I've had some deep thoughts this week, and I'm excited to share them with you.
It would be easier to study the words of Christ with regard to faith as a mustard seed if I had more than 2 hours a week to use the computer. I will be studying faith more this week, but yesterday, this came to mind, and I want to share:
I've always wondered if the message of the mustard seed is that faith is very small. I can't move mountains, so my faith must be smaller than a mustard seed.
What if the Savior meant that we need to have faith as a mustard seed has? The mustard seed has no proof that it will not be ripped out of the ground as soon as it begins to grow. It has no guarantee that the sun will shine upon it again, that water will come tomorrow, or that the fruits of its labor will be of any use. But one can depend on that mustard seed.
Give the mustard seed a place to grow, and it will grow. Give it a little water, and it will drink it up. Give it a little sunlight, and it will reach up to that light with all its might. In doing so, it reveals its weaker stem and leaves.
If the sun doesn't come again, if water doesn't come, or someone pulls the mustard seed out of the ground, it will die. The seed only gets one chance to grow and once it dies, that's it. Why isn't the seed afraid to grow? Why does the mustard seed take such a risk at the very first chance it gets?
The mustard seed has faith. If we had faith as the mustard seed, we would jump at every opportunity to do God's work. We wouldn't be afraid to fail or to succeed. We would do all we can with the resources we have and trust God to provide. We would do all we can to fulfill our purpose. Oh, that I had the faith of a mustard seed!
I don't have time to polish it up, and I've never been big on learning from plants. It just doesn't seem fair to either party, but for me, I am afraid of some of the risks that seem so big, but in reality, they're not. God will provide. He knows how to take care of people way better than I do. I can trust the promptings of the Spirit. I can grow despite the guarantees. I must do all I can to fulfill my purpose as a missionary.
So! How was the week? Update on my investigators:
Beverly was in a really desperate and difficult place when we decided to pass by. The Spirit whispered that we should read the chapter that says faith is to "hope for things which are not seen, which are true." I had to ask my companion where it was. We read Alma 32. It starts out by saying that the people are blessed because they are poor in heart and have been cast out of the synagogues. That doesn't seem like a blessing at first glance, but it truly is. Then it talks a lot about faith. The Spirit was thick. It was just what she needed. Things started looking up for her. She's going to be baptized.
I also met this fun family called Famila Gomez! They are from the Dominican Republic. The husband and wife are both really nice. I sometimes wish I could just be plain old friends with them. She's so pretty and a great cook. They have 3 boys, and the names are super hard to keep straight. They all end with "nel". I love talking to them, and I have to continually remind myself that the best thing I can do for them is to share the doctrine of Christ with them. I pray that their desire to know the truth will grow. I often worry when we find families that are pretty content in life that they won't really want to know about the Gospel. I've had to ask myself why I need the Gospel in my prosperous life. I'm working on answering that question. I hope that when I find the answer, I'll be able to use it in my missionary work.
I love this branch. The members are so supportive. They put a lot of time and effort into their callings and supporting the missionaries. Some families we even get the pleasure of eating with once a week! Even though I often get lost when people converse in Spanish around me, I'm working hard, and I know I'll get it.
Thanks for the package, Mom and Dad! Thanks for the notes, Grandma Stevia and University Ward Relief Society!
Mucho amor,
Hermana Sleight
