I have a feeling every post will begin with these words..."How do I begin to share all that's happened?" I'll have to accept that I simply can't, but from the length of time since the last post, one would accurately surmise we've been in the whirlwind- both of time and unexpected events.
Today, however is a day to pause between storms and breath, take a grateful inventory of what has transpired and prep for what's coming. As best I can calculate -based on the calendar- we have now completed 88 hours of Rick and I meeting separately with each and every missionary. This means that as of Saturday evening, in addition to the first 50 we completed during the first 2 weeks after zone conferences, we added an additional eight- 9-hour days of interviewing since my last post. Many of those days we blew through lunch playing catch up and only able to grab dinner after driving to the next area a couple of hours away to meet with the local Stake President. Even after 5 straight days on the road and in hotels last week- we not only lived to tell about it, but feel an even greater measure of love for these wonderful young people in our care! There's no other explanation for the uncharacteristic stamina and increased love than to attribute it to Grace; God's enabling power!
Each interview was different and tailored to the needs of the missionary as I described last time, but I began to ask similar questions to get a sense of where they were and how I could encourage them and buoy them up. After asking what support looked like for them back home (who was on their team cheering them on) I often asked the question, "What have you learned about yourself or the Savior that you didn't know (or better know) than before you came?" Then I just let them talk... and I'd listen...It was sooo fun to hear their honest reflections. The common thread was such an affirmation to me as well...
No personal growth they described had come by itself, it was always accompanied by how the Savior had been a part of the process! In other words, one did not happen without the other! How telling! And it happened all 133 times! For some, when I pointed this out, they would pause and smile and say something like, "You're right, how did I not see that?" and for others, they nodded tearfully and expressed thanks that I'd seen it too, grateful for the chance to connect those two realities in their hearts again.
Soooo, today, I'll ask myself, the same question...what I have learned about myself or my Savior since I've gotten here...
Again, in the interest of time, I'll only share one:
No matter how often I may think otherwise, I (and by extension we) are not alone! The Lord is sooooo aware of our needs and sends angels to help us. At the conclusion of interviewing our very last missionary Saturday night, our phones began blowing up with frantic texts from a number of individuals all at once, alerting us to a very serious situation where one of our missionaries, suffering from a breakdown, had attempted to harm herself. We were at least 3 hours from her, but her companion was able to subdue her and call members nearby to help instantly. Within 20 minutes one of our Senior couples, assigned to the same area, were there and able to take over; bringing both girls back to their apartment and offering the necessary support, love and safety. They were precisely positioned and perfectly equipped to handle it!
This set off a chain reaction on our end where Rick was able to follow the protocol we'd been so well trained in, to bring an entire support team into action! Our mission nurse, mental health specialist, area people all sprang into action advising next steps, getting the ball rolling to get her safely home and into the care she would need, while Rick called her local stake president who was able to contact her parents. Sister training leaders volunteered to keep the night watch over them all and this angelic missionary couple volunteered to accompany her on the flight home to deliver her directly and safely into her parents arms.
Later, because of these angels, Rick could speak to the her parents and her companion's with a coordinated plan of action -full of necessary assurances designed to help and lift this sister. At first we felt helpless and horribly far away, but as I watched this battalion of angels swell around her, I could feel God's love mounting and recognized the miracle it was! All these people, all this effort, for one very important person!
One of our son's asked how we go from such highs to such lows, through such unexpected turns and back into a spiritual state again. I don't think I answered it very well at the time, but the answer is clearly that it happens, not from toggling back and forth between challenges and the things of the spirit, but the spirit operating through it all! Prior to our service here, I'd probably characterize it just that way, but now I see it as one constant flow that connects them all. God's in all of this! In every detail! And because of that, we can move through each of these situations, as polarizing as they seem, with the little variation of the heart. Until he asked me, I didn't see it and it has become a massive comfort to me!
As further evidence of that, this 6 1/2 hour process of helping her, came during the only time there was to finalize the "transfer board" where we are responsible for filling all the holes left by out-going missionaries, identifying new leadership, as well as the 30 new trainers needed to be matched with the 30 new missionaries we get in two days! It's a giant game of tetras and requires much time and spiritual attention. Especially this being our first one, we both faced some trepidation as to how to face it at all, let alone in light of the final hours of preparation being taken out of the equation. I told Rick, I think the Lord is making sure we know it's not us, but Him, that's going to doing this!
Incidentally, when speaking with our area authority earlier in week about yet another challenge, he asked how we were doing mentally. Rick said, with his help, he thought we were doing pretty well, but felt over-whelmed by assigning new missionaries he'd ever met to appropriate trainers in the field. He calmly almost interrupted his words saying, "Oh President Collins, that's easy- the Lord knows where they belong!"
Well, I guess it's just something we had to experience to believe because the end of this story is similar to the one I shared last time...He gives you what you need when you need it... and just to make sure we knew it wasn't us, he took away all the final prep time to do it. Those changes have now been submitted and Rick will verify, it wasn't him who did it. We so beautifully learned we aren't alone when on His errands!
We went to bed about 11:30 that night after communicating the final flight plans for the next morning and that transfer board was still un-decided. But when he awoke, he "just knew" some of the big pieces and was able to finish filling in all the rest shortly thereafter.
We got to access this miracle earlier in the week when two of our sister missionaries were involved in, but survived, a serious car-wreck on the freeway during a tremendous rain storm.
That confidence, and complete reliance was also evident when we got word of the terribly challenging circumstances of our grand-daughter's birth just a few days ago and remains as she is still in ICU for at least 4-5 days more. Since I've written about that on Facebook, so I won't do that again here) other than to say I know God is in everything and through everything. His spirit comforts, guides and directs our path! It's always been this way, it's just that now I have a front row seat to it in rapid fire succession.
I admit to being desperate for this break today, but Rick is still going and going and going! I can hardly believe what I'm seeing. We collapse each night and each morning he joyfully, energetically powers through his days until late at night. These scriptures are the ones that come to mind as I consider the blessings we are both witnessing and experiencing and as I consider how present He is in your life too! The more we look for Him, the more He is found. What a glorious gift!
"...Be of good cheer and I will lead you along." (D & C 78:18)
"Trust in the Lord and lean not to thine own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
"Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answers to thy prayers." (D&C 112:10)
and one of my new favorites with such beautiful imagery...
"Blessed is the (person) that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (notice) when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not (have need to) be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7,8)
Have a blessed and grateful week!
