Out on my mission I have just become so obsessed with seeing new pictures and paintings of the Savior Jesus Christ. I thought I had a great respect for art and music before, but that respect has deepened as I have often pondered and thought about the message the artist tries to convey through his painting. There is such a calmness and peace that comes with starring at pictures of the Savior. One of my favorite ones growing up was of Jesus Christ pulling a young girl up onto the rock he was standing on as he crossed a river. I loved that picture so much because it makes me think about how much our savior Jesus Christ loves us, and how he is always pulling us and pleading with us to move in the right direction towards him.
A miracle that happened this last week was with someone who has become quite a phantom in our apartment complex. Sister Farnsworth and I met this person one night as we were getting dropped off from an appointment. The senior missionary who was with us named Sister Graham saw this person and commented on the cute yellow bug she drove around in. They hit it off right away and Sister Graham gave her a pass along card and told her that we were her neighbor and we would be bringing by a treat for her sometime in the next week. Sister Farnsworth and I were eager to meet her and talk to her more. She was very kind and nice. The week came by and we made cookies and had everything set for her. We knocked on her door and she wasn't their. For the next few months she would become the "phantom" investigator to us. We would constantly see her buzzing in and out of her apartment at odd times in the day, especially when we were about to leave our apartment and didn't have time. Or when we were getting home and it was too late. HOW IN THE WORLD were we ever going to meet up with this person? It was impossible. Well, the miracle is this: just this last week as Sister Dieter and I got home from grocery shopping she was in the parking lot waiting in her car. Sister Dieter and I walked into our apartment to drop off our supplies for the week and I turned to Sister Dieter and said, "We have to go talk to her now! We are going to miss her again!" So we went outside and had a really awkward contacting situation telling her that we were her neighbors and that we wanted to stop by and get to know her more and bring her some cookies. I don't think that would have worked with just any other contact. I mean, who lets two random girls set up an appointment with them after only meeting them once. But she said yes and we are planning on stopping by her house later this week. The point of the story is that we need to talk with everyone. We have no idea who is ready to accept the Gospel and who is not. We are all children of our Heavenly Father and he loves us very much. Our Savior provided a way for us to be able to return to our Heavenly Father through his atonement. Why can't we help others along the way as we try and help better ourselves? There are miracles behind sharing the Gospel. This is his work, and the Lord will aid us in our efforts as long as we pray and seek to recognize those missionary opportunities.
Remember that it is because of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that all things are possible. Because of him we can be with our families forever, we can have eternal life, and we can be made clean through his love and his infinite atonement.
