My Favorite Sermon

The best sermon in sacrament meeting happens on the second row.

I prefer the vantage point from the east pews, halfway back, where I can watch the dapper 2 year-old do acrobatics over the bench in his pinstriped vest. There are six children in the Gates* family, and they are as well-behaved as can be expected of any confined soul under the age of 12.

They are adorable, but the sermon exists in the person of their mother.** Her glory is summed up in one singular feature: a smile.

She smiles at the toddler as she carries him back to his seat. He drapes himself over her arm like a contented airplane, and then she smiles at her 8 year-old son when the airplane's rudder swats him in the face. She smiles at her husband on the stand, and I suspect that those smiles are what keep the over-burdened bishop going on hard days.

Her children smile, too. The happiness is contagious. It's positively inexplicable, absolutely paradoxical! It's not as though life were easy, or resources abundant, or the situation perfect. That's where the sermon is. She smiles despite it all.

Once, she was asked to play the piano in Relief Society. Judging by the performance, I'm not sure that Sister Gates has played the piano since fourth grade. But she was their only option, so she agreed. There were more missed notes than correct ones, and my outspoken German friend hissed over her shoulder to me. "G~, this is terrible!" (She is still working on eliminating her expletives.) But over the top of the piano I spied a pretty sight: smile wrinkles! She was actually humored by her own ill performance!

This is the essence of strong womanhood. Satan would rather us berate ourselves. The common woman in this situation goes red in the face, gives up, or gets upset at the thoughtless Relief Society president who wrangled her into playing in the first place. But Sister Gates just smiles ruefully.

Feeling bewildered by her joy, I asked Sister Gates how she manages to be such a happy Bishop's wife. Wives with husbands in high demand,even for altruistic purposes, tend to become bitter and burdened. She does it with such ease! What is her secret?

"You know the movie, The Incredibles?" she said. Now she's talking! Disney-Pixar is a language that I speak fluently.

"Well, we quote that to each other. In the movie, the wife shouts at the husband, "It's not about you!!" And it's true, Sister Stewart. It really isn't about us. It's about what the Lord wants. And if He wants Chris* to be the Bishop, then Christ will be the Bishop. It's not about me or about Him. It's all about the Lord."

And then she smiles through it for five years.

This is faith, dear friends. A smile.

It is easy enough to be pleasant, 

When life flows by like a song,

But the man worthwhile is one who will smile,

When everything goes dead wrong.

For the test of the heart is trouble,

And it always comes with the years,

And the smile that is worth the praises of earth

Is the smile that shines through tears.

~Hazel Felleman 

(a favorite poem oft-quoted by our beloved prophets: 

President Thomas S. Monson and President Gordon B. Hinckley.)

*You know the drill. Pseudonyms to preserve their superheroic identities.

**She is merely one of a million women just like her. I won't be writing on this blog for Mother's day this May; I'll be home with my own angel mother. So take this as my Mother's Day entry. Three cheers for the women who raised us!!

Adopted In

With a title like this, you might expect an exposition on the Abrahamic Covenant. Perhaps I will disclose deep doctrinal secrets about bloodlines and the manner in which Gentiles receive the lineal rights of Abraham. All of my anthropological knowledge will be presented in a calculated lecture on gospel adoption.

No sir! Today I must tell you about a glorious affair, punctuated by a joking comment from our bishop. He called us after a 2 1/2 hour visit with Ann and Tom Wilkes*, our library security guard member and his darling Pentecostal wife.

"You'll need to set up an interview because she's getting baptized tomorrow," he said. Obviously a joke, but a hopeful missionary heart can't be sure.

"Wait, you're kidding, aren't you Bishop?"

He laughed and said yes. "But they sure love you two. I think they're halfway through the adoption paperwork already."

Well, I have a loving set of parents at home that I will be glad to return to in May. But dear Ann and Tom Wilkes, I will gladly claim you as my Oklahoma grandparents!!

I am positively jubilant! Our Mission President's wife visited Ann with us on Wednesday. We read the Book of Mormon and she responded to the questions in a most genial manner.

Then on Friday, Hermana Dupape's mom sent a surprise for Ann - her very own quad! She has been wanting her own set of Mormon scriptures, and soon Tom will have a set as well. The gift was given anonymously, so the entire ward is now suspect as benefactor and friend in Ann's mind.

But best of all was Sunday morning. After sacrament meeting, we found Ann in the women's restroom. As I washed my hands, she casually mentioned that God was answering her prayers. "I told Him that I needed an answer," she said. I stopped messing with the paper towels and listened. She explained that she had woken up at 5 am. She turned to her scriptures for guidance, and where did God take her?

Ephesians 4:11.

She opened up her quad to read it to us, but there were already tears in Sister Dupape's eyes, and I was grinning like an idiot. Every missionary know what Ephesians 4:11 says - PROPHETS!!!

God is beginning to teach Ann Wilkes that the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth. We have prophets on the earth today. It is the greatest age since the beginning of time, and she can be part of it.

Ah. There aren't words enough to capture the feelings of my heart. I have the greatest thing in the world, and I get to share it with the greatest people in the world. God loves Ann and Tom Wilkes, and He shares them with me!!

