We had an interesting reminder this week of an experience that we had more than 35 years ago. Saturday afternoon we were out trying to take pictures of members. Having already captured 267 photos you can well imagine that all the low hanging fruit has been gathered, but we figure it’s like eating an elephant, you just keep at it one bite at a time. On Saturday we finally caught Michelle at home and had a pleasant visit with her. We have never seen her at home but have given her cookies and Liahona’s for nearly 16 months at her work. During one of our first visits to her, Sister Johnsen asked if we could take her picture, but she politely declined. On Saturday her response to this same question was, “Not today.” It reminded us of an earlier event that Sister Johnsen was able to have published in MormonTimes. Here is the story:
“During our first Christmas together, my husband, Gary, and I did what many BYU students do, we piled into the car with siblings and drove home. Home for my husband is Minnesota, and it is a long and sometimes treacherous drive in the winter.
We had been traveling for hours when Gary’s sister, Connie, took over the driving at about 2:00 A.M. None of us thought to check the gas gauge. When she did finally notice, the gauge registered empty. Connie woke us all up, and we tried to decide what to do. We didn’t think we had enough gas to make it to the next service station so we exited the freeway, but all the stations in the nearby town were closed.
The country lane we drove down to the next town was very dark and deserted. The temperature in Nebraska that night was frigid--double digits below zero. And then, we ran out of gas, and the car stopped. What would we do now? Gary and his brother, Lee, got out of the car and walked toward some lights they saw down the road. Connie and I stayed in the car and prayed. I was 6 months pregnant with our first child. I was cold and scared.
Gary and Lee came to a farmhouse about one mile away. They woke up the resident of the house, and told him our situation. They asked him to sell them just enough gas to get to a station.
His response was surprising: “Not today.” Not today?? The brothers went back on the road and walked two more miles to the next farmhouse, and were able to buy gas. It was enough to get us to a gas station. Thirty seven years have passed since we asked that farmer for gas. We have never been back to ask if is “today” might be the right day.
At the time, we were disappointed and couldn’t believe that this farmer wasn’t willing to help us. Over the years, though, I have realized that often we are also like that farmer—waiting for convenient moments to serve.
My husband and I have found that there will always be opportunities in our lives to perform service, but certain moments in time, and various kinds of service only come along once in a lifetime.
We have also learned that service often requires sacrifice, and I truly believe that this is the best kind of service because it brings with it the blessings of heaven. Elder Dallin H. Oaks reminds us, “Our Savior teaches us to follow Him by making the sacrifices necessary to lose ourselves in unselfish service to others. If we do, He promises us eternal life, “the greatest of all the gifts of God” (D&C 14:7)” (Ensign, May 2009)”
Since we’re down to our last 5 weeks in Palau, we probably won’t have a chance to contact Michelle again before we leave. In the grand scheme of things whether her picture is in LDS tools directory probably doesn’t matter, but the idea that sticks with us is that Today, While the Sun Shines we must work with a will, today, all our duties with patience we fulfill (see Hymn 229).
We had a good example of working with a will on Tuesday while we were moving dirt from one side of Diane’s house to the other side as a service project (that seems to have no end in sight). There’s no way to get any heavy equipment in to do the work, so all the elders just pretended they were human backhoes. Using picks, shovels and wheelbarrows they moved dirt until hands were too blistered to continue. They have probably completed 10% of the dirt moving task. It definitely won’t be done in the foreseeable future, but the plan is just to keep pecking away, one bite at a time while the sun shines.
We can definitely say that the Elder’s are continuing to work with a will. This past week Elder Gubler and Dopp taught 62 lessons, and Fullmer and Pauga taught 37. In total they were just one lesson shy of 100.
Another person this week who was willing to keep going was Barbara Gilson. She came to Palau to visit her husband, Larry, who is working here for the next year. Barbara arrived in Palau at 4:30 A. M., but came to Sacrament meeting at 9:00 A.M. and was our concluding speaker. She told about their long marriage, and how Larry stood by her after a car accident that left her with a serious brain injury. It took four years to recover. It was during those years that she joined the church (Larry has yet to join). She also told of her love for the gospel. Her husband was definitely an example of both work and love, as he cared for her and stayed with her while she healed.
Our “work” is winding down here in Palau as we continue to take member’s pictures, create a “Welcome to Palau” transition booklet, prepare member thumbnail sketches and continue to do all the regular work that occurs weekly. We know that that the sun (metaphorically) in Palau will continue to shine on the work we do here in Palau for the remaining days of our mission.
