DAY 4: Our trip was not finished. Its hard to believe all that had happened in 3 days! We spent the morning doing work projects around the Blue House where we had been staying. It was a way that we were able to invest back into the ministry. Some worked on clearing the garden area, some organized indoors, some of us cleared up the old wood pile (and practice our hand saw skills).
Later we went on a hike in the beautiful countryside and also went to the beach where everyone did a bit of relaxing, which looked different for everyone. I opted out of the sand spa and settled for fending off the seagulls an spiders under a tree. (Also, notice my very non-intimidating/slightly goofy burlap hat mentioned in the previous post.)
DAY 5: We had a free car was at the Blue House to make opportunities for conversation and also tell more people about the radio station. We actually washed about 8 cars!
Later that day we helped out at a nearby Christian school (there are very few of them) with their day camp, playing games and doing a skit on Joseph from Genesis (not Joseph Smith!). The kids were mesmerized as the youth read from Genesis and acted out the story of Joseph and his brothers, especially the part where they threw him into the pit. “Joseph” actually got tossed off stage pretty realistically. Sadly, I didn’t get a picture of that. That evening we had a time of worship through music and sharing what God had done in our hearts. To be reminded of the truth of what we believe in and to come together as brothers and sisters was so very refreshing!
DAY 6: We had an excursion in the morning and then another work day in the afternoon at the same school, except this time it was work projects like painting railings, digging, and sweeping sand leftover from a mudslide.
We finally made it to In-and-Out Burger (for Californians this is a sacred place). Payton enjoyed eating a 4×4. I devoured a Double-Double after painting and sweeping in the hot sun all afternoon.
We made one final visit to Temple Square. Our group still hadn’t seen the Beehive House, which was Brigham Young’s residence. He was second Prophet of the LDS church after Joseph Smith died and also later the governor of the territory of Utah. It was extravagant to day the least. One of the curiosities was the daughter’s room which contained her wedding gown and slippers. People were so small back then! Apparently, the average women’s shoe size was a 3! That means I would have looked like a Sasquatch in 1840!
Beyond just seeing the sights, our group actually had a very long conversation at the end of our tour with the two sister missionaries that lead us. The youth were able to even talk about what it means to be saved by grace. We also talked about whether or not they could receive personal revelation and how they would know it was different from a Buddhist or Muslim who believed with the same conviction that their religion was true and that their prophet was the true one.
As you can see, this trip was quite extraordinary! I was glad to be a part of it and encouraged to see God at work. It deepened my heart for the lost as I’d mentioned before, and it encouraged me to be bold with my faith even more so, yet with a heart of compassion. The truth is so important! I would hope that the lens through which I view the world was changed in a way that I now see people the way Jesus would have. If I truly believe that I have a message that can impact someone’s eternity, why would I not passionately share it?! Be in prayer for those that we came in contact with that the seeds we planted would grow and bear much fruit.
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