Dear Family-
So this week is one for the books. In the hard soul-stretching kind of way. But you know what they say about a stretched soul? That it's like a violin- it only makes music when it is stretched. But I thought that for the sake of positive attitudes and looking for the best, I will just share some of the miracles with you. After a minor car accident we were involved in, we were able to teach the family from the other car the message of the Restoration. They just moved here and are looking for a church : ) We gave them a Book of Mormon, pamphlets, and a Restoration video! And we got their address to send missionaries. Tender mercies.
Another one has to do with a large family in the ward. The family has 12 kids, now all grown with families of their own. More than half of the families live in the ward, but several are less active. We set up a family home evening with one family, and it morphed into a whole family get together. Including several members that we have been praying to get in with came as well. We played a plan of salvation game and soon everyone was involved and discussing the plan. It was a powerful teaching moment. Part of the game we roll a dice, and I loved being able to explain that, unlike the game, in life we are able to choose for ourselves if we are going to make certain decisions and accept the gospel.
Another miracle- another sister of the ward that we visited, opened up to us about her daughter (about our age) that is living a very difficult and dangerous lifestyle. As she shared the love of a mother for her daughter and for us, we all cried. We are all going to fast and pray for her daughter, but the Hermana showed us so much through her example of faith and trusting in the Lord.
Still another blessing was the chance to have exchanges with the Bear Creek ward sisters. Hna Rife (former wonderful companion) came here and I went to her area. It was a wonderful time and I was able to meet many great people. Some people that you just meet once but you feel like you have known them your whole life- a couple of those kind ; )
In my studies in the Book of Mormon on Christ, I was reading in Mosiah 18 about the waters of Mormon and Alma baptizing. But as I read this time thinking about Christ, a chapter that has always been about baptism for me became a chapter incredibly focused on Christ. Mosiah 18:1-2 "And now, it came to pass that Alma, who had fled from the servants of king Noah, repented of his sins and iniquities, and went about privately among the people, and began to teach the words of Abinadi—Yea, concerning that which was to come, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the redemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and death of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven."
And just a phrase stood out to me from Elder Ballard's book while I was thinking about the family: "While salvation is an individual matter, exaltation is a family matter."- Elder Ballard. How wonderful is that! We are each saved and redeemed on a personal level, but in order to be exalted, we need our families. It is not exaltation to live forever alone, rather to live forever progressing as a family.
Love you all lots,
Hermana Kristi Koerner
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