God is in the details

 

District Elders


January 2, 2022 

 

Happy New Year my family & friends! 

I have no great miracles to report this week, but maybe a few small ones. 

Once in a while our young sister missionaries need a ride or an extra person, so I’ve had a few opportunities to participate in teaching the gospel in Spanish (which makes me nervous, but things always seem to work out.)   

On Tuesday I went with the Garner hermanas to teach a woman and her young daughters.  The woman said she was Catholic but hadn’t baptized her daughters.  She said it didn’t seem right to baptize them, but she didn’t know why.  I told her that when Jesus spoke of children He said, “…of such is the kingdom of heaven.”  This seemed to resolve the issue for her. 

On Wednesday we had a very uplifting District Council with seven young missionaries. We went to lunch afterward and I spoke to a couple of people standing behind me in line.  I suggested that they ought to ask one of these young men why they were willing to give up two years of their lives to teach people about Jesus.  They asked if the missionaries were students.  I explained that the missionaries left school, deferred scholarships, etc. to preach the gospel.  They didn’t speak to any of the Elders, but maybe one day they will. 

After lunch, my companion and I went to the Post Office so that she could buy stamps, but we kept letting people ahead of us in line, sharing uplifting messages with some, and I helped one lady tape up her packages.  It was a happy atmosphere and eventually my companion was able to purchase her stamps!  I call these kind of opportunities “micro-service.” 

On Thursday I went with the Raleigh Hermanas to teach a man named Zefarino--a very enjoyable experience.  And on Saturday our friend Carlos was baptized.    

Also on Saturday I figured out how to do family history research in Spanish!  This was huge for me because I wasn’t sure how to get the websites to display in Spanish.  But I had promised to help several of our Spanish-speaking friends find family names to take to the temple.* 

I don’t know if I’m making a difference in the grand scheme of things, but God has said, “…by small means are great things brought to pass.”  (Alma 37:6) The star that shown above a stable in Bethlehem was placed into orbit millions of years before the birth of our savior so that its light would be in the precise place to guide the wise men. God is in the details of our lives! 

I love you all! 

Sister Manwaring 


*For my friends who are not members of my church: this is because God, being a loving and just God, gives everyone a chance to accept the gospel--even people who have never heard of Jesus.  (See 1 Peter 4:6) 

And as Jesus told Peter, “…whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven….” (See Matthew 16:19) So we do ordinances, such as baptisms for the dead, in temples. 


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