Thou shalt be like a watered garden

A missionary couple that we met in the missionary training center left the same day we did to work at Lemoore Naval Air Station, just south of our mission home.  At one of the senior missionary meals, Elder and Sister Schoenfield, who also have lived and worked in Washington State, shared with us a success story occurring as their congregation united their prayers and faith in a forty day fast.  

"What is a fast?" asks my student Kellie and another friend in Newman who is learning about the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

A fast is going without food and drink for a few meals to focus on spiritual matters.   

“One Sunday each month members [of the restored church of Jesus Christ] observe a fast day. On this day we neither eat nor drink for two
 consecutive meals. If we were to eat our evening meal on Saturday, then we would not eat or drink until the evening meal on Sunday.” Funds not spent on those meals can be offered to share with those in need, through a “fast offering” or donation used for struggling local families. Any surplus is sent far beyond the borders of our communities.

After hearing of the closeness that happened in the Schoenfields' congregation and the strength offered from petitioning the Lord together, we introduced the idea to our branch president.  He proposed a similar activity with our Crows Landing Second Branch beginning the first of the year. 

We are relearning about blessings, spiritual power, answers to prayers that come with fasting.

We remember a time of petitioning with our family (that returns in waves of gratitude each day celebrating the birth of twins to a daughter who hoped, waiting and wished for five long years.)   As we began "Come, Follow Me" with more focus in our homes to study together as our time in church is shorter, we have pondered about waiting for things we wish for, and wonder what the Lord wants us to do while we wait.   

All we were asked to do was finish a couple of missions and offer a small nest egg set aside to fix a bathroom leak.  (Which would you choose--a bathroom or a baby?)  We now celebrate a beautiful set of twins to top off a wonderful group of grandchildren.  We got to come home from our missions.  And the bathroom got remodeled anyway.  Seek ye first...and all things shall be added!

 
  

    

  

Back to our forty days. We are just over a third of the way along.  Blessings?

Our young missionaries have been recently introduced to a young man who toured temple square Salt Lake City, Utah.  He came to our meetings Sunday.  A sister missionary friend to our niece who served on temple square in Salt Lake a few years ago this week welcomed the daughter of one of our members at the Young Single Adult who drove herself 35 minutes to visit.  

Other Young Single adults continue to offer rides and share light.

Other miracles are less visible, but are confirmed in phone calls daily, as I learn “I normally get headaches, but this time, when I went without food, my head did not hurt.”

“I love doing something for someone else.”

"It was beautiful!  I prayed with my children to begin with and my spouse who is far away fasted with me.  I usually get dizzy and faint, but did not this time. I felt closer to God."

“I am having more green than red days, and on the computer, doing family history, I found several family names who I could bring to the temple (this past Saturday, in Fresno.)”

One answer came this Sunday, to the father of one of our members, who lives in the Chico California Stake.  He could barely speak to share how touched he felt in hearing a latter-day prophet.  Two days after losing a daughter to cancer, President and Sister Nelson visited this area in a stake conference testifying of comfort in the face of loss, and encouraged the faithful there to do the spiritual work necessary to receive personal revelation--to learn how to get answers to prayers—as they have learned recently--our very lives depend on it.

Later that night we heard together one of our newer apostles,a retired surgeon, and his attorney spouse,  counsel the young adults to build their faith.  Our little branch is coming to understand when we seek heaven’s help, willing to give a little ourselves, a few of the promises offered by Isaiah in chapter 58:6-12:  

6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? ...

7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the ^ahungry, and that thou bring the ^bpoor that are cast out to thy house?

8 ¶ Then shall thy ^alight break forth as the morning, and thine ^bhealth shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy ^crearward.

9 Then shalt thou ^acall, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am… then shall thy light ^brise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:

11 And the Lord shall ^aguide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in ^bdrought, and ^cmake fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a ^dspring of water, whose waters fail not.

We drifted off  the road on a Sunday during a fasting Sunday.
Later we realized that it was one of the only sections of road that had no cliffs

Remembering an event that occurred while fasting on the roads of Guatemala, we are grateful for the gospel and its promises: 

12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

May your paths be restored.  May your days also be filled with rejoicing. 

You are our watered garden.  

Tomorrow marks “mitad,” our half way point. Half way there.  We love you.  Thank you for your prayers, your faith, your light, your waters that fail not. 

Speaking of which—it supposed to rain hard through Friday.  Friday is a young men’s camp out, hoping to invite our friends.  Will you please join us in a petition that the waters stop for a few moments between Friday and Saturday?  Or at least that the boys are strong and of good courage! 

Blessings to you!