The Effectual Struggle

Family and friends hey! This is going to be a long one. But if there is any email I hope reaches everyone it is this one. Let's just get this part out of the way. My mission is one of the least affected by COVID-19. It was weird not having a day full of meetings yesterday, but it gave us enough time to find 2 people to teach! Tim and DeeDee are the reason church needed to be canceled for us, and if they were the only two to receive the gospel through this whole thing, then it would be worth it. But I know they aren't, and I know that every missionary out there anywhere feels the same way as I do. WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE AND TO BE A MISSIONARY. At the beginning of this week, President Collins had a mission wide zoom call where he gave us every update that we've missed and told us what we were to do. He has got us very prepared and we went out early this morning to get food storage, aren't visiting the Elderly, and are washing our hands religiously. Hand shakes turned to fist bumps, then elbow jumps, and now everyone just taps feet with us. It turned into what we now call "the Corona Hype Call" because by the time the call was over we were all cheering and so excited for the ways this Virus will increase the spreading of the gospel to all the world. I AM SO HYPED. The coolest experience of my week though was for sure our mini sacrament meeting yesterday. Our district leaders were given permission to bless and pass the sacrament to us, and our President told us to still invite the people we are teaching to it. So the Glendale North District held our sacrament meeting yesterday at noon. I played the piano, we had 3 recent concerts speak about their baptisms, and the Elders blessed and passed. One of the converts who spoke, Michael, invited his friend Corvin who is not a member. He said at the end how much peace and refreshment he felt and how he really wanted to be back to know what this was all about. The spirit was stronger in that little room in the back of the church than I've ever felt it during that sacred ordinance. And I know that same spirit was felt by many members gathered in small groups throughout the world. "Where two or three are gathered in ny name, there shall I be also." And one by one we were all touched by it, including Corvin. The fact that God trusts us enough to let a bunch of 18, 19, 20 year olds hold and conduct their own sacrament meeting without any other supervision is crazy and so cool to me. And ours was a very good experience for all. It's not about the 4 walls and a steeple, or even the gathering of members. Not about the eloquent talks or organ played hymns. It's about making and renewing covenants. Individual promises between us and our Heavenly Father, made possible because of Jesus Christ's sacrifice. It is the gospel in action. It poured all week long which was also weird because it never ever rains here. The desert came alive with color and Arizona has never been more beautiful. One night, in particular, we had all of our appointments cancel (because of fear of the virus) so we knew there was somebody out there we needed to find. Sister Duckworth, my companion was praying to know where we needed to go and I got the distinct impression to "get out and walk in the rain." So we did. And from 8-9pm we walked the streets and knocked every house with lights on. Two soaking, soggy sister missionaries took reflection after rejection until 8:59 when we found who we were there for. This man couldn't believe that we were out knocking doors wet as we were and he said he wanted us to come back if our message was really that important. I was reading in my personal study the other day in Mosiah 7 when I read something that really struck me. The people were gathered to listen to king Benjamin's address, and he was telling them about all the ways God had been good to them, and then he said, "yet I trust there remaineth and effectual struggle to be made." I looked up the word effectual and it said "producing or capable of producing an intended result or having a striking effect." With the whole world in fear and panic I too stand with king Benjamin and trust in the effectual struggle with full faith that God is at the Helm, and that His hand is in and through all of this. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows what He is doing and I get a small glimpse into His mysteries as I am still blessed to be out doing this most important work every day. There is nothing more important and until God himself tells me to stop we will be out finding the Elect! This work is HIS. And it won't stop until Christ comes again!! And what a joyful day that will be. Take care of the missionaries near you. I love y'all! - Sister Hardy