Monday, April 16, 2012

Modern Day Miracles (#31)

What is the definition of a miracle? How do you know when you have seen one? Sometimes they are described as wonders, or marvels. If someone from even 10 years ago was to view our modern life they would definitely feel that they had seen a miracle. We had an experience that reminded us what a miraculous age we live it.

We have been working with the 66 Koror Elementary kids on 3 plays, but one of the plays was not working. Wednesday morning we knew we had to do something but we couldn’t figure out what to do since Sister J had already spent countless hours on the computer looking for a replacement play and hadn’t found one.

During the morning walk (7:30 a.m. Palau time) Elder Johnsen remembered a melodrama he had been in when he was high school called, “Flora of the Flower Shop.” (Miracle #1) Then he went online and found it in a book (Miracle #2). Sister Johnsen decided to look at the online catalog for the Barbara Bush library in Houston and the book was there and checked in (Miracle #3 and #4). Scott and Theresa Ricker agreed to run to the library at 8:30 p.m. (Houston time) and got the book before the library closed (Miracle #5). They copied and scanned it (Miracle #6) and emailed it to us (Miracle #7-even though this technology is not new, it is still so amazing; we live in Palau!) We received the play and were able to make copies and arrived at the school (1:00 p.m. Palau time) with 3 minutes to spare (Miracle #8). We couldn’t have imagined this kind of thing when we were in college and still typing our papers on typewriters and making copies with carbon paper. (I know-we are old!). We live in a modern, miraculous age!

On Wednesday the Young Women came to our apartment because they wanted to learn to bake. Sister Johnsen realized that most of them do not have ovens. She was happy and excited to have them come. However, she was surprised to learn that only one of them had ever baked and none of them had ever made cookies from “scratch”. Several of them were asked to use the mix master and they were really scared. They had never measured ingredients or mixed up cookies or used the oven. Sister Johnsen thought that most of our Young Women in the United States take for granted what was just miraculous to these Young Women. The snickerdoodle cookies they baked were the hit of the potluck luncheon held between conference sessions on Sunday. Don’t we just get so used to all the miracles in our lives?

Because we have the internet we read a story this week about a miracle in a family whose baby died and later was found alive in the morgue. Now that is a miracle! We try to take care of our 4 babies (Elders) and make sure that they have plenty to eat, etc. We have been trying to help Elder Adams gain a few pounds before he goes home. So when Elder Johnsen recently said that the Elders were as hungry as a baby in a morgue, you will understand the illusion.

Elder’s Wright and Gubler had a miraculous amount of lessons taught this week considering that they took 12 hours out to watch conference. (We get the DVD’s two weeks after conference) and also had to fill up the fount for a baptism, which takes about 3 hours. Even with those time consuming activities they taught over 35 lessons this week. It was an incredible teaching week.

Emily Antonio was baptized this week by her brother, Tally, who was baptized last summer. It was a special event and seemed miraculous to us to see the way Emily has changed and grown as she has accepted the gospel. Sister Johnsen delivered a great talk at the baptism on Friday night. Elder Johnsen had been asked to give the talk and was consulting Sister Johnsen about what she thought he should talk about and before they knew it, Sister Johnsen had a talk all composed, so Elder Wright let her give the talk. She was supposed to be in charge of light refreshments after the baptism, so Elder Johnsen stepped in and helped her with that. Team work is also miraculous! In her talk she had written that if Emily would keep the commandments and baptismal covenants that the Lord would bless her with a life so different from what she thought she would have. However, at the last minute she got nervous about making such an unusual promise so she didn’t say it. However, when Elder Early confirmed Emily a member of the church he used those exact words in his blessing. It’s a miracle when the Lord makes sure His word is delivered exactly as He wants it.


Elder Johnsen was surprised and impressed by the fact that Elder Adams took the sheets right off his bed to hang in the chapel to darken the room so we could actually see the conference videos. No one asked him to do that. He just remembered how hard it was to see the conference images in broad daylight with so much light streaming into the chapel, so he and Elder Early got to the church and had navy blue sheets hung by the time the rest of us arrived to set up the projector and sound system. We’re not sure what he slept on Saturday night because he didn’t take them down until the Sunday session was over. Isn’t it a miracle to watch these young men become unselfish and service oriented as they mature and become even better servants of the Lord? D&C 58:27

Isn’t every day and every hour of our lives somewhat miraculous, really, if we stop and think about it?

1 comment:

  1. I look so forward to reading your wonderful accounts of the many miracles that happen in your mission and it makes me realize that I am surrounded by miracles, large and small, in my life all the time. I just don't take the time to recognize them as such. You are helping me do that. Miss you, Kathy Patty

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