August 17, 2008

Friends and Family.........

Today is Sunday Aug 17th, 2008 It is amazing to me how time is flying.

Today is our son James Birthday.... We miss and love that boy and his family..... We will celebrate from afar you birth son. Now for some news of our mission
Doug had a friend and his family come to visit us in Chemnitz. Asmus Lutter a fine man and his wife and daughter and son in law. We took them to dinner Friday night and then to the Freiburg Temple. . Today they came to church with us and then to our house for dinner. It was lovely. We enjoyed our time with them.. This is a man that Doug baptized with his mother and brother over 36 years ago. They have all remained active in the chruch including his children and their spouses. Doug has diligenty over the years kept contact with their mother and each of the children.

While at dinner Asmus told the following missionary experience that he had on his mission.
His mission president had invited an American member to give the missionaries a motivational talk. The man who spoke whose name Asmus does not remember had served a mission in Germany over 35 years preiviously. He spoke about his mission experiences and one experience imparticular how the mission president had called him one day after he had served about a year and told him to report to his office with all his baggage because he had a special assingment for him. When he got to the pres office he met another missionary there who had received the same call from the pres and also was reporting to the pres. Together the mission president told them that he was sending them to open up a new town where missionaries had never worked. He expected them to teach, baptize and start a new branch in this new town. So off they went determined to do the best they could.

He and his companion were diligent, they knew the discussions, they studied the gospel everday, read in the scriptures, and worked hard to find and baptize new members. This missionariy had set a goal to baptize at least one family before his mission ended. His first companion was eventually transferred while he still had three months left to serve. But as of yet had not baptized a single person. Still determined to baptize a family he redoubled his efforts to strive to acheive his goal before he went home. Nevertheless the three months went by quickly and he did not baptize a single person. He thought upon leaving that perhaps he had been a failure in his missionary efforts.

It was then while giving this motivational speech that he told of a latter experience that had changed his mind. The reason he was in Germany again was to conduct business. And so during this business trip he had taken the oppourtunity to return to the city that he and his companion had opened over 20 years previously. While in the city he found and visited the branch that then existed there with approximatly 60 to 70 members. He introduced himself and told the church members he had been a missionary there many years earlier. One of the members, the branch president said he remembered the missionary and told him the following story which immedietly and forever altered his view of the success of his mission.

This Branch President told him that as a young teenager he and his family had been taught by this missionary and he had wanted to be baptized but had been afraid to express this desire to his family while the missionary was serving in that town. But not long after the missionary left he did join the church. And over the course of time helped his family members to join, married in the church and raised a family with children who were all members. As it turned out over 50% of the members of that branch had joined the church as a result of this young man who had been taught my the missionary. So indeed his mission was more of a success than he ever imagined.

Brother Lutter, Doug's friend also mentioned that his family, his brother and their families resulting in more than 30 people are a result of his and other missionaries efforts. And it will continue.

We must not allow ourselves to be weary in well doing we are laying a great foundation for the work of the Lord.

Today in Sunday school I read a wonderful scriputre in Alma 26.

I find myself giving myself a lesson when I am unable to follow the discussion because of my limited speaking abilities. Actually sometimes I entertain my self quite well.

Alma 26: 22
Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing----unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall ye biven unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance.

Now we never know just exactly the impact we have in a life which in turn may impact many more. It can turn to be thousands. The broader picture of our lives and our impact is far more reaching than we can imagine.

I am contantly amazed at how I feel the Spirit working in my life as I turn my thoughts to help those around me. It is easy at times to think about what I am missing or get annoyed at inconviences etc or wishing for things I can't have but those are the times I must turn back to re- dedicating myself to the Lord asking for his help to keep focused and filled with love for these people and this work. The minute I turn in that direction I feel the aid of the Spirit....... it is amazing. He loves these missionaries where ever they are. I feel that so strongly.

The Lord loves all his children and is so grateful for our efforts to serve each other. Even in far away places. Or places in our own backyard or street.

May you be blessed to feel his love in your lives......

love Sister Austin