February 6, 2012

Dear Family,

What a great week! So many miracles! This week we ended up giving six priesthood blessings because of listening to the spirit and showing up to the right place at the right time just when people needed us. I learned a lot about being guided by the spirit. Being a missionary has by far been where I've felt the spirit more powerfully and more frequently than any other time in my life. I think that's one of the great benefits of missionary service, is being able to testify to someone of the truth and feel the Spirit ratify that testimony. Nonetheless, I've learned that being guided by and following the guidance of the Spirit doesn't always mean I'm going to feel those powerful spiritual impressions in everything I do. This week I learned that many times the Spirit speaks in very very subtle urgings, and that if we live righteously we will always be guided in what we need to do.

For example: Two months ago my companion and I were walking down a street and we passed a young couple with a toddler. After walking past them a few yards I felt a little guilty for not talking to them since we are missionaries, and families are our focus, so I turned around and we went back and talked to them. We told them that we shared a message about how the families can be together, even after death and invited them to listen to our message. Although hesitant at first, they gave us their address.

What I didn't know then, but learned this week, is that the wife was very preoccupied at the time because of the death of her mother. She was ready to hear the gospel. This week two of her sons are getting baptized. (She can't yet because she isn't yet legally married to her husband.) I learned this because of another subtle impression to call her this week to confirm our appointment. I had no idea, but the day I called her was the day of the anniversary of the death of her mother and that phone call made all the difference in the world to her.

Neither of those impressions were powerful spiritual experiences like we sometimes have, but gentle urgings of my duty. If we live righteously we qualify for both types of guidance. I know the church is true and that Heavenly Father loves, remembers, and cares for each and every one of his children.

Love
-Elder Spencer