and why Moses was taken away from among them when they entered the promised land and why they had such a strict law code given to them. What makes us the most happy about the growth we see in sister Kempe is knowing she now understands that continuing to work, understand and live the basic teachings Jesus Christ taught is a life long process. We remember a time when she said, “I know we have a Heavenly Father but I don’t feel anything for this Jesus you tell me about.” It is a great day when people recognize Jesus as the Christ the one who gave us the atonement.
Today the sun is shining. We will have a great day. I love mom. She warms my heart every day. This mission is a great sacrifice for her. She has made it willingly but through much pain. I hope to become more like her. She teaches by her example little things every day. We can still laugh. The other day riding the elevator from our car back up to our floor we were talking and had to smile as we noticed her name badge had been upside down while we were out. There are times life just feels upside down but OK anyway.
Have a great day and a good week. We love hearing about all of your adventures.
Love always,
Dad
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home