Hello Dear Family,
Well it has been an eventful week full of teaching the gospel and
celebrating the spirit of Christmas by telling people of Christ! There
is no greater time to be a missionary! We've been teaching, had Zone
Conference, our ward Christmas party....I saw Santaaaaa!!!! The youth
sang songs for the program and I got asked by two of them to sing a couple
of duets with them...."Silent Night" and "Breath of Heaven." What was
really neat was that I thought to call a sweet family that Sister Tanner
and I street contacted like 2 or 3 months ago, and they came to the
party! She is is devout Christian but she had asked us to let her know
when things were happening at the church. I have called and invited her
before and she hasn't come, but she came with her 2 kids to the party!
They had a great time and she was more willing to let us come to her
home to share a message...oh and her daughter wants to be a singer = )
So she is excited that I will be coming by and singing some songs with
her! = ) Heavenly Father knows what He is doing!!!
The miracles that have happened for me this week have been very
personal for me...I have literally felt and seen Heavenly Father
answering personal pleas and sending me comfort. And as I have been
studying the New Testament...through the power of the spirit I have been
learning and understanding more about my Savior and His life, how He
did missionary work...most importantly, what He suffered. So I will just
share a miracle of an answered prayer...well several answered
prayers...or concern of mine....we had dinner with a member whom I
love...had the chance to teach her boyfriend and see him baptized! With
what was weighing on me a bit and with what she had on her mind and
opened up about experiences in her life...(sorry I do not want to share
the personal things we shared) she looked me in the eye, and testified
to me almost word for word the exact impression that came to my mind
years ago at a point in my life when I had asked the Lord why? Why
something was happening in my life that I didn't understand and wanted
to so badly....I cried as I felt that confirmation and reassurance come
that what He had told me then was true. I was in awe and so grateful for
the love He showed me that night through this sweet member and I know
that it is all right and good. Miracle!
Like I said, I have been studying the four gospels and my studies
are becoming so sacred I actually say in my prayer before I begin,
"Please help my mind and heart to be ready for what I am about to read."
It is very heartbreaking to read about the cruelty my dear Savior was
treated with...and I can just and will never understand how the people
were even able to bring themselves to do such things, I have learned so
much, but just this morning I had this thought I wanted to share: I was
reading in Mark 15:21 and noticed in both of the accounts from Matthew
and Mark, in one verse they mention Simon, a Cyrenian, who was passing
by, had 2 sons, and was compelled to carry Christ's cross to Golgatha. I
just thought, "What man this must have been?" Who was he? What was his
life like? I imagine the Savior felt so much love for him as he helped
bear the burden of that walk....Christ had already been through so
much...who knows if he did have to carry his cross all the way there, if
he would have made it. That couldn't have been easy to do...but I
wonder if Simon felt the honor of that...if he knew what he was doing,
who he was helping....and as I thought further...at least to my
knowledge...that is the one time, through the whole process of the
Atonement and Crucifixion that Christ is helped...that His burden is
lifted just a little....that His suffering didn't have to be as much as
it would have been had He had to carry His cross....I love this man
Simon for what he did....there is no record of how he felt about
it....just that he was "compelled"...so it may not have been
willingly...but he did it...and what his sons Alexander and Rufus must
have felt as they saw their father do that...I wonder....
I love my Savior. I love bearing His name and doing all I can to
bring Him honor every day. I pray all of your Holidays are blessed and
Happy! Remember the whole reason we have this special time of year is
because of the gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ...whom the Father gave
"silently, how silently" ....and the gift our Savior gave to us
"silently, how silently" as He "held his peace and opened not his
mouth..." even though He had every right to...and could have done so
easily.
Share His Spirit with others...it is the best gift we can give to Him and to our brothers and sister throughout the world!!
I love you all so much! Thanks for all your love and prayers and letters of encouragement!!! They mean the world to me!
Merry Christmas!!! Can't wait to talk to the Family on the phone!!!!!! Aaaaahhhhh!!!!!
Love you forever!
Sister Riggs
xoxoxoXXXOOOO!!!
