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.
