Alma 7:7

I wanted to take you all into my head and my heart for a minute as I walk you through a particular personal study and experience I had this week. It started at 9am on my knees where I specifically asked Heavenly Father what we needed to teach Demi in her lesson that night. (Demi is the sweetest Japanese lady that we have been teaching who speaks almost no English and had never once heard about God or Jesus before we met her. How we met her is a miracle story in itself. We have taught her all of the lessons and she keeps all her commitments and lives her life according to every commandment... but she is terrified of baptism and often gets scared when she sees pictures of Christ.) I couldn't understand why after every act of Faith she has put forth she still feels fear when she sees a picture of Christ or thinks about following Him. I was confused and a little frustrated, so I turned to my scriptures. Somewhere in my reading in the Bible I heard a voice in my heart. That is the only way I can describe the way the Spirit speaks to me. I don't hear words, but I feel and hear a voice in my heart. And it said, "She doesn't even know who I am yet." The Spirit pierced my heart as I realized that for months we had been teaching her like we teach everyone else, talking about Christ like she knew who He was and what He did and why He did it, when in reality she had no idea who the man in picture on her wall was. It humbled me below anything I've felt yet. I got so caught up in teaching all the amazing points of the Restoration of Christ's perfect gospel and God's Plan of Salvation, that I had completely overlooked the opportunity and need to teach one of God's children about Her personal Savior and Redeemer. She had never heard about His humble birth in a manger. Never read the accounts of His awe inspiring miracles. Never heard a song about His loving nature and selfless character. She had never seen pictures of the nail marks in His outstretched arms. Never felt the peace that comes from His suffering in the Garden, or the hope that comes from His resurrection. She didn't even know who He was yet. We had been promising her blessings and testifying our hearts out and she had been doing everything she could to recieve those blessings and feel the same way we did about all of it... but without a knowledge of and relationship with Jesus Christ, none of that is, or ever was, or ever could be possible. So we taught her all of those things, and that was the most powerful, special, and important lesson I have taught my entire mission. I have never seen her so happy or come more alive. Now she wants every picture of Christ she can get. She smiles whenever she sees one. Her favorite is the picture of Him holding the lamb. Over and over again she kept saying that she felt warm, peace, calm and comfort as we told her about that baby boy who grew up to be the Savior of the world. I will never think of Christ with any less degree of love and gratitude than I do after this experience with our friend Demi. Someone once said: "The most important thing is that we always need to keep the main thing the main thing." That was repeated to me by Sis. Parke and then Sis. Biggs. (Both APM legends that changed my life.) Jesus Christ has got to be at the center of everything we do, and everything we share. And I have some life remodeling to do, because it is so so easy to look beyond the mark. Even if you are doing good things, if Christ isn't at the center, they are good for next to nothing. I'm so grateful for the course corrections that we receive from the Spirit when we are striving to do what is right. And I am beyond thankful for a Savior who reminds us who He is when we get caught up and forget. I challenge you all to reflect on your own personal focus on Jesus Christ and take steps to put Him more at the center of your everyday life. I started with my study desk. I would love to hear where you are starting! LOVE, Sister Hardy