General Update

From Paul:

Cycle 5 of 24 (Continued)

I have been impressed with the account in the 9^th Chapter of John documenting when Jesus and His disciples passed near the man who was a beggar, being blind from his birth. This encounter prompted a question from the disciples.

1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

John 9:1-3, emphasis added

In my younger years while serving as a missionary, I would teach from this experience of the reality of our pre-earth life, our conscious and definitive existence in which we were before we were born. But I am not reflecting on the question that the disciples posed, but rather the one that has passed through our minds since Doris’ cancer diagnosis, which was life changing, plan altering, and even disruptive to our hopes and dreams for serving as full-time missionaries and representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, eventually to be assigned to serve in the England Bristol mission.

That answer that Jesus gave is perhaps still relevant: “…but that the works of God should be made manifest in [her]”. It is our hope and ambition that in some way we can together share our witness and testimony of a loving Father in Heaven and His beloved Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Today was such a day for Doris, as we braved an extended stay in our sacrament meeting today – the first Sunday of the month – which is designated as a fast and testimony meeting. I had not expected that Doris would have had the inclination to take the stairs to the podium, where every step represents pain in her knees, which suffer from increased pain due to the side effects of her cancer treatments. But either before or shortly after the member of the bishopric concluded his testimony, she informed me that she needed to go up and asked me to assist her in doing so.

During the time that I stood by her side, Doris recounted her journey thus far, from the potential to the reality of a cancer diagnosis, the cancellation of our mission, and the two-year treatment that is currently in the works. She mentioned that a cancelled mission will not silence her testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and that she is a daughter of God. From the time we stood up and made our way to the podium, the duration of her testimony she offered, and our return to our seat on the front-left side of the chapel, and for a few minutes, I don’t recall hearing a sound from anybody in the congregation. It was a profound and reverent stillness, allowing the spirit of her witness to be magnified. We lingered a little longer to hear three other ward members share their testimonies, but then Doris said she was feeling the need to go. That is the longest we have stayed for sacrament meeting since her treatments began. I think this happened for a few reasons:

1.      The bench seats, being padded, are more comfortable than the steel folding chairs in the back.

2.      We are growing accustomed to and learning how to manage and see more predictability in the effects of Doris’ treatment.

3.      That the works of God should be manifest in her.

From Doris:

To Testify of Jesus Christ

When we were preparing to serve a mission, I often wondered how effective I would be in sharing the gospel.  I knew that Heavenly Father had given me an ability to love people, but I didn’t know if I would know how to share gospel messages.

I long to testify of Jesus Christ. I want to share that He is the literal son of God.  I want to testify of His love and compassion and the power of His Atoning sacrifice. I want to witness that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is His restored gospel here on earth today.

This blog is my attempt to bear my witness. Today I was given another opportunity.  We went to our ward’s fast and testimony sacrament meeting. I prayerfully asked Heavenly Father for the strength to bear my testimony.  He gave it to me.

Walking up the three stairs to the stand was slow and painful, but with Paul’s help I made it.  Paul stood beside me while I bore my testimony of Jesus Christ.  I love Him and I know He loves me.

How I hope and pray that today my words helped bring someone to Jesus Christ.