The Switch Was Flipped

Ladies & Gentlemen, The Lord works in mysterious ways and in His due time He will flip the light switch on. And that is exactly what He did this week. After swimming around in the darkness and mist for 3.5 weeks we found a glimmer of light. 7 Potential Investigators found 1 New Investigator 3 Progressing Investigators 3 RAD's dropped 4 Referrals 3 Boek van Mormon gegeven Now I know those numbers may not seem large in the eyes of many, but please do not compare this to other missionaries and other missions. These numbers are pretty good for the area in which I am serving. The culture of my mission is not reflected in large numbers. This week we saw miracles and the hand of the Lord in the details. With things falling through, investigators dropped due to personal and family circumstances, baptismal dates dropped, and hours upon hours of rejection, each and every disappointment turned around by another door knocked or person contacted was noted by the Lord. With no appointments we set out to new little towns and dorpjes to knock. Within 2 hours we had given two BvM's away and another lesson given. Have met some really great people, people who are open and not closed off like typical Dutch. I hope that we can continue to see success and see what the Lord has in store. The Elders in our Area are both going home next week, and with a new president as of tomorrow, we believe they are closing Ommord and we will take on their area. Ya never know though. But the work is hastening, and the Lord is at the helm. Well funny story: Yesterday we had to do weekly planning... well I started making cookies. Everything was going fine, but then thanks to our incredibly ghetto apartment, the oven is ancient and if your are not careful you can burn down the house. Well thankfully I didn't burn the house down, don't worry but came pretty close. We got a knock on the door and the JoVo's (YSA) came over to ask for bread for their sacrament, and then we went back to planning. I forgot about the batch in the oven. Few minutes later I run over and they are BLACK. I open the oven and POOF smoke in my face, the most awful smell in the world. Took the tray out to the back so the house wouldn't be that bad. And then we met our neighbor Arnold, white hair, great white mustache, t-shirt, khakis and orange suspenders. He asked to show us how to operate the gate. We agreed and for the next 10 minutes we gave him a thorough demonstration of how to operate the gate. He was a professor at the Delft Technical Institute, and then for some time in Ohio. He was and is a Mechanical Engineer, and he misses teaching young adults. So thanks to burnt cookies, we now know our neighbor. So again this last week as I have been searching and striving to hand over myself to the Lord, to simply push through and keep going the Lord has once again spoken to me and shown me the way. This week I read two talks from general conference: "If You Will be Responsible" and "Truly Good and without Guile". Which then led me to Alma 38 and 1 Peter 5. Pure revelation from Heavenly Father. A new BvM hero...Shiblon. This week not only in the work but in my personal life and testimony were light bulbs turned on. Saw the Lord in the details of my life. I have been trying to do exactly as Shiblon did, and what is said in 1 Peter. Everyday I ask the Lord to take over the reins and help me. And because He is accepting me, cares about me and has a greater plan for me He is allowing me to suffer a little bit. Just go through the refining process because at the end of all this ME, the true Morgan Alexis Young, a glimpse of who I was before I came to the earth, I will discover her. I am finding Him and seeing stukjes of His plan for me. And right now I am doing exactly what the Lord wants from me. I can't tell you all of what that is, because well everyday is a battle I am fighting to see the good I do. But in the end what I am doing is the Lord's work. I know He is proud of me. I hope and pray that everyone of you can feel that trots van onze Hemelse Vader. Kom te weet dat hij van u houdt. U heeft een doel op de aarde. Ik bid voor jullie elke dag. Ik miss jullie veel. Ik hou van jullie. Fijne week verder! GO USA!!!! -- Zuster Young