Monday, October 20, 2014

Guided to Go Exactly Where They Needed to Be



From Ethan Harris
Teaching in Alaska, USA

(More of the miraculous blessings he saw as he taught in Alaska last week...)

Because of the amount of woods and that being the main source of heat for Alaskans, we do a great deal of chopping wood (which is both strengthening me and wearing me out). We have been doing service for a man who has not had anything to do with church for over 30 years and he just loves us. Me and my companion felt that we should continue to help out and provide service, even though he wasn’t ready or interested in us teaching him anything. We are amazed at how, by first building a relationship, his heart was softened. He said that it’s been a while since he’s been around the Church and that he would like to come to Church and have the doctrines and principles retaught and refreshed in his mind. We also had the Elders Quorum involved in the service and this man didn’t know what to do because he was overcome with gratitude!

 We cover a island called Hoonah but, due to anti things going around, we will not be there for a while. Matt is an investigator that we teach over text and phone because we can’t see him in person due to the fact that he’s on a island. He came to Juneau for a day,  so we gave him a chapel tour of our brand new stake center. Another miracle… he brought his Ukrainian friend who, ten years previous, was an exchange student in Utah! He also has a desire to be taught and come to church!!!

 We also had a lesson cancel which always is not fun to deal with, but then we were inspired to see a inactive member. We arrived and the man was sick and needed a blessing of healing and also of comfort due to his marriage situation and other trials that he’s going through. Despite the let-down of a cancellation, we were guided to see him and that’s exactly where we needed to go.

 There has been many other blessings! I know that the Lord is mindful of each of us despite our own thoughts or doubts. He is there, He lives, and He loves us! And I know that the Lord is preparing hearts to receive this message as it reads in Alma 16…


The Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming— That they might not be hardened against the word, that they might not be unbelieving, and go on to destruction, but that they might receive the word with joy, and as a branch be grafted into the true vine, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord their God.