Family,
I had a magnificent week. One of the best. It started with a humbling experience on Saturday.
I have been struggling to keep my mind free of judgement and criticism here in this area as we listen to the woes and trials of many people who are addicts, broke, obese, and a plethora of other unsightly struggles. I must confess that these thoughts of judgement are horrible to have! Definitely not Christ-like. Especially when the first thought in my mind after I ask someone on the street if they would be interested in having us in there home for a discussion is, "I doubt you even have a home, and if you do I doubt I want to be in it." I know I'm horrible. But I am trying to change. The first step of that change came Saturday at 2pm as my companion, a recent convert, and myself went to teach Big Mama (She told us this is her name, I did not come up with it, but it is appropriate) for the first time. I was the first to walk into this studio where Big Mama lived and my eyes immediately went to the single mattress on which she sat so that I could give her a smile and a hand shake. However, as I took a short breath before greeting her the McDonalds I had just scarfed down just about came back up in what would have been a not-so-Happy-Meal. My body wanted to run out of that tiny room that now held four people but my Spirit constrained all the strength I had. At that point I could only feel the Spirit, I was not really listening. I declined a seat, as there were none left, and chose to stand. The putrid smell of her room truly hindered my concentration and my state of mind deafened my ears to the Spirit. After some introductory remarks Big Mama invited me to take a seat on her box of Depends that she ensured me would hold my weight. Everywhere I looked in the apartment was some sort of creepy crawly creature except for this box, so I took the seat. The smell was worse at the lower altitude. I held my breath between phrases as we fought through the beginning of the message of the Restoration. As I began to share the first principle of that lesson, God is Our Loving Heavenly Father, my heart was filled with love. At that moment, the smell did not seem so bad as the Spirit told me that even Big Mama is a child of God and deserves to know how to return home. I put my comfort aside and promised my Heavenly Father that I would focus on what she needed rather than myself. I left that lesson and took a breath of fresh air from the hallway that smelled like wet cigarettes but tasted like fresh oxygen comparably. My Spirit had already taken that breath of fresh air and I felt the love of my Heavenly Father in the form of Charity stronger than ever before. At that moment it was clear to me that it did not matter the smell, size, status, location, habit, addiction, or struggle, we are all God's children and deserve to know how to return home.
Later that night we helped Lisa make her first steps back home as her Husband baptized her after almost a lifetime of living in the shadow of the Gospel but never feeling its comfort. I have never witnessed a more spiritual baptism. The weekend was topped off with a 'Why I Believe' fireside arranged by missionaries and lead by recent converts and their conversion stories. We brought two of our investigators and they, as well as I, marvelled as the Samoan Choir from our Samoan branch here in Vegas sang for us. I went to sleep that night with the best of thoughts and feelings. And was ready for another week.
On another note. Elder Stant, my MTC companion, and I had the chance to serve together for one day on exchanges. He was the other Elder with us at Big Mama's.
Happy Birthday Mom!
Love,
Elder Cronin
No comments:
Post a Comment