Sent: Monday, March 11, 2013 12:58 PM
Subject: Apostles in California
Subject: Apostles in California
Dear friends and family,
I would like to share a quote that my mother shared with me last week! "Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see." -Corrie ten Boom- I LOVE this quote!!!!! This week I really strived to see things with eternal perspective and to get the big picture. It is absolutely amazing how different everything seemed. Nothing changed, except for my perspective. I am so grateful for this time that I have to serve my King and to be a full-time missionary. Heavenly Father really does have a divine plan for all of us and we need to train ourselves to see the "unseen".
This week, Elder Neil Anderson, an Apostle of the Lord, came to visit us in California. It was an amazing experience. Our whole mission met in Roseville and we were anxiously seated in the chapel as we awaited his arrival. I could FEEL the Spirit before he even walked into the chapel. It was one of those all consuming feelings where my heart felt like it was going to burst. A few moments later, he walked in with his wife, followed by Elder Christensen of the Presidency of the Seventy, as well as President and Sister Weston. He greeted us all, one by one and shook our hand. I will never forget the feeling when I looked straight into his eyes. I could see the Savior through him. He seemed so familiar and the Spirit was so strong. I had been praying all month that I would be able to have a strengthened testimony of living Apostles of Christ when I met him. My prayers were answered. As he stood before us, I listened intently and could just feel the Spirit testifying that he really has been called as an APOSTLE of the Lord. As he spoke, the Celestial Kingdom became more realistic. That place is going to be full of wonderful people and it is going to be well worth any challenges we ever had in life. I want to be the very best I can be and I want to do everything within my power to bring as many people to the Savior. Sister Benally and I were seated in the very front row, so we were literally about five feet away from him the whole time. One time when he looked me straight in the eyes, he said something that left a deep impression on me...it was exactly what I needed to hear. These really are men called of God to serve as Apostles and Prophets on the earth today!!!!!
We received a referral from the mission office this week for a woman that was sick and needed a Priesthood blessing. Her relatives in Missouri had sent her information to the office. So we went over with Priesthood holders and she received a blessing. While we were there, she shared that her husband had passed away about six months earlier and she had really been suffering since then. She told us that when he passed away, she felt like his spirit had left his body. She said that no religion had ever taught that a body and spirit were separate, but she felt like that was what happened. She also told us that she knows God answers prayers and shared a specific experiecne she had earlier in life. As she was sharing these things, I just thought about how Heavenly Father prepares people to receive the Gospel. Now we are teaching this precious daughter of God!!!!!!!
This week, we went to dinner with a family in the ward and they invited one of their friends that had been baptized about three months ago. When she walked in the room, I almost gasped outloud. My mind flashed back to one of the first weeks I was in California. I was on exchanges with another sister in another area. We were doing service with one of the less-active members of the ward and were talking about her friend that she had kind of thought may be interested in the church. I told the member that she should act on the prompting, so she called her friend right up and we went out to lunch a few minutes later with the friend. During lunch, I tried to help this girl feel comfortable and also testified of the Gospel. That same girl was baptized a month later, and here she was-standing in front of me!!!!!!!! I had no idea what had happened since then, but it was a little miracle to see that she was already a member of the Church and was doing really well!!!!!!!!
There is a less-active lady in our ward that everyone has been trying to contact for YEARS. We have been trying to find her, as well. One day, another lesson fell through and we were in that area, so we went over to her house. There was a little girl out in the front, running around and we were excited to see life on the property! We gracefully lept out of the car and ran around the corner to try and talk with the girl, but she was gone! We walked to the front door and knocked...and knocked...and knocked...with no answer. I was thinking, "All right, I know you're in there!!" haha So we went around to the basement door and knocked. After about five minutes of knocking, this older lady came and answered the door. She came and out started talking with us. We started talking about family history, and she was suddenly really interested in the conversation. Now we have been over and few times, she is returning our phone calls, and she is coming to the Relief Society party tomorrow night! MIRACLE!!!!!!
I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's kingdom on the earth. I know that the men we call Apostles are truly Apostles of the Lord, Jesus Christ. I know that if we remain faithful and endure well, the Lord will bless us beyond our comprehension. We cannot even begin to understand how wonderful the blessings will be. The challenges on the earth will be difficult, but we can make it! Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can make it. We just have to turn out hearts to Him and follow Him. He will help us along the way. I love this Gospel and I love being a missionary.
Love,
Sister Heather Ripplinger
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