Tender Mercies

I wrote this all neat and paragraphy, but the internet bummed out when I was about to post this and for some strange reason it won't let me have paragraphs. You'll just have to imagine them and not be scared by the hugeness of this post. Tender mercies are all over the place. I guarantee it- you just have to look for them. It may seem the more grateful you are for these tender mercies, the more tender mercies are given to you. But I actually think the more you recognize the tender mercies in your life, the easier it becomes to identify these mini-miracles. My first tender mercy: a couple days ago my mom, on facebook, commented on her friend's post about his daughter's blog. Complicated, I know. I noticed the title of the blog was "The Life of a Sister Missionary". I was drawn to it for obvious reasons. But I never realized how much it would bless my life. This sister- her name is Sister Morey- is such a huge example of faith. I can't even describe how incredibly faithful she is. Sister Morey was called to Taiwan. She lived in Taiwan when she was little and took several years of Chinese in school, even when it didn't make sense for her major. She felt it was right so she kept taking these classes and studying. After entering the MTC and taking a test to see how her Chinese was, she found out she could go to Taiwan in four weeks. FOUR WEEKS to learn the Mandarin Chinese the that she'd need for the mission field. That would be so intimidating to me. After being in the MTC for 3 weeks, almost ready to go to Taiwan, she learned her visa hadn't gone through so she would be re-assigned to a mission in the states until her visa has gone through. She was to be assigned to Moscow Idaho. That would be a test of faith in and of itself. I know people in Idaho need the gospel, but it would be tricky to be excited when she's got her heart set on going to Taiwan. She still went forward with faith and actually met Chinese people while tracting in Idaho and got to use her Chinese. Heavenly Father knows us so well. He is so aware. One thing I really loved that she said was this: "There have been countless times where I've lost keys or something silly like that and I've prayed for help to find them and the image of where they are will pop into my mind and even before I end the prayer I thank Him for helping me find the keys because I know they'll be there when I get off my knees." I love this example of faith. I really want to put it to use. Second tender mercy, the one that is most tender at this time: My roommate Kyra invited me to go to her institute class. What the spirit spoke to me there was absolutely incredible. We were talking about Humanitarian Aide and how there are people all over the world that know the truth, and desperately want to go on a mission and bring this truth to others, but they are too poor. We talked about serving them by giving them gently used clothing and other materials that could be used for a mission. It made me think- what if I were in that position? What if I had this desire to go on a mission and wanted to share this gift with others, but the only thing that held me back was that I couldn't afford to go? How helpless I would feel? Then it made me realize: I am blessed beyond measure. I have a family that has the same beliefs as me. I have their full support and encouragement. I will definitely not be able to pay for this by myself, but my family is willing to help me make ends meet. I have money and access to nice clothes that will let me stand out as a representative of my Heavenly Father and share His love and gospel. Matthew 10:8 goes along with my plaque scripture Isaiah 61:1. It says: Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely have ye received, freely give. This is what I pray I will do as a missionary in Germany. I want to give my all. I want to give my heart to these incredible people that are waiting for the truth. Whether they accept the gospel or not, I just want to serve them. I want to serve my Lord. Because "Inasmuch as [ I ] have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, I have done it unto [Him]." As I serve my brothers and sisters, my brethren, I know I will be serving the Lord. This scripture used to confuse me because I couldn't understand how serving other people could literally be serving the Lord. My institute teacher gave me a treasure of knowledge that I hope I don't soon forget. The Lord suffered for each of us. Me, my family, my friends, my neighbors, the people I'll teach in Germany. EVERYONE. And by this suffering, He came to know us perfectly. He knows our desires. Our sorrows. Our aspirations. Our guilt. Our joys. Every single emotion we can think of, He's experienced it. I know this is true. And because our loving Brother and Savior knows each of these emotions, He also knows the feeling of gratitude we get when someone goes out of their way for us. Therefore, having taken on every emotion and feeling, He knows how the person felt while they were being served. So it only makes sense that while we are serving others we are serving the Lord. I'm so grateful for this truth that the Lord so willingly unveiled to me. I hope and pray I won't miss opportunities to serve others. I pray I will take advantage of every chance I get to serve His children. I love the people around me, and I love my Savior. I want to serve Him eternally. It is so incredible that I have the opportunity to go to Germany, where my family hails from. This is the place where it all started. My ancestors, for whatever reason, decided to go to America. Then many, many years down the road, their posterity joined the church. And I had the privilege to be born into the gospel. The most precious gift, just handed over to me on a silver platter- right from the beginning of my life. It is miraculous because my ancestors came to America and learned the gospel, now I get to take it back to Germany. I love it. I am beyond excited. I wish I could leave now, but I know I have much preparation and learning to do. I'm so grateful that my Heavenly Father is aware of me. He knows my needs as well as all of His children's needs. I hope I can forever be an instrument in His hands.