Once in a While

I have to tell you all about my weekend. It was simply incredible, and incredibly busy. These are the things that made it so great.

It begins two Saturdays ago. Our Zone Leaders had asked all of us missionaries to set some goals as a companionship for the following week. Sister Valentine and I did and we prayed about these goals to make sure that it was what the Lord wanted for us. We revised them until they were thus: we would set three dates for people to prepare for baptism and we would have one baptismal service on Saturday, September 3. These goals were.... stretching it. To say the least. We did have one baptism date set, so we needed at least two more. As for preparing for and holding an actual service in a week... we had no clue how that was going to happen.
  We taught as much as we could. We invited everyone we could think of to be baptized. It just wasn't happening. Confused? We were too. We also were having no luck with anyone accepting the invitation to prepare for baptism.
  On the morning of September 3, Sister Valentine and I were anxiously awaiting a call from President McKee to find out if about transfers. The end of our second six weeks together was up, so we had a feeling that some kind of change was going to happen. Instead of hearing from President first off, we hear from his missionary assistants. One sister in our mission was from a small island and it was time for her to return home. Because there are very few connecting flights to her home, she left a few days early. Her mission companion now needed someone to stay with until she would receive her new companion on Tuesday. So, starting Saturday at noon, it was Sister Valentine, Sister Franson, and Sister Barnes for the weekend. While in the midst of this musical missionaries game, we did receive the call that Sister Valentine would stay in the area, but I would be leaving to serve in Gallatin with Sister Anderson. I was so excited! I knew Sister Anderson because she began her mission at the exact same time that I did. We went to missionary training together and everything. So, I had three days to pack and say goodbyes to people that I visited.
  One of the families we chose to visit was the Chua family. Sister Chua is fantastic! Every time we visit her or even talk to her, she makes SURE that we are well fed. She has such a kind heart and tries to be involved in missionary work as much as she can be. We appreciate her so much for that.
  Sister Chua's mother in law was staying with her for the week. We were especially excited when we found out about that because we had taught Grandma Chua in weeks past but she returned home to be closer to her other children. Grandma Chua loves the church and reads the magazines with talks from the Prophet and spiritual experiences that others share. She just had a few concerns when it came to being baptized and didn't feel ready. When we visited the Chua's we asked Grandma Chua again if she would like to be baptized, and the answer was the same. She didn't feel ready.
  So, it was Saturday night, and no baptism was happening. I have to admit, my faith could have been stronger. It didn't feel right to not have a baptism that day, but who in the world would we baptize that night? The three of us sisters went home for dinner, and around 5:30pm one of the greatest miracles I have ever seen in my life happened. Grandma Chua called, and told us she wanted to be baptized! We set it up to be at 7:00 that night. This meant we had A LOT of phone calls to make. We were over to the church as fast as we could be. We and the elders were boiling pots of water and dumping them into the font to make the water warm for Grandma Chua (the hot water heater in our building is... less than functional). We assigned talks and prayers, picked out hymns, and a member of the bishopric came to conduct the meeting. It was so special. On such short notice, it was only close friends and family that came. It made it all the more meaningful because they knew how much this one baptism of an 82 year old matriarch meant to this family. I will never forget that night for as long as I  live.
  The next day at church, Grandma Chua's confirmation was beautiful. As missionaries though, we still had work to do! There were some new people at church and we had to make sure that they felt comfortable and cared about. One woman after church was so pleased with what she saw and felt that she came to us afterward and told us that she wanted to be a member of our church. Later that afternoon, we re-set a goal for one more person to be baptized. We were so excited, and so exhausted. When we were on the phone with President McKee, he pointed out to us that we set three dates in 24 hours, and one of those was the baptism that took place the night before. We didn't even realize it, but we had met our goal!

So, dear friends, is anything impossible for the Lord? I tell you now with all of my conviction that there is not one thing! The Lord does answer our prayers and gives us the desires of our hearts. Place with care your trust in Him.

"And the Lord of the vineyard said unto them: Go to and labor in the vineyard, with all your might. [A]nd the Lord of the vineyard also labored with them" Jacob 5:71-72

Have an action-packed day. The Lord will make it happen!

-Sister Franson
 

D&C 87:8

The gospel is like... the gospel... is like....

A pair of shoes!!!

No, really. in alot of ways, it kind of is. For example, when I was home, I had a favorite pair of shoes that I wore every day. I wore them all the time at school, to work, out on dates, and all I had to do was brush them off from every once in a while. It was like wearing an extra pair of feet. They were perfect! And no matter how old they were, I always got comments on how cute they were!

Sadly, as the life of a shoe is, my favorite shoes began to wear out. They were at the point where they had almost no sole left, just the piece of shoe canvas holding them all together. But I loved these shoes. They had taken me everywhere, to the happy places and sometimes the sad. In a way, it's this pair of shoes that define part of my Sister Fransonality.

Dear friends, we are part of the Savior's life. He died for us so we could return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father. Sometimes we might feel like the shoe, trodden down, and sometimes 'soul'less. But the Savior didn't die just so everyone can return to Heaven. He died so YOU could return to Heaven. He loves you so much, and even if we don't always see our value, the Savior does, and He's just telling us to hold on,  just a few moments longer, and we can be so much better. He's waiting for that moment to restore us, and to also have us see our value. In a small way, it is like the story of the currant bush.

Don't underestimate your value. Serve your purpose to the Lord, and do all that you can.


"Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen."



Have an action packed day!

Sister Franson

TIME for a Mormon Message!!

Just so you know...

I've made a few posts on here and on facebook that talk about hope and finding peace and comfort and such. I've had a few people ask me some questions, maybe having a few concerns that I'm having a hard time on my mission. Sure, there are some tough teaching situations, but all in all, I love my mission with all my heart!

I just like to share scriptures and thoughts like that because, well, can't we all relate? I mean, at some point in our lives, each of us has some kind of adversity that we need comforting in. Those small thoughts give peace to those in need and help remind those in a good place of the blessings they have.

So, dear friends, I'm doing wonderfully. And I hope you are too! Don't let something sad happen in your life before you open up your scriptures to find comfort in Christ.

Have an action-packed day!

Sister Franson