Hey all,
This week we had a blitz exchange and a multi zone conference in
Indiana, so we both ended up staying two nights with our Sister
Training Leader in Louisville. Sister Bogardus and I were driving up
Tuesday night and I was reading a talk out loud when a random image of
a car accident flashed in my mind. I stopped and said, "I feel like
we're going to have an accident, I'm just going to say a prayer that
we'll be safe." Ten minutes later, we were stopped in a turning lane
and a car flipped around the corner too fast, hit the curb and side
swiped us. Thankfully no one was hurt! Sister B was pretty shaken up
as it was her very first accident (I was perfectly calm, I mean it's
only like my fifth accident plus I knew it was going to happen soooo).
A little miracle story: We have a goal to contact 140 people a week,
and Thursday our goal was 25 people. It ended up being a day with a
lot of appointments and at 8:30 we realized we hadn't contacted a
soul. We have to start planning at 9:00 so Sister Bogardus and I
prayed for the Lord's help and started talking. 25 minutes later, we
had talked with 25 people. God provides a way when we have faith!
Faith is a principle of action and power. When we show God we're
willing to put in the "action," He shows us His power.
This week, I've been thinking a lot about agency. It has to be the
most painful experience God ever goes through--to watch his children
not only choose wrongly, but make the choice that limits their ability
to choose. The more we choose Satan the more he has control over us.
I've seen that a lot this week, when the people we're working with
decide not to choose God. My tendency is to FORCE them because I KNOW
it will make them happy gosh dang it! But I can't. That's not God's
plan. It actually resembles Lucifer's plan. What we can do--whether
it's with investigators or with friends or with children--is 1) Make
it clear that the person has agency, it is their choice and they must
own that choice. They have been given the ability to act. 2) Make it
clear ultimately what those choices are, and there are only two: God
or Satan. 3) Explain the consequences for those choices. Lehi explains
it well, "And they are free to choose eternal life...or to choose
captivity and death" (2 Nephi 2:27).
As they say here in Kentucky, hope your week is finer than a frog hair
split four ways!
Love,
Sister Johns
This week we had a blitz exchange and a multi zone conference in
Indiana, so we both ended up staying two nights with our Sister
Training Leader in Louisville. Sister Bogardus and I were driving up
Tuesday night and I was reading a talk out loud when a random image of
a car accident flashed in my mind. I stopped and said, "I feel like
we're going to have an accident, I'm just going to say a prayer that
we'll be safe." Ten minutes later, we were stopped in a turning lane
and a car flipped around the corner too fast, hit the curb and side
swiped us. Thankfully no one was hurt! Sister B was pretty shaken up
as it was her very first accident (I was perfectly calm, I mean it's
only like my fifth accident plus I knew it was going to happen soooo).
A little miracle story: We have a goal to contact 140 people a week,
and Thursday our goal was 25 people. It ended up being a day with a
lot of appointments and at 8:30 we realized we hadn't contacted a
soul. We have to start planning at 9:00 so Sister Bogardus and I
prayed for the Lord's help and started talking. 25 minutes later, we
had talked with 25 people. God provides a way when we have faith!
Faith is a principle of action and power. When we show God we're
willing to put in the "action," He shows us His power.
This week, I've been thinking a lot about agency. It has to be the
most painful experience God ever goes through--to watch his children
not only choose wrongly, but make the choice that limits their ability
to choose. The more we choose Satan the more he has control over us.
I've seen that a lot this week, when the people we're working with
decide not to choose God. My tendency is to FORCE them because I KNOW
it will make them happy gosh dang it! But I can't. That's not God's
plan. It actually resembles Lucifer's plan. What we can do--whether
it's with investigators or with friends or with children--is 1) Make
it clear that the person has agency, it is their choice and they must
own that choice. They have been given the ability to act. 2) Make it
clear ultimately what those choices are, and there are only two: God
or Satan. 3) Explain the consequences for those choices. Lehi explains
it well, "And they are free to choose eternal life...or to choose
captivity and death" (2 Nephi 2:27).
As they say here in Kentucky, hope your week is finer than a frog hair
split four ways!
Love,
Sister Johns
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| This is a monumental moment. I'm eating the one subway sandwich I've ever been truly satisfied with;) |
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| Sisters Johns and Bogardus |
Another great week! I am so glad she was not injured int eh accident. That is crazy she saw it coming. Very cool. She sounds so good. I love to read these every week, and really fun to see the pictures!
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