Elder Mackinnon Lyman: The Hand of God

We had zone conference this week. It was wonderful, as it normally is. There was one part that really touched me. At the beginning, we talked about something really important. It's easy to fall into the trap of focusing so much on baptism that we forget the true ultimate goal, immortality and eternal life. That's the whole focus of God's plan, is to become like Him. He loves us so much, it's impossible for us to understand it. Everything he does is for our benefit, whether or not it seems like it to us. This week I've seen God's influence in almost everything I've done. I shared the story of Sr Lydie last week and how we were inspired to visit her, and because of that, she opened up to us. I don't want to write a novel with this email, so I'll just explain the two greatest experiences this week.

On Thursday after zone conference, we got back pretty late, around 4 in the afternoon. We hadn't set any rendez-vous because we didn't know how long conference would take, and our time was pretty short, but we went out to sector nonetheless. We wandered, trying to find someone to help or teach, and we had minimal success. Then I thought about Sr Estelle. She's one of the Famille Djehi's daughters. I had called her periodically throughout the week, but she never picked up. That day, we passed by her house to see if she was there. She was. We started talking to her, and she told us she wants to change her life, and give up the futezz that she did before. So we taught her, and it went well. The Lord prepared the way so that we could teach her without any distractions. Normally when we talk with her, everyone mocks her and says "oh, she won't change" and "oh, she won't go to church." It's really saddening to see negative influence from everyone, even within her own family. I don't know what she's done, but it doesn't matter. Elder Diaz and I decided that every time we see her we will say that we believe in her, we have confidence in her, and stuff like that. We can help her change her life, I know it. The reason why we know how to help her is because the Lord put her without distractions. With other people around, she was removed and quiet. Without the mockery, she was very open and sincere. It was a cool experience and I have lots of hope for her.

My other story happened on Friday. We had a very unproductive day, as all of our rendez-vous fell through. We spent most of the day looking for someone to teach. No one was available, or wanted to talk to us. Elder Diaz and I defaulted to go and give Sr Lydie's husband a panini. We bought it, and went to give it to him. This time the door was actually open, but just because Sr Lydie was back from her vacation. We gave her the panini, a salut for her husband, and left. We had about an hour left before we had to head back to the apartment. We were walking, and my companion said hey let's sit here, where Fr Boliga usually sits. Upon arriving at that spot, in the dark shadows of the pavilion in front of us, we saw Fr Boliga sitting in a corner, just pondering life, as usual. We went, talked to him, and I gave him some cookies that I had been giving out to people that day. We talked to him for a bit, and then all of a sudden, he said here let's talk. We moved into the light, and he said "Okay. I'm ready to be baptized, but my only problem that tires me is that I've already been baptized by immersion." He had been taught since April 2018 by multiple previous missionaries, eventually by Elder Kalala and I, and nothing seemed to work. That night, Elder Diaz and I explained the things that I had explained before with him. I was praying so fervently in my heart throughout the whole lesson that the spirit would touch his heart and he would understand. He is such an amazing guy, so humble, nice, and loving. We got to a point in the lesson where he said that the power of God was in all the churches, and that His power was wherever His word was preached. I can't remember what happened in between, but I remember that I said something like "Frére Boliga, I know that you love God and that you want to live the right way and follow Him. The path to eternal life is extremely narrow. The only way to enter is through the one Savior, the one faith, the one baptism. If there is only one true faith, there is only one true church. If there is only one true church, that means it has the only true power of God and the only true baptism. I know that our church is the true church and that if you get baptized again, it will be the true baptism. The Lord won't be upset, rather he will be happy that you chose to do that, to follow Him droitement." After that, his eyes changed, and he said "j'ai compri." I said "qu'est-ce que tu vas faire maintenant?" "Je vais me faire baptiser." My heart was so full and the spirit was so strong, I almost cried during the lesson. I am so happy for him. He said he's going to ponder and pray about it more. I'll update you guys on what he decides. Another example. A seemingly unsuccessful day turned into a moment to help someone who had been spiritually prepared.

Those were two examples of God's influence. There's countless other examples from this week alone, and many more that I'm sure we aren't aware of. On Sunday, Elder Diaz and I were fasting for the people we have been serving. That same morning, we both got really sick. We went to our 5 hours of church, and just felt terrible. We came back, broke our fasts and ate a little bit, then left. As we were walking away from the apartment, I said a little prayer, asking the Lord to guide our footsteps. Right after, I felt to go meet an inactive member that we invited to church on Friday. Upon arriving, he told us he wasn't there because he was visiting his brother in the morgue. His older brother had passed away just two weeks ago. We shared with him that this life isn't the end and he will see him again. I could see the pain in his eyes soften after we shared that with him. That, and every single other thing that we did after it was divinely inspired, I know that for sure. There's countless experiences, ranging from big to small. As I've taken time to reflect over the miracles I've noticed, my soul fills with wonder and awe at His infinite wisdom, power, and love. He knows exactly what each person needs, whether they need to wait to receive the gospel or not, what words to put in our mouths, everything. I can only hope I'll be like Him someday.

"And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and thy goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!." (1 Nephi 1:14)

So, I can't completely claim this level of joy and exclamation yet, but I can say that I've had a taste. It's impossible to identify all the ways that God influences our lives. Heavenly Father truly loves each and every one of us, and when we look, we can see His divine influence everywhere. The hand of God is omnipresent, I'm beginning to have a small glimpse of the continuous miracles that happen. I can't express the happiness that I feel here. Seeing the joy and light of the gospel enter someone's eyes is one of the most touching experiences. And then seeing that light and knowledge change their lives, I can't explain how wonderful it is. This truly is the work of the Lord. The phrase often repeated in D&C is so true. "A great and marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men." It's come. This work truly is great and marvelous. It's incredible. It's glorious. The hand of God is all around us, preparing the way, protecting us, and bearing us up. He is always there for us in our time of need. I love this work, this gospel, and my Savior, Jesus Christ. I love you guys. Until next week.

-Elder Lyman