Dear Everyone:
We had some excitement this week. We were in a car accident... oops.
Not my fault. We stopped for a pedestrian, and a guy on his motorcycle behind us didn't see us stopping until it was too late. He tried to swerve and miss us, but didn't quite make us and tore off the back corner of our car. It's currently in our backseat, because we aren't really sure what to do with it.
The good news is, nobody was hurt, including the guy on the motorcycle!
Another interesting thing that happened this week involved a bird we named Pete. He got stuck in the wall behind our kitchen sink.
Isn't he a cute little guy? We have no idea how he got there. But our landlord came and rescued him this morning, so it was a great way to start off the week - rescuing a soul.
Speaking of souls, we found a new investigator this week! An older lady named Andrea. She lost her only son a few years ago and she's been kind of bitter about it ever since. She's estranged from most of her family and doesn't really have any friends. She said she's been pretty hopeless for the past couple years.
Luckily, we have a message that is full of hope. And peace. And happiness!
So I'm excited to teach her. She's a sweetie - just needs a little love.
Funny thing though, how we met Andrea. She was a referral from a member in the ward - which, if you don't know, is the best way for missionaries to find people to teach. And guess who the referral was from - Brother Farmer! The same member who led us to Abby!
You guys. Brother Farmer is a plumber. Our ward mission leader, Brother Smith, is a mechanic. They've given us the majority of the referrals I've received here in Saco, and have also been the ones who have found 3 out of the last 4 people who have been baptized recently into the Saco ward.
How have they managed to do that? Because they aren't afraid to talk about the church and the gospel with people.
I mean come on. They're a mechanic and a plumber. Not necessarily occupations that move easily into religious conversations. (Can you imagine though? "No really, you need your brakes changed. Otherwise they will fail, and you will die. Which actually isn't as bad as you would think. If you go to Mormon.org, you can learn more about what happens after you die..." Although I doubt conversations start like that.)
Seriously though. Talking about the gospel is just like talking about ice cream. If anyone asks you what your favorite ice cream is, most people can answer right away. And then, if you push, you can find out why.
I love coconut ice cream. Why? It's simple, yet delicious and different.
The gospel is the same way. Just like how most people love ice cream in general, everyone has a favorite. As members of the church, we love the gospel in general, but I know you have a favorite.
I love knowing that there is a prophet on earth today. Why? Because it shows that God loves us, just as much as he loved the people who lived in biblical times; it allows us to receive modern revelation that helps us in these days; it gives me someone to look to for guidance, for clarification on questions I have. And I love that all the words of the prophets - current and past - are available for me to read, either in the scriptures or on lds.org.
It's beautiful.
So everyone take a moment. Think about what you love most about the gospel. About Christ. About what He has done for you. Think of how you can express that to others.
Then decide that you're going to do that this week. Somehow, sometime this week you will share that little piece of the gospel that you love with someone else. If you're really dedicated to it, you'll find that chance. There's a talk by Elder Neal A. Maxwell, who was an apostle, that I just love. It's entitled 'Called to Serve'. In it, he talks about being a disciple of Christ. And there's one paragraph that just applies to this. He said: "There are more meaningful moments than we use profitably, just as in terms of Christian service there are more opportunities around us than we now use. God is ever ready, if only we were always ready."
I love that. We really are given countless opportunities every day to serve our Savior. The only problem is that, as humans, we often don't notice those opportunities we're given. We're too caught up in our own lives, in our to-do lists and our worries and our excuses.
So just start with one thing. And look for an opportunity to share that one thing. I promise that if you're looking for it, you'll find it.
Just like happiness. If you're looking for it, you'll find it.
Love you all!
Love,
Sister Lindsey Berg
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