Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Brightly Beams our Father's Mercy

Happy Monday to you all!  I'm grateful to have the best family in the world to send an e-mail home to today.

So this week was transfers yet again... (they just keep happening... it's freaking me out!)  So I was pretty much sick to my stomach with nerves because President told us this transfer would have the most changes our mission has ever seen!  My body was so nervous it was weird.... but nothing happened!  I'm staying another 6 weeks with Sister Youngberg in Fairview.  Pretty much all of our sisters changed though.  It's crazy, we have been praying for them each like crazy because there were a lot of struggles in a lot of areas.   Heavenly father just picked up the strugglers and put them into a companionship where they can pick themselves up.  I can't even begin to tell you how incredible it is to recognize the Lord's expertise in this plan.  
So a lot of interesting things happened this week.  I wanted to share an experience with you that was very unique and really caused me to ponder life.  I hope you understand what I mean.   This week Sister Youngberg and I sat at the hospital bed of a lady in our ward's mother.   She had chosen to stop life support and so we sat keeping her company as she lived the last days of her life.  Her mother was not a member of the church and was very stubborn.  Her sweet daughter was beside herself with not being able to share her testimony of the Plan of Salvation to her mother.  She asked us to come be with her during this trying time.  We decided that the most powerful thing we could do would be to share music with her.  We sang songs familiar to us and it was enjoyable to share music, but then she asked us to sing songs that her mother would be familiar with.  She had an old protestant hymnbook and asked us to sing some of her mother's favorite hymns.  We sang horribly because we had never sang them before.  But we decided we'd practice and come back and try again.  The song she begged us to sing was the "Wonderful Words of Life"  It was quite an experience to feel the spirit as we shared our love of Music with this sweet woman.  She was barely competent,  but we really felt that singing the hymns that she loved would help soften her heart and prepare her to meet our Father in Heaven.  I have never felt such a profound need to pray for the softening of a heart that was so close to the end.   She passed away yesterday morning, and I pray that she may be my eternal friend.  I pray she accepts the gospel in the next life and I pray that she sings the wonderful words of life to all who can hear her voice. 
So that was a somewhat somber experience but one that I won't ever be able to forget.  How incredible this life is, a time to prepare a time to feel our Father's love.  I pray we each can learn to cherish each day we have, and savor every moment we have here in this earth life.  Never forget how delicate and precious nor how resilient and stubborn life can be.  I am grateful for the wonderful people I am meeting here.  Peoples hearts are changing and I know the Lord is preparing in his time each and every child.  I'm learning patience in this work which can be difficult, but I know it is for a good reason.  I know I am where I am supposed to be.  I love you all so much.  Have a good week, take care of yourselves and be nice to Sarah on Saturday (it's her birthday!) 
Oh to tie in my title.  What an incredible hymn.  Every hymn has a different power but this one has been speaking to me.  We are the lower lights, we have such an important role in this work, we must help the struggling seaman... we must rescue we must save.  I hope you all maybe take a moment to study the words of this hymn... the worth of a soul is great in the sight of god.  That is most definitely something I have learned this week.  I love you all!


Love you all sooooo much!

Love Always,
Sister McMaster

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