Have you ever experienced the blessing of Divine Positioning? Sometimes the Lord seems to find a way of putting people in the right place at the right time to accomplish His purposes. This week was filled with examples of that Power:
We’ve been spending more time in the Palau Community College Library lately because Sister Johnsen has been checking out books to share with two of her piano students. Several of those books were due at the library, and so while Elder Johnsen was double parked outside, Sister Johnsen ran in to drop off the nearly overdue books. Having successfully completed that mission she glanced over at the newspaper rack, and decided to stop and look over the paper. Since Elder Johnsen was waiting in the car and not even in a legitimate parking spot, this was not something Sister Johnsen would ordinary do. After reading for a couple of minutes, Sister Johnsen decided she really had to get back to the car and left the library. As she walked down the sidewalk, a young college student said, “Hello, Sister.” By the time Sister Johnsen realized what the girl had said, they had past each other. Then Sister Johnsen turned around and so did the girl. Sister Johnsen asked the young woman if she was a member of the church, and it turned out that she was. She introduced herself to Sister Johnsen, and said that her name was Audrey and she had just moved to Palau from Chuuk to begin school. Sister Johnsen got her contact information and we were able to arrange a ride for her to church on Sunday. If Sister Johnsen had not stopped to read the paper, she would not have passed Audrey on her way into the library. We think it was Divine Positioning.
Tuesday night Elder Johnsen and President Kesolei made their usual visits to members. Their first stop was to the Remasch residence where it turned out that the grandmother, Caron, was celebrating her birthday and there were about 5 other less active families gathered to celebrate with her. President Kesolie and Elder Johnsen were able to wish her well and also deliver their message to a wider audience than was originally anticipated. Another case of Divine Positioning.
Later that evening President Kesolei asked Elder Johnsen where they should go for their last visit. Into Elder Johnsen’s mind popped the name Lomisang. He is an inactive member of the church. After thinking of him, they headed over. As they visited, Lomisang told them that just before they had arrived he had picked up his scriptures to read. He also told them that he had experienced a spiritual experience as they visited the grave of his son who died in Afghanistan several years before. On Memorial Day they had attended a service that was held at the grave site. The minister who was supposed to have given the opening prayer was late, and Lomisang said that the person who was conducting asked him if he would say the prayer—he was nervous but said he would—he told them that as he opened his mouth to pray that the words to say just poured into his mind. He told Elder Johnsen and President Kesolei that he didn’t think it was a coincidence that they just happened to stop in to see him—he feels that the Lord has been working on him to get him to come back. Another instance of Divine Positioning.
For the past several weeks Sister Johnsen has been trying to arrange a piano lesson with Rilang who just returned from a mission to Australia. Since her return she has been so busy that she’s had no time to pursue her own personal goal of learning to play the piano. Earlier this week Elder and Sister Johnsen were up at the church while Elder Johnsen was working on finding a solution to a financial problem related to a 2011 financial transaction that was “sent” but not “cleared.” Sister Johnsen was waiting for another piano student, who was late. Just then who should come by the church—you guessed it, Rilang. She was coming up to the church to use the computer to do some translation work—instead she finally got the piano lesson that she had long desired. Her lesson finished just as the originally scheduled piano student arrived. Does the Lord really care about whether a faithful returned missionary achieves her personal goals? Apparently He does and he also gave us the opportunity to experience the blessing of Divine Positioning.
Sunday night Elder Johnsen and the YM president were out teaching one of our less active members and stopped by another member residence on the way home to check on them. The mother was sitting out on her porch—she had been praying that someone would come by and help with her son. After hearing the story and finding out where her son was, Elder Johnsen and the YM president drove over to the Branch President’s home and told him the story—he went out and found the YM and challenged him to go home and straighten up. They were at the right place at the right time and the Lord was able to answer this mother’s prayers through Divine Positioning.
In Elder Johnsen’s Sunday School lesson this past week there is a record of both Alma the Younger’s and Amulek’s account of how an angel of the Lord appeared to them and arranged for a Divine Positioning meeting which resulted in Amulek helping with the Lord’s work in Ammohnihah. Almost every student in the class had a story of how they have also seen the Lord prepare a way for them or someone else to help do his work or answer the prayers of another person.
Finally, we included a picture that we took of Sister Johnsen this week which does not involve Divine Positioning, but in which she is positioned divinely to enjoy a dinner at the Sea Passion Hotel. We hope all of you are positioned just where the Lord needs you to be to accomplish His purposes.