*Names changed. But I get the idea that they'll be part of my life forever, so you might just discover their true identities someday.

Marginal Miracles

These are side effects of diligence: unintended, unexpected, but highly manifest of God's thoughtful nature.

*A young woman comes out teaching with us once or twice a week. She is not an investigator, but we are seeing true repentance as a result of her missionary service! We let her borrow an EFY CD, and she told us that she is beginning to change her music from dark tones to things that help her feel the Spirit. We gave her a Book of Mormon upon parting, and she has already given one away and has plans for two others. She invited her friend to church this week! Many of our less-actives have been impressed by her bold testimony.

*We had 30 minutes in between appointments, so we went to a pre-designated apartment complex, said a prayer, and found miracles! We knocked on four doors and got two return appointments. We taught one of them with a member that same day. He warned us that he is "not a promising prospect," but he also says that he'll read and pray about the Book of Mormon...ha! Famous last words. We have an appointment with his neighbor tomorrow.

*I went on exchanges with Sister N. I have been her STL for her entire mission (9 months) and I think it is because we both struggle with anxiety/perfectionism. She expressed her concerns, and I felt inspired to ask her to role-play being an STL. I didn't know what to do for her, but I sensed that she might know how to nourish herself. I played the part of another sister in our mission who is struggling with similar issues, and Sister N counseled me beautifully and profoundly. She doesn't love her mission, and she feels guilty for that. We set goals for cultivating gratitude.

*Our investigator stopped reading the Book of Mormon, so we felt inspired to ask her to read a chapter a day and then text us her response to it. It's been wonderful! She texts us daily, and I am learning new things from the book of First Nephi as a result of her insights!

*Bishop G invited two of our less-actives and an investigator to his home for FHE last night. The example of righteous families is the most convincing evidence of all! We love tapping into the power of our members.

Juevos Verdes

Musicals

"Persistence is the answer, and a sense of humor helps." ~Elder Quentin L. Cook

This is a copy-paste from the letter that I sent to my little brother this morning. I'm running short on e-mail time, and I am racking my mind for something profound to say. I'm coming up empty.

So here you go. Missionary work is generally quite sober, but sometimes God reminds us that we are just human.

Here's to humanity, and may you have a jolly day!

Dear Joe,

We ate dinner with a family on Monday, and they were a riot. Brother Peters* said, "Honey, wouldn't you like to tell the missionaries about your musical talents?" She hissed, "No, I would not." 
He wouldn't drop it, and we innocently insisted that we would like to hear them for ourselves.
Finally, she broke down, "Fine! So we went to the temple on Saturday, and I ate right before we went through for sealings. And then when we knelt over the alter, my stomach was a little musical."
Her husband roared with laughter. "A little musical?! Her butt-cheeks were flapping!"
Bahahaha, farting in the temple.

This is so irreverent. And I thought you might love it.

Much love,
Sister Stewart  :)

*The name is most definitely changed. His good wife might strangle him if we revealed her true identity.

Snow Days

Snow days - as magical to missionaries as they are to children.

When the temperature drops to -6* with wind chill, our day is entirely subject to the providence of God. He treated us most favorably this Sabbath.

We were unsuccessfully attempting to chip ice from our windshield at 7am when the ward mission leader texted that all church meetings were canceled for the day. We slipped back inside (and I mean it when I say slipped - Oklahoma makes good with its freezing rain) and then curled up in blankets for our usual morning studies. By 10 am the zone leaders were texting that cars were grounded. Living out of our area, we had no choice but to spend the day indoors. Call me lazy, but this was a rare treat. God forced my hand; I simply had to take a break and enjoy myself!

Rice bags* and squishy, underappreciated** sofas were our constant companions on this true day of rest. What can missionaries do all day in their apartment? Discuss at length their future member missionary dreams. Pre-missionaries dream of serving a mission, but missionaries dream of serving as involved ward member-missionaries. They might also watch Legacy on their portable DVD player. Did you know that this innocent pioneer movie shows kissing four times!? The most scandalizing thing I've seen in 14 months! They might even crochet ties for the elders and listen to talks by General Authorities.

According to the goodness of our members, we were the recipients of fresh, plate-sized indun tacos***. And to crown the evening, our favorite investigators braved the storm to pick us up for a second dinner and a lesson in their home. Committed investigators and good friends? Methinks so.

So, there. I'll let you be the judge. Best day ever, or best day ever?

I love being a missionary!


* the frugal missionary version of heating pads...hand-sewn innovations that cost only $2 to make!
** underappreciated? Why, you insensitive missionary, neglecting your sofas like that! No, not really. Have you seen the rigorous schedule of a missionary? These marvelous couches aren't open for use except at meal times and after we return home. Needless to say, it was some much-needed quality time with my upholstered friends.
***Not Navajo, that's tribal. Not even Indian, that's turrible pronunciation. We're Oklahoman, folks.Them be INDUN tacos.

What do missionaries do with beer?

That's right! We pour it down the sink! Got to do this twice this week.
So proud of our investigators!!