Planting Seeds

During the October 2009 General Conference, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave a talk called The Love of God. In this talk he asked "...of all the things we want to be known for, are there attributes above all others that should define us as members of His Church, even as disciples of Jesus Christ?" At the end of his talk he says "Let us be known as a people who love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and who love our neighbor as ourselves. When we understand and practice these two great commandments in our families, in our wards and branches, in our nations, and in our daily lives, we will begin to understand what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus the Christ."

I really love this talk. President Uchtdorf is an amazing speaker and I can really feel the spirit when I read this particular talk. After I read it, I prayed that I could better love others and be a better example of a member of His church. Along with that, I am always praying for missionary experiences.

Well, earlier this month Dave and I had been trying to save up to buy a new bed frame that I've been eying for a while. We were selling things that we no longer needed on kijiji to raise the money. We sold Rosie's old crib, a DVD burner, Jumperoo, box springs, and metal bed frame. We also listed our old play pen for $25 but nobody had bought it yet. That play pen was given to us for free a few years ago and it wasn't exactly the nicest one. Any how, I got an email from a lady asking to buy the play pen for her church's nursery. I asked her what church she belonged to, thinking maybe she was from our church, but maybe the downtown location. She was from another church that I had never heard of before. Suddenly the thought came to me. This was a missionary opportunity. I didn't think that I could suddenly convert her but I did think that I could at least show her that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are good, kind, charitable people. I thought that maybe I could plant a tiny seed in her heart, if anything. I emailed her back and said that I was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and that since she needed the play pen for her church's nursery that I would give it to her for free. I was a little hesitant because I knew we could use the $25 that we could get if we sold it. I also thought Dave would get upset at my decisions, however, I also knew that I had been praying for opportunities to be more charitable, praying for missionary experiences, and the song "Beacause I have been given much I too must give" sounded in my heart. The woman responded later that night with much gratitude. She came over a few days later to pick it up and left a sweet "thank you" card in my mail box. Hopefully she now has a better view on members of the church and hopefully she told others about her experience.

It's true, Dave and I could have used the money. Dave was a little surprised at my decision but was ok with it when I explained why. The $25 that we could have gotten for the play pen would have paid for diapers or gone towards paying bills, but I have faith that Heavenly Father will bless us so much more.

I want to finish by quoting President Uchtdorf " He doesn’t care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely."

Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth