"The Right Time"

Greetings world. Transfer calls came....and I'm staying in Franklin! But Sister Blacker is leaving. That'll be sad, but I'm excited to get some good work done here. It seems like things always pick up when somebody new comes into an area. We don't have a ton of people to teach right now, but we've got a huge handful of people who seem pretty interested...so it's just a matter of getting in with them at the right time :P

I've been thinking about "the right time." A lot of people will say that they're too busy for whatever--whether it's meeting with us, coming to church, or just anything of a spiritual nature. There never will be a time that's good. Taking care of ourselves spiritually is one of the important, but not-so-urgent things that can very easily get left on the back burner. I was thinkin' 'bout that in regard to tithing. We're teaching K (who we haven't specifically taught tithing to, yet) She says, "I can't tithe. After my expenses, there's nothing left." Which is completely normal, logical way to think, to an extent. The principle is putting Heavenly Father first. If we put Him first financially, things work out.

We heard of a great experience about a couple that was baptized back in November in our ward. They promised that they would pay tithing when they got baptized. And they did, but it stressed her out tremendously. They weren't going to be able to pay for his medications (which he does need--he already lost a leg to diabetes about a year ago) and they don't spend a lot of money needlessly. Their concerns were very real. But they kept paying. Suddenly the price of his medications dropped significantly. They hadn't been coming to church because of some other concerns they were having, but came back because of a miracle. They had prayed about whether they should come. She felt impressed to go over her account. She found a lump of money that she had missed before. She felt impressed to look again. And found even more.

But it's more than just putting God first financially. If we make time to do all the things He would have us do, there will be time for the more urgent, but less important things. I hope that's something that I can remember, and act accordingly when I get home. It's so easy to make time to study the scriptures now, but it never has been before. My life is centered around Heavenly Father now. I don't remember if it was before. But that doesn't mean I'm better than I was before. I still struggle with pride, self-centeredness, and exact obedience. But those are all things we strive to develop our entire lives--obedience to Heavenly Father's commandments and counsel is what will make us the most like Christ.

I got to go to the temple this past week. It was wonderful. It reminded me how merciful our Heavenly Father is. He offers us tremendous blessings for keeping promises we could never keep on our own, but then He even helps us make up the difference. Sometimes I forget just how much I need the Savior.

That's all for today. We're looking forward to an exciting week. We're booked with appointments tonight, and tomorrow night; Wednesday is transfer meeting appointments with new investigators in the evening; Thursday is full with service, helping out with visiting teaching, and planning; and Friday there is Mission Leadership Council all day. It'll be good.

Much love!

Sister Bowen