Thursday, July 31, 2014

What a special week. (7/20)

What a special special week.  Sometimes I am overwhelmed with the goodness of God.  :)  I feel close to you all as I think about Elder Croft and how he is now a missionary with me.  This week, kind of like that Derek got married, felt like a particularly special week.  This morning I feel like it is particularly special privilege to be a missionary.  I think God blessed with specific blessings this week.  God is so good.
Where to even begin.  Some amazing things that happened this week.  First.  A couple of weeks ago, or maybe not even that long, we had a sort of "unproductive day" as far as key indicators went... we had tried to accomplish good things but we'd gone home and cringed a little bit because of the 0 numbers that we had gotten etc.  Then when our district leader followed up with us he said "I guess God is blessing you for your obedience because someone named Deek called me... it was literally the last woman that we talked to before we raced on our bikes to get home.  We taught her for the first time this week and man... it was an incredible experience.  She told us a lot about her life and feelings and experiences.  She is one of the most prepared people that I have ever met in my life.  As she told us of her personal experiences I could very clearly see the hand of God in every part of her life.  She has a 7 year-old daughter is extraordinary to say the least.  Her daughter goes to a Catholic? school right now... and despite having a Buddhist family this little girl is full of so many questions about Christ.  She wants to know and understand and wants to be Christian.  A lot of very spiritual and special experiences have happened in this woman's life because of her daughter.  Oh my goodness.  It was an incredible lesson.  I want to tell you everything.  At the end of it Sister Hughes and I just looked at each other stunned because of all that this woman had experienced.  She even went so far to say that she felt like God is calling her.  And she feels close to him.  Buddhism has left her comforted in some moments... but also feeling there must be something better than this.  She is incredible.  It was amazing to be able to here just how specific her preparation had been.  God is so good.  I am so happy to be teaching this incredible family.  That was on the day that Elder Croft entered the MTC.  And that was a morning when I told God that we needed miracles, and we needed to find someone who was ready!

Another incredible miracle.  Brother Moo got baptized!  I wish each of you could see first hand the marvelous and personal transformation that takes place in people when they learn and apply the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We've all seen it... but I mean in these beautiful people I get to see.  Wowza.  He is so different than the first time I met him.  I met him in front of a 7/11.  I remember it :) one of my favorite differences in him is how much he smiles now.  I had this moment of joy one morning when were riding our bikes to the church to teach him... we passed by him waiting for us, he looked up from his laptop, grinned and waved.  Ahh.  I can't even tell you how happy that makes me.  After he interviewed we were kind of teasing him, and we said "Is Elder Lim scary?"  I love what he said.  "No... when you're already determined to be baptized and determined to keep the commandments you don't need to be afraid."  Before he left he also said... "tomorrow is my birthday!"  So cool.  He's amazing.  He has 3 kiddies and a wife.  We're working on getting the whole family here.  It's amazing to see how much Brother Moo was prepared as well.  He really was... he's read the new testament several times (which is weird for Thailand) and has kind of... always wanted this... and now he has it.  So wonderful.

Another cool thing.  Something I've learned about (and continue to learn about) as a missionary... is faith and miracles.  I've always had a little bit of an inner conflict... because I've had several leaders and people on my mission talk about faith and about miracles in a way that I couldn't quite agree with?  I'm not sure how to describe it.  We are taught to expect miracles.  And I do :)  I expect them and I see them.  But I've also had several people ask me before "Where is your faith Sister Croft?"  ... man I'm sorry I don't know how to describe this very well... and I'm still learning about it.  But... through some study, discussion, and experience, this week I feel like I've learned that God blesses us with miracles often, and we can see His hand clearly if we look for it.  I feel like we can ask for specific miracles, but that doesn't always mean that we will receive them.  God is in charge, it is on His time, and not on our time.  But when we have faith all things are possible that are expedient unto Him.  We pray for miracles all of the time.  Daily!  And we do receive them... sometimes they aren't the miracles that we want, but they are the miracles that God has prepared and they are much better than the ones that we ask for sometimes.  I dunno.  Just some thoughts that don't make very much sense when I try to type them out :)  

I love you all so very very much.  So very very much.  I hope this following week is incredible.  

Love,
Sister Croft

Brother Moo is four to the right from me in that picture :) 


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