Monday, January 20, 2014

A God of Miracles

Helloooo Family,

I love you all, thanks for all you do to email and pray for me. Keep supporting your local full time missionaries as well!

My new companion is Sister Goddard. She is amazing. She was born in Los Angeles, but came on her mission from Japan. She is half Japanese, and speaks it too. She is very driven and has already pushed me to work harder. She actually lived in San Francisco for a while before the mission, where her records were in the YSA ward, and that is where she just got done serving! She wasn't active at the time, so ironic part is as a missionary she saw her name on the records as a less active haha. Her story is incredible how she came back to the Church and her testimony is super solid now after some experiences with the Spirit in Tokyo Japan.

This week we knocked doors everyday, and we had at least 73 conversations about the gospel with an invitation extended to either nonmembers or less actives at doors or on the streets. We are working hard to find. Through this we saw many miracles. But before I explain them, I wanted to copy to you the definition of miracles from the Bible Dictionary:
"An important element in the work of Jesus Christ, being not only divine acts, but forming also a part of the divine teaching. Christianity is founded on the greatest of all miracles, the Resurrection of our Lord. If that be admitted, other miracles cease to be improbable. Miracles should not be regarded as deviations from the ordinary course of nature so much as manifestations of divine or spiritual power. Some lower law was in each case superseded by the action of a higher. They were intended to be a proof to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ (Matt. 11:4–5John 2:1110:2520:30–31)...Miracles were and are a response to faith and its best encouragement. They were never wrought without prayer, felt need, and faith.
It is important to notice the different names by which miracles are described. They are called signs, as being visible tokens of an invisible power; they are powers or mighty works, because they are the acts of One who is almighty; they are simply works, or the natural results of the Messiah’s presence among men; they are wonders, marvels, because of the effect produced on those who saw them...
Miracles are a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If miracles cease it is because faith has ceased. See Mark 6:5–6Morm. 9:10–20Ether 12:12."
Notice what I bolded. So saying it is manifestations of His power in His work, than if you want your faith built, talk to your local full time missionary and ask about the miracles they see. So sometimes I share what I consider miracles, and maybe not everyone agrees, they think missionaries just think anything positive happens is a miacle. Well you would too, if you saw what happens 90% of the time. But its the 10% that makes it all worth it. So this week in Alamo, Miracle 1)Finding a former investigator from Houston Texas ready to learn 2)you would never think knocking doors would produce someone prepared, wrong. A mom and son want us to come back, they happen to love Japan and my companion happens to be from there 3)we found out an apostle is coming to our mission, and its before I go home. These are just a few little things of God putting people in our path to show us that He knows us and loves us. His work is so well orchestrated, I don't believe it needs to always be a miraculous healing to be considered a miracle. It can just be those "coincidences" in life we take for granted. Like John Bytheway says, how many times do we pray to get home safely and we actually do? Do we thank Him? Our lives are miracles!! We need to share miracles and experiences with people, and that is one of the biggest ways to build faith.
I love you, God lives.
Sister Martin

P.S. I have the temple next week, so my P-day will actually be Wednesday, so thats why you will not hear from me until then.

No comments:

Post a Comment