Miracles

FAMILY AND FRIENDS. 

THE MIDWEST IS SO BEAUTIFUL. 

I love it so so much. 

Thankful for the 180° skies, the endless open fields, the insane clouds, and ALL the trees and flowers and gardens. I love getting to experience it all like it's the first time with Sister Oliver!! :) 

This week was awesome. We had our zone conference which was way good and exchanges!! I went to Indy and had a great time! Sister Oliver has been a trooper with all these exchanges every week. She really is the best! 

We've been working with some really awesome people and have made some good progress with them :) 

We had a tender experience with Naomi this week. She battles a rough disease that causes a lot of tough problems. It's so sad. She is one of my favorite people ever. On Friday she was in so much pain and she was bawling in our arms as we prayed for her and it was pulling on all the feels. 

Soooo, Sister Oliver and I decided to put all of our faith we could muster together and fast for Naomi and that the pain would go away. Maybe the disease can't be instantly cured, but maybe she could be spared the constant, excruciating pain for a time.  

In comes Naomi on Sunday with the happiest face I've ever seen and she asks us if she can tell us something. She pulls us outside and tells us she woke up today and ALL the pain was gone. Like completely gone. She couldn't believe it. She was so so happy. It was the coolest thing ever. And we just hugged her so tight and told her we had been fasting and this time we held her crying in our arms but it was a grateful and happy cry. 

I left knowing the reality that our faith really does have the power to heal. To call down the powers of heaven. To relieve. To lift. To strengthen. 

I read a quote this week and it's been on my mind ever since. 

It's a talk from President Oaks about Miracles. The whole talk is him sharing all of these insane miracles that have happened in the world and in his life and others lives. And he goes on to say, 

"I have spoken about miracles. I have given illustrations of miracles in the Church as a whole and in many different circumstances involving a few individuals or a crisis of weather or war. But the greatest miracle is not in such things as restoring sight to the blind, healing an illness, or even raising the dead, since all of these restorations will happen in the Resurrection.

Changing bodies or protecting temples are miracles, but an even greater miracle is a mighty change of heart by a son or daughter of God . A change of heart, including new attitudes, priorities, and desires, is greater and more important than any miracle involving the body. I repeat, the body will be resurrected in any event, but a change affecting what the scripture calls the “heart” of a spirit son or daughter of God is a change whose effect is eternal. If of the right kind, this change opens the door to the process of repentance that cleanses us to dwell in the presence of God. It introduces the perspective and priorities that lead us to make the choices that qualify us for eternal life, the greatest of all the gifts of God." 

This mighty change of heart is what separates true "disciples" of Jesus Christ from just "followers" of Him. 

What a powerful truth to internalize, that through Jesus Christ we CAN change. We CAN become like Him. We CAN live with God one day. 

I am so grateful for this time I have to not only witness the mighty change of heart in others, but also experience it myself. Of course, it's an ongoing process, but an absolutely essential one! 

So, this week remember...

You are a miracle!!

One of the greatest of all. 

ALL MY LOVE, 

ox sister rich