Sunday May 22, 2011
Mission Home Office
Dearest of all dear families,
Oh I feel so much love and gratitude this morning! Why? Because we did not have to get up and race off somewhere, and I had some time to think, to pray, to meditate about all that I have been blessed with and every time I do that I get this way. I have been so blessed and I know our Father in Heaven is watching over each of you as ONLY HE CAN.
This week I have been thinking a lot about two things prayer and trails. The reason I have been thinking about these subjects is because we are speaking at the Chomeday Branch today and I felt very strongly that I should speak about prayer and how prayers are answered. And secondly, I have been thinking about trials because of a talk Elder Per Malm of the second quorum of the 70, asked us to read before his visit next week. It is a talk given by Elder D. Todd Christofferson in the April 2009 conference. In that talk, one sentence stuck out in my mind. He said "In times of distress, let your covenants be PARAMOUNT, and let your OBEDIENCE be EXACT" I of course add the caps and as you kids always tell me, when I cap things that means I am yelling. I would like to think I am simply drawing attention to certian particular words. So that has been on my mind this week. May I share a few thoughts about all this?
All this thinking, in particular about prayer, took me back to a favorite class I took at the University of Utah. It was a communications class, and more specifically, Interpersonal Communication. I will never forget the first day of class as our professor walked in, stood before us in a somewhat small setting and said these words, "Is communication (in any form) the MOST important thing?" Then he walked out and class was over...that was it. I have a tendency to come to conclusions very quickly and this was one of those times. My first thought was NO, we need air, food and water, love, shelter etc. And then my next thought was yippeeeee, we don't have class, the tennis courts were next door and who could I find to play tennis. However as this class unfolded, day after day, my initial conclusion transformed into a complete about face. And by the end of the class I could answer that introductory query. I came to the conclusion that communication IS INDEED the most important thing. Think about it. If you can't communicate you are hurt, hungry, or you love someone, or you need something or anything else for that matter....you can accomplish nothing. There would be no reading, texting, radio, music, signing, photos, writing etc. It is amazing to think about. Almost everything we do, is communicate in some form or another. I, soon after, in NYC, learned an even more important lesson about communication. I learned this because I was so lonely there, I missed the associations of family and friends. I worked 6 days a week as a nanny all day til 8 at night. Then I was excused to go to my room without TV, cell phone, computer or books. I would sit in my room alone every night. I am ashamed to say that it was then and only then that I made an attempt to reach out to God. I had never done that before. I had no need. I am ashamed that He was a last resort when He should have been my first priority. But in that time of desperation, and reaching out, I learned in my very awkward way of praying, that there was and indeed is a Father in Heaven who knows us and loves us so much. He is there every minute of the day, at our beck and call. That is the MOST important communication, that sweet communion we can have with God. It is life sustaining for me. As I have felt of His unrestrained, limitless love it has made me want to be in His presence. Because if feeling of His love is this wonderful here on this earth when I can't see Him, think of what it will be like to BE in His presence. Anyway, I am grateful for the ways in which He answers prayers, through an impression, a thought, a feeling, another person, a feeling and thought simultaneously that cause an ahhhhahhah moment, through scriptures, or the written word. So many ways He answers our prayers. We but have to listen and acknowledge those answers, even if they are not what we wanted to hear. Prayers are answered in His own time and according to His will. This is what we should come to expect. He knows our needs better than we do. He wants us to be happy, so we just need to listen. Ok enough of that.
And trials, I will make this short. That is what I will be giving my training on at our Conference with Elder Malm this week as we have so many missionaries who are having trials and difficult times in their families. Trials...we ALL have them. We are supposed to have them. We grow from them. They are what makes or breaks us. Trials make us feel alive. I can't say I am one who prays for trials but I would like to think I am one who will never give up. I pray I am one who has learned that some things must be handed over to the Lord and hope that I might have enough faith to know that HE will take care of things. I love the 100th section of the D&C (by the way Pres. Monson calls this the Canada section as this is the only time Joseph Smith visited a foreign mission, in Canada, where he baptized 14 people) where Joseph Smith and his partner are very worried about their families. The Lord basically tells them, you get to work, do as I have asked you and I will take care of the rest. They are in My hands. He tells them they are well and He is in charge. Don't worry just get to work. That is what I try to do here when I worry about my family. I find great peace in this. Please know you are in my prayers every day. I love and miss you but the time is passing so quickly and I want to do all I can, and all I should be doing. This is a very special, sacred time to be serving the Lord. And a privilege to be serving with these missionaries.
Ok I am really done now. I did not even tell you what we have been doing.We finished visiting most of the missionary apartments and talking with our wonderful servants of the Lord. I did go to NYC for LIBBY's graduation from NYU Nursing school, for two days. Wynn and Acadia were there too. Mark was an Angel to tolerate it all. It was wonderful to be there. Congratulations NURSE Libby, We are so proud of you dear.
We are gearing up for a General Authority visit on Wednesday, Elder Per Malm and his wife will be here for three days. I have to go plan my training and menus right now.
After that on Saturday I am speaking at a R. S. Stake meeting, and Sunday we speak at a YSA, young single adult ward on unity. So I will sign out for now.
I love love love you all,
mom, Shir, Mema, Grammah, Soeur Cannon
Pictures Libby graduation NYC Hard Rock Cafe Time Square/Wynn, Acadia and Lib and three or our WONDERFUL missionaries who we love.
Click below to see more pictures of the mission if you like:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/canadamontrealmission/
Soeur Shirin Cannon
Sister Shirin Cannon
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