HAPPY 4th OF JULY EVERYONE!!!
Oh my goodness y'all are so lucky to be in America for my favorite day of the entire year and one of my all time favorite holidays. Soeur Witham and I are the only Americans in our apartment and I'm pretty sure our companions now think Americans are the craziest people ever hahahah. They really just happened to get stuck with the two most patriotic sisters in the entire mission, woo hoo!! It's actually been pretty sad realizing that we weren't going to be able to celebrate our favorite holiday but yesterday we had the sweetest little tender mercy... We were greeting everyone at the doors to the chapel when a cute new young American couple who just moved from Utah came up to Soeur Witham and I and invited us to come over to their house to join them for their 4th of July BBQ !!! We were so excited we almost cried. It was just a sweet little reminder of how much the Lord cares about us and wants us to be happy. Even when it is just something silly like not missing out on a 4th of July BBQ :) We are starting to see a direct correlation between us going to Belgium and bad things happening haha. Whether it be taking the wrong train, sending our bag to Germany, or getting lost, we always manage to experience some kind of adventure! ;) Tuesday we went to Belgium... Our rendezvous was set for noon, but when 2 o'clock rolled around and we still weren't there, I'm sure they were beginning to wonder what had happened! Normally, the simple solution would be to give us a call. Well, inconveniently, our French phone doesn't work in Belgium... So we were on our own haha. Though we are never completely alone :) Yup, we took a tour of Belgium this week! Not really, but we might as well have after getting lost and hiking up and down the steep Belgian roads for over two hours trying to find a recent convert's house Lol. Between the humid heat, cramps in our legs, blisters on our feet, and our growling stomachs, we both did more than our fair share of whining. Lucky for us, The Lord always pulls through and takes care of us :) even after having to listen to all of our whiny prayers haha. Although we were two hours late, we did eventually make it safely to our rendezvous ! About 30 minutes before we arrived, my companion and I began to wonder if we should just turn around and go back. After saying another desperate prayer, we made the executive decision to tough it out for 15 more minutes. Then, if we didn't find her house, we would go home. During that next 15 minutes we found the street we needed to be on. It was such a miracle! Though, we wondered... Why did the Lord allow us to wonder for so long? There must have been a reason the Lord wanted us to be two hours late. After the lesson, we paused outside the door to thank the Lord for helping us find our way. Then, we asked him to help us to find the miracle that he needed us to be there two hours late for. As we made our down the street I noticed a familiar park. I wasn't sure if I have actually ever seen the park before but something about it just seemed to be calling out to us. So, we followed the park. Within minutes, we were stopped by the voice of a woman calling out to us--curious to know who we were and what we were doing in the neighborhood. As we got talking about the gospel and why we were here she looked us in the eyes and said, "I don't know why, but today after I dropped my kids off at school I just decided to stop here for a while and sit down instead of going straight home like I do every day..." As we testified of the simple truths of the gospel you could just see in her eyes that she knew it was true. At the end of our discussion, we exchanged numbers and Delphine picked up her stuff and left with us...as if she had received all that she had been waiting for. When we pray for and prepare ourselves to find miracles, The Lord places in our paths His children who are being prepared to receive the restored gospel. Sometimes finding those children requires an extra two hours of walking.... But miracles happen, even in BELGIUM ;)! Knowing that there must be opposition in all things, it was normal for me to wake up with an awful pain surrounding my hip and lower back the next day haha. I thought little of it as I just figured it was sore from our little expedition the previous day. I didn't even begin to question it until that night when my companion and I were on our way home for the night. I made it about two steps out of the metro before the tears hit me and I realized it wasn't just a sore hip. After a quick trip to the doctor he told me I "walk way too much". I couldn't help but laugh. I am currently on a 5 day drugged bed rest to allow the tendinitis in my hip to heal. I wasn't too happy to hear that. But, the Lord has since let me know that he has allowed me these 5 days of rest to build the strength and energy that he needs me to have to tackle the coming 9 months of my mission. :) This experience made me think of a citation used in a Conference talk given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, "Through all mortal opposition, we have God’s assurance that He will “consecrate [our] afflictions for [our] gain” (2 Nephi 2:2)." Whether it be tendinitis or helplessly wondering the streets of Belgium... I am grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord, that sometimes come to us in the form of affliction, that allow us grow toward what our Heavenly Father would have us become. Je vous aime tous! #PROUDTOBEANAMERICAN #ANDAMISSIONARY Love, Sœur Wyson 🇺🇸
1 Comment
Laurie R Bowes
7/4/2016 08:45:19 pm
Love your post, Sis Wyson. You are a remarkable young woman. Hope you don't mind if I read your blog now and then. My husband and I are the young single adult leaders in the stone cliff ward, so we'd like to get to know you a little. I really enjoy hearing about you from your mom. We have a missionary coming home in a week and a half, do you know Danny Bowes, he's our son. Have a great week, I'm thinking about you as the fireworks go off tonight. You show us that we can celebrate anywhere the founding of our blessed nation.
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Tracie WysonI feel very honored to have had the opportunity to serve as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the France, Paris Mission. Archives
April 2017
